The Homeseeker: An Elemental Adventurer LitRPG

Chapter 46 - Free

"No!" Zalan screamed as the lightning blasted into the floor where Fran stood. The entire room shook powerfully as the thunder echoed through the room. When the attack was finally over, Fran's body lay blackened and inert on the floor, her sword remaining where it was in the ground.

Fran was dead.

Hatewing let out a full, deep, prolonged roar of victory at finally vanquishing the most annoying of its intruders. It raised its head high, crying to the heavens about its vicious kill and how powerful a creature it was. The Roaches raced around the room, too dim to realize that the roar was not directed toward them.

Zalan stared in shock, barely able to breathe. It was too much for him. Someone was dead. She died trying to protect him. She was a good person and she died. Good people weren't supposed to die like this. Not so young. There was so much time. Zalan felt like he should have done something different before she died. Zalan's heart felt worse than the rest of his body, even as he was still pinned by the dragon's claw. An odd string of words came so clear in his mind.

He should have been there for her.

Gorb let out a visceral, guttural cry of anguish, trying to throw things at Hatewing in his rage, but too weak to get anything thrown far enough. Hot tears blinded him. Nothing he screamed was intelligible. He pounded the pile of gold, lamenting his sister and becoming otherwise catatonic at the witnessing of her body.

Zalan looked up to the others and saw Yelsa laying her back against the pile of gold closest to the frozen door to the chamber, crying. She had the most energy of them all, but looked as though she had completely given up. She had no idea how to proceed when Fran was dead and had no ideas as to how they would escape.

Rep was staring intently at Zalan, full of remorse.

"I am sorry, Zalan. I never should have brought you here," Rep said from under the statue.

Zalan remembered that Rep said the same thing when he was getting his Elemental power.

"I asked for this," Zalan said. "I never should have decided to come here. I should have taken you seriously."

"You misunderstand. I never should have brought you here," Rep said with added emphasis. Zalan didn't have the brain capacity to understand right now. Fran was still so close to him. Gone. Dead.

Hatewing's wings began beating up and down powerfully. For a hopeful moment, Zalan thought the dragon had decided to fly off after killing Fran. But instead it was doing a sort of victory dance by sending hundreds of gold pieces and treasures at the remaining survivors. Gorb was struck mercilessly by small gold coins, and Rep was able to use the air to free himself from under the statue of Docrun, crawling away before it tilted back over. The wind subsided.

Rep tried to pull himself to his feet, but he was far too tired to carry his weight. Instead he began to crawl using one arm and two legs, making painfully slow progress, grunting with every inch of movement.

"I am coming, Zalan," Rep said through grit teeth.

"The Homeseeker!" Zalan said desperately. "Get the Homeseeker and save yourself!"

Rep looked to the Artifact, further shoved into a mountain of gold after the dragon's most recent attack, then looked back to Zalan.

"I will retrieve it and throw it to you. Best that one of us survives," Rep said apologetically.

"I'm not leaving without you!" Zalan protested.

Rep pulled himself another foot forward.

"I will activate it and throw it to you. You either will have to touch it and be sent away or not touch it and allow the Artifact to leave us all without anyone benefiting. Who knows where it will go if not touched when active," Rep said simply.