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

The four travelers made their way to the next town, the sun getting dangerously low on the horizon. Zalan was carried on his stretcher by Rep and a Fleshless. Slauson was carried on his own newly created stretcher by Moss and the other remaining Fleshless.

"I understand Zalan holds the secret to how we survived the whole ordeal, but how did the two of you not at least lose a limb? I did not even get a full second to stand in front of the Beast of Slumber before I was swatted like a fly. Did it simply lose interest in you?" Slauson asked, wincing as the Fleshless carrying him stumbled.

"No, in fact, it tried to eat us," Moss explained.

"Then how did it fail to hurt you?" Slauson demanded.

"It was Moss who saved us," Rep admitted.

"I used my Belt of Bolt until it degraded. It got very close to hurting us, but I was able to move us out of the way just in time for every one of its attacks," Moss said, beaming.

Zalan blinked, stunned. Slauson openly fumed, his eyes tightly shut.

"You had… A Belt of Bolt… This entire time?" Slauson asked, his teeth grit.

"And a good thing, too." Moss nodded.

"Zalan asked us if we had any Artifacts! Why would you fail to mention one that would help us immensely!" Slauson snapped, wincing at his own exertion.

"Zalan asked if we had any 'good' Artifacts! The Belt of Bolt would not help us do any damage against the monster," Moss said.

"But it may have been enough for us to rush in and toss the Storm Caller into its mouth! Or perhaps you could make a sticky substance from your power and we could have stuck it on and activated it! Anything would have been better than how we dealt with it!" Slauson screamed, grinding his teeth in pain.

"You speak like someone who has never used a Belt of Bolt. You move too fast to do anything as distinct as place a Storm Caller in a particular location without it falling off. And you can never accurately throw something when in the bubble of speed that the belt—"

"I do not care! I am trying to explain that you withheld valuable information! Get it through your bark-ridden skull!" Slauson said.

"And I am trying to explain that the information was not valuable to begin with," Moss responded confidently.

"So invaluable that you and Rep left the battlefield without so much as a pinprick," Slauson mumbled.

"Enough," Rep said seriously. "This argument is useless and circuitous. Moss, which town are we headed to? How far are we from Wollstone?"

"We are on the path to Libreville. From there, we can arrive in Wollstone by tomorrow. Unless, of course, we meet any more Beasts of Slumber along the way," Moss said.

The next few minutes were spent in silence, the group considering Moss's words. Zalan wondered what use the Homeseeker was to him anymore. If he used it and got transported back to Oriton, it didn't mean that there wouldn't be another monster strong enough to take down the city waiting for them there. And after the way Ma arrived so late the first time, he couldn't be convinced that she would come in and save them a second time. What use was going home when it wasn't safe?

The walls to Libreville showed themselves not long after. Zalan realized that Moss was right in that the Wrathgaze was on a crash course for this city, and it would have reached it within an hour had they not stopped it. Even as his sore wounds each cried out in pain, he had a soothing feeling flow through him. He put everything on the line in order to save all the people in the city. Their efforts had paid off.

The walls were tall, some of the tallest Zalan had seen in the realm, not even showing a single building from behind. In addition, the walls were made entirely of stone, none of the typical wood he normally expected to see. The guards atop the walls pointed out toward the approaching travelers and Zalan could tell that they were immediately wary. The gate opened a crack and two guards, a man and woman, stepped out, armed and armored in preparation. Zalan wished there was some way that he could communicate what they had done in service to the town. They had turned a Beast of Slumber away, that should be more than enough to earn their trust.

As they approached the gate, one of the two guards held up an arm, ordering them to stop. Slauson and Zalan winced, desperately wishing to go and heal themselves without delay.

"No outsiders. Turn away," the male guard demanded.

"Please, your names. I am Rep, this is Moss, and the two in great pain are Zalan and Slauson," Rep said, a mix of desperate and polite.

The guards exchanged an annoyed glance.

"Wren," the man introduced himself.

"Lily," the woman followed.

"Please, Wren and Lily, look at my friends," Rep pleaded, pointing to both Zalan and Slauson with his chin. "They can not stand, broken by a severe attack from a Beast of Slumber."

Both guards went tight at the mention, staring at Zalan's wounds.

"How did they survive a Beast of Slumber?" Lily asked.

"We wish to ask Zalan, but his mouth has been destroyed in the attack. Slauson can speak, but does not know," Rep informed them.

Lily looked skeptical, her mouth twisting into a frown.

"Even so, we are not inviting any outsiders," Lily said, looking somewhat ashamed of herself.

"We can pay!" Rep said. "Ten gold, just to let us heal!"

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"Ten gold will not dissuade the Beasts of Slumber. If one has attacked you before, there is no guarantee it will not follow you," Wren said.

Lily was peering between the two Fleshless.

"What about these two? You look terrible, how are you still standing?" she asked them.

"Fleshless," Wren answered her.

"They are my Fleshless," Slauson explained. "They do not tire, nor do they feel pain. You are welcome to have them join your guard, watching at all times of the day. Just let us in to rest. Please."

Wren and Lily remained quiet, an inscrutable expression on both of their faces.

"You would give us the Resurrector? Just for a Healing Rest?" Wren asked.

"Yes, of course," Slauson said, wincing in pain as he exerted himself.

"You would not be allowed to spend the night. Only a Healing Rest, then you leave. We would accompany you the whole way," Lily made clear, looking out at the darkening horizon.

"Not a problem." Rep nodded.

