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

Moss opened his arms ahead of him, presenting the woody mansion that was his home. Vines and branches twirled together in intricate shapes to make a series of rooms and stairs that all seemed to blend into one another with plain browns and cool greens complimenting every corner. Windows were shrouded by large leaves and entryways looked as though they were sewn together with wet branches from the bog outside. The structure stood at least three stories tall and it was difficult to tell how many rooms there were within. Zalan guessed at least ten.

"Welcome to my home. I have built it myself," Moss pulled open the vines to the main entryway.

"A very nice home," Rep said as he ducked inside.

"Livable," Slauson said unimpressed.

Zalan entered last, amazed that it looked like a miniature forest from within. There were plants, flowers, small trees, and scents of all kinds. The only thing missing were bugs and small animals crawling between the low-hanging branches on the ceiling. Lowering himself to a flower, he smelled it, pleasantly surprised by the aroma.

Moss patted down on what looked like cushioned seats, and the trio sat down, grateful to have such a comfortable place to rest. The Fleshless remained standing, none of them admiring the view and staring blankly at one of the branch-laden walls.

"You are welcome to spend the night here," Moss reiterated. "I will go and gather some food for you." He rushed within, leaving the trio and Fleshless on their own.

They admired the large room for a few minutes, and Zalan wondered if Moss had ever hosted banquets or parties within, considering it could likely fit the same attendees as Rep's wedding. Slauson ran one of his hands over a vine, feeling the texture. Rep bounced on his cushioned seat.

"How long do you think it takes to make something like this?" Zalan asked.

"It depends on his Wisdom. But even then, this alone would take days," Slauson waved his arm around the room. "Much less the entire building. Months, maybe."

"When we saw him in the tournament, he was Level 7," Rep said. "I never imagined Elemental Plant users could make something so intricate, even given the time."

Moss reentered the room, holding two wooden platters of fruits. Placing one between Rep, Zalan, and Slauson, Moss then tried to present the other platter to King Docrun and the Fleshless. They did not look at him.

"They do not eat," Slauson reported. "They are Fleshless."

"Just because they are Fleshless does not mean they should be food-less," Moss said, raising the platter to just under Docrun's nose.

"Do you not know what a Fleshless is?" Slauson asked.

"I take it to mean it is a derogatory term for someone that injured themselves so much that their skin is never repaired by the Healing Rest," Moss said, plucking a strawberry and poking it at King Docrun's mouth.

"No. They are dead humans. Brought back with an Artifact to do my bidding.

Moss stopped mid-movement, swiveling his head back to Slauson. He searched Rep and Zalan for further explanation. Rep nodded, confirming Slauson's claim. Without looking at him, Moss took a long step away from King Docrun.

"That is… disgusting?" Moss said, not able to come up with another more polite term for his guests.

"It is," Rep agreed.

"They are valuable," Slauson said.

Moss looked back at the Fleshless, then tried to follow their gaze to see what they were staring at in the wall. Pursing his lips uncomfortably, Moss turned back to Slauson.

"I am sure they are," Moss said, sounding forced.

"Maybe you want to send them out to watch the perimeter?" Zalan suggested, seeing how uncomfortable Moss looked.

"Very well," Slauson agreed. "Fleshless! Go protect the city. Listen to the guards. I will collect you at dawn."

Without a look of acknowledgement, the Fleshless shambled their way out of the large home, leaving only the four young men behind. Moss visibly relaxed, sitting on another cushion and helping himself to the fruits on his platter.

Trying to change the subject, Zalan asked Moss a question about his home. "So, are you ever worried that Elemental Fire users like Rep might burn down your entire home?"

"Interesting question! Which is to say a terrible one. We make homes out of oak. Very dense, and would take a long while to burn through. Additionally, our land is very moist, the wet bog constantly absorbed by the buildings. Even a powerful Elemental Fire user would spend hours burning a single home down. Do Elemental Water users not reinforce your homes where you are from?"

Zalan thought back to all the times he'd burn firewood with his mom during the winter months. Wet logs would crackle and burn the entire night. It should have been pretty obvious had he reflected on it before speaking. Zalan seemed to take too long to answer, because Moss decided to ask his own question.

"Tell me," Moss said, his mouth full of blueberries, "what brings you to travel together? After the events of the tournament, I did not expect to see you together in any capacity."

Rep and Slauson both looked to Zalan, evidently expecting him to explain.

"We're gonna try and stop the guy killing Elementals. Which will hopefully stop them from migrating. Which will hopefully stop the Beasts of Slumber and all the other stuff going crazy in the realm," Zalan said.

"One man has come to kill Elementals? Amazing. Does he have Elemental Fire?" Moss asked.

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"Yeah, that's one of them. He also has four others," Zalan answered.

"I see. I thought there was more to you traveling with two Elemental Fire users," Moss nodded to Slauson and Rep.

"Slauson has Elemental Ice, too," Zalan pointed out.

"As I recall, he only really used Elemental Fire until he battled you during the tournament. I took it to mean he was very uncomfortable using his second power. Perhaps he was trying to challenge himself?" Moss suggested.

Both Rep and Zalan's eyes shot toward Slauson. He had been cheating during the Elemental Rage Tournament, and never revealed that he had been using Elemental Ice Power in every single bout. The three waited for him to answer. With a bored expression, he didn't even look the slightest bit thrown off by the question.

"I acquired my Elemental Ice Power long after my fire," Slauson informed him.

Eyes shifted back toward Moss, reading his expression. Beaming, he didn't seem to be bothered by the lack of a real answer.

