The Homeseeker: An Elemental Adventurer LitRPG

Chapter 10 - The Lost City of Xagon

Zalan took a bold step into the lost city, its crumbling exterior evidence of it having been eroded by winds for years before he and Rep took on the journey to lay eyes upon it. They surveyed the entrance and buildings at a safe distance, ensuring there were no miscreants that had made this place a home of their own that intended to ambush them at the first opportunity.

The city was much larger than Oriton, but the stones of its buildings were crumbling and the entry gate had fallen over. The entrance had been eaten by the desert's all-encompassing sands. Stone paths were drowned in desert and old signs were faded or long broken away from buildings. The composition of this city was mostly earth and stone, much stronger than Oriton's wooden buildings, but very little of it survived intact. Rep no longer felt the need to lead the way and Zalan took it upon himself to walk to the center of the empty city, stepping over large pieces of buildings that had broken and become part of the sandy floor.

"Hello!" Zalan called loudly once he reached the center square. Rep waited tensely for a reply. None came, but that brought him little comfort.

"Well, here we are. The Lost City of Xagon, just as you asked," Rep said, underwhelmed.

"Where's the Elemental?" Zalan asked both himself and Rep.

Rep scoffed.

"We both knew it was only a slight possibility that one would be here. Your theory was far-fetched at best, based on a single book."

"Okay, but let's say there was an Elemental here. Where would it be?" Zalan asked, looking around at the rooftops to see if an Elemental was floating atop one, matching the descriptions of the books he read.

"I could not tell you," Rep answered sincerely. "They appear when they please. If this is the Elemental's domain, then be sure that it is watching you. It simply chooses not to appear. Or, more likely, it is not here."

"I read that Elementals wanted people to have their power in the world. That it honored them to have people showing off their granted abilities. Why would they hide away?" Zalan asked, growing impatient.

"Elementals only want worthy people to hold their powers. That is why they issue challenges," Rep said.

"You won't even let me take on your challenge? I can be worthy!" Zalan yelled loudly.

"It may have left," Rep said, trying to tone down his expectations.

"But the devastation it caused coming in here was so severe! It doesn't make sense. Why would it just go away without notice?" Zalan was spinning, trying to see any indication of a creature out of place.

"Without notice?" Rep would have been amused if he wasn't already worn down by the hot day. "Who would it need to inform?"

"You basically said a natural disaster takes place whenever an Elemental migrates from one place to the next. Wouldn't you have heard about it if it happened again?" Zalan asked.

"Heard about it from whom? No one is vigilantly watching the city to monitor the Elemental's wearabouts. The Elemental may have left overnight. Or, I am now thinking, it is an Elemental that never existed. Perhaps the story I read was an embellishment to make sense of a travesty," Rep replied. Zalan shook his head, unconvinced.

Zalan continued to lead the way into where a town square once stood, now blanketed by sands and surrounded by rubble. Rep remained in the shade of a nearby building while Zalan squinted through the bright sun, trying to find something on any roof in any corner. He saw nothing but sand and abandoned buildings.

Zalan groaned and squatted down, placing his hand to his head both to block out the sunlight and to try and spur thoughts. What did he know about Elementals? What could he use about the knowledge of this Elemental?