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

James found himself walking down an elaborately designed hall. Pristine white walls with gold and silver trim were decorated with paintings of foreign landscapes. Several of the paintings were of men and women with gray hair and eyes, seemingly watching him as he passed.

It took him a moment to realize he was dreaming and was clearly back in his mother's time as he found her a moment later as he turned the corner. His mother was pressed up against the wall, her hands outstretched as she held off a sneering man.

"Leave me alone!" she growled.

"I should have you whipped," he shot back.

"For what? Telling the professor that you skipped his lessons again in order to sleep around?" Laughing, his mother pushed against the man, knocking him into the far wall.

"What's going on here?" a man bellowed as he opened the nearby door.

James took in his appearance quickly. He was on the older side with wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and a growing frown as he spotted his mother and the random man harassing her.

"Sebastian," he said coldly. "Leave your sister alone or you're going to be under house arrest again."

Snarling, Sebastian started to storm off.

"I didn't dismiss you," their father yelled.

"Why should I care?" Sebastian asked while walking away. "You always choose her side. One day you'll regret this."

James watched Sebastian round the far corner and disappear. Left with her father, mother let out a shaky breath. "Thank you, Father."

"Why was he harassing you this time?"

Shaking her head, she ran a hand through her hair. "He was sleeping with the staff again and I caught him. The professor wasn't happy when he found out."

"You told him?"

"Of course I did." Snorting, mother added, "he knows when people are lying. I couldn't exactly lie about how I caught Sebastian."

"True." Walking over to his daughter, the man rested his hand on her shoulder. "You two need to find a way to coexist."

"He'll never make a good leader, father." Shaking her head, she leaned against the wall. "I have lessons in a few minutes, if you'll excuse me."

"Very well." Letting her go, he stepped back. "Tell Talos that I want to speak with him."

Sighing, James's mother nodded. "You two have been talking an awful lot lately. You're not trying to abscond with my fiancé, are you?"

A deep laugh escaped her father. With a gentle push, he shooed his daughter away. Giggling, she went happily as the dream started to fade.

Left in the misty, white realm, James thought over what he had just seen. It wasn't until he felt someone standing next to him that he looked over.

"Your mother had a brother," Luna stated.

"You saw it too?" he asked.

"I did." Turning to him, she frowned. "I did not like his attitude."

"I didn't either," James admitted.

"Talk to Priest and see what you can learn."

"Are you ordering me?" he teased.

Frowning, she rubbed her cheek. "Sorry…Been around the others for too long."

Chuckling, he pulled her into a hug. "I miss you."

Nuzzling in, she took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. "I can't wait to feel you for real."

"I can't either." Pulling away just enough to see her eyes, he added, "soon. A few months at most. Then we will finish this together."

"As immortals," she said with a growing smile. "We'll be true gods, and we will crush The Pact."

Humming, he nodded. "Yes. I'm looking forward to it." Grabbing her tail, he ran his fingers through the plush fur. "I'm also waiting for this."

"One whole day," she stated. "I want one whole day with you when I get back. We'll pamper one another for hours and hours."

"It's a promise." Sighing, James let her go completely. "We're nearly out of time."

Luna was beginning to fade already as she said, "I'll be back against soon once you absorb the rent. We'll have another wonderful night together."

Leaning in, he kissed her quickly before she winked out. The feeling of her lips persisted as the world broke apart around him, waking him to the sound of shuffling bodies.

"He's awake," Amber whispered.

Zenaria rolled over, throwing her leg over top his waist before cuddling. "Finally."

Blinking a few times, he yawned before kissing the kitsune on the nose, making her face scrunch up. Amber climbed onto the bed and kissed his chest before claiming his lips. Pulling away, she said, "we have a rent to destroy. Everyone is getting ready."

Zenaria sighed and climbed off him, showing her naked body before she started getting dressed. Glancing over her shoulder, she winked at him before slowing pulling up her underwear, lifting her tails enough to give him a wonderful morning view.

"Tease," he grunted before turning away.

Amber laughed as she finished pulling on her shirt. "Zenaria, leave that for tonight. You can't tease him every waking hour."

Laying her ears flat, Zenaria whimpered. "But—" A hand cracked against her butt, making her yelp as she was cut off.

"That face doesn't affect me," Amber stated with a smirk. "I'm not afraid to put you in your place."

