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

Panic set into Zalan's body, pumping him full of adrenaline. He could barely make out the shape of the Beast of Slumber, and couldn't imagine it looming over him. It was a faint image on the horizon, yet seemed to take up the entire sky. And it was crawling towards them.

"We need to get moving before it happens to spot us," Slauson said to Moss.

Moss nodded and immediately turned away, pointing the direction they would be headed. Zalan was grateful they would be running away from the monster, and hoped it would turn away eventually. While the others got moving, Zalan gave it one last long glance.

The Wrathgaze was a light purple hue, with a single giant eye atop its humanoid head. It looked as though a cyclops was born without legs and was dragging its way across the earth with its arms alone, making steady progress with no signs of fatigue. Its purple arms ended in hands with fingers that looked like spikes. Zalan wondered if the fingers ever intended to grab things or just drag itself forward and destroy all it could see. Its one eye was white with a black slit going down the center like a snake, and Zalan had a shiver run down his spine as he felt like it was looking directly at him. Panicking internally, Zalan hoped it would be too far for it to see with one eye.

The travelers started out in a light jog, moving just slow enough that all the Fleshless could keep up while shambling along with them. Rep, Zalan, Slauson and Moss alike kept turning their heads every few steps, craning to see whether the Beast of Slumber had turned away. Or found interest in something else on its path. Or was not intent on hunting them.

But there was no change in its path.

"Should we turn off, away from its forward momentum? It is gradually gaining on us," Rep said, trying to sound relaxed, but speaking fast enough to betray his true emotion.

"We are on a direct path to the next town. If we turn, we will be left out in the wilds with that thing," Slauson said.

"That is why we must turn," Moss said suddenly.

"Why?" Zalan asked, agreeing with Slauson.

"If the Beast of Slumber remains on our tail like this, then we will surely lead it to another city. We might be guiding it to the destruction of thousands. And their homes," Moss said. "If it follows us off the path, perhaps we will save lives."

"And forfeit our own!" Slauson said.

Moss stopped, turning to face his companions.

"Hoven can not happen again. Not to others. I would sacrifice myself for their sake. Do you not feel the same?" Moss asked.

"But we can stop Morloch! If we kill him, then the beasts go back to their slumber! Our plan could save thousands more than a single town!" Slauson said.

"What good is killing the man on Aetheria if the world below is already dead?" Moss asked. "I am going this way. Do as you please. I will not live with such a burdensome regret."

Moss turned and ran sideways, off the straight path and away from the town they had been seeking. Zalan looked at Rep, and knew immediately they were on the same page. They would follow Moss and try to pull the Beast of Slumber off the path to the city. Running off, they heard Slauson groan in frustration behind them.

"Fine!" Slauson snapped. "You two Fleshless, go that way and try to distract it. If it does not follow you after thousands of feet, then return to me. If it does follow you, then keep running. Never stop, pull it far away from here."

Zalan turned to see two of the four remaining Fleshless run off perpendicular to the monster, followed by Slauson rushing to catch up with the Moss. King Docrun kept up with Slauson easily, while the other fell behind.

After running what felt like a mile, the travelers finally stopped to catch their breath and look out at the colossal creature. It continued to drag its way toward them, its one eye locked onto them. Moss gave a halfhearted smile.

"Good news. It seems to be after us," Moss said.

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"Good news for someone else," Slauson muttered.

"Think of the people we may have saved," Rep said.

"Unless it simply turns back to the town after it is done with us," Slauson pointed out.

"Is there a way to escape a Beast of Slumber?" Zalan asked quickly. "Some legend? Anything about their weaknesses or something?"

The ground began to tremble lightly with every time the Wrathgaze's arm smashed into the ground, dragging it forward.

"I know nothing of these beasts except that they are unstoppable," Slauson said.

"I once heard that they fear Elementals," Rep said.

"I was told they were mortal enemies with Elementals," Moss added.

