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

Resting in the forest was wholly different than the wasteland. James sat in awe of the variety of trees he had never seen before. Deciduous, and pine dominated the entrance. Their rest site was in a bamboo grove that steadily grew to the sound of creaking wood.

The Forsaken they had come across had run at the first sight of him, giving them a safe haven to relax. Luna was partially annoyed that nothing would fight them, but she still left to find game for dinner.

Nebra and her team made camp with them, setting up in a small hollow that was dug into the ground by the earth cultivators. Stone doors kept the winds out as night settled and the stars came out.

The next day, James had Nebra take the lead through the forest. Luna claimed she could lead them to the city, but he wanted her to venture out into the forest and hunt. She had reached level five in her Soul Strength and Nebra was starting to fear her again. The power she radiated had to be pulled in, but Jamie and Mender were very comfortable being around them.

Jamie had taken their rivalry to a whole new level when they stopped for the second night. It was early afternoon and they still had hours before dark when she pulled out several rings.

"I bet you can't enchant these," she taunted.

Frowning, he picked one up. "I wouldn't even know what to add to these."

Smirking, Jamie claimed one and held it up. "I can enchant them to improve cultivation."

Perking up, he closed his fist around the ring. "Well, I'm going to make one better than you. It'll make your cultivation ring look like a little baby."

Snarling, Jamie clutched her ring. "Let the master show you how it's done, novice."

"You're only an apprentice," he shot back.

"To you, I'm a master. Get over it."

Grumbling, he turned his attention back to the ring. Now that he had the enchanting skill, it was easier to connect with the items. And with his finger and Soul Crafting, he started drawing a symbol of a whirlpool, pulling in everything around him.

"I'm going to beat you," he murmured.

"Bring it on, Buttercup!" With simple swishes of her stylus, she carved her symbol into her ring. Closing her eyes, she started pushing Qi into the ring, making it glow a soft brown.

Not wanting to be left behind, he closed his eyes and visualized the ring pulling in all of the Qi in the area while converting it to the Qi the cultivator needed. The pushback from the ring was horrendous, but he trickled his soul slowly into the ring, forcing it to obey him.

I know you can do it! Work with me!

The ring started to respond and minutes passed before it clicked into place and he opened his eyes. What lay in his hands was a silver ring with white veins running throughout it. It pulsed with power and Jamie growled as she held up hers.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"I enchanted it," he said smugly. "I bet it's better than yours."

Before she could respond, he pulled up the notification waiting for him.

Enchanting: Level 2/10

It was exactly what he needed to improve. With a smirk, he called out to Mender. "Hey! Come try these rings!"

Giddy with excitement the healer ran over. "Oh! Did Jamie finally make me a ring? I bet I can cultivate a ton of earth Qi."

Jamie handed it over and shot James her telltale smirk, knowing she had won. When Mender slipped it on, he gasped as the Qi from the ground started flowing into him.

"Amazing…" he marveled.

Chuckling, James handed his over. "Try mine out. It's prettier."

Mender happily slipped Jamie's ring off and tossed it back to her. "I have to admit, the white is amazing." Taking the ring from James, he slipped it on and nearly fell over. "What the hell?" he demanded.

Jamie frowned. "Did he break it? Is your cultivation okay?"

Mender nodded right away. "It's more than okay. It's pulling in everything and converting it to earth Qi."

"What?" Jamie shouted.

"Was I not supposed to do that?" James asked smugly. "You challenged me to make a cultivation ring."

Glowering at him, she held out her hand. "Let me see it!"

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Mender blinked a few times before quickly pulling it off and handing it over. With slumped shoulders, he walked away muttering about the loss of Qi.

Jamie looked over the ring with a growing frown. "How do you get these white veins?"

Shrugging, James answered honestly. "I don't know. It's what happens when I enchant."

Slipping the ring on, her eyes shot open. "What the hell?"

"Does it work?" he taunted. Holding out his hand, he waited for her to hand it over.

Clutching her hands together, she guarded the ring. "I'm going to need to run more tests on this! You'll get it back in two to five years."

"What?" he asked, his jaw dropping.

"Testing takes time," she said with a shrug. "I wouldn't want a dangerous item getting out."

Crossing his arms, he glared at her. "You're stealing my ring?"

"Technically, it's mine. I bought the ring with my own money. You ruined it by enchanting it."

His glare turned into a scowl. "You're awfully protective of my ring. You wouldn't happen to be cultivating with it, would you?"

"And if I am?" she challenged. "It's my ring after all. Consider it payment for teaching you enchanting. We wouldn't want bad karma between us, would we?"

Tutting, James looked away. "You win."

"Ha!" she shouted. "I'm so going to show this ring off!"

"After you test it right?" he questioned, his tone filled with venom.

"Of course! My master will be thrilled that I have it. I bet I can get you some money for enchanting a few more things."

Perking up, James rubbed his hands together. "I like money!"

"Damn right you do! Everyone likes money. But you have to buy dinner."

Frowning, he stared at her with a hint of annoyance. "I'm buying dinner for the spoiled cultivator?"

