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

"You want to feed the Storm Caller to that thing?" Rep asked, bewildered.

"Only if we're sure it'll activate correctly even when Elementals are running away and migrating all over the place. Would one show up here?" Zalan asked.

"It must," Slauson said gravely.

"How would we get anything into its mouth? Do you think it has a favorite fruit? I can conjure one up with Elemental Plant," Moss said, wiggling his fingers with some urgency.

"You," Slauson pointed to the last regular Fleshless. "Run out there as fast as you can and confront the Beast of Slumber."

The Fleshless stumbled away, half-limping, half-running to take on the behemoth.

"That would be convenient if a single Fleshless was all it took to kill that thing," Moss said.

"No, you fool," Slauson said impatiently. "This is to test whether the creature will consume the Fleshless. If it does, we can place the Storm Caller in the king's hands and flee a good distance. The Artifact will be activated on his consumption."

The group turned to King Docrun to assess his reaction to the plan. Docrun adjusted his crown lightly, his eyes focusing in a direction somewhere beyond the Beast of Slumber. If he had any objections, he made no indication of it. Zalan wasn't even sure Docrun was paying attention whenever he wasn't directly being addressed.

Hundreds of feet away from them the other Fleshless held up its thin, decaying fists, preparing to take down the Beast of Slumber. Without any shift in its momentum, the Wrathgaze's meteor of a head swooped in and lifted the Fleshless in its gargantuan teeth. With a single crunch, the smaller creature was obliterated.

"That is enough proof for me!" Rep said.

Slauson placed the Storm Caller at King Docrun's chest.

"Hold onto this and do not move! Do you understand me? You stay right here until you are eaten!" Slauson commanded.

King Docrun looked down, his remaining eye hazy with indifference. Holding on to the Storm Caller, he stood up straight, vigilantly remaining totally in place.

"Go!" Slauson shouted to the others, darting away from his strongest Fleshless.

Moss, Rep, Zalan and Slauson all ran as fast as they could, constantly checking over their shoulder for the approaching monster towering over them. The earth shook heavily with every slam of its clawed arms, and the sound of its body dragging across the earth sent Zalan's nerves into a frenzy-filled overdrive. He didn't want to fight the monster. He didn't even want to be around when the Elemental showed up from the Storm Caller.

"Now! Here it comes!" Moss screamed, causing the rest to turn to a halt.

The Wrathgaze was right on top of King Docrun, its eye remaining fixed on Zalan and his associates. But instead of leaning in to eat the Fleshless in range of its mouth, the Beast of Slumber continued clawing its way to them. King Docrun stood perfectly still, his body mere inches away from being struck by the monster's claws or body. Unmoving and perfectly straight. Totally ignored.

The giant monster skipped over the King and closed in on the travelers. Hundreds of feet of distance closed into dozens of feet. It was within distance of striking them now.

"No! Why?" Slauson screamed.

"Why did it turn away?" Zalan exploded. "Docrun was right there!"

"We have no Storm Caller now!" Rep exclaimed.

"I hope we are enough for it," Moss said, his voice having lost all levity.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Slauson ran a few steps ahead of the rest, the Beast of Slumber a mountain over him.

"King! Get—"

The Wrathgaze batted him aside ruthlessly, sending Slauson flying like a bullet.

"Slauson!" Zalan cried.

Slauson's body cracked against the ground, then tumbled hundreds more feet, rolling uncontrollably to a halt. To Zalan's horror, he didn't get up. He didn't even move.

Rep screamed as he blasted a column of fire into the Wrathgaze's eye, fueling it like a flamethrower powered by gasoline. Zalan joined in, blasting the most concentrated blast of Elemental Light he could muster into the creature's massive eye. Moss created a wooden spear in an instant and chucked it at the Beast of Slumber, his other arm was digging for something in his pocket. None of the powerful attacks did any visible damage.

"Get down!" Rep said, planting himself firmly on the ground.

