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

James felt his world blur into view. He tried to adjust to the sight of the glowing ceiling as they navigated through the tunnels. His muscle refused to respond before a face hovered over his.

"Drink," Zenaria whispered before pressing a cup to his lips.

Taking a few sips, he felt his soul pain soften. "How long…" before he could finish his question, sleep claimed him once again.

What felt like seconds passed before he wearily opened his eyes. This time Amber was hovering over him, pressing a cup to his lips.

"I need you to eat something," she softly, but urgently.

He tried to nod, but his body refused to work. What tasted like porridge was gently poured into his mouth, watered down beyond belief and he swallowed instinctively.

"We're nearly there," she whispered.

"That's not…" he wanted to say more but his eyes closed and he drifted off.

When he next opened his eyes, he saw open space above him and Zenaria and Amber by his sides. Fire was scorching the world, heating the area continually.

"He's awake!" Coral shouted.

"What's going on?" James asked as he tried to shift.

"We are pushing through," Amber answered. "We're at the rent."

"That's not possible," he claimed before his eyes closed again.

***

"Dammit!" Amber cursed as James fell asleep once more. With her claws summoned, she cut down the floating plants that tried to tether to them and leach their life away. What looked like cabbages with thick tentacles hovered all around them, burning as the dragons coated the area in their attacks.

"Up the ramp!" Zenaria ordered. "Push as hard as we can!"

Between Coral, Everest, Zenaria, and Amber, soul energy was flowing into them steadily as they siphoned a vast area of monsters. Any possible creature they could reach, they were weakening before the dragons could get to them.

Shadow Paw and his mate lay on either side of James, keeping him tight against Mother's back. Their children were being carried by Father as they understood the gravity of the moment.

"We've reached the ramp!" Mother shouted. "Children, take the lead!"

Her children of all ages pushed up the ramp, blowing flames over everything before them. Zenaria raced up to join them, wrapping hundreds in wires before they were shredded. It was almost as if the rent knew they were coming and had pumped out as many monsters as it could.

"It's a few miles to the surface!" Amber shouted. "We aren't stopping!"

Priest threw out his arm and a blade of golden energy flashed down the canyon. Where it struck, monsters were exploded and the walls of the canyon caved in. He was their last resort weapon and would mostly be needed for the main energy source.

The canyon was much smaller than any of the others, only covering a few miles in either direction. With her feline sight, Amber was able to tell that the vines clinging to the side of the canyon were to their south, and they had found the ramp closest to their destination.

Within minutes, the whole group was on the ramp and fire was coating the next level up. The dragons were limitless with their use of their skills as they traded out with one another to clear the path. With hardly more than a minute of rest, they pushed through.

The animals that had been with them for months, darted among the dragons, cutting down monsters with well placed attacks. Months of being with James had pushed them to gold souls with Shadow Paw even being on the cusp of violet. Like Amber, he was waiting for James to tip into his immortal soul so he could advance.

Coral jogged over to her, breathing heavy as soul energy flowed into her body. "I can only use my skills a few more times before I need to stop."

Wincing, Amber watched the shields the woman had been putting up flicker and fade. Monsters were going to start reaching them faster than before.

"That's fine. Burn your energy for the climb. You can stand over James as he absorbs the energy so I can fight."

Nodding, Coral started running around the area, putting up massive barriers that prevented monsters from entering. They were getting thinner and thinner each time as she conserved energy, but it was enough that the flying monsters couldn't rise up and flank them on the ramp.

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"He's stirring," Shadow Paw stated.

Turning to the panther, she had to remind herself that he had evolved in the last month. He didn't talk often, but when he did, she listened. "Is he saying anything?"

"Incoherent sentences," the panther stated. "I'll keep listening."

His mate rubbed her cheek against James's while purring. James smiled before his eyes opened a sliver and he smacked his lips.

Amber rushed over and offered him as much water as he could handle. Her mate had turned from a well muscled man to nothing more than skin and bone. His cheeks were sunken in, showing his skull in detail. Violet energy rippled under his skin before breaking apart and morphing into something filled with so much power that she couldn't process it.

"He's going to die if we don't hurry," Shadow Paw stated.

Amber growled. "I know, dammit!" Turning toward the ramp, she snapped, "don't let anything approach him. I'm clearing out the ramps."

"Understood."

