Broken Core [LitRPG • Cultivation • Post Apocalyptic • Romance]

Quickly looking away, he felt his cheeks heat. "Sorry. It's not very often that a beautiful woman undresses in front of me."

Giggling, she tossed the wrap over his shoulder. "While I scrub, can you clean this?"

"Yeah." Still looking away, he drained the tub and started filling it with clean water. Luna hummed near his shoulder as she shimmied out of her shorts and added them to his shoulder.

"You're killing me, Luna," he murmured.

Patting his shoulder, she leaned in. "No peaking…"

Grumbling, he finished filling the tub and stepped away. Glancing at the cultivators, he found them with wide eyes as they stared at Luna. "Hey! Look away!"

Jumping, they quickly spun.

"Who are you people?" their leader asked.

"No one," he answered. "Just a couple of cultivators getting stronger."

"I don't sense a core in you."

Turning his full attention to the woman, he looked her over. The flame of her soul flickered with life, while the other three were dimmer. She had long auburn hair that was tied back, but everything else was unremarkable.

"You aren't strong enough to sense me," he responded.

"Are you an elder?"

He watched her eyes flash through curiosity and fear as he started wetting the shorts and scrubbing them. It was going to take a bit of time to clean them.

"He's not an elder," Luna answered. "We came out here to help me get stronger. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"There you have it," James said.

Still frowning, the woman stopped clutching her chest. "My name is Nebra."

"False!" Luna called out.

Grumbling, the woman glared at the wolf. "Its Sue Xi, but I go by Nebra…"

"I'm James and Luna already introduced herself." Gesturing with his thumb at the wolf, he turned back to his task.

"You're from the West?" Nebra asked.

"I'm from wherever I am at the time," James said with a smile. "Does it matter?"

Nebra shook her head. "It's odd seeing a human working alongside a demi-human."

"She's my partner," James stated.

Nebra was clearly waiting for him to add more when he watched her. Instead, he poured more water on the shorts and kept working at loosening the dirt.

The sound of Luna splashing water on herself nearly drew his attention. "James, Honey!" she cooed. "My tail needs your attention."

Mentally frowning at her nickname for him, he carried her clothes over and found her tail held to the surface of the water. Only her head was sticking out of the white water as she batted her lashes at him.

"My Love," he teased in return. "You lost the brush, so it's going to hurt to use my fingers."

"But, Honey. I love feeling your fingers on my skin."

Smirking, he set her clothes to the side and started rubbing her fur, working loose the matted layers. It would take minutes, if not an hour to clean it properly.

"Are you two…" Nebra started when he glared at her.

"That's pretty personal, don't you think?" he snapped.

"Sorry!" she squeaked.

"Can we get a bath?" one of the men asked.

"Mender!" Nebra snapped.

"What? He clearly has access to water Qi, or Aether if he's from the West. I'll even take dirty water over feeling like this for another day." The man was slender, but held more power than the others. Despite the odd name, he was clearly eastern. Black hair and a well trimmed beard made him look older than he likely was.

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Sharing a look with Luna, they both chuckled. The wind had started to pound the basement doors as night fully settled.

James sat in a comfortable silence with Luna as he washed her tail. More dirt than he thought possible flowed into the white water and they both grimaced. It wasn't until they smelled fresh food that they turned towards the others again. All four of them were eating plates of piping hot meals.

"Did you really fill your storage rings with dishes of food?" he asked.

"Yes," the girl who hadn't talked mumbled around a mouthful.

Turning back to Luna, James shook his head. "Spoiled kids."

"They are," she agreed.

"What have you two been eating?" Nebra asked.

"Anything living," James answered. "The Forsaken have unique tastes."

"Been living off them since I was born," Luna added. "It's not like your own meat doesn't come from them."

"My Love, if we finish your bath, you can share a meal with them."

Scoffing, Luna sank under the water and came up running a hand through her hair. "Finish my tail, Honey. It needs time to dry if you are going to cuddle it tonight."

Eyes wide, he stared at her. Smirking, she blew him a kiss.

Shaking his head, he finished running his fingers through her tail one last time. Grabbing her clothes, he pressed them into the water and started scrubbing properly. With a smile, she watched him before suddenly standing and stepping out of the water.

