Chef in the Apocalypse

The trip towards the river was rather uneventful, it seemed that the monsters within the forest were also wary of the gigantic tree. Therefore, Jayce and Lianna leisurely made their way through the brush, making small talk. It was clear that they had grown closer.

Soon enough they could hear the sound of rushing water in the distance, breathing excitement into their bodies. It had been so long since the two had had a chance to bath, so they hurried along.

Jayce took the point, ensuring that there were no monsters in the vicinity. The last thing that he wanted was to be attacked while wearing no equipment. Despite the strength of his little brother, he could not use it as a spear to kill monsters.

"It’s all clear." Jayce said after a while, motioning Lianna to come closer. She complied, thinking that he had a direction for her.

As she got closer, a wicked grin appeared on his face as he deftly lifted her into his arms and leapt into the river below. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Eeeek!" Lianna let out a squeal in surprise.

"Hahaha!" Jayce laughed, hanging onto the struggling fairy in his arms as they descended into the waters below.

A large splash accompanied them, sending water into the air. As they rose to the surface, Lianna began to pound on Jayce’s bare chest with her fists, however there was not much strength behind them.

Yet in the next moment, the waters around them began to stir, instantly changing the expression on Jayce’s face drastically. He held Lianna tightly and summoned his Bloodfang Dagger, looking around for the source of the interruption.

His eyes were focused beneath the water, using his analyze skill, yet there was nothing. The water turned into the shape of a Dragon and grabbed Lianna out of his arms.

The maw of the Water Dragon lifted her out of the water and onto the other side of the river bank which was about 20 meters high. "Don’t you f*cking dare!" he bellowed.

Jayce was incensed, having his woman stolen from him in such a manner. He found a shallow part of the river and crouched down, sending tremendous strength through his muscles and pushing up from the ground.

He catapulted over 30 meters, a vicious look on his face. The rocks beneath him crumbled from the force of the jump, leaving a small crater in its aftermath.

When he had reached the peak of his jump, Jayce saw Lianna under the arm of one of the assailants, thrashing around. There were also a few others scattered around the place, with their eyes focused on him.

"Bring her back now and I might forgive you." Jayce’s deep voice rang out, causing a shiver to run down the spines of the assailants.

At first, Jayce had thought that it was a monster that had taken Lianna from him. Yet when he that they were human, a mixture of emotions flashed through his mind.

In his previous life there were groups of people who came together, similar to bandits who thrived in the lawlessness of the Apocalypse. They would raid settlements and cities, take the women and rape them until they lost the will to live. Bandits were also the main supplier of slaves throughout the world.

Jayce had a few run-ins with these types of people throughout the years, and none of them had been pleasant. He had been tasked by his faction with infiltrating a bandit base and destroying them.

The mission had ended in a success, however what he had seen had left a lasting impression on him. The piles of bodies and used up women, along with the poor conditions for the slaves and captives were horrendous.

These images flashed across his mind, causing a dangerous glint to appear in his eyes. Yet the people in front of him did not look like bandits, despite their actions. So instead of instantly killing them where they stood, he gave them the opportunity to repent.

"Bullshit! You dare kidnap our Leader? We will end you." One of the closest men shouted out in indignation. Despite the fearsome aura the shirtless man gave off and the bone-deep terror he felt, he still puffed out his chest righteously.

’Leader? Huh? Since when?’ Jayce’s mind was full of confusion. They had been teleported to this continent accidentally, there was no way someone should recognize either of them. Especially going as far as mistaking her for their Leader.

Jayce retrieved his Bloodfang Dagger into his inventory and landed on the ground in one fluid motion. Yet the people in front of him still held their weapons, not letting their guards down.

"What do you mean kidnapped your leader?" Jayce said slowly, holding his hands in the air as if to show them he was unarmed.

One of the men was about to step forward and talk, however a rugged man with a long beard and dark eyes shouted back before he could, "Don’t feign ignorance young man. That woman you just dove into the water with is our Leader."

Jayce’s eye twitched getting annoyed with the tone of voice being thrown his way. He cleared his throat, trying to be patient "Ahem. What I’ve been trying to say is, I don’t know who the hell your leader is, but that is my woman!"

His tone started off respectful, however by the end he almost broke out into a roar. He wasn’t sure what was going on with him right now, but the fact that one of them was still running away with Lianna was probably a big reason why he couldn’t contain his temper.

"Attack!" Feeling the undisguised violence and wrath being directed their way, the bearded man shouted. In response the three others picked up their weapons and charged at Jayce who was still stripped down to his waist and unarmed.

"Poor decision." He muttered, dashing forward. He decided not to summon the Bloodfang Dagger, mainly because he did not want to kill these people.

Just by them insinuating that Lianna was their leader was enough for him to know that they weren’t bandits. After all, what kind of bandit crew would have a leader that looked like Lianna?

Jayce moved his head to the left, dodging the incoming spear by a few millimeters. The force of the wind blew his wet hair back, sending small droplets into the air behind him. He pivoted on his left foot and brought his knee up to meet the man, striking solid contact on his solar plexus.

The man let out a grunt and fell to the floor in a heap. Shortly after, he was assaulted by two others, this time with swords. While their swordplay was satisfactory, Jayce was just too fast and nimble for them to hit.

Within the first few moves it was clear that they were out of their league. Yet despite this, they did not lose hope, continuing to try and lure him into traps, working together seamlessly.

’Oho? They have good teamwork. It’s just a shame their level is so low.’ Jayce commented inwardly.

Not wanting to toy with his enemies, his figure seemingly vanished and appeared right beside one of the swordsman. With a casual motion, he sent a chop to the back of the man’s neck, giving him a well-deserved rest.