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

"How did Fleshless even get in here? I thought they were like mindless dead things?" Zalan asked.

"I do not know. They must have migrated from Castle Docrun during the chaos outside the walls!"

Rep and Zalan both drew their swords. The Fleshless all turned to them, alert. King Docrun looked especially curious, perhaps recalling their last fight. One of his hands was still sliced open, his face burned, and his crown was plain to see on his head. Zalan recalled it being a weak point before, but wondered how he was supposed to get to it when he was fighting among other Fleshless. Docrun gripped his golden scepter with one hand.

"We should focus on Docrun and the rest should fall in line," Zalan suggested.

"Agreed. I will start by getting him at a distance," Rep said.

Rep blasted a fireball at King Docrun, sailing over the other undead creatures. King Docrun grabbed the nearest Fleshless and shielded himself behind it, not the slightest bit of flame touching him.

Rep and Zalan grit their teeth, realizing they never fought against Docrun when he had allies before.

"Should we sound an alarm?" Zalan asked.

"I am concerned about panicking the people of the town in a way that leads them straight to the threat. An alarm would imply an invader on the outside, not one that has already infiltrated the wall," Rep said.

With a clap of his hands, Rep sent a slice flame out like a burning cleaver. King Docrun swung through it with a mix of his scepter and the Fleshless he gripped. Zalan pointed an arm upward and blasted Elemental Light, like a beacon. It was hardly visible in the morning sun, barely able to be made out unless looking directly at it.

"What are you doing?" Rep asked, taking cautious steps toward the king. His sword exploded in a swirl of flame.

"Calling for the guardsmen. They should be on their way to arrest me, and that should be enough to get some reinforcements. If they can even see my light," Zalan said, imbuing his own blade with laser-like energy.

A resident turned the corner and stopped when he saw Rep and Zalan with their powers on full display. She stared with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Get out of here!" Rep snapped. "It is not safe here, we will take care of it!"

She shrieked and ran immediately, calling out loudly.

"The Fleshless! They are fighting!"

"So much for not causing a panic," Zalan said.

King Docrun heaved the Fleshless above his head and hurled it forward, the body flailing as it torpedoed at the two. Rep dove out of the way and Zalan readjusted himself and held his sword straight up, carving the undead creature in two, long ways. The halves plopped on the floor. Zalan gave it a quick kick to make sure it was dead, not willing to take the chance the creature surviving being sliced apart.

King Docrun grabbed another Fleshless by its neck and held it ahead of himself like a shield. Zalan was surprised to see that the smaller Fleshless didn't seem to mind, reaching its arms out toward Rep and shifting its feet as though thinking it was shambling forward.

"I thought it was bad enough when it was just him. What do we do?" Zalan asked.

"Try getting some Elemental Light on him. Redirect it, he will have a much harder time stopping such a fast attack," Rep said.

Docrun flung the next Fleshless at him and Zalan couldn't get his sword up fast enough, instead getting slapped in the face by one of the undead creature's arms as it sailed by him. As it slid across the ground, Zalan kept his focus on King Docrun, letting Rep deal with the smaller Fleshless. Shooting Elemental Light from his palms, he tried to redirect them to burn King Docrun from the back of his head. The redirection was a little more inaccurate than he'd hoped, and he ended up landing his attack on King Docrun's crown.

Docrun sensed the burn mark on his crown immediately and looked enraged at the slight against his headwear. Bashing aside Fleshless, he bound toward Zalan on hands and feet like a feral animal. Zalan raised his arms up at the last second as King Docrun tackled him to the ground, his sword clattering to the floor next to him. Zalan wrestled with the undead creature, having much more Strength than the first time, but no experience in grappling with an opponent. Docrun pinned Zalan's arm and chest down, taking the upper hand.

Thinking quickly, Zalan imbued himself in blinding bright Elemental Light and King Docrun shielded his one remaining eye. Slapping the ground urgently in search, Zalan located his sword just as the King's good eye cleared up and prepared to bash Zalan's face in. Screaming, Zalan thrusted his sword at Docrun's neck as Docrun's arms began descending toward him. Zalan's arm suddenly went stiff and Docrun's attack stopped just inches away from his face.