"Can you tell me what the challenge was? I have never met someone who discussed the second Elemental challenge they were given," Moss said.

Slauson went deep into thought, seemingly lost in the memory for a few seconds. Taking a few breaths, Slauson looked back up to Moss.

"Yes, I can tell you. I discovered the Frost Elemental at the twist in a river and it…"

"Question!" Moss said abruptly. "Why was a Frost Elemental residing in a river? Why not a Water Elemental?"

Slauson squinted at him.

"How should I know why Elementals decide what they do?" Slauson said.

"Good point. Go on." Moss nodded.

"The challenge seemed trivial at first. The Frost Elemental told me that I needed to take water from the river, freeze it, and bring it back to the same bend in the river before the water melted. But the climate surrounding us was so warm. To find a place to freeze the water was the first step in the challenge. My immediate instinct was to ask for the assistance of my father, who was still alive at the time. He knew the area well, and informed me the Glacier Range to the north of us fed into the river. The ice would melt and create the flow of water. My plan was to take the water from the river to the icy range, put it in freezing conditions, then return it before it melted."

"Another question," Moss chimed.

"What is it?" Slauson sounded annoyed.

"Elemental Challenges are supposed to be completed by a single individual without assistance. But you clearly asked your wise father for assistance. Did that not disqualify you?"

"I only asked for his verbal advice. I carried out all the actions myself," Slauson answered.

"Why is verbal advice allowed but not physical advice?" Moss continued.

Slauson looked to Rep and Zalan who shrugged in sympathy.

"How should I know?" Slauson said sternly.

"Right, yes. Go on." Moss leaned forward, filling himself with a handful of berries.

Slauson pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose.

"I had to ascend quite high up the range in order to get the water to a temperature in which it would turn to ice. But getting the cup of ice back down frozen was an entirely separate matter. And no matter how fast I ran, I always reached the base with a cup of water. It took several failed attempts for me to come up with a new plan. I built a sled and raced down the mountain with my cup of ice. That did not work. I was trying to be safe and go down a relatively stable side of the mountain. Every time I tried, I would hit a tree and have to walk the rest of the way down. Still too slow. Until I decided to go down the steepest side of the mountain I climbed."

"That sounds extreme!" Moss said, a mix of worried and excited.

"Life's as extreme as you wanna make it," Zalan said, smirking to himself.

"The speed was incredible. Yes, perhaps one would describe it as extreme. Wind whipped past me and the world became a blur, morphing together. I could not see anything except that the base of the mountain was approaching me at a more than acceptable speed. And my arrival was less than pleasant. My sled exploded on reaching the ground and I broke my leg right next to the start of the river. Flesh and bone presented themselves to me. Undeterred, I crawled my way to the river and dove in. I had to drift for some time before reaching the same bend in the flow. Only then did the Frost Elemental heal me and grant me the Elemental Ice Power. "

The three looked to Moss, expecting him to have another question, but he smiled graciously, raspberry-colored streaks staining his chin.

"Thank you for sharing your amazing story."

Slauson nodded and helped himself to some of the fruit on the platter.

"You said you intend to find the man who is killing Elementals. I recall you being students of Nold, why is he not with you?" Moss asked.

"Nold is the one killing Elementals. He goes by 'Morloch' now," Zalan said.

"I see," Moss said casually, like it was trivial information. "Where is he now?"

"Aetheria," Rep answered plainly. Moss nodded, again seeming unceremonious on the reveal of the information.

"And how do you intend to get there?" Moss asked.

"We're still figuring that out," Zalan admitted. "We haven't even found where it is, yet."

Moss nodded.

"Understood. I am sure that will be an incredible journey," Moss said enthusiastically.

The rest of the evening was spent lounging and recalling particular moments in the Elemental Rage Tournament they all took part in. Lightning from the sky, setting Moss's plants on fire, Slauson beating Rep with a single punch. A Basilisk fought off by a hundred men and women.

Before long, the day yielded to the night and Moss left out mossy bedding for each of the travelers. Zalan was skeptical of the look at first, but it was the most comfortable bedding he had been on since Ma's place in Oriton. Without much delay, he was able to fall asleep and rest his aching limbs with a smile on his face.

At dawn the next morning, Zalan was rustled awake by Slauson, wanting to leave at first light. Quickly gathering his things, Zalan was ready to go within a handful of minutes. The others joined him at the entryway and turned around just as they were about to leave. Moss had appeared in the room as well, looking well-rested and pleased at the state of his guests.

"Thanks for your hospitality, Moss. Really appreciate it," Zalan said.

"It was my honor to house such esteemed fighters," Moss beamed.

Zalan waved and exited the building, making his way toward the gate they entered from. He wondered how helpful the Fleshless were overnight. The four travelers took a few steps before Zalan blinked and turned to count his group. Moss was still among them.

"Uhhh, are you going somewhere this morning?" Zalan asked.

"Oh, yes! I am coming with you!" Moss said simply.

Zalan looked at Rep and Slauson who looked equally shocked.

"Oh… Uh… Did one of us invite you?" Zalan asked.

"Not that I know of." Moss shook his head.

"And… you're coming even though none of us asked for you to join?" Zalan asked, hoping Moss would get the hint.

"That I am!"

Zalan looked to Rep and Slauson for assistance.

"I am not sharing my food," Slauson said simply.

"I am not opposed." Rep shrugged.

"All right, fine, you can come," Zalan said.

"It is not as though I required your permission to join," Moss said confidently, a smile brandished on his face.