He tried to look away, but he was too late. He saw everything as he summoned a hide that was soft enough that she could wrap herself in. Air wrapped around her body, drying her near instantly as she took the offering.

"Thanks, Honey," she teased.

"You're welcome." Handing her over one of the packaged meals, he turned his attention back to her clothes. He still had a lot of dirt to remove before he could join her.

"What are you eating?" Mender asked.

Luna ripped open the package. "Food from the ancients. We ransacked the city in the distance. They had great tastes."

"You went to the city?" the young woman that he didn't know the name of asked with a hitch to her voice.

"We did," James said. "Lots of nasty Forsaken in there. Some of them tasted really good though. The minotaur were my favorite."

"I was fond of the slimes," Luna said. "They were sweet."

"That's because I haven't been able to buy you your favorite cake in a while."

Luna turned to him with narrowed eyes. Blowing her a kiss, he added to the flames. "You ate our bag of candy before we even reached the wastelands. I had to scavenge honey for you just to keep you satisfied."

Growling, she glared at him. "Are you calling me fat?"

"Nope," he said nonchalantly. "I'm just saying that I'm surprised cities keep any sweets for other customers."

Her growl deepened while he glanced at the group for their reaction. All four of them had wide eyes as they forgot about their food.

"Oh, yeah?" Luna started. "Do I need to remind you that you bend over backwards to please my tail. I'm pretty sure you are more in love with that than me."

Now it was his turn to glare at her. "I don't know what you are talking about, My Love. If I remember correctly, it all started because you got too drunk to know up from down and pleaded with tears for me to care for you."

Pressing her lips into thin lines, she huffed and started eating. Knowing that he had won, he finished her clothes. "Want me to dry these outside?"

Luna glanced at him with furrowed brows. "Don't watch the stars for too long."

"Just the right amount," he said with a smile. "Use your Qi to block the heat when I open the doors."

Nodding, she went back to her food.

"Where is he going?" Nebra asked. "Is he insane?"

Smiling to himself, he left the basement. Pushing open the doors, he felt the comfortable heat wash over him as the stars shined above. Nighttime had fully settled, and the world was basked in moonlight. The floating celestial body was fractured and broken into hundreds of chunks as it filled the sky. He always wondered what had happened to it.

What causes the nights to kill? What destroyed the moon and split the world? Why do the Forsaken converge on the rents, growing their number?

He had too many questions for the mysteries of the world. But if Luna was serious about coming with him, then they might just find the answers. His first stop was going to be the elders of the nearby sect. He didn't know what it was called, but his hosts might be from there. It wasn't like he wanted to travel with more people, but having an in with the sect would help.

Draping the clothes over the edge of a nearby wall, he watched the moisture leech from them in seconds. With a glance back at the city, he knew he would be seeing his flock in the morning. They likely already knew that he had left the city. What would the cultivators think of them?

Even more questions were added to his list. With his arms crossed he turned back to the stars. He had a focus for the future. He'd explore and wander with the new power he possessed. Someday he would return to his sect and kill the elder that cast him out. He also wanted to explore the wastelands near his home for information that his mother might have left behind. If his body was going to change, he wanted to learn everything he could about it.

Luna didn't have to wait long for James to return. He quietly laid out their sleeping mats and blankets. The other cultivators were already laying down for the night, having shifted to the very side of the basement. James laid down after handing over her clothes and turning his back.

He's so cute when he's trying to be considerate.

Smiling to herself, she scooted her sleeping mat over to his and laid down. Using both blankets, she covered both of them while curling into his back. He tensed against her and she giggled.

"We're married, remember," she teased. "We have to act the part."

Relaxing, he rolled over to face her. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I am." Smirking, she leaned in and rested her head against his chest. "Cuddle with me like you love me."

Wrapping his arms around her, he settled down.

I need to stay close to him. There's something about his powers that still terrifies me, but is also soothing. I'd rather have my eye on him than lose him to the world. Hopefully I'll be able to keep him in check when we enter a city. He saved me. Now it's my turn to help him and apologize for pushing him away. Plus, it's fun to pretend we are married. He blushes so well.