Jamie's expression fell. "I'm not spoiled," she whispered. "I hardly have a coin to my name."

"Oh…"

Shaking her head, she picked up the other three rings. "These took all of my money. That and my supplies for this trip. I need a showing for my master to pay me more."

"You have time to enchant another ring," he said. "I can make you another of mine if you want. We can split the profit."

Perking up, she handed a ring over right away. "Yes, please!"

Chuckling, he closed his hand around the ring. "Okay. But I'm not doing this out of the kindness of my heart. I expect fifty percent of the profit. I'll hunt you down if I have to."

Beaming, she slipped him the other two rings. "I won't cheat you. You're not Nebra."

Rolling his eyes, he got started.

Later that night, James sat with Luna, both of them relaxing against a tree. The heat had dried Luna's hair and his fingers were running through it slowly as he enjoyed the softness.

"Do you love me?" Luna asked softly.

"I do," he answered, surprised by his own words.

"Will you do anything for me?"

"Yes," he answered again.

"Good. When we get to the city, people aren't going to like me. Will you keep them away? Keep me safe?"

"Yes," he said with a small chuckle. "If anything, I pull the soul from their body as an example to others."

Turning, she met his gaze. "You would go that far for me?"

He was joking at first, but he realized he really would to keep her safe. He wouldn't tolerate anyone harassing her. "I would. You're my wife, Luna. Wait, do you even take husbands as a Fenrir?"

"We do." Giggling, she kissed him softly. "Don't overthink it, Honey. I feel like you are going to be spending time with Jamie as well. You know she's into me, not you, right?"

Rolling his eyes, he kissed her back. "I don't need another woman like that. You are more than enough for me. Besides, we would have to tell her our secret and she doesn't like fighting. She would be horrible at leveling her Soul Strength."

Humming, she rested her head against his chest. "We should go for a walk. Just you and me, away from the others."

Patting her hip, he gestured for her to get up. "I agree. If you are lucky, I'll pin you down."

"No, you won't," she said with a laugh. "I've been trying to get you to do that for weeks. But I'd really like our first time to be underneath the stars."

Getting up, he took her hand. "Would you be opposed to having more people join us? As soul cultivators that is."

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "We could start our own sect if we did. Maybe out in the wasteland where we could continue to grow stronger."

"One that isn't just humans," he added. "But we would need to find materials to craft with, and plant fields. We wouldn't be able to live off Forsaken meat forever."

Starting their walk, they ventured past the bamboo and into the forest. Leaves were drifting down around them, blowing in the wind of the night. Flickers of heat punched through their resistances, but only made them slightly warmer. But it wasn't until they spotted a glowing flower that they stopped.

"What is that?" he questioned.

Luna shook her head. "I don't know…"

Walking over to the fiery orange flower with a red stem, they kneeled. Reaching out, James touched it and felt heat through his fingers. "Does it only grow at night?"

Luna touched it with him. "I've lived in the forest my whole life and have never seen this before. It is full of Qi."

"I wonder if I can turn it into a potion," he murmured.

Eyes wide, Luna carefully dug into the ground with her claws and pulled the flower up, roots and all. "Try it, but first, you should gather other herbs to learn the beginnings of alchemy."

Nodding, he took the flower and added it to his Soul Storage. Continuing their walk, they stopped at many herbs that Luna pointed out to him. Listing the properties of each, she explained which ones could be used as poison and those for healing. She claimed he would need a cauldron and tools to make what he needed, but for now, he should focus on gathering ingredients.

Not knowing anything about crafting, he settled into the lesson. The wolf had learned a lot about plants over her life, having collected many of them for the shamans of her tribe. More than once, she helped brew potions and tinctures. One of the biggest aids were poultices.

Their slow walk took them hours to find a small clearing that was bright from the overhead moon. Stars twinkled in the sky above them as they laid down.

"Luna? Where would we be if we didn't meet when we did?" James asked.

"I'd be dead," she stated. "I was out of energy and those wolves would have torn me apart. You would likely still be in the wastelands, looking for another city to grow stronger."

"You're probably right."

Rolling onto her side, she clutched his chest. "I don't know if I'm strong enough yet. I…I want to stand by your side as we face down the sects and the world. I don't want to be a hinderance or tool to be used against you."

"Then don't be," he said simply. "You're already strong enough to rival the peek core cultivators. Reach level six and you'll stand up to elders, or at least some of them. Besides, we won't be staying in the city for long. Just enough time to gather some supplies and maybe some allies."

Closing her eyes, she rested her cheek against his. "I feel like we are going to start a cult. Are we evil masterminds?"

Chuckling, he pulled away. "No." Sitting up, he started taking off his armored shirt.

"James?" Luna questioned.

Pausing, he glanced at her. "You said you wanted our first time to be under the stars."

Perking up, her tail started to wag like mad as she quickly undid her chest wrap. "We'll take it slow for your first time. But I am curious if you really can use my tail as a handle."

Laughing, he tossed his shirt to the side.