Chef in the Apocalypse

Rubick looked at the list of names who had been killed by the attack and frowned deeply. Out of the 100 supporters that he had selected, over 30% had been killed just like that, putting his well laid plan in jeopardy.

"Which world do those formation flags belong to?" Rubick’s eyes lit up as he caught something on the monitor in front of him.

"One moment please." The small figure said, manipulating the controls to zoom in on one of the flags.

Once the picture was zoomed in, one could see an engraving of a hexagon with complicated array pathways delicately inscribed on the inside. It was only when seen so close that the array could be properly appreciated.

Atop the hexagon written in ancient characters was the word Tartarus.

Rubick’s eyes narrowed, the dissatisfaction evident on his face.

"So those bastards want to interfere in my business huh?" he said through gritted teeth.

"It’s one thing for the three deities to interfere, at least they are bound by the cosmic laws so they won’t go overboard. Yet you f*ckers think you can just casually swoop up the spoils without getting your hands dirty? I’ll soon let you have a taste of bitter regret."

The two figures felt a shiver run down their spine, feeling the unadulterated fury and threat held within his words. They stared at the inscription upon the formation flag with great interest, not daring to make a peep, let alone turn around and see their furious master.

Rubick stared at the engraving, gnashing his teeth in anger. Yet in the next moment, he turned thoughtful before a vicious grin appeared behind his mask.

Without another word, he got up and left the room. The two figures remained in the same position for the next 30 minutes, afraid that Rubick would come back into the room and take his anger out on them.

Fortunately it seemed that their master had found something more constructive to do than pick on them.

Rubick had already returned to his room after heading down the hall hurriedly. Despite being in a terrible mood because of the news, it had made his next decision that much easier.

"Let me cook. Leave your friends now, we need to talk."

***

"Our current priority is to rest and recover for a while. Tomorrow morning I will create another teleportation array so that you can return home and rest. As for these attackers, I’ll need more time to think of a plan."

Jayce addressed the group within the room, his expression made it clear that he was weary after such a turn of events. The same could be said for everyone within the room.

Most of the people here had lost friends and loved ones from the surprise attack a few hours earlier, yet they were not given much time to grieve at all. It was also midway through the night after a grueling 8 day summit.

Jayce was about to dismiss everyone in the room when he suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening in surprise. However it disappeared just as quick as it appeared on his face.

"Ahem. Dion, can we find some lodgings for everyone tonight in the residential area? I’ve got some things to do before resting." Jayce said promptly, walking over to Lianna and giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I’ll be home before dawn." He whispered into her ear before turning around and heading down the stairs.

Although Jayce attempted to stay calm, his heart was beating profusely after the message he had just received. He could never forget this voice which spoke directly into his mind, like the very first time he had heard it.

He quickly made his way down the stairs and out of the main building. Once he had made it out to the Central Square, he felt as if his body became weightless and his vision darkened.

If there were any spectators, they would have seen that Jayce’s body had disappeared from the spot, as if he had teleported through space. Thankfully, no one was around at this time.

Jayce felt as if he was rocking back and forth upon a boat on the rough seas. Just as he began to feel nauseas, the darkness disappeared, replaced by a dim light which his eyes were thankful for.

After getting his bearings, he quickly looked around the room curiously. He had initially expected to be transported to the auditorium where Rubick would meet with the other supporters.

However this room was more like someones changing room. There was a vanity, a portable wardrobe, and a couple of lounge chairs with a coffee table placed in the middle of it.

Jayce himself was sitting on one of the leather lounges, looking around. He felt different from all of the other times he was summoned to see Rubick, was it because he was not here only in consciousness?

Before he could think too deeply on the matter, the sound of a doorknob twisting grabbed his attention. The door swung open and a thin man wearing a mask and tophat walked into the room, his shadowy cloak trailing behind him.

He was instantly filled with trepidation upon seeing this man enter the room, causing his heart to beat faster in response. While he wasn’t certain of the reason for his summoning this time, if he had to guess it would be regarding the attack they had just experienced.

After all, from his initial counting there was almost a few dozen supporters who had lost their lives in the attack.

Rubick closed the door behind him and walked over to the couch without a word, taking a seat in front of Jayce. His red eyes behind the mask added to the creepy and intimidating presence of the enigmatic being.

Jayce shifted uncomfortably under the gaze, yet he tried not to show any weakness. He was not yet certain if Rubick was a friend or foe of Earth, so he did not want to jump to any conclusions, lest he lose his life.

"You seem to be... nervous." Rubick said, his high pitched tone sending a shiver down Jayce’s spine.

"Let’s just say that you’re rather intimidating with that mask on." Jayce replied, half-jokingly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Rubick was silent for a moment, as if he was pondering something. In the next moment he did something which shocked Jayce to the core.

He nodded before removing the tophat which covered his bald head, yet that was not the most surprising thing. Rubick reached up to his mask and pulled it off slowly, causing Jayce’s breath to be caught in his throat.

As soon as the mask left his face, the head which was reflecting the dim light in the room suddenly disappeared, replaced with long silver hair which was tied up in a bun. Jayce stared dumbfoundedly as Rubick’s features were revealed to him.

He had silver sword-shaped eyebrows and chestnut brown eyes. His high cheek bones and pointed nose gave him a hawk-like appearance, sharp and dangerous, yet handsome. His jaw was well defined and tied his look together well.

"H-Human..." Jayce couldn’t help but blurt out, feeling waves of shock rampage within his body as he gazed upon the face of the man who had given him plenty of nightmares.

"Yes. Very astute of you."

Rubick replied sarcastically, tossing his mask and tophat to the side and leaning back against the couch. He crossed one of his thing legs over the other casually, as if he had not just revealed the bombshell of the century.

Unfortunately, Jayce’s brain seemed to have malfunctioned because all he could do was stare at the man across from him with his mouth agape. He had his theories about Rubick’s allegiance, but he never would have expected that he was a human. It was all too shocking.

Despite being gawked at, Rubick did not seem too uncomfortable. It was obvious that he had expected a reaction similar to this one, therefore he decided to start the dialog himself.

"As you may have guessed, there has been further interference in Earth’s Evolution." He said plainly.

It was only now that Jayce noticed that the mans voice had changed from his usual high pitch, to a lower and more natural octave. These words seemed to have knocked him out of his stupor as he was finally able to string some words together.

"Yes, one of the assailants mentioned that "They" had given him one of the prisons I was locked in. I made the assumption that they could be related to the three beings on the throne."

Rubick’s eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal.

"You were locked in a spatial prison? How did you get out?" He asked casually, yet his eyes narrowed slightly, observing Jayce closely.

"How?" Jayce pondered for a moment, trying to articulate it correctly.

"I used the Law of Fire to burn up all the oxygen within the space, increasing the amount of atmospheric pressure within the prison. Soon enough the prison became easy to shatter."

A small grin formed on the edges of Rubick’s lips in response to his answer. "Good. Very good."