Grumbling, the kitsune finished getting dressed before yawning and leaving the room. James was the last to get up, slipping into his worn outfit that kept repairing itself. They were camped near the base of the rent, having taken over one of the tunnels, like they did at the last one.

"We'll need to move quickly today," Amber stated. "I want to destroy the rent before it can keep filling the area with monsters."

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You and me both." Stretching out his arms, James left their room and found Coral and Priest in the main area, getting ready. "You two need to stay together today with Everest."

Priest nodded. "We can clear the area of monsters."

"Keep them safe," James ordered. "I don't want to come back and find that they are missing limbs or anything."

Coral's eyes widened. "They wouldn't regrow?"

"They would," he stated. "I was just making a point." Rolling his eyes, James left the fort and stepped out into the waiting dragons. "You all know what to do today. We have to clear this rent of as many monsters as possible. Don't worry about growth and focus on efficiency."

Mother bowed her head. "It will be done, James."

"Thank you." Glancing to his side, he watched Amber and Zenaria step up to his sides. Once they were ready, he took the lead, leaving the tunnel and running across the canyon floor. They needed to go up and they needed to find the facility that would either be north or south of their position.

***

Kai rubbed his pointed ears out of habit. His squad had just arrived on the frontier of the central Underworld. Europe was right above them, still drowning after the rent sank the continent. It was his job to discover what his fellow Pact members were doing, and why they weren't returning messages.

The city they were approaching had thick walls that supported several guards. Preparing his defenses, Kai wrapped his squad in energy before walking toward the gate.

"Stop!" one of the guards bellowed.

Frowning, Kai rubbed his ear again, the nervous tick triggering as more guards lined the wall. "I'm your superior officer."

"Not anymore!" the guard yelled. "Begone."

Kai's frown grew as he scanned the walls and watched as dozens of guards faced off against him. He knew he could weather the attack of most of them, but his squadmates could not. This was a lost fight before it even began.

"Why have you turned against us?" he asked.

Scoffing, the guard lowered his spear, ready to attack. "We've never been afraid of the nests and rents. We've never been afraid of the council. But when he rolled in, we were scared. Our commanders were killed without him lifting a finger. When a man can look at you and kill you, you realize you are standing in the presence of something greater. Something far stronger than what the world should hold. Then, he forgave us. He made us promise to clear out the nearby forgotten cities, towns, and villages. All in exchange, he would handle the nests and rents. And do you know what he did?"

"No," Kai admitted.

"The nest is gone. We've checked. The stories were wrong, Sir. The Valiant didn't want us to die. He only attacked those who started the fight. He cared about our lives and even talked with us. He joked and ate in our barracks. He didn't claim our women, nor did he take anything for free. He ensured his party was well behaved, and then he destroyed the very thing we have been fighting for hundreds of years. He's not the enemy."

"Is that why you haven't returned any messages to the Council?" Kai questioned.

Scoffing, the man nodded. "You wouldn't respond either if you were in our shoes. We will not be dragged into a fight against the valiant. None of our neighboring cities will be either. We are free, and we will protect our residents to our last breath. Now leave!"

Kai took a step back as he watched dozens of guards summon energy to the tips of their spears. "Retreat, men," he hissed.

His squad rapidly withdrew, and Kai didn't look back. He had been welcomed the same way, time and again, all up and down the frontier. Squads of soldiers were already reclaiming fields and ruins, clearing out monsters that weren't respawning. Crops were planted, and tunnels secured as crystals were regrown. The world was changing, and Kai needed to decide what side of the conflict he wanted to be on.

***

James ran for hours as they climbed the canyon and turned north. Monsters fled from his path, and he only had to wave his hand to cast Setting of a Thousand Suns. Monsters exploded by the thousands as he kept moving.

"Do you think we'll find the facility to the north?" Amber asked.

"Hard to say." James didn't have a for sure answer, and with each passing minute, he was losing hope. They had already been searching through the morning and soon it would be afternoon. If they had to go south, it would be another day wasted before they found it.

No one wanted to slow as they followed the canyon, killing every monster along the way. Down below them, the dragons would have spread out, wiping out the monsters as quickly as they could. If Coral was lucky, she would be able to absorb some of the energy, but it wasn't likely that she would be able to do much.

