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

James woke up to sweltering heat and sweat covering his entire body. Not one, not two, but four bodies were laying around him, pinning him down completely. With a groan, he prepared to shift everyone when teeth clamped down on his neck.

"Hey!" he shouted.

"Pillows don't move," Amber grumbled before letting him go.

Luna was the first to shift. "What the hell…" she mumbled with a yawn.

Peering down at his chest, James found Zenaria upside down, her feet past his head and tails nearly covering his face. Grace was completely obscured by the tails, her body slick with sweat. Amber had laid overtop Luna, burying the Fenrir, only to be pushed off as Luna woke up.

"Why are you all in my bed!" Luna shouted.

Amber hit the floor with a grunt and growl. "I'm the one that has been taking care of him for months! You can't shut me out!"

Zenaria sat up, completely burying him in fluff. "She's right. We deserve to be here at night."

"You're nearly sitting on his face," Grace groaned.

Jumping up, Zenaria bounded out of the bed. "Sorry!"

Spitting out stray fur, James sat up, bringing Grace with him. "This bed is way too small for all of us."

Luna pinched the bridge of her nose. "So help me, ladies. I just wanted one night with him. Just one."

"You can have that later," Amber grunted. "Plus, I know you enjoyed the cuddle puddle."

Luna's expression softened and with a sigh, she nodded. "It was nice."

Clearing his throat, James drew their attention. "We have places to be this morning. I want the sect handled as quickly as possible so we can get back and make a plan for the rent."

With a nod, Luna led the way out of the room. The voices coming from the ground floor told James that the others were already awake, and Jamie was bragging about the things she did with Amber, making the nekorian blush.

"Not a word," Amber growled.

Chuckling, James held up his hands. Not wanting to make her mad, he stepped into the bar and waved for everyone to calm down. "Now that we are all here, we need to talk about what we learned yesterday."

Jamie shook her head. "What's the point. I didn't even try to learn anything."

"Neither did we," Amber admitted.

"Why not?" James protested. "I asked you all to learn about our targets."

Everyone looked at him with exasperation. It was Jamie who spoke up for the group. "James. We all know you are simply going to walk into the sect and find the elders with a pulse of your soul. No one is going to be able to stop you, and you'll have this handled in minutes. What's the point of learning anything?"

Opening his mouth to respond, he was cut off as Luna started laughing.

"She has a point," Luna said between giggles. "We all know you are going to focus on the man that betrayed you and it'll be obvious which man it was. Let's just get up there and get this over with."

Sighing, James relented. "Very well. Jamie, can you at least retrieve your brother and head home. I won't be long."

"Who are you taking with you?" Luna asked.

"Just you, love. The rest of you need to pick up anything else we need for the temple. Just don't kill anyone that doesn't deserve it."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Yeah, yeah," Linda wave him off. "I picked up some new blank rings so you can replace our storage rings. Want to do that now?"

Nodding, James stepped forward and took them as Linda retrieved the small box from the floor. With a wave of his hand, he enchanted them with a small burst of soul energy before handing them back. "Make sure everyone has one and get out of here. Luna and I will meet you all back at the temple."

Once the rings were handed out, everyone departed. James was still baffled about how he woke up and was lost in thought as he wandered toward the elevator. It wasn't until Luna poked his cheek that he blinked.

"Hard to manage?" she asked.

"A little," he admitted. "There's four of you now. And why was Zenaria upside down? Who sleeps like that?"

Laughing, Luna only smiled. "You'll be fine, my love. I can't wait until we have little children running around. Thanks to you, Valiants will walk the world again."

Running a hand through his hair, James blew out a slow breath. Taking the moment to look around, he felt nostalgia over the architecture. The towering apartments and shops were made mostly from wood and brick, sharing a simple design of sharp edges and peaked roofs. The streets were clean, even in the demi-human district, and the sewage smell of the other cities was absent. Misty Mountain took care of its people to a certain degree.

"Do you remember where your home was?" Luna asked.

"Not really," James admitted. "Besides, it doesn't matter. I just want to confront the elder that betrayed me and finish this. Because of him, you and the others were killed."

"I understand, and I'm going to be by your side the entire time."

Smiling, he turned his attention from the architecture to the elevator in the distance. They weren't walking as swiftly as they could, but instead savored every moment of the morning. The sect likely didn't even know he was in the city.

***

Jamie nearly skipped through the streets as she hunted down her brother. The elusive man was hiding in an apartment on the third floor near the hospital. His soul was filled with joy as she approached.

Good for him.

Smiling, she entered the apartment and hunted him down. With a slight flick of her soul, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Brother, I'm home!"

Two startled souls brightened from the bedroom, making her smile grow. Both people scrambled in their attempt to make themselves presentable, and she only had to wait a minute before her brother stormed out.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"James wants us out of the city. Now," she said with a shrug. "Say goodbye to your girlfriend."

Sighing, Mender walked back to the bedroom. Focusing her senses, Jamie listened to them kiss a few more times before he promised he would be back in a few months. That was a much better goodbye than she was expecting.

Mender returned a moment later, his frown in place as he walked past. "Come on, sister."

Peeking into the bedroom, Jamie waved at the doctor before following her brother. "Are you ready to start planning?"

Slowing as they reached the street, Mender nodded. "I am. Do you think we'll take care of the rent first, or The Pact?"

"The rent," Jamie stated. "That's my hope anyways. The sooner the world is safe, the better I'll feel. But the North American rent is the largest and it might take a few days to find the energy source."

Nodding, Mender moved around the crowds that were growing in the early morning. "Did you have a good night at least?"

"Amber was amazing," Jamie praised. "The things that cat can do with her tongue…" Shivering, she recalled all of the positions they tried.

"Good to know…" Rolling his eyes, they picked up their pace as they reached a mostly empty street. "Is he going to kill the entire sect?"

"I hope not." Shrugging, Jamie didn't have a concrete answer. "Most of them don't deserve to die, but he'll likely make them start taking in demi-humans. Especially with us being so close."

"Maybe he can change all of the sects."

Jamie wanted to agree with that happy thought. Changing the way the world worked with be a lifetime of work for James. Then again, he wasn't going to die anytime soon. She didn't even know if it was possible for him to die. Would confronting The Pact leadership even be a trial?

She didn't know but was happy enough to be by his side. That's all that mattered, and once they were done and retired, she would ask him to be her wing man. The bars called to her and all the pretty women.

***

Amber yawned as her and Zenaria picked up more shampoos and soaps for their private bathroom.

"Didn't sleep much?" Zenaria questioned.

Groaning, Amber shook her head. "You try to please the nymphomaniac that is Jamie."

"I will be soon enough."

Amber glanced at the kitsune and her worried expression. Chuckling, she grabbed a bar of soap and a brush. "I enjoyed sleeping with everyone on the same bed."

"I did too," Zenaria admitted.

Smiling, Amber moved to pay and pack their new belongings. "I want to watch James change the sect, but I also don't want to be around when he releases his energy. I have a feeling we'll be able to feel him from the temple."

Eyes wide, Zenaria nodded. "Let's hurry out of here. I don't want to be here when the city starts to panic. It's going to be a nightmare."

"Agreed." Jumping onto the top of the nearby buildings, Amber took the lead as they raced toward the walls. She wasn't worried about the others, but there was no way she was going to be around when James reached the elders.