Chef in the Apocalypse

At these words, most of the people in the plain including Jayce’s own party, looked at each other with confused expressions. However, those words were not meant for anyone else but these two supporters who were also acquainted with the "Eccentric Existence"

Agni and Tai’s gazes met each other, a wave of understanding passing between them as they thought back to the first meeting with Rubick. Back in that hall where they had first been introduced to the supporters, as well as learning the details of the first World Quest.

Tai’s memory surged as he began to piece all of the puzzles together. Originally he was not sure of Jayce’s motives for creating such a large alliance, thinking it may be a way to elevate himself to something akin to a king of the new world.

Yet those last few words had subverted his original suspicions, opening up a new possibility. What if Jayce did not wish for power and merely wanted to strengthen humanity?

The thought seemed absurd at first, however the more he thought about it, the more it began to make sense. Jayce was already strong enough to easily take over Flame Caster’s dungeon, replacing him with his own faction members, or others from his home.

He was also certain that the man did not care about the penalty received from killing another human being. There were loopholes, such as getting a subordinate to deal the finishing blow, as no one but supporters were restricted by the penalty for killing.

This was something that he had tested before, during his chosen line of work. In actuality, he had never delivered the final blow to a human target because he was afraid of the penalty.

Tai also thought back to the initial World Quest where they had been tasked to create their own faction and kill some monsters in order to clear it. While failure would result in the end for all humanity, he was sure that no one had tackled the quest with the same sense of urgency as Jayce.

He himself had only managed to find enough members to create his faction after 3 weeks, granted he had specifically chosen those of the ranger and assassin classes. Yet this was no excuse, if he was really worried about the end of humanity then he would not have been so picky.

Jayce had completed the whole quest before anyone had even completely killed 50 goblins. At the time he admitted that he was quite annoyed at the treatment they received from Rubick. He also held a bit of a grudge towards Jayce for being such a goody two shoes.

Yet now he could see how immature he was. Comparing himself to the saint-like man in front of him, he felt severely lacking in all departments; looks, charisma, strength but most definitely compassion.

"Is this what the Human Alliance is really about?" Tai managed to say, his voice quivering a little.

"Of course. We’re going to reclaim the Earth from those monsters." Jayce responded defiantly, as if announcing it to the world.

The surrounding people looked at the chef with awe and respect, seeing him in a new light. Originally they thought he was overbearing, merely using a fake kindness to make them let down their guards. However they were now feeling inspired by his shocking declaration.

Tai let out a hollow chuckle, admonishing himself for his earlier conclusions about the great man in front of him. ’If I was half– no, a quarter as good as him I would be able to hold my head high.’ he thought self-deprecatingly.

As if finally making his decision, Tai stood up tall and removed his hood that had been covering most of his features. His faction members let out a small gasp in response, not expecting the turn of events. They had never seen his face throughout the whole time they had known their leader.

The face that he revealed could not be called handsome, yet it was not ugly. The long and slender nose coupled with droopy eyes made it seem as if he were a typical villain archetype in a movie. His short stubble had shades of ginger, and there was a noticeable scar that ran from his top lip towards his ear.

After revealing his face, Tai felt refreshed. He smiled genuinely at Jayce, softening his features considerably before bowing at a 90 degree angle. "Jayce, please allow me into your alliance." his tone was deep, relaying his determination and acceptance of Jayce as a worthy leader.

Jayce accepted the bow, returning the gesture. "Welcome to the Human Alliance Tai. We’re glad to have you." he said in response, inwardly happy with the man’s decision.

Colin grinned widely, walking over to the assassin and draping his large arm over his shoulder, "Welcome to the Alliance". Colin’s 6’8 frame dwarfed Tai’s sleek and toned body by at least two heads, however that was not the issue.

He leaned in close to the assassin and whispered in a voice that only Tai could hear, "You try to hurt my leader again, and I’ll crush you into a meat patty." The words caused the poor assassin to straighten up in fright. He had almost forgotten that he had tried to harm Jayce earlier.

"Hahaha, we’ve got another ally." Colin removed his arm and returned to Jayce’s side, acting as if everything was fine. However when he got to Jayce’s side he sent a fierce glance at Tai once more, reminding him of his earlier threat.

Ben and Amber stifled a laugh, trying to hold it together in order to not break the atmosphere. "It can’t be helped, he touched the big man’s reverse scale." Ben whispered to Amber between giggles.

Agni watched this all unfold silently. While he had not deduced the situation as much as Tai had, he understood that Jayce had no ulterior motives when asking if he would join the Alliance. And as much as creating a city with the remaining people in his old hometown would be painful, he could probably manage.

If it meant that they could have direct help from Jayce and his over 3000 people in Bastion whenever they encountered big trouble, then it would be worth it. After a while he let out a sigh, resigning himself to his fate.

"Alright, it will be as you say. I’ll rebuild the city near the dungeon, so let me join the alliance." He said, without a lot of enthusiasm behind it.