The Homeseeker: Elemental Adventurer LitRPG [Isekai] (Series Complete!)

"I think I see why she wanted to know your favorite food now," Zalan said, looking around.

"She had a Poniwhale slain and cooked for me in the span of a night!" Rep said, pure joy radiating in his voice.

The wedding had been set up on the largest ship in the dock, able to hold the entirety of Oriton on board. There were hundreds on the upper deck, with several dozen more in well-lit decks below. A massive pile of plates of Poniwhale meat sat at the head of the boat in a decorative display of food. Zalan came dressed in an elaborately sewn tunic with lightning bolts etched across it. It was granted to him by Ma, first thing in the morning. Apparently, no one had known that Zalan lost and replaced his Elemental Power. Rep was also adorned in a tunic with embroidered collar and sleeve. The stitching was shaped like small flames across his arms.

The ship was packed with attendees. Zalan had no idea what the population of Oriton was, but it felt close to everyone being on board. Ma's guards lined the sides of the boat in black outfits, looking like security for a fine dining establishment. Oshrad approached the pair, his hair slicked back and a hint of a smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Rep," Oshrad said.

"You have my thanks. This day would not have come without you speaking to Valens and Junill so promptly," Rep responded graciously.

Oshrad closed his eyes and nodded, accepting the thanks with silent elegance.

"Your presence is requested at the head of the ship."

Oshrad directed Rep to the head where he would sit alongside Junill on a sofa-like throne for two, sitting above the rest of the attendees.

Zalan smiled at his friend, and suddenly felt somewhat anxious without him. Despite his time in the realm, he didn't make a lot of friends with the people of Oriton. He would have to mingle without Rep by his side, saving him from all his social faux pas. He pulled at his collar and looked around slowly. To his surprise, someone he recognized was already approaching him.

"Captain Buttonwillow!" Zalan said, pleasantly.

"Zalan! In all of your time that we have been separated, you may have forgotten who I am, but do not fret, I do not take offense. I am Captain Buttonwillow McKittrick, the one who took you on the harrowing journey into the Island of Remains!" Captain Buttonwillow pointed far out toward the sea.

Zalan smirked. He was certain that Captain Buttonwillow just wanted to reintroduce himself in as showy a way as possible.

"Yeah, I definitely remember you, Captain," Zalan assured him. "You still have a bruise on your face from yesterday. You didn't take a Healing Rest?"

"Wounds from the land do not deserve the time it would take for me to heal!" Captain Buttonwillow said boldly. "I wear this mark with pride! How many others would have the gall to come out in public with such a blemish? On top of that…" the captain brought his voice low, "Oshrad tried to break one of my toes yesterday, but only succeeded in crushing my false toe. I do not want to anger him by showing him that he had little to no effect, so the bruise remaining present is intentional. He does not know that I was not severely damaged, and that Captain Buttonwillow McKittrick is a master at deception when needed."

Zalan scoffed with a wide smile, pleased to see that Captain Buttonwillow hadn't changed.

"How did you make it off of the Island of Remains alive? And the rest of your crew made it too!"

"I wanted to ask you the same! We were worried that you and Rep had been stranded or killed. Long after you and Nold had left us, the center of the island went ablaze in a storm of lightning, flame and wind! I thought for certain that no one could survive that, even a man with control over Elemental Lightning," Captain Buttonwillow said.

"We got back with the Homeseeker, right at the last second," Zalan explained. "Morloch was going to kill Rep and me after he took my Elemental Lightning Power, but the moment before his attack hit us, we got out of there."

Captain Buttonwillow sat frozen for a moment, his mouth half open. He recollected himself with an adjustment of his captain's hat and cleared his throat.

"I am glad to hear that you all survived this 'Morloch.' Did Nold make it out as well?" he asked.

"Nold turned out to be Morloch," Zalan replied.

Again Captain Buttonwillow paused for thought. It looked to Zalan that he seemed somewhat embarrassed.

"So, how did you make it out alive?" Zalan asked.

"Well, we were stranded, and eventually the rest of my crew arrived on my end of the island…" Captain Buttonwillow presented plainly.

Zalan blinked in shock, realizing what was going on. The captain was embarrassed to not have a more grand story to tell than Zalan's. Without meaning to, Zalan had told the more impressive tale, leaving the captain feeling lackluster in his speech. While amused, Zalan also increased the look of enthusiasm on his face to make his former captain feel better.