Priest took her place as she morphed her legs into their feline form and dropped onto all fours. Racing past the dragons, she was blur as she scaped her claws across monsters without pausing. Behing her, creatures fell apart, the damage spreading through their ranks in a large radius around her.

I have to push harder. I can't let this be the end.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to hold James tight and plead to the heavens to help but she knew no gods would answer her. The only god she knew was dying as the energy inside his soul was devouring him.

***

James blinked a few times, his eyes feeling heavy as he felt a tremendous source of power nearby. It was reaching out to his soul and for the first time he felt like he could lift his hand.

"It's starting!" Amber shouted.

"Do it, dammit!" Zenaria snarled.

James didn't need to be told twice as he found a large orb of his people's energy pulsing above him. His soul latched onto it in an instant, and the flow started pouring into him. His body started to change and the world faded to white as fighting increased all around him.

***

Amber slashed her claws through a humanoid plant monster. Unlike the last variants, these ones were sporting armor and massive swords. Their weapons cracked the ground or knocked her back with each swing.

Black, pulsing vines were spread across the ground and in a large mass, rising several stories into the air. They had fought their way into the interior, finding a large room with the orb of energy. Setting James underneath it, she watched as he siphoned the energy into his soul, his whole body lighting up violet. Slowly, that violet energy was being replaced by what looked like clear flames that were hard to detect. His skin was breaking down, showing what little muscle he had. White bone stood out on his chest and cheeks as he deteriorated.

"Don't you dare die on me!" she howled.

Wires wrapped around the room before puling tight, shredding hundreds of monsters as Zenaria screamed into the air. Coral did her best to stab the creatures that she could, her spear piercing their bodies easily.

Priest had taken his role as standing by James's side, blasting any monster that came close. Outside the structure, the dragons and animals were fighting a growing horde of monsters that wasn't slowing. The heat from their dragon breath attacks was roasting the outer vines and making Amber sweat.

"Come on, James!" she screamed before cutting down another monster.

A sword connecting with her side a second later, cutting into her flesh and flinging her back. Regeneration kicked in, repairing the damage in seconds. Her reserves were dipping, but she didn't care as she raced back in.

Several swords descended on her position as she leapt forward on all fours. Her back claws tore into a monster, shredding its friends before the swords could strike. Plant matter exploded all around her as the vines making up the structure withered and started collapsing.

"Just a little longer!" Zenaria screamed.

Glancing back at James, she found his body turning translucent and disappearing. He was fading from existence as his body broke down the rest of the way, leaving a silhouette of soul energy. Swallowing hard, she prayed that the energy would disperse.

You can do it James. I know you can. Don't you fucking die on me!

Roaring in pain and rage, she danced among the monsters, cutting them down as tendrils from the walls snapped at her. Several of them struck her cheeks and chest, leaving behind corrupted wounds that refused to heal. She was growing weaker as the minutes passed and knew if James didn't finish soon, nothing would matter.

Coral was the first one to go down, her shield breaking in half as her spear snapped. A gushing wound opened across her chest and down to her stomach as she collapsed under a monster.

Zenaria was there in a second, protecting her as Priest dragged her to safety. It wasn't seconds later that Priest was forced to use his ultimate skill and eradicate every monster in sight. The pulse of energy drained him completely and he collapsed against James's side, barely breathing.

Amber took the momentary reprieve to catch her breath as she watched the plants reform into new monsters. Zenaria shared a look with her and they both knew they were at their limit. Blood dripped from both of them, splattering the ground as they walked back over to James.

"We did what we could," Zenaria said softly.

Amber glanced at the approaching monsters. "At least we are with him at the end."

Tears streamed down her face as she remembered all of their time together. From the moment he walked into the tavern and her trying to leave, to the moment she first slept in the same bed as him. After that, she hardly left his side and Luna adjusted to sharing her blankets. The battles they shared as she grew her powers and the times James joked and teased her about her affections. Everything flashed in front of her before settling on the first time they made love. The moment his heart opened fully to her and their souls mingled like she always prayed.

Closing her eyes, she felt her body grow heavy and waited for the monsters to finish her off. Seconds began to pass and yet nothing came. Those seconds turned to a minute before she opened her eyes and scanned the area.

Every monster was frozen in place, their bodies turning to ash as a pillar of light shot into the air, centered from James's chest. Zenaria was watching with wide eyes before the pillar expanded rapidly, engulfing Amber and everything around. For a brief moment, she felt weightless, and then there was nothing.