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

Luna sat on the nearby wall, looking out over the town. There was still a few hours left in the day when Nebra and her party came out of the basement.

"What do you need?" Luna asked dryly.

"Watch your tongue!" Nebra snapped.

"Or what?" Kicking her legs, Luna cocked her head at the woman. To her surprise, Jamie looked shaken at their interaction.

"Where did he go?" Nebra asked.

"Out." Luna didn't care to give the woman more than that.

"Finally left you, did he?" Snorting a laugh, Nebra crossed her arms. "I bet he finds better company with the Forsaken than sharing a bed with you."

"Stop it…" Jamie muttered.

Waving her off, Nebra leaned against the opposite wall. "What are you hoping to get by following him around? Once he's back in civilization, he'll find a few women and forget about you."

"He's not like that," Luna argued.

"As if a dog would know."

Scowling, Luna had to stop herself from lashing out with a soul attack. What Nebra said was the truth though. Once he was back with his kind, she would be left in the shadows.

"I can see it in your eyes," Nebra said with a smirk. "You know I'm right. It's happened before, hasn't it."

"No," Luna answered truthfully.

"Enough, Nebra," Mender said. Reaching out, he pulled on Nebra's shoulder. "You're going to get us killed."

Nebra shook him off. "She can't take all of us and James needs us to meet the elder."

"Finally showing your true colors," Luna deadpanned. "Your rotten to the core, just like the rest of humanity."

Shrugging, Nebra fingered her sword. "I just know how to put beasts in their place. The moment he leaves you, I'll be there."

Rolling her eyes, Luna was about to hop off the wall when she felt the ground shake. Everyone turned towards the city center as a wave of energy washed over the area.

"What was that?" Mender asked, his body shivering.

Another earth-shaking wave of energy nearly knocked Luna off the wall. Recovering, she laughed. "He's found his foe."

Nebra snapped her attention to her. "I knew you were holding him back. How could a beast like you help him grow stronger."

Frowning, Luna pressed her lips into thin lines.

She's not wrong. I avoided him for months while he took care of me. I'm not worth his time. Without me by his side, he's growing stronger again. I can feel it. Soul energy clashing from two sources.

"At least you realize the truth," Nebra said before turning back to the town center. The ground shook again a moment later before the world seemed to fall still. The energy in the air stalled before being sucked back into the town center. "Maybe he died. At least it'll make getting rid of you easier and our return trip will have been worth it."

Smirking, Luna could feel James's soul flourishing. She didn't know why or how, but he resonated with her. He was coming back.

"If he is dead, do you think you can defeat the Forsaken that is coming this way?" Luna asked while hopping from the wall.

Drawing her sword, Nebra turned to her. "We'll simply leave your corpse here the moment we see it. While it eats, we'll flee to a new shelter.

Raising her brows, she tilted and looked past the woman. "Lo' and behold the mighty monster."

The group turned to the street and jolted. James was walking towards them while stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders. His armor was shredded and blood caked nearly every inch of him.

"You might want to put your sword away, Honey," Luna cooed. "Wouldn't want my husband to see you drawing it on me."

Grumbling, Nebra slid her sword back into its sheath. "We'll finish this later, dog."

Blowing a kiss at the woman, Luna beamed. "Gladly, human. I await the day that you draw that sword and prove you can use it. I might even let you live long enough to see your entrails."

Nebra glared at her but didn't have time to respond. James reached them quickly as each step blurred his pace. Before Luna could smile at the man, he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.

"You missed a great fight!" James said with a laugh and twinkling eyes.

"James!" she chided. "You're barely alive!"

Setting her down, he picked at his shirt. "Oh, this? I'll fix it later. First, I want to show you the monster! It was huge!"

Everyone frowned at him.

"You brought it with?" Nebra questioned.

James nodded right away. Moving to the street, he summoned the corpse of his foe. The sheer size of the Forsaken took up half the block as its black skin seeped black blood and smelled of rot. Eyeing it with interest, Luna was about to comment when she realized just what he had been facing.

"You killed a dragon?" she screamed. "What were you thinking?"

