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

Waking up the next morning, James hurried back to the others with Luna giggling by his side.

"What's the rush?" she teased.

"We still need them," James stated.

"Do we…"

Sighing, he glanced back at her. "I'm cutting you off."

"What?" she shouted. "I just had you for the first time!"

"Yup, and I'm cutting you off."

Grumbling, she caught up to his side. "Fine. I'll get along with them."

Stepping into the bamboo clearing, they found Jamie and Mender waiting for them with dour expressions.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

Sighing, Mender pointed into the distance. "Nebra and Shu took off since you weren't here. They plan on reaching the elder before you arrive."

Raising his brows, James shrugged. "Oh well."

"That's it?" Jamie questioned. "You don't care?"

"Not really," he admitted. "I'll still meet with the elder when I arrive. Nebra can only hurt my image so much. When the elder learns she lied, I'll kill her and they won't care."

Eyes wide, Jamie stepped back. "Will you kill her that easily?"

"With how she talked to Luna. Yes."

Wincing, Mender nodded. "Thought so…"

Rubbing his chin, James turned to the forest. "We should get going. The walk back to the city is still going to take a week or two."

Taking the lead, Mender left the grove. Jamie fell in next to James, while Luna sprinted off into the forest. Her only goal was to kill Forsaken and grow stronger.

"Why is she always fighting?" Jamie asked.

"To grow stronger," James answered. "Our lives revolve around killing Forsaken and perfecting our fighting."

"That sounds rather simple."

Smiling, he nodded. "It is. We don't concern ourselves with politics, or pleasing a sect. We aren't beholden to anyone but ourselves."

"And you even have time to craft," Jamie said with an equal smile. "You're an odd one, James."

Chuckling, James noticed Mender listening in as well. Turning back to Jamie, he said, "I may not be able to heal, or enchant perfectly, but I have ways of increasing my abilities easier than others."

"How?" Mender asked. "You picked up enchanting far faster than anyone I had seen before."

"That's a secret that only Luna knows. I showed her my path and as you can see, she's flourishing."

"And now she fights all the time," Jamie stated. "Why would that make someone stronger?"

"We cultivate differently," he answered. "There's some serious drawbacks to what we do, but we can reach the nascent soul equivalent in weeks, rather than decades. All we need are stronger Forsaken and the drive to get stronger."

Mender slowed his pace. "What kind of Qi does that?"

Shrugging, James didn't answer.

The healer rubbed his chin in thought as they progressed through the forest. Jamie looked puzzled as she twirled the ring around her finger. The white veins pulled in far more Qi than what she was used to and she still had three more that she was going to sell.

A few hours passed before Mender brought them to a stop. "You didn't use to cultivate the way you do now, did you?"

"Never said I did," James admitted.

Jamie frowned. "How did you purge your dantian or core to change Qi?"

Shrugging again, he smirked.

"Is the answer that dangerous," Mender probed.

"Not really." James shook his head. "But the path I walk, and now Luna, restarts your progress and you have to be committed to battle to progress. You get some serious perks, but it isn't for everyone."

"And if we wanted to join you?" Mender asked with a glance at Jamie.

"Then we would wait until I'm about to leave the city for you to join me. The risk of joining me before then wouldn't be worth it."

Jamie's eyes narrowed in thought. "Would you be going back to the wastelands?"

"We would. The truth is, there are research facilities and information out there about my cultivation and the truth of the war. I want to know what happened. Why the Forsaken are on this planet. Why some of the humans turned into demi-humans. Why the world was rent and nearly destroyed."

Mender started walking again. "And you think the cities have those answers. The destroyed ones."

"Yes. So does Luna. But even though I feel strong, there are Forsaken out there that make me look puny. I don't even know if dozens of us worked together could take one down."

Jamie hummed. "Would I still be able to craft?"

"I do," he said. "Why would a new path limit you like that?"

Nodding, she held up her hand. "This ring…It's not made with Qi, is it?"

"Never said it was."

Mender stopped again and stared at the ring for several seconds. "You're a mystery, James. But you don't judge the demi-humans and have even married one. You are a good person, but you also feel naïve."

Laughing, James pushed past them to take the lead. "I'm learning as I go."

"This is giving me too much to think about," Mender muttered. "But I admit, I want to see the stars."

"And you can," James said. "You just need the drive and determination to make it happen. Neither Luna nor I sleep in hideouts anymore. We are free."

Jamie looked towards the sky. "I bet they are really pretty."

"They are," James assured her. "You would love them."

Nodding, she caught up to his side. "What sort of enchantments should we try tonight?"

"I don't know, but you are going to lose either way."

Mender laughed. "Be careful, James. She'll kill you in your sleep if you beat her too many times."

"I will not!" Jamie huffed. "I'll just slip a little poison into his water."

Snorting, James enjoyed the banter. It would seem he was on his way to recruiting his first followers.

Luna ran through the forest, the scents of dozens of Forsaken around her. She had also found the trail that Nebra had taken and was currently stalking her. The woman had scorned her enough times that Luna was going to bring an end to the woman.