"That couldn't have been all, how did you get off the island without a ship?" Zalan asked, sounding as enthusiastic as he could force himself. Captain Buttonwillow's chest inflated, a small smile forming.

"Well, thanks to my ingenuity, I was able to design a new ship. I knew what The Aegeusson looked like down to the finest grain of wood. Using my wife's Elemental Power, we were…"

"Hold on, your wife was there? I didn't know you were married," Zalan asked, stunned. He only then realized that the captain was wearing a polished wooden ring.

Captain Buttownillow stood tall, his full ardor on display.

"I neglected to introduce you to her!" Captain Buttonwillow said excitedly. He waved somewhere behind him, beckoning members of the crowd that Zalan couldn't make out. They rushed over quickly, and Zalan realized he should have guessed that the captain's crew was waiting in the wings to be called upon. Enzo and Magnolia greeted Zalan with a simple wave, where Rosemary went to stand right next to the captain.

"My wife, Rosemary," Captain Buttonwillow presented with a flare of his arm. "Meet Zalan."

"We have met before," Rosemary said.

"Of course, my beloved, but I did not want to embarrass you in case you had forgotten his name," the captain said lovingly.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Of course," Rosemary nodded.

"Wow, you're married now? Congratulations!" Zalan said. Both the captain and Rosemary flashed him a grateful smile.

"I proposed when we were still on the island. She was as trustworthy as she was reliable and I could not stand the idea of going on any journeys of life without her," Captain Buttonwillow said.

"I accepted immediately. I am not sure you noticed, but I had fancied Captain Buttonwillow McKittrick for some time," Rosemary said.

"Yeah, I think there were signs," Zalan said, noting that she still had called him by his full name even after they were married.

"Magnolia joined my crew as well," Captain Buttonwillow pointed out. "No longer is she a hired hand, but a full member of the crew!"

"He saved my life," Magnolia offered as an explanation. "And there is something about him that makes you value his word as a leader."

"Captain Buttonwillow was just telling me about how you got off the Island of Remains," Zalan replied.

"Such a wonderful tale," Rosemary said, swooning over her husband.

"I told Rosemary the exact dimensions of the ship," Captain Buttonwillow said, gesticulating grandly. "Using several hours of our time and tools made of Elemental Plant Power, we were able to put it back together. We were even able to work through the night thanks to a brilliant star appearing above the island! Magnolia even sanded it down to ensure it was smooth and beautiful!"

"You told me it needed to be smooth to be seaworthy," Magnolia said, confused.

"Then, using Enzo's Elemental Water," Captain Buttonwillow continued, unperturbed, "We were able to leave the island and steer our way back here. We fought with a few monsters, but between myself and Magnolia, we were able to manage them to a safe trip home."

Rosemary applauded Captain Buttonwillow's tale with three short claps. He bowed his head, appreciating his audience.

"I was never able to repay you for granting me the ship," Captain Buttonwillow said to Zalan, a grave seriousness in his voice.

"It's fine, the ship blew up when we fought the Leviathans anyway. You didn't really get to have it for more than a few days."

"It is not fine," Captain Buttonwillow said. "I am…"

Glaring, the captain stopped abruptly and went completely silent. His eyes tracked something on the ship, a fierce look in his eyes. Following the movement, his crew did the same.

At first Zalan was baffled, then followed everyone's gaze. Lexington Winchester stood a few feet away, a glass of water in his hand.

"Captain," Lexington spoke.

"Captain," Buttonwillow acknowledged.

They stared silently, the intensity building. Zalan had never seen them so close and wondered if he would have to break up a fight at the wedding.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your union with your wife," Captain Lexington said, sounding as though he had to force the words. "That is all. I will leave you be, I hope you enjoy your time at the wedding."

"Lexington, you sea scum, I hope you have the absolute time of your life at this wedding! Much better than any of me or my crew!" Buttonwillow reacted automatically.

Zalan blinked, stunned by his words, but no one else seemed surprised. In fact, Captain Lexington looked irate.

"I hope you enjoy not only this wedding, but your union to your incredible spouse! I hope she is the utmost coolness of your eyes and brings you nothing but tranquility and ease!" Captain Lexington spat back.

"May the heavens themselves open up to grant you the best spouse in creation! May she bring you days that make you wonder how you ever lived without her!" Captain Buttonwillow shot back.