Zalan didn't like the idea of being left out overnight again, but couldn't fathom the thought of going any longer without healing his wounds. His eyes were wide, looking as hopeful as possible as he stared between Wren and Lily. Lily tutted her tongue and turned to Wren with a look in her eyes. Wren tilted his head uncertainly. The silent game of communication concluded when Lily nodded at the Fleshless.

"Very well," Wren sighed. "Give us the Resurrector and you will be allowed within."

"Can I keep it for as long as it takes to get in a bed?" Slauson asked. "I do not wish to be dropped to the floor by accident when the transfer happens."

Lily looked at the two Fleshless hanging precariously to the makeshift stretchers.

"Very well, but we will still be watching you all the while," Lily said.

The travelers looked immensely relieved as the gate began to open. Wren and Lily flanked them, keeping a close eye as they were directed to the nearest inn. Upon entering, the innkeeper looked up in stunned confusion. He had been lounging on a couch in the space ahead of the counter. Deep into the cushions, it looked like he hadn't attended a customer in days.

"Hmm? What is it?" the innkeeper sounded baffled and surprised.

"Torin! Four of these men would like a place to conduct Healing Rest," Lily informed.

"Hmm? Oh. Oh! Outsiders! I thought we stopped allowing them in! Yes, of course!" he leapt up and scrambled to the area behind the counter, scratching the walls for the right set of keys.

"It will cost you… hmmm…" Torin looked nervous, unsure of what he could charge the desperate men.

"They have money," Wren assured him casually.

"One gold coin!" the innkeeper said hopefully.

"Absurd!" Moss said, his nose twitching.

"They have a lot of money," Wren said, leaning into the words.

"Two gold coins!" Torin said, sweating slightly as he smiled.

"More absurd! Outrageous, even!" Moss said.

"Not a problem," Rep pulled out the gold and placed it on the counter to Moss's chagrin.

Torin stared at it, his eye twitching as he looked back up.

"Three gold coins?" he asked, his voice small and hopeful.

"Just three," Rep said firmly, making it clear the negotiations were over. He placed another gold coin beside the first two and Torin beamed.

"Here! Our luxury suite! A bed for each of you to spend the night!" Torin placed a grand key on the counter as he scooped up the money.

"They are not spending the night," Lily informed him sternly.

"Of course! Ummm… Then, a bed for each of you to do nothing in then leave very soon after!" Torin said, trying to sound like a salesman.

"Thank you," Rep said, claiming the key and hurrying his way down the halls.

Opening the door to their massive room, Rep and Moss deposited their wounded friends to their respective beds, then stood back to watch. Lily approached Slauson and took the Ressurector, hanging it on her waist. The guards looked between Moss and Rep.

"You two can take Healing Rests as well. You do not need to wait for Zalan and Slauson to complete theirs first," Wren informed them.

"I prefer to watch," Rep said casually.

"It seems you do not trust us," Wren said.

"Or maybe it seems we trust you as much as you trust us," Moss said, smiling.

Wren scoffed, but smiled back.

Zalan could barely make out any words after that, the aches and pains dulling his mind into dumb darkness. A small grin passed over his face, looking forward to being free of the endless throbbing pain coursing through him.

Minutes later, he awoke with wide eyes. Very slowly, he began to move his limbs to ensure they were all still working as expected. With a wiggle in his jaw, he beamed, knowing everything was back to normal. He shot up in bed and exchanged a grin with Rep.

"Your turn!" Zalan said excitedly, hopping off the bed.

Slauson was already awake stretching himself out gratefully. He raised an eyebrow to Moss as he pulled himself out of bed.

"I am not so certain I require a Healing Rest. I am in good health," Moss said pleasantly.

"I see, let me assist you with that," Slauson said, approaching him with a smile.

Two steps later, he leaned in and punched Moss hard in the abdomen. Moss doubled over in pain and Slauson dragged him and threw him onto the bed. Slauson leered at him before stepping away.

"What was that for?" Moss groaned, grabbing his stomach.

"We are even for your Belt of Bolt shenanigans. Be grateful I did not break any bones as you deserve," Slauson said coldly.

Moss grumbled in frustration, then closed his eyes with a frown, falling asleep seconds later.

"I thought you were friends," Wren said.

"Moss is an acquaintance at best. A nuisance at worst," Slauson answered.

Lily and Wren seemed amused by the reply. In the seconds it took for Rep's few wounds to heal, Zalan could feel Lily and Wren constantly turn his way. It wasn't hard to tell he was being stared at. There was an encouraging expectation on their faces.

"Are you going to tell us how you survived a Beast of Slumber?" Wren asked.

"Are you going to let us stay overnight if I do?" Zalan asked.

"No," Wren said quickly.

"But… you should still tell us," Lily said hopefully.

"No thanks. But my mind can be changed if you change yours. No reason to tell you when you're just gonna cast me out," Zalan offered. Slauson smirked, giving a tiny nod of approval.

Rep and Moss hopped off their beds, stretching themselves out. The four travelers looked at Wren and Lily. None of the four moved. Zalan knew they all had the same hope that they would be allowed to remain just a single night in the protection of their massive walls. Anything to prevent another run in with the vicious creatures of the night.

"You should be off," Lily said, leading the way.

Zalan frowned and followed her through the inn with his friends, the Fleshless under her control lumbering slowly behind the group.

"Come again!" Torin waved pleasantly when Zalan returned the key.

"They will not," Wren told him.

"Very well, goodbye forever!" Torin continued to wave.

Exiting the building, Zalan saw that total darkness had fallen upon the land. They would have to go out without an ounce of sunlight or warmth to guide their way. While both could be replaced by Elemental Light or Flame, it felt like the realm was warning them of what was to come. Zalan shivered, and he couldn't tell it was from the incoming cold or the fear of being out overnight.