Chef in the Apocalypse

Jayce felt Lianna tense up as they got closer to the large tree. He wasn’t surprised that she would still be traumatized from their recent experienced considering it had not even been a few hours since they escaped a similar tree. Hell, he was also feeling reluctant walking into the place.

Yet he continued to trudge along, wanting to maintain a calm and composed demeanor on the outside. This way he could show that he would not be intimidated when it came to the demand of compensation.

As they entered the tree, he noticed that the inside was much different to the other one they had visited. Instead of a bare interior and tunnels, this felt a lot more homely. There was opulent furnishings and the like scattered in front of them.

The inside was still illuminated with the same pale white flowers, yet they seemed intentionally placed rather than scattered about. Jayce moved his gaze, admiring the almost regal atmosphere.

There were natural stairs placed around the edges of the room, it seemed as if they were growing from within the tree itself, filling him with awe.

With his nose still pointed at the sky, Tony continued walking through the lobby of the tree, not bothering to talk to anyone on the way. A few people who had been chatting amongst themselves turned and looked at them as they made their way to the large doors at the end of the room.

They curiously looked upon Jayce and Lianna who were linked in each others arms.

"Whoa, they look like such a cute couple."

"W-Wait a minute, is that Leader?"

Hushed voices rang out within the room, not quiet enough to escape Jayce’s keen senses. He tilted his head in confusion, ’I guess that Tony guy wasn’t lying when he said that back then.’ Jayce thought inwardly.

He couldn’t help but feel a little weird about the whole thing, yet he knew that everything would be revealed soon enough. His gaze fell to Lianna who was holding his arm tightly, her face was pale and she did not seem to notice the hushed whispers about her.

’What’s wrong with her?’ Jayce moved his hand to wrap around her waist, pulling her close. This sent a jolt through Lianna’s body, snapping her out of the trance she was in.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern laden within his voice.

After a moment she answered, "Y-Yeah I think so. I just don’t feel great all of a sudden."

Jayce frowned. He would usually be very worried if their healer did not feel well, however he decided that it could be possible due to their situation. After all, they had just experienced a long and torturous night within that cavern, and were now walking into a similar place.

Therefore he just pulled her tighter and tried to calm her down, "It’s okay, I’m here now. If something weird happens then I’ll get us out of here."

His words seemed to work as Lianna’s face softened. Her tense body visibly relaxed as she leant against him. "Thanks." She said softly, allowing a small smile to reach her face.

Tony reached the wooden doors and started conversing with the guard. He gestured to Jayce and Lianna, only to have the guard stare at them with shock. After blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes, he still had a shocked gaze.

"Ahem. The door." Tony said impatiently.

"A-Ah yes..." He reached for the door, pulling it open widely. Yet his eyes had not left Lianna this whole time. Jayce sent a glare his way, along with a little murderous intent, almost causing the man to jump in fright. He quickly averted his gaze out of fear.

’Hmph. Do you think I’d let anyone ogle my woman for so long?’ Jayce mumbled inwardly. Now that he had subconsciously decided that Lianna was his woman, he started to take on some jealous tendencies.

They followed Tony in, revealing a spacious room. Despite having no windows, the room was brightly lit, showcasing the flowing and natural interior design. The room was like its own ecosystem, with ponds, waterfalls and even bugs and insects flying around.

Jayce’s eyes widened as he saw wildlife moving about the room with no care in the world. The natural wildlife were one of the first things to die out on Earth after the Apocalypse descended, which was why he was so shocked to find some here.

A dear casually raised its head and looked him straight in the eyes before losing interest and going back to its grazing. Were they not in a foreign place, he would have likely rushed in to kill the beast. While eating monster meat was fine, especially with his cooking ability, there was something different about eating livestock.

In the center of the room there was a large circular wooden table which seemed to materialize from the ground. This table was large enough to fit at least 30 people around it, with just as many wooden chairs placed around it.

"Please sit, I will go find the Leader." Tony said, gesturing them to sit down anywhere.

Jayce merely nodded, moving to the nearest chair in order to sit down. He was a little confused when he saw that the chair was so far away from the table despite being fixed to the floor of the tree. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

He shrugged before sitting down. The moment he got comfy, the chair moved as if it had a mind of its own, pushing him into the table gently at the perfect distance. Thankfully Jayce had not felt any malicious intent, otherwise he would have smashed the chair to bits.

Lianna saw the scene and held in her giggle. She found the stages of Jayce’s facial expressions to be quite amusing, the surprise and shock followed by understanding and acceptance painted a funny picture.

She too decided to sit down, and was graciously guided towards the table.

Suddenly the sound of wood creaking entered their ears. The chairs around them were deconstructed, falling into the floor of the tree and disappearing as if they were never there. The table which had been large enough to fit 30 people, suddenly shrank in size until it was the size of a regular dining table.

Besides their own, there was another chair remaining opposite them.

"I’m sorry for keeping you waiting dear guests."

Jayce’s ears twitched, fixing his gaze towards Lianna questioningly. She seemed to have also felt the incongruity of the situation, staring back at him with shock.

Footsteps rang out, causing the two to turn their attention to the woman who had arrived.

"Lianna?"