"How dare you, Buttonwillow! I hope your children and their progeny bring you nothing but graciousness, joy, and an endless legacy!" Lexington snapped, his arms going straight down his sides. The water in his cup spilled out.

"Bring my family into this will you?" Captain Buttonwillow exploded. "Well, I hope…"

Captain Buttonwillow stopped as the shadow of Oshrad loomed over him, his arms folded.

"Captains. I hope there is nothing going on that needs to be interrupted," Oshrad said simply. Then, knuckles cracked, but his arms were still folded over his chest. Zalan's eyes widened to their maximum as he heard more small bones pop and looked down to see Oshrad's footwear shifting under their fabric.

He was cracking his toes.

"Nothing to be concerned about Oshrad," Captain Lexington said quickly, his face totally pale. "Enjoy the wedding, everyone."

Captain Lexington briskly walked away, not looking back at Captain Buttonwillow.

"That man never knows when to give up," Captain Buttonwillow grumbled after him. "Where was I…"

"So you guys don't hate each other? You just always want to one up one another?" Zalan asked, watching as Oshrad walked away, continuing to survey the attendees.

"Ah yes, paying you back for the ship!" Captain Buttonwillow said, ignoring Zalan's question. "I can grant you members of my crew! Magnolia and Enzo will be out of jobs in the foreseeable future as Rosemary and I will remain on land until we have a child old enough to live at sea."

"I don't think I need to take your crew," Zalan scratched the back of his head, uncomfortably.

"Nonsense, they will be more than happy to oblige," Captain Buttonwillow said.

To Zalan's surprise, both Enzo and Magnolia shrugged, complacent with the idea.

"You really don't want to come with us. I need to go find my friend Gorb, and then we're going to try and find Aetheria," Zalan said, trying to dissuade them.

"I have never been to Aetheria," Enzo said, sounding somewhat enthused.

"That is because it does not exist," Magnolia said.

"Exactly!" Zalan said. "You'll want to spend your time elsewhere."

"They will think about it," Captain Buttonwillow assured him.

"I'm telling you not to."

"Oh, yes, I see." The captain winked at him, as though exchanging a secret. Zalan just sighed, not sure how else to express his point.

"Zalan!" another familiar voice called to him.

"Liv," Zalan smiled pleasantly, smiling at the fellow guildmate. She looked pleased to have found him. Captain Buttonwillow and his crew excused themselves, looking like they went to chase down Captain Lexington.

"Epanor told me you came back from the Depths of Despair! What a journey! We returned from a coastal town that was being ravaged by a Leviathan. A very odd place to see such a creature," Liv said.

"Really? A coastal town sounds about right for a monster that lives in water, right?"

"Not at all. Leviathans are creatures of deep water, not shallow puddles next to towns. And the Grimfangs we fought on our return to Oriton… Things seem off. The realm has changed."

"In what way?" Zalan asked, concerned.

"It is as though Elementals were holding things together and now something foreboding lives on the horizon…" Liv said grimly. Then a quick smile flashed back on her face. "But do not be concerned with such things right now! It is a wedding! Be sure to enjoy yourself!"

The rest of the day was spent celebrating Rep and Junill. The ceremony was a show of dozens of Elemental Powers stacking on one another in coordination to create a multi powered dragon to soar above the attendees. Rep and Junill vowed to remain true to one another, no matter what the realm brought.

Zalan stuck to Captain Buttonwillow and his crew, not having any other friends to spend time with. Captain Buttonwillow regaled him with so many anecdotes that Zalan couldn't even tell what was an embellishment anymore by the evening. Monster food was separated from regular food, though attendees were stacking plates with both combinations. Zalan was grateful to have a meal that didn't taste processed, even if it wasn't Rep's favorite foods.

After some time, Zalan went to speak with Rep and Junill sitting on the throne above the ship. Both were beaming with graciousness and excitement for their life to come.

"Are you sure you're okay leaving tomorrow? We can wait a little longer if you want to spend more time with her," Zalan said sincerely.

"If I stay long enough I will never leave," Rep answered with a goofy smile. "And I already assured her and her father that we would leave in the morning so they would not have to worry about us delaying the end to Morloch's killings."

"All right. I just wanted to make sure. You look so happy."

"That is because I am."

That night, Zalan fell asleep with a wide, grateful smile on his face, and pride for his closest friend. And with thoughts of how he would find a way to the city in the sky.