After she had gotten over her shock of seeing such a large monster, she took in the telltale signs of razor-sharp claws and powerful muscles of the winged Forsaken. It looked to be on the small side, but everyone had heard about the dragons ending cities in the Great War.

"Want a taste?" he questioned with excited eyes.

"No!" she snapped.

"It doesn't have scales so it's fine," he stated. Walking over, he patted the monster's side. "It's delicious."

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"When did you have time to cook it?" Nebra asked.

"What do you mean?" James said with a tilt of his head.

"You cooked it right?" Mender questioned.

"Right…" James said unconvincingly. "Anyways, I'm going to harvest the hide from this dragon and make better armor. Now that I see it, I'm surprised my sword could cut through it."

"What do you mean, now that you can see it?" Luna growled.

Wincing, James looked anywhere but at her.

"James!"

"It was in a cavern," he said in his defense. "It's not like I had a lantern."

Rubbing her temples, Luna walked over to him. Winding up her fist, she punched him in the stomach as hard as she could, dropping him to the ground. "You're such an idiot!"

He sprang back up pretty quickly. "The sun will be setting soon. I need a bath, so get out of here random cultivators."

"We aren't random!" Nebra shouted.

"You aren't?" Frowning, James turned to Luna. "I feel like they are random."

Snorting a laugh, Luna shot Nebra a smirk. "Yeah, they are a waste of space."

Glowering, Nebra stormed away, returning to her basement with her team.

Luna turned back to the dragon. "I don't think our knives will carve through this thing. How did you eat it?"

"With my teeth," he said while walking away. "That's how a normal person eats anyway."

Frowning, she started to follow him. "I'm mad at you!"

Waving her off, he started stripping out of his armor. Pausing at the tub, he began refilling it.

Marching up to him, she wrapped her arms around his chest, holding him tight. "You almost died, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but then I remembered that I couldn't let the love of my life down."

Rolling her eyes, she squeezed him tighter. "I wish you really meant that."

She could feel his body tense as he thought over her words. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "maybe I do. Not that you would believe me."

Letting him go, she stepped back. Her chest ached with pain and emotion as she turned away. Behind her, she could hear him taking off his pants and boots. It wasn't until he slipped into the water that she wanted to respond. Opening her mouth, she tried to find the words she needed. Coming up with nothing, she walked back to the house to clear them a space to lay down.

James eyed Luna as she kept her back to him. He could feel it in her soul that she was hurting. He had felt the turmoil when she was confronted by Nebra. They couldn't hide their emotions from him, nor their words.

Rubbing his chin, he washed the blood from his beard as he thought over what to do. He was angry. Very angry.

The truth of the matter was that he still needed Nebra. She was the easiest way to meet with her elder on friendly terms. He wanted answers about the Great War and the research into the rending of the world. He might even be able to learn where more research facilities were.

Closing his eyes, he sank into the water and quickly cleaned himself. Grabbing his clothes from the edge of the tub, he started scrubbing them as well. They would need to be repaired yet again. Thankfully, once he processed the dragon, he would have toughened leather that not many people or things would be able to get through.

Nearby, he could hear Luna shuffling stone as she cleared them a spot. Her soul was reaching out to his like a lover's kiss as she clearly had feelings for him. Now that he had gained the Soul Senses skill, it was as plain as the sun during the day.

Climbing out of the tub, he wiped off his body as best he could. Hanging his clothes over the edge of the wall, he walked through the ruins until he found his companion.

"Luna," he said softly.

"Hmm?" Turning, her jaw dropped. "Where are your clothes?" she screamed.

"They are wet and sticky," he defended. "Besides, it's not like you haven't seen me before."

Closing her eyes, she turned away.

Walking up to her side, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest. "I heard everything."

The wolf tensed against him. "It's nothing, James."

"Didn't sound like nothing. Does she think she can touch you without me ripping her soul apart?"

Frowning, Luna leaned into him. "That's just how people treat my kind, James. Their words don't bother me anymore."

Turning her to face him, he tilted her chin to meet her eye. "That's not how I see you. I won't let others treat you like that."

Scoffing, she pulled out of his hand. "You can't change the world, James! If you think you can, you are either ignorant or arrogant. I'll be fine."

"I guess I'll just have to grow strong enough that people wouldn't dare touch you."

