The Homeseeker: An Elemental Adventurer LitRPG

Chapter 35 - Reconciliation

They waited a long while in the room. The wings, shrieks, and door-scratches of the Razortongues soon decrescendoed and dissipated when they could no longer hear the adventurers on the other side of the door. The danger felt like it was over, save for Rep's injury. After about two hours of rest and waiting, Zalan asked Yelsa how Rep's wound was doing. She gave him a look.

"You could simply ask him yourself," Yelsa replied.

"You think he'd be honest with me?" Zalan replied.

Yelsa weighed the question in her head and shrugged, deciding not to be glib.

"The bleeding has stopped. I would not be concerned about going forward with him, but I do not expect him to be of much help in future rooms. He can not assist us in any physical capacity," Yelsa replied.

"You didn't tell him that, did you?" Zalan asked seriously.

"And make him feel worse? Please, Zalan, we are not all lacking a heart," she said snidely.

Zalan scoffed, having nothing to say to that. He looked over to Rep who was staring at his bad arm, sulking. He sat alone in the other corner, Yelsa having tried to encourage him to join the others to no avail whenever she checked how the cut was healing. The three travelers next to Zalan looked to him expectantly at the news that they could continue. Zalan didn't want to be the one to apologize first, but he knew there was no better way to get this over with than to just swallow his pride despite feeling he was in the right.

Zalan stood and hesitantly made his way over to Rep. Rep looked up and regarded him with a slight nod, then went back to looking over his arm in shame.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Sorry," Zalan said, setting his back against the wall and sliding down to sit next to Rep.

"I think I should be the one apologizing. You only wanted to make sure I was safe," Rep murmured, keeping his eyes fixed on the bandages on his arm.

"I also wanted to thank you," Zalan added, ignoring Rep's self-deprecation.

"For yelling at you?" Rep asked sarcastically.

"Remember back when the Mind of Madness hit me? I don't think anyone really knew what to do. But you acted immediately," Zalan said.

"I did not know what I was doing either," Rep said sincerely.

"Even then, you acted immediately," Zalan said.

Rep thought back to the situation, biting lightly on the inside of his lip.

"You saved me from a Flamestriker, too," Zalan added, trying to gain momentum.

"No, do not try to attribute that to me," Rep denied. "Sir Kilile saved you. I barely held my own."

"I would have exploded without you," Zalan insisted. "And I think that counts as saving me. I just want to try and make sure you realize that you're a really big help. And... it might be kinda sad to admit this... but you're one of the closest friends I think I have. And I really needed a friend right now."

Rep smirked to himself and finally met Zalan's gaze.

"It is not as though you have made a lot of friends in this realm," Rep replied.

"I meant in both worlds," Zalan said.

"Oh," Rep blinked to himself in thought. "You know, you may be my closest friend as well."

"That's definitely sad," Zalan laughed. "I'm not even from here! How do you not have friends?"

"I suppose I never made the time back home," Rep shrugged.