James also let his mind wander to the dream he had. Priest had the answers he needed, the questions just needed to be asked. Sadly, time dictated that he focus on the rent before asking them.

Another hour passed before they finally saw the change in the environment. The ocean grew closer to the canyon, spraying mist over the edge with each passing wave. What had once been Europe was meeting them and the canyon was growing thinner. Far to the north, they could see more of the ocean approaching, and at the very end, a small structure.

"I think we found it," James stated.

"Thank god," Zenaria muttered.

"Thank James you mean," Amber joked.

Rolling his eyes, James picked up their pace slightly as the small structure continued to grow in their vision. The waves of the ocean were beginning to wash over the edges of the canyon, spraying water at them. Only the mist reached their side, and it wasn't long before they reached the parking lot.

The salt water did not favor the cars that were left behind. The metal was pitted and crumbling. The fiberglass coatings were coated with salt and decaying from time. Even the asphalt was being eaten away, making their walk treacherous.

Just like the last facility they had come to, this one had thick vines breaching its five stories. The white stone was cracked and crumbling, barely held together by the leaching vines.

Thick cords of the plant ran down the canyon wall, pulsing with red light as his people's energy was harvest and cycled in a continued act of growth. Knowing what to do, they strode toward the only door that was somewhat visible.

"We'll have to move quickly," James stated. "Once I start devouring the energy, you'll need to protect me."

"Can't you use your army?" Zenaria asked.

Shaking his head, James summoned his ebony sword. "I don't dare. I need as much growth as I can and my army will drain me."

"We're ready." Amber summoned her claws, ready to tackle the first challenge.

Walking forward, James held up his hand and used Devour. The energy from the thin vines leached into his hand as tendrils tried snapping at him. With a wave of his sword, he cut them off, keeping him and the girls safe.

Seconds passed as the vines withered and crumbled, and they hurried into the dark interior. Just like last time, he scanned the building and found the energy. Only this time, it was above him, making him nervous about the strength of the building and the climb.

By the time they reached the center of the hall, the door was sealed shut behind them. Several barricaded doors greeted them on either side of the hall, the vines bulging out as they slithered across the floor, trying to reach him.

"We need to move quickly," James said before stepped over the vines and hurrying down the hall.

Signs directed them to the stairs, and it wasn't until they found the stairs up that they grimaced. Vines nearly as thick as the ones trailing down the cliff blocked their path. He knew attacking them would be met with retaliation that they might not be ready for.

"Just do it," Amber growled. Her claws glinted in the pulsing red light as she morphed her legs into their feline form.

Nodding, James activated Devour and felt the building shudder. Stone collapsed around them as the thick vine started to shrink as humanoid plant monsters climbed down the stairs.

"Well, shit," Zenaria mumbled. "I guess we are up."

Amber raced in, slashing through the first monster. Her claws ripped it apart as she used one of her skills to reflect her attack a dozen times. Zenaria wasn't idle either as she stepped in front of James, only leaving his hand free to Devour the plant.

Wires wrapped around the monsters before she pulled tight, shredding them and casting their body parts to the side. It wasn't until they felt another rumble that Amber spun and raced behind him.

"We got more this way," Amber said before growling and slashing through more monsters.

"I'm being attacked from the front," Zenaria called out. "How much longer, James?"

"Another minute," James stated. "Keep them busy until then."

Focusing all of his attention on the vines, he pulled with everything he had. The thick vines started to crumble, turning into dust as the seconds passed. All around him, plant monsters were destroyed, their bodies ripped apart by the girls.

The minute passed and he kicked the vine, breaking its lifeless body apart. "Hurry!"

Amber ran past him and up the stairs, followed by Zenaria. James raced after them as the thick vine started to regrow, blocking their path once more.

"How close are we?" Amber asked as they stepped onto the next floor.

"Close," he answered. Taking the lead, he guided them toward the center of the facility. Tendrils of vines snapped at them, but between the three of them, they cut them down.

The trudge was slow until they reached a set of doors that weren't overgrown by vines. James pushed them open and stepped into a large room that glowed with power. High above them where the ceiling to the next form was gone, was an orb of his people's energy. Thick, twisting vines pulsed with life as they fed on the energy and others pumped it back into the orb.

"I'm going to start now," James announced.

"We're ready," both girls said before stepping in front of him.

Reaching out, James activated Devour and felt the world disappear.