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Using her soul, she pressed against dozens of Forsaken as she raced past. Tigers, monkeys, boars, and more started following her. They could sense the tasty meal that would be.

With a wicked smirk, Luna guided the horde towards her target. It didn't take as long as she thought it would to reach the stupid woman and her partner. Luna had never really talked to Shu, but if he was with her, he wasn't a good person.

Racing past Nebra, she barely had a moment to take in the confused look the woman shot her. Pulling in her soul as tight as she could, she cut off her trail and waited. Seconds later, the first Forsaken came across Nebra and Luna watched the woman draw her sword.

It won't be enough. Luna laughed to herself as the forest shook from the horde storming through the trees.

Panic started to cross Nebra's face as even more Forsaken entered the area. Shu used his greatsword to great effect, but it wasn't enough. He was the first to fall as he used all of his Qi to send earth spikes and crack the ground to attack. The Forsaken didn't thin in the slightest as Nebra was running out of power.

"Was it worth it?" Luna yelled.

Nebra screamed as her arm was ripped off.

"I'm greatly enjoying this," Luna said. "After all, I'm just a stupid demi-human. How could I come up with a plan that you would never survive?"

Slinking further into the forest, Luna listened to Nebra be ripped apart by the dozens of monsters. Once she was sure the woman was gone, Luna started siphoning those remaining.

The horde went into a frenzy as they started attacking each other. She had gone from siphoning six to over two dozen. The horde didn't stand a chance as she pitted them against one another. All that would be left would be Nebra's dead body and corpses all around. No one would know that Luna was responsible.

Laughing to herself, she felt the bloodlust flowing through her veins. She wanted to kill more. She finally had the power to punish anyone that hurt her. To kill those that would harass and discriminate against her. And the best part was that James would help her.

Hours passed as James joked with his two companions. It wasn't until the overpowering scent of death and rot filled the air that they grew worried. He couldn't detect any souls nearby, but it wasn't long until they ran across the scene of a great battle.

Stone spikes and cracked ground littered the area. Dozens of Forsaken lay dead at the feet of Nebra's body. Shu wasn't far away, his arm laying several feet from his body. His sword was still stuck in the body of a tiger, its black flesh and fur parted with congealed blood.

"What happened here?" Mender asked the question they all had.

Jamie kneeled by Nebra. "She died fighting. It looks like the horde was too much for her to handle."

James scanned the forest. He could feel Luna's soul nearby and her mirth. He knew exactly what had happened and he wasn't going to voice it.

"We should keep moving before they come back," James said. "I wouldn't be able to keep you both alive if the group is too large."

Mender pulled Jamie to her feet. "Understood. I think jogging will be best. We need distance."

Jamie summoned her bow and quiver of arrows. Attaching the quiver to her hip, she started jogging, leading the way through the forest with an ease that made James blink a few times.

"She's a scout," Mender said. "She's the best I've seen."

"She doesn't like fighting," James reasoned.

"But she's good." Picking up their pace, Mender added, "she hates fighting, but she kills more than her fair share. She's good. Really good. Just timid."

"What about you?" James asked.

"I can do more than heal. As a healer, you have to know death intimately. And I know it very well."

Nodding, James continued to scan the forest with his senses. Souls were drawing closer, sensing the distance between them and Jamie.

"Get her back to us!" James hissed.

Mender whistled three times, each one longer than the other. Jamie's soul stopped sprinting and turned around. She was flickering with fear as she hurried back to them.

"How many?" she asked as she matched their pace.

"Too many," James answered. "I can feel at least two dozen and they are after you two."

"Why not you?" Mender asked.

"I'm too powerful. They couldn't hope to eat my soul."

"What?" Jamie questioned.

"Long story." Coming to a stop, he pushed his soul out as far as it could go. Luna was in the distance fighting a dozen of her own monsters, but she started heading towards him after he touched her.

Jamie jumped into a tree, balancing on the branches as she filled her arrows with earth Qi. They swirled with energy as Mender pulled out a quarterstaff.

"I'll take point," James said. "Whatever happens, don't try to heal me or get close."

"Uhh…" Mender shook his head and fell silent.

Closing his eyes, James released the hold on his soul and flooded the area with power. Jamie gasped from the tree.

"This is you?" she questioned. "This isn't Qi."

"It's my soul," he answered. Summoning his sword, he watched it flicker to life as the flaming weapon felt perfect in his hand. He could also feel the nature of his mind changing now that he was paying attention.

The first Forsaken charged into the area, revealing a tiger the size of a small car. The hulking monster rippled with muscle and fur as James charged forward. Flipping into the air, he swiped his sword through the hair, beheading the monster before landing deftly.

"Here they come!" he called out.

Mender stomped on the ground, summoning walls of stone around himself. He had just enough space to fight if they came from his front.

Jamie released an arrow a second later and James followed its path. Another tiger was struck and the arrow exploded into shrapnel, sending stone fragments through the side of the beast.

Souls drew closer and James lifted his hand. Tapping into Siphon, the air filled with howls of pain that made Mender stagger. The next monster that stepped out was shaking with pain as it charged.

