Chef in the Apocalypse

Jayce felt his consciousness tremble and vision blur before he snapped his eyes open. All around him was an unfamiliar landscape of rolling hills and open plains, scattering all the way to the horizon.

Before he could get his bearings, the ground began to tremble causing him to look around in trepidation. It felt as if there was an earthquake assaulting the lands, but for some reason he felt that was not the case.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

The tremors were rhythmic, almost like there was a giant who was walking towards him. Jayce turned to the direction of the noise behind him and was instantly stunned into silence.

An army that was at least 10,000 strong appeared, all walking in step. The tremors which assaulted the ground were probably from their footfalls as they walked from the thicket and out into the plain.

Jayce felt the power emanating from the people in the front row and instantly paled. These warriors were far stronger than him, despite being relegated to the vanguard which was generally reserved for the cannon fodder.

They were dressed in simple gear, each holding a one-handed short sword. There were a few aura’s within the group that almost caused him to drop to his knees in despair.

What was he doing here? Were these people here to kill him?

The group continued to move toward him, making Jayce’s heart crawl up into his throat. He had no confidence in escaping from anyone within the group, let alone the stronger combatants toward the back of the unit.

"H-Hello there. Apologies, I don’t seem to know how I have appeared here. I will take my leave." Jayce said politely, trying to keep his cool.

Yet no one acknowledged him, nor even looked his way. They continued to walk forward, shaving years of lifespan from Jayce’s mental health.

He held his hand out, trying to stop the closest warrior from bumping straight into him. However, his hand passed straight through his chest, causing him to stare blankly.

"V-Vision?"

Jayce let out a big sigh of relief, feeling all of his anxiety release with that breath. He really thought that he was going to die from this unknown army, especially when they had ignored his earlier words.

The problem was, was this vision from the past or future? He wasn’t even sure how he had gotten here.

’Could it be the sword?’ Jayce thought inwardly, keeping his gaze locked onto the advancing army.

’If it’s the sword then it should be a past memory.’

Just as his thoughts circled the sword, he saw a glint in the corner of his eye. He snapped his head in that direction, only to see the familiar dark sword which was glowing with a purple light.

Jayce’s eyes widened in surprise. Yet when he saw who was wielding the weapon, his eyes almost popped out of his sockets.

Hawk-like brown eyes, silver hair, thin and skinny frame...

"Rubick!?"

He shouted in fright, almost not believing what he was seeing. The man was standing beside one of the generals with a monstrous aura, looking out into the distance with a stern expression.

"What are they doing here? Who is that general?" Jayce had so many questions. It was obvious that they were here to battle something, but there was no one on these plains but themselves.

As if they had heard his thoughts, suddenly a few areas within the expansive plains lit up, showering a brilliant light on the army and their surroundings.

Jayce shielded his eyes from the brightness, waiting for it to wane. After a few moments he could finally see again, yet he was once again filled with shock.

The once empty plains were now filled with all sorts of beings. Monsters, humanoid figures, as well as shrouded figures which seemed to meld into the shadows.

"Did they just teleport here?" Jayce mumbled, feeling a wave of trepidation and anxiety enter his body.

Just from an initial look, he could tell that the humans were outnumbered by at least 10 times. However, numbers weren’t always an indicator of how a battle would turn out.

At least that’s what Jayce was telling himself, until 20 or so aura’s expanded into the sky from the enemy ranks. Those aura’s were on-par if not stronger than the ones within the human camp.

Yet the humans did not falter, they stared upon the sight with grim determination within their eyes. It was as if they were unwavering in the face of defeat, like they did not want to lose.

No. It was that they could not afford to lose.

"These scum have conspired against us, against Earth. They wish to see us destroyed, because we are a threat!"

A booming voice rang out from within the human army, echoing across the rolling hills. The deep timbre and confidence within the voice stoked the embers of indignation within everyone, including Jayce.

"These cowards are too afraid to allow us time to grow. WE CAN SMELL THEIR FEAR!"

"OHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The whole army yelled in response, causing the surroundings to shake and tremble with their cry.

"LET’S SHOW THEM THAT EARTH IS NOT SO EASY TO BULLY!"

"OHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Jayce felt the flames within him burn brighter with these words. He had already guessed that this was probably the pivotal battle that had caused Earth to return to a lower plain of existence.

"CHARGE!"

Before Jayce could think any more, everyone in the army bulldozed forward towards the awaiting enemies with their swords drawn. He almost felt as if he was watching a sci-fi movie, with this scale of battle.

In the blink of an eye the vanguard met the opponents, causing body parts and blood to fly into the air. Fire, Water and Earth attacks flooded his vision, sending all in its wake to the afterlife.

Jayce watched on in awe as the battle unfolded in front of him. At first it was just the weaker figures who clashed, but soon enough it was time for the stronger beings.

The generals and the stronger beings from the other side seemed to have reached an agreement, floating slowly into the air until they were out of sight.

A few moments later, the terrifying sounds of battle rang out from high above the clouds.