With wide eyes, Zalan stared as he breathed rapidly. All his Strength was put into stabbing forward, but his muscles refused to listen to him. King Docrun's arms trembled, looking equally distressed in their attempts to kill Zalan.

"Dear God, you are the last person I thought I would find in Moonwell," a young man said standing just over Zalan.

Zalan's ears perked with recognition, and he strained to turn his neck to the man. As soon as he heard the voice, he knew exactly what had occurred. He and Docrun had both been frozen in place by someone with Elemental Ice Power. And the only person he knew with that power other than Captain Buttonwillow was the rival he fought in the Elemental Rage Tournament.

"Slauson?" Zalan asked.

"Zalan," Slauson acknowledged.

The frozen sensation faded away from Zalan's limbs and he scrambled out from under King Docrun. Wielding his sword high, he stabbed upward toward King Docrun's head. He couldn't move it more than an inch before he went stiff again. Zalan's arm went cold as ice enveloped it quickly.

"Stop trying to kill him!" Slauson demanded.

"Why? He's a Fleshless!" Zalan said, struggling to break free from the ice.

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

"Yes. And he is mine," Slauson raised a shining Artifact of skull and hourglass. The Resurrector, able to both bring a dead body back as a Fleshless and control them. Zalan recalled that it used to be in King Docrun's possession, allowing the king to reanimate and control himself.

"Stand down, King," Slauson said, releasing the icy hold on both the king and Zalan.

Zalan stared in awe as King Docrun slinked backward, his eyes on the floor. Blinking in shock, Zalan turned to Rep and saw that he was shaking off droplets of water.

"Why didn't you help me when he tackled me?" Zalan asked.

"He froze me!" Rep pointed at Slauson.

"I wanted to preserve my battalion. You killed one. Well, killed it again," Slauson said, pointing to the one Zalan cut in half.

"You could have just called out!" Zalan said, throwing his arms open. "How long were you just watching us fight?"

"From the beginning," Slauson said casually.

"What?" Rep balked.

"I wanted to see how well you would fare against the Fleshless. It was a good measure of how much you have grown. I see you have found another Elemental Power since we last met," Slauson said to Zalan.

"Yeah. Well, not another one. My Elemental Lightning was stolen," Zalan said.

"Stolen?" Slauson blinked, astonished.

Rep and Zalan nodded. Slauson went from bafflement to reluctant understanding, sighing loudly.

"The realm is in complete disarray. Monsters of all regions prowl all lands and Elemental Power can be taken after it is granted. What of Nold, does he still live?" Slauson asked.

Rep and Zalan looked at one another, an embarrassed frown stretching across Zalan's face.

"I see. How did he die?" Slauson asked.

"No, he's not dead. He…" Zalan measured his words slowly.

"He stole Zalan's power, fled to Aetheria, and now hunts down Elementals as an Ascended Being from the city in the sky," Rep summarized.

Lowering his head, Slauson pondered over Rep's words. Frowning, he shook his head in consideration.

"Aetheria? As in…" Slauson pointed a finger to the sky.

Both Rep and Zalan nodded.

"Despicable. Aetheria exists, but only to serve evil," Slauson decided. "Are there any means to go to Aetheria? I was planning to use my Fleshless for something grand. Something to do in my father's name. Taking down the one responsible for the realm's turmoil is a more than worthy cause."

Rep and Zalan glanced at one another for a few seconds, silently discussing whether to tell Slauson of their plans with their eyes alone. Slauson scanned between them with a raised eyebrow. Zalan shrugged to Rep with uncertainty. Rep turned back to Slauson.

"How do we know we can trust you with the information?" Rep asked.

"An odd question. How could one misuse the information?" Slauson replied.

"I do not know."

"Neither do I."

Continuing to size one another up, Rep folded his arms as he frowned in thought.

"What Level are you?" Rep asked.

"Level 9 now. Yourselves?"

"Level 9," Rep answered. "And Zalan is Level 11."

Slauson looked to Zalan with raised eyebrows, clearly impressed.