Glancing at him, her brows were furrowed. "What does it matter to you, James. You're human, just like them."

Grabbing her shoulders, he turned her to face him again. "You are my wife, Luna. I won't let anyone treat you like that without answering to me."

"Your fake wife," she reminded him.

Pinching her chin, he looked into her eyes as he pushed his soul against hers. "No, Luna. You are my wife."

Eyes wide, Luna's lips parted as she met his gaze. "What?"

"You heard me." Letting her go, he added, "you are my wife, Luna."

"For pretend, right?" she questioned.

He continued to stare at her unflinching as her eyes teared up.

"James?" she whispered.

Crossing his arms, he didn't back down. "Are you rejecting me."

"No!" she quickly shook her head.

"Good. This discussion is over. I'll have your ring as soon as I can."

Reaching out, she touched his arm. "Are you sure about this?"

"Are you really questioning me?" he countered. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "you can't fool your soul."

Moving from his arm to his chest, she sighed. "We have a lot to talk about. But are we really going to be strong enough to force the world to bend?"

"Yes." Turning, he started walking towards the dragon. "Help me skin this thing."

Her soft steps followed behind him as he felt her soul brushing against his. Elation was her first emotion, followed by nervousness. She was ready to run as if something good happening would doom her.

Summoning his sword, he started cutting into the dragon. "Help me peel this away. I'm going to keep the hide in my storage until I can properly tan it."

"You're going to move on from crude leather? I didn't know you wanted that kind of skill."

Frowning, he glanced at her. "One of my Soul Skills is crafting, Luna. I want to push its limits and when we reach the forest, I plan on making potions. Easy money if I can figure it out."

"Huh…I never thought of that." Luna sheepishly looked away. "I was just going to work as a server for the demi-human establishments."

"If that is what you want, I'll support you," he said while dragging his sword further up the monster. There was a lot of flesh to get through.

"Do you think I can learn some crafting skills?"

Glancing at her, he raised his brow. "Do you want to? I figured you would want to hunt for the city or something. You are more of a fighter than I am, and I plan on pushing you to my level before we arrive."

Frowning, she clearly started thinking it over. "Will I be strong enough if the elders come after me?"

Shrugging, he answered honestly. "Don't know. I guess we'll learn when we run into the first nascent soul cultivator."

"James?" she asked softly.

"Yeah." Cocking his head, he gave her a questioning gaze.

Blushing, she started to look down at his waist before snapping her eyes to his. "Are we going to…"

"Yup," he said, knowing what she was getting at. "The moment we have an actual room."

"We barely know one another…"

"Don't need to," he stated before pulling on the skin, peeling it away from the muscle. "We are both starting over and creating new memories together. We'll do that as husband and wife."

Her tail started to wag as she gripped the hide near his hands. "Okay!" Pulling, their muscles strained. "I honestly didn't know there was this commanding side to you, James. I like it."

Chuckling, he helped her work the large section from the dragon. "That's because you've always liked when I'm in charge. Your tail isn't a handle for no reason, you know."

Smacking his arm, she left a bloody handprint behind. "Joking like that has a whole new meaning now."

"Are you a good kisser?" he questioned.

"Yes?"

"Prove it," he taunted.

Blushing, she leaned in. Closing her eyes, she waited for him to cross the rest of the way. Smiling to himself, he let go of the dragon to claim his first kiss. He was slightly sad they couldn't do more.

Luna watched James from a distance. Her lips still tingled from their brief kiss and for the first time since her change, their souls tried to merge, bringing them closer together. Whatever happened when they activated their souls for power was changing them. Their interactions were not normal. The very core of her being shouldn't yearn for someone.

But hers did.

Closing her eyes, she started thinking of the future. Their path wouldn't be easy, and she needed to grow much stronger. They needed to learn more about what was happening to the them. She felt an animalistic drive to claim him and it was worrying. How was her soul changing her.

She couldn't compare herself to James. She already realized he was different than what he once was. She saw it when he fought. The soaring thrill that ran through his soul when he claimed another. His words and shouts during fights that spurned him to fight harder and devour his foe.

It was worrying. What was going to happen to them if they fought in the city? That was the question that was going to keep her up at night.