As he walked a few people, he could already hear the murmurs from the cafeteria.
Reaching the entrance, he saw more people coming out of the canteen. When he stepped in, he relaxed a bit, seeing that many folks were still sitting at their table, eating and chatting. Looks like he got there just in time for breakfast. The cafeteria was spacious and well-lit. Fluorescent lights washed the room with pale light. The ceiling height wasn't so substantial, but it was quite broad horizontally. There were many rows of tables connected to each other, if Zane would have to guess, he would say there was space for around 150 people. The serving line was along the wall.
With his mouth watering, he quickly walked towards the serving counter. As he was about to enter the line, he saw the two strangers from the supermarket. Giving them a side-eye, he contemplated whether he should just ignore them and say hello later.
'I should at least go and say hi to them... surely it's all gonna be a second.'
Zane felt as if there was a black hole in his stomach, ready to be filled. Still, he felt obligated to at least greet them. Walking towards them, they sat opposite to each other, and it seemed like they also had company. It was a young man. He had a fair complexion with blonde hair covering his forehead. His tranquil, azure eyes and slight, friendly smile was enthralling. He wore an olive green T-shirt, which tightly wrapped around his V-shaped upper body, with military style camo pants and perdurable boots. He was sitting next to the girl.
"Good morning guys, it's nice to see you." Said Zane, trying to sound more warm than usual.
The girl was already looking at him, with a wide, ingenious smile on her face, when the blonde young man looked up at him. The tall one also turned around a second later.
"Hey, I was just speaking about you! I didn't think you'd wake up already. How are you feeling?" Exclaimed the petite girl in a cheerful tone.
"I'm fine, thanks." barely letting him finish, she quickly introduced themselves.
"Oh, by the way I'm Sera, and this is Covan." pointing at the tall young man with broad shoulders.
"I'm Zane, nice to meet you." He noted with a smile as he shook his hand.
"And this your first time meeting each other, right? This is Arni. He is the leader of our cohort." She said gesturing at the blonde young man.
"Nice to meet you." Said Arni in a measured voice.
Zane leaned forward and shook his hand too, while he introduced himself. But little did Laura know that he already knew about Arni, well, it's more like there were few people who did not know about him, since he was one of the few Valiants in the Shelter and even among them, he was a fairly potent one. Valiants were quite well-regarded, especially among mundane humans, since they were the ones providing them with their basic needs, like food, a place to stay and safety.
As Zane was pulling his body back, someone bumped into him, making him stumble. Looking up, he instantly noticed something strange about the man. He was rather tall and muscular. With a thick beard and shaved head, he was looking at him in a daunting manner. Zane also sensed that he was a Valiant as well, and a more formidable one at that. After a moment of inspecting Zane, the man said scornfully in a deep voice:
"Looks like another moron joined the party, right Arni?" A smirk appeared on his face, as he glanced at the blonde young man.
Sighing, Arni's face turned into a serious expression, then he retorted:
"What do you want Geraul? Can't you at least screw off while we're having breakfast?"
"My apologies!" He exclaimed in a mocking tone, followed by laughter. "It's just that I couldn't simply walk past without saying anything, when I saw a such an amusing sight."
That's when Zane realised that there were also three other men standing behind him. They seemed to be a part of his cohort, since they were all wearing similar style track-suits. He also discerned that this is probably an everyday thing, since the people around them just glanced over, then continued their breakfast unreactively.
After the short pause, the intimidating bald man continued:
"You should just disband your little scout's group, instead of recruiting another fool."
As he finished his sentence, he already turned and started walking towards the entrance, not letting them respond.
"Anyway, good luck morons." He said, followed by a laugh from all four of them.
Zane was flabbergasted. Looking at the three of them with an obvious question written all over his face.
"What the hell was that?"
You could see by their lack of reaction that they were already used to it. After a short pause, Arni explained with an even tone:
"You see Zane, in the Shelter, as you probably know, there are different cohorts. They hunt, scavenge and protect this place. But... something that many people don't know, is that there is a constant struggle between us. The reason for that is not that complicated."
He took a sip of his cup of water, then continued:
"In here, everyone has a job. Commonly it's chores for most mundane humans, but for the people of the cohorts, it's hunting and fighting Strugglers. There are a few cohorts, and between them, there is a delicate balance, to make sure one can't rise above the others. Still, our cohort is predominantly on the weaker side, especially now, that we lost a few strong members to the Warden you defeated."
As he said that, Zane could see a downcast expression on the other two's faces. Looks like they were still a bit bothered by the loss of their comrades.
"And this is the important part: It's an unofficial thing, but in reality every cohort aspires to grow stronger than the others." Said Arni, as his eyes turned serious.
"Why is that?" Asked Zane, with his head slightly tilted and brows lifted.
"Because if you are able to rule over everyone in the Shelter, you don't have to fight anything, and can just live peacefully with all the power, women and influence in this hellish world."
"Ohh, I see."
Zane's face now showed a newfound awareness. This knowledge would change his future plans.
"And that's why I wanted to ask..." continued Arni with a brazen face, "I heard you're quite a tough one yourself, so would you be open to joining our cohort? I know it doesn't sound like the best offer based on what I just said, but you can trust me that you will not regret, if you accept." Zane couldn't help but notice a strange sense of charisma around him.
As Arni stared at him with a humorless expression, however, a gurgling sound disrupted the moment. Standing there, Zane could feel his blood sugar drop. Noticing the expectant gaze of Sera and Covan, he simply said:
"I appreciate your offer, and I also have a few questions, but first I really need to get something to eat, otherwise I fear I'll actually pass out. I'll be back in a second." Responded Zane, while pointing at the serving counter.
With an understanding expression, Arni nodded and continued on with his own breakfast, which grew cold in the meantime. The other two did the same.
...
A few minutes later Zane was back with a plate of roasted meat and rice filled to the brim, with a side of fermented vegetables. He was ready with his answer, but first he had to make sure of one thing.
"So... what is Your goal? Do you really want to just stay here 'peacefully' for the rest of your life?"
A sheepish smirk appeared on Arni's face...