"Does that mean they don't like Elemental Power? What if we fight without using our Elemental Power?" Zalan asked, somewhat desperate.

The question hung in the air, and no one answered. Zalan felt like the answer was clear. It wouldn't make a difference no matter how they fought. He touched lightly at the Homeseeker in his pocket, followed by the Oculus of Annihilation. The Artifact that would do the same damage to both the user and the target. He could kill the monster with the Artifact, given that he killed himself in the process.

He pulled the cube of an Artifact that was the Homeseeker. Rep gave him a serious look.

"We can all just use the Homeseeker and get out of here," Zalan said.

"That is the last use. You may be stranded in this realm if we use it," Rep responded.

"Better stranded than dead, right?" Zalan replied.

"I am not so sure when the realm is like this," Rep murmured, looking back out to the Wrathgaze.

The ground rumbled more ominously. A constant series of increasing earthquakes.

"What Artifact is that?" Slauson asked.

"A Homeseeker. Everyone grab on and we're gonna be sent to our respective homes," Zalan said.

"I refuse," Moss said.

"Seriously?" Zalan said.

"Slauson may have been right earlier. When it is done with us, it may move on to the next town and destroy them," Moss said.

"Then what difference does it make if we disappear or if it kills us!" Zalan yelled.

"It may be hungry. We may be enough to satiate its hunger," Moss said.

Zalan sighed, looking back down to the Homeseeker with distress. He looked to Rep for advice, but Rep only shrugged uncertainly.

"Slauson?" Zalan asked, holding out the Homeseeker.

"Do you have any better Artifacts? I was hoping to save this one for Morloch," Slauson said, holding out an orb of dark cloud outlined with a red, yellow, and blue tint.

"What is that?" Zalan asked, faintly recognizing it.

"That is a Storm Caller!" Rep pointed. "It calls an Elemental to the location it has been activated! The Elemental only comes and leaves, essentially leaving you with the destruction that comes with an Elemental Migration. Where did you get that?"

"I found it among the treasures in Castle Docrun," Slauson said.

"That's where we saw one, right?" Zalan asked. Rep nodded quickly.

"You need only activate this power and then rush off, allowing the storm to scare off the monster!" Rep said hopefully.

"I was thinking as much, but the storm follows the Artifact. That monster has traversed miles in minutes. It would outpace the storm unless we somehow attach this Artifact to the creature," Slauson pointed out.

"But how do we activate it?" Zalan asked. "Last time we found one, Yelsa shot it out the roof of the castle because we were afraid to place it back down."

"Which explains the flooded land outside the castle walls." Slauson realized. "It activates by cracking it open. Break to activate. Everyone knows that."

Zalan tried to catch Rep's eyes, but he was downcast in embarrassment.

They returned their attention to the Beast of Slumber, its approach ever-present. It would be on top of them in only a few more minutes. They either needed to flee or to make a plan immediately. Even the Homeseeker needed a few seconds to prepare before teleporting people away. If the Wrathgaze was attacking them, there wouldn't be enough time for an escape.

"What if one of us goes out there and ties themselves to the monster while holding the Artifact?" Moss asked.

"How do you intend to tie anything to a monster that large? And moving that fast!" Rep said.

"I do not know!" Moss said, disappointed.

"Do you have any good Artifacts?" Zalan asked.

"Nothing that helps against that," Moss replied, a slight terror entering his eyes.

They all turned to look at the incoming creature. The earth felt like it was experiencing a constant earthquake with no breaks in between shakes. The monster was less than a mile away, its single eye wide on them, like a reptile bounding for its prey. Its mouth bared blocky teeth. Zalan thought teeth like that were reserved for herbivores, but he didn't have much time to dwell on the idea when another came to mind. Its focus on them and what Moss had mentioned before was coalescing into a single plan that Zalan felt was both smart and crazy enough to share.

"What if we get the Storm Caller into its mouth?" Zalan asked.