"You still pursue higher Levels after Level 10? I was thinking of stopping there. The monsters that still give Experience are too dangerous beyond that Level," Slauson said.

"Yeah, well, it was kind of an accident," Zalan shrugged.

"I can not imagine a way to accidentally gain 100 Experience after Level 10," Slauson said, his tone in search of more information.

"Do you still have Elemental Fire and Elemental Ice or have you gained more power since we last met?" Rep asked, still concerned with his questions.

"Just the two. This investigation seems particularly strange. What is the purpose of it?" Slauson asked, clearly annoyed.

"We're checking to know if it's safe to travel with you," Zalan explained.

"Oh…" Slauson suddenly lowered his head, looking bashful. "Together? I thought I would be going on my own. You would still travel with me after what I had done in the Elemental Rage Tournament?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out."

Slauson pursed his lips and looked back up to Rep, nodding as though prepared for further interrogation. Rep twisted his lips from side to side in thought.

"Do you have anything that would help convince us?" Rep asked, opening his palms to Slauson.

Zalan was sure that Rep ran out of questions, but remained expressionless as to not make it obvious.

"I am grateful that you gave me the opportunity to find and bury my father. Traveling with you would give me an offer to repay the debt I feel I owe," Slauson said formally. "I am also greatly ashamed of having robbed you both of a fair fight in the tournament. I will not betray your trust like that ever again."

"Hey, I still beat you," Zalan reminded him.

"And you have the scars to prove it." Slauson nodded to his face. "Though they seem to have faded significantly. I can barely see they are still there."

"Yeah, a benefit of getting an Elemental Power from the Bright Elemental," Zalan said.

"I am glad to hear it. You did not deserve something so severe for barely defeating me in combat," Slauson said agreeably.

"Barely? You were cheating!"

"I only suggest that if we were to do battle again in the same tournament, I am certain I would succeed," Slauson said haughtily with a slight smirk.

"Oh, absolutely no way," Zalan said, grinning.

"This discussion can wait," Rep cut in. "Zalan, may I speak with you privately?"

Slauson took a few respectful steps away, the Fleshless shambling close to remain near their controller. Rep and Zalan both stared at the undead creatures, finding it so strange to have them following someone's orders. Especially King Docrun, who seemed like an independent spirit before. Rep turned to Zalan and spoke at a low volume.

"Is Slauson your friend?"

Zalan blinked, his eyebrows twitching in surprise.

"Not exactly what I thought you would say right now," Zalan admitted.

"Madam Hikma said that Morloch would be defeated with the help of your friends. Is Slauson an enemy in your mind? If so, I do not think it would be beneficial for him to travel with us."

"Oh, I get it. Yeah, I think he's fine. We're like… close acquaintances? Whatever the step below a friend is, I think," Zalan shrugged.

"You are certain? I recall the… animosity you held toward him during the tournament," Rep said carefully.

Frowning, Zalan knew that Rep was putting it lightly. He had felt unbridled rage toward Slauson during the tournament, blaming him for seemingly everything that had been going wrong. Where there was a constant fire in his heart before, Zalan felt nothing but pleasant thoughts toward him now. It was like catching up with an old friend he hadn't seen since high school. None of the issues before mattered now.

"Yeah, I'm certain. He's not my enemy."

"Would someone like that help in the upcoming battle in Aetheria?"

"How should I know? Not even Madam Hikma had those details."

"True… Allow me to rephrase. Would you feel proud to fight by his side? Even if that battle meant you had to lose everything?"

Inhaling deeply, Zalan thought about the question, throwing Slauson an obvious glance. Slauson's eyes were respectfully on the ground, looking as though he was deliberately not eavesdropping. Zalan nodded to himself confidently.

"Yeah, we can fight together. He's probably really useful against Morloch. Especially with both the Fleshless and his two powers," Zalan assessed.

"I am inclined to agree. If he is sincere in his intentions, we will have gained a powerful ally," Rep said.

Zalan nodded, and the two turned to Slauson together.

"Wanna come with us to take down Morloch in the city in the sky?" Zalan asked.

"I appreciate the opportunity. I will prove your trust is not misplaced," Slauson said confidently.