Zalan did the same, but felt the earth rumbling beneath him immediately. The earth rolled upward and a shadow crossed over him. The monster was digging into the earth around him with its claws, then flung him backward like a clod of dirt pulled from a shovel. Zalan's world flipped upside down as he ended up dozens of feet in the air, flying without control. He saw the Beast of Slumber dive forward and chomp, but its body was in the way of what it ate. Either Rep or Moss could have been consumed and he'd have no way of knowing.

Zalan landed hard, fracturing something important sounding in his arm and foot. In a daze he looked up to see someone standing over him. King Docrun stood idly, holding on to the Storm Caller. Zalan's eyes widened and he looked back at the Wrathgaze continuing to bite down at targets obscured by its impressive form.

Screaming with strain, Zalan pushed his good arm to get upright. Every fiber of his being begged him to stop, burning with indescribable pain, but Zalan persisted. Roaring through his injuries, Zalan managed to climb to his feet, leaning heavily on one foot. The other was almost certainly broken in multiple places.

"Docrun, give me the Storm Caller," Zalan said, trying to pull it out of his arms.

King Docrun pulled back, keeping it defensively close to his chest.

"Let go!" Zalan said.

Docrun did not, turning his body away to keep his grip tight on the Artifact. Zalan realized that Slauson's last two commands were to stand in place and hold on to the Artifact. The king wouldn't give it up unless told otherwise by the one holding the Ressurector.

"Listen, Slauson and I are allies. Just go activate the Artifact right next to the monster! It's the best chance we have!" Zalan urged.

Docrun didn't look like he was listening, his remaining eye not even watching the titan of a creature less than a hundred feet away.

"Just… give it!" Zalan said, pulling as hard as he could with his one usable arm. King Docrun's grip didn't budge in the slightest.

The Wrathgaze swiped the earth with a clawed hand, a spray of mud covering its purple exterior. Looking around frantically, the Beast of Slumber turned in place, its one eye spinning until locating Zalan. The eye widened with focus, and the monster dragged its way toward him.

"No, no, no," Zalan whispered.

Incapable of doing so much as walk, Zalan was desperate to come up with a plan to run. The Homeseeker would take too long to activate. Zalan had less than three seconds. And no means of escape.

"King Docrun! Do something! Get me out of here! Protect me! Anything, you stupid useless king!" Zalan screamed in his face.

Docrun frowned slightly, but otherwise didn't respond.

The Wrathgaze opened its mouth eagerly and Zalan saw his chance in the split second he had. In one quick motion, he grabbed King Docrun's crown and imbued it with Elemental Light. In the same move, he threw it as hard as he could to the open mouth of the monster. With the imbue he had connected to the crown, he was able to redirect it midair and land perfectly inside the Wrathgaze's mouth.

Had King Docrun been free of the order to hold onto the Storm Caller, he would have reacted to his crown being touched immediately. Instead, it took him a second too long and he saw it sail overhead and into the Beast of Slumber. First, Docrun bashed Zalan's jaw with one arm then kicked him away powerfully. Then, he scrambled, running as fast as he could toward the Wrathgaze. It seemed when Docrun's crown was involved, he could overpower the Ressurector's hold on him. He held tight to the Artifact as he charged ahead, staring intently at the Wrathgaze's mouth. This time, the monstrous creature's head swooped down and consumed King Docrun in a single bound.

Zalan fell down hard, certain Docrun had broken whatever bones were still intact the minute before. Groaning in agony, Zalan waited for the Artifact to activate and save him. What happened was much worse.

Nothing at all. No storm arrived. Perhaps the Artifact never actually activated if it was crushed when the colossal creature bit down on it. Or even if the Storm Caller went off, perhaps no Elemental would heed the Storm Caller's activation. Zalan stared in horror, unable to move much more than his eyes and finger. His body was broken and he was out of ideas. Not even the Oculus of Annihilation would help him here.

The Wrathgaze dragged itself forward, looming over Zalan with its terrifying, striking gaze.