Chef in the Apocalypse

Zane was sitting alone against the wall of a building with his head drooped down. While it was not an uncommon thing for him not to converse with the others, choosing to remain silent, he lacked his usual presence.

Jayce’s mind rewound to 2 nights before as he cradled the dead body of the woman he loved in his arms, Zane’s lost and angry expression still vivid in his mind.

He hadn’t spoken to Zane since that night, therefore he had been unable to check on him. Now that there was some time, Jayce stealthily broke away from the group to go sit next to the silent man.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Jayce asked, sliding down the wall and parking his rear.

Zane did not respond right away, his hands still cradling his head as he stared at the ground. Jayce didn’t rush him, choosing to much on his steamed bun in the meantime.

It wasn’t until Jayce was fully done with his meal that Zane finally spoke some words to him.

"I... I just miss her. Her pillow still smells like her freshly washed hair. Every time I think about her my heart hurts, but then my insides burn even more when I think about those bastards who did this to her."

Zane’s hands which were cradling his head suddenly tensed up as he began to grab his hair tightly. Jayce could hear his breathing become heavy, almost as if he were about to hyperventilate.

He put his hand on Zane’s shoulder, a comforting gesture. He too was unimaginably angry at the people who caused this mess, and he would be the first to admit that if Lianna had been killed, he probably would have stormed off looking for them right away.

"I know. We will make them pay for what they did, there’s no need to worry about that." Jayce said simply, his eyes narrowing.

"On that note. I have a gift for you." He said, removing his hand from Zane’s shoulder.

Zane lifted his gaze for the first time, his eyes showing a questioning look.

Jayce produced the Bloodfang Dagger from his inventory, swishing it around a few times in his hand before handing it to Zane, hilt first.

Zane merely blinked a few times with question, staring at the dagger in his hands.

"Isn’t that your Bloodfang Dagger? Why are you giving it to me?" He asked, perplexed.

"I was never really good with daggers, I think it would be much better suited to your attacking style. Plus, with the Master of Stealth ability, you’ll be able to sneak up on those bastards while scouting."

Zane still wasn’t convinced, moving his gaze to Jayce. "But what weapon will you use? The Dagger will have a much greater effect in your hands Leader."

"Heh. Don’t you worry about that." Jayce said, summoning his dark purple sword which seemed to glow ominously.

Seeing that he no longer had a reason to refuse Jayce’s offer, Zane held out his hands and retrieved the dagger. His stoic face showed no happiness, yet Jayce could tell he was satisfied with his new weapon.

"Let’s get stronger together before hunting down those bastards in Russia."

With those words, Jayce left Zane alone, deciding to give the man some space. Now that everyone had more or less finished eating their breakfast, he gathered everyone’s attention.

"Hell’s Kitchen... My family." Jayce’s words echoed over the Central Square, causing all of those in attendance to turn towards him.

"As you all know, we have been attacked. I have found out the general location on where those bastards are hiding, however... We can not defeat them as we are now."

Jayce continued after a brief dramatic pause. "I can not go into detail, but they have received some help from the invaders in order to fracture the human race and reduce our strength."

These words instantly set off a series of shocked gasps and talking amongst each other. They were utterly flabbergasted that such a thing could happen when their whole world was at stake.

Satisfied with the shock factor, Jayce continued once more. "These traitors of humanity have killed our loved ones and even kidnapped Leah. They must be eradicated, or they will put the entire world in jeopardy."

"Yeah!"

"Kill them!"

A few shouts of agreement filled the Central Square at those words.

"So while we can’t defeat them right now, we just need to get stronger. Thankfully, I have just the thing which can improve our strengths." Jayce said, his mouth turning up into a grin.

He quickly summoned a bunch of books from his spatial ring and showed the others in the square. "These books are techniques and manuals that will allow us to increase our cultivation, as well as our battle capability."

"Starting tomorrow, we will begin to turn Bastion into its namesake. It will be the last shining hope of Humanity, with us, Hell’s Kitchen at the forefront." Jayce raised his arm, his voice growing louder until it reached a crescendo at the end.

"OUUUUH! OUUUUH! OUUUUH!" Colin was the first to lead the war cry, throwing his fist in the air after every shout.

Soon enough, the whole Central Square was rumbling with the cries of his faction members, causing goosebumps to form on his arms.

Once the noise died down, he turned to his party members and spoke. "I need each of you to lead a team of people in training. You guys will become the Generals of Humanity."

Jayce’s words were grand, as if he was speaking directly into their soul. They nodded without hesitation, feeling the imposing aura behind his words.

He turned to Zane who had already risen from his seated position against the wall.

"Zane. You will be tasked with creating our Elite Ranger unit." Jayce said with a small smile, handing a few manuals to him. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Here is a cultivation manual and some techniques, you’re free to recruit anyone who you believe is up to the task. Besides the main party members of course."