James met the beast head on, taking a slash through his armor that tore open his chest. Roaring in pain, he activated Soul Strike, and exploded the monster. Three boars arrived next and he had to throw himself to the side. The action didn't feel right and his mind fought against him as he dodged.

Dammit. The sword really is affecting me.

Knowing it was the truth made him reluctant to use his greatest weapon. Getting back to his feet, he swept into the fight, carving through two of the boars in quick succession.

Mender slapped the third aside and Jamie struck it down a second later.

"I'm going to need to make arrows after this," Jamie called out light heartedly.

Four more Forsaken ran into their area, their mouths foaming with pain and rage. James raced towards them, stabbing his sword into the first, ripping its soul apart as claws tore into his flesh. The wounds weren't as deep as they could be, but it was clear his tempered body still wasn't strong enough.

"You're bleeding out!" Mender yelled at him.

"I'm fine," he called back. Slashing through another monster, he switched targets and activated Soul Strike on another. Mender was quickly coated in blood as he stepped back into his shelter.

Calming his mind, James danced with the flow of battle. His sword carved through monster after monster, only for Luna to join him a few minutes into the fight. Her Soul Form was on full display as she ripped apart monsters with her teeth and claws.

Her own siphon greatly weakened more of the monsters as the minutes passed. Near the end, Jamie ran out of arrows and jumped down with two daggers. She danced far better than he ever could as she carved monsters apart as Mender backed her up with stone spikes and flying rocks.

It took a few moments to realize that the fight was over and for James to dismiss his sword. Blood was flowing from his body as his wounds rapidly healed. The only problem was that Luna wasn't changing back.

"Luna!" he barked.

The wolf snapped her eyes to him. Growling, she started to approach him, her flickering body towering over his.

Bringing his hand back, he slapped her as hard as he could, sending her reeling and into a tree as her form shattered. Mender raced to her side as she lay unconscious.

"She'll be fine," James said. "It's still hard for her to control."

"What was she?" Jamie asked as she stepped up to his side. "Fenrir don't look like that."

"That was her weapon," James explained. "I received a sword. She received a stronger wolf form."

Mender stood and shook his head. "You have a lot to explain. Both of you do."

Walking over to Luna, he picked her up and turned east. "Let's put some distance between us and this mess."

Jamie nodded and started running again, leading the way through the forest.

That afternoon, James set a now awake Luna down. She clung to his arm with a wide smile as Jamie and Mender stood near the entrance of a cave with their arms crossed.

"What are you?" Mender demanded.

"Soul cultivators," James explained. "We devour the souls of our foes to grow stronger. We can then use that power to temper our bodies, grow our soul, and carry out attacks."

"There are side effects," Luna supplied. "My Soul Form makes me hunger for souls unbearably. If I don't keep eating, I turn on those near me."

James summoned his sword. "This weapon makes it harder for me to dodge. It desires for me to fight head on, no matter the risk of injury."

"Yet you healed in seconds," Mender said dryly.

Nodding, James added, "we can't die."

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked, her arms uncrossing.

"Our bodies will rebuild themselves if mortally wounded. But there's a price. A hunger so insatiable that we will eat anything around us. It doesn't matter if its Forsaken or man, we will devour everything."

Whistling, Mender sat down and leaned against the stone wall. "Yet you are more powerful than anyone I've met. You took down three dozen Forsaken in minutes without dying. You even kept us alive where a normal group would have died a dozen times over."

"Yeah." Letting out a slow breath, James sat down across from the man. "I can also turn anyone else into a soul cultivator if they so choose. There's no coming back, but there are more perks that I will not disclose."

"Like being able to enchant better than me after a single day," Jamie snorted. "You're a cheater."

"Eh…" Wavering his hand, he said, "not really. Luna couldn't do what I did unless she really tried and took the weeks to learn."

"And I'm going to," Luna said. "Damn cheater…"

"Hey!" he protested. "I guess I won't make you a ring in the city."

Eyes wide, she quickly shook her head.

Jamie giggled. "Are you two really married?"

"We are." James nodded. "But we met just a few months ago and she was terrified of me. It wasn't until the day we met all of you that we really started talking. She joined my cultivation, and her soul mingles with mine in a very intimate way. It was hard not to fall for her."

Jamie pursed her lips. "And if we wanted to join you?"

Mender met his gaze with a blank one of his own.

"You will have to help me in the city," James said. "We need money, supplies, and information from your elders. Then we'll leave and I'll convert you. It'll be a lot of hard work at first, but Luna has flourished."

"I have some disks to enchant," Jamie said. "Let's go."

"Just like that?" James questioned.

"Yup," she said softly. "You still have a lot to learn if you hope to be better than me."

Luna glanced between all three of them. "I'll keep watch. You two have fun."

"I'll join you," Mender said. "I have more questions."

Once they were all in agreement, they split up. James didn't mean to give so much away, but he didn't want them to die either. The die was cast. Now it was up to Jamie and Mender to decide their future.