Chef in the Apocalypse

After everyone took a seat, a fairy-like woman waltzed out of the kitchen and began to hand out the Entree’s to each table. Her hair cascaded down her back in waves, bouncing around freely as she moved between tables.

Her perky red lips were wide with a smile, showing her pearly white teeth which magnified her beauty.

A few of the male customers couldn’t help but stare longingly at her as she placed the plates down in front of them.

"Dude, that’s Jayce’s girl. Stop staring or you’ll get us kicked out" A younger man whispered to his friend who was gawking unabashedly in her direction.

As if to back up this statement, Colin poked his head in and glared at the younger man, cracking his knuckles in a silent threat of violence.

The young man gulped and quickly averted his gaze. "You mean that Jayce?" he whispered, feeling a cold sweat dripping down his back.

"Yes, the one who held back the Beast Tide and created the teleportation arrays. The leader of Hell’s Kitchen and the Chief Adviser of Bastion..."

Despair clutched at the mans heart as he tried to catch his breath. He had been one of the ranged units on top of the ramparts during the Beast Tide. He had seen that man’s vengeful shadow as he slew monsters with merely a single swing of his dagger.

He almost jumped in fright when Lianna placed his Entree down in front of him, catching him off guard. He didn’t even dare to look up at her again, saying a quick thanks before digging into his bruschetta.

The crisp toasted bread and the delicious tomatoes entered his mouth, removing any thoughts from his brain entirely. The balsamic vinegar and soft cheese paired with the crunch of the bread set off an explosion of flavor and texture in his mouth.

Similar scenes were playing out within the restaurant as people began to bite into their entree’s. The place was silent, save for the loud crunching of the toasted bread.

Within the kitchen, three men and one woman were each in their own sections working away with practiced ease. Amber seemed almost bored as she controlled the fire underneath the pans, twirling her hair and tapping her foot.

Ben was in charge of the dishes, yet he did not seem to mind that much. He merrily hummed a tune while scrubbing the utensils and plates at a fast pace.

Jayce was leisurely cutting up some red meat into smaller pieces before passing it through a meat grinder. His clear blue eyes seemed at peace, as if he had achieved his life long dream.

However, there was an odd one out within the kitchen. Someone who was furiously toasting and assembling the bruschetta like a mad man. Yet despite his haste, each dish looked almost identical to the last, keeping the same high quality throughout.

Tony looked as if he was doing the lion’s share of work, yet there was a smile planted on his face. He threw in a fresh batch of pasta into a large pot of boiling water, sprinkling a handful of salt with it.

Simultaneously, he was placing browning the onions and garlic in another pot, preparing to throw in the minced meat at the right time.

Amber watched on, trying to keep herself awake. Originally, she had wanted to do more in the kitchen than just being in charge of the burners, however that soon changed.

Both Jayce and Tony were so strict and uptight when it came to what dishes they were serving that she was forced to do it over and over until they approved. The problem was, they never approved of what she prepared!

She could feel the judging looks of the two, looking down their noses at her paltry attempt at cooking. Eventually she just gave up, choosing to be relegated to burner duty and suffer alone.

Thankfully, she would not have to endure much longer since the Summit would take place tomorrow. Now that the restaurant had made a name for itself, Jayce had made arrangements for new staff to take their place in the future.

Tony was already succeeding as the Head Chef, which was the hardest spot to fill without Jayce himself. The other members were easily replaceable, meaning that they would be free from the restaurant.

Amber’s gaze moved over to Ben who was humming a little tune, seemingly enjoying his menial task as a dishwasher. For some reason she felt a little miffed that he was having so much fun.

Suddenly, an idea sprang to her mind as she mischievously grinned. Holding out her free left hand and pointing it towards Ben, she muttered something under her breath.

Ben, who was blissfully unaware of the predatory gaze thrown his way, suddenly smelled something a little off. He looked around for a moment, sniffing to try and locate the weird smell.

Then suddenly, his feet began to heat up, as if he was standing on burning coals.

"Ah!" Ben jumped up in surprise, looking at the bottom of his shoes which had begun to melt. He began to flail around, trying to stomp out whatever was burning his feet, however it was no use.

The more he stomped, the hotter his feet got. In a panic, he jumped into the large sink which contained the water he used to wash the dishes in. A loud clang and crash sounded as he landed in the basin, breaking the few plates which were sitting in there.

Yet in the next moment his face turned up in relief, looking as if he had just taken a big whizz. Both Tony and Jayce looked over at the odd sight of Ben in the basin and stifled a laugh.

Jayce instantly knew what had happened. He turned to Amber with a exasperated expression on his face, "You can’t even last one more day?" he said, trying to keep his poker face.

His comprehension over the Law of Fire had allowed him to sense something the moment Amber tapped into that power. Now that he had comprehended both the "Ignition" and "Heat" aspects of the Law of Fire, he had a larger grasp of its foundation.

Amber also comprehended the Heat aspect after replacing her mana with Qi a few months ago. In fact, most of his party were now no longer using mana thanks to his efforts.

Looking like a small child who had been caught being naughty, Amber lowered her head, apologizing in a quiet voice. However, there was still a trace of amusement as she saw Ben in her peripherals.

Jayce let out a sigh, "Just a few more hours and you two can go have a date night or something."

Her expression brightened at these words and she nodded excitedly, "Yes Leader!"