A Difficult Decision

With the death of the hobgoblin, the remaining goblins began to flee their lair, for the human invaders had successfully conquered it. However, Alex followed in pursuit of the little bastards; he would not allow any of them to escape.

Though he was wounded, he was in far better condition than the rest of the slayers; the routing goblins would have difficulty harming him. Alex wasted no time and activated [Charge] as he slammed into a fleeing goblin, his iron fist punching through the skull of the small creature, spilling blood and grey matter across the floor.

[You have slain a goblin and gain 23 XP!]

[Level up! You are now level 6!]

Alex smirked as he saw the familiar messages appear after he had just slain the wretched goblin. It turned out that after slaying his way through the complex and dealing the final blow to the hobgoblin, he was just shy of reaching the next level. After killing this runaway, he got the minuscule XP required to progress to level 6.

After observing the messages, he continued to use [Charge], instantly catching up with the enemies who fearfully ran away from him. With a flurry of punches and kicks, more messages appeared as the goblins in his proximity had no chance of escape and were instantly slain.

However, several still managed to escape his grasp; after all, he was not omnipotent. Rather than chase after them and potentially fall into a trap, he returned to the nearby slayers who were currently licking their wounds and tending to the deceased. The battle with the hobgoblin had cost them dearly; it would take time to replace those who had fallen.

Nevertheless, they managed to defeat a grave threat to the compound's security, and for that, there was cause for celebration. However, it would be some time before they could truly celebrate this pyrrhic victory. For now, Alex approached his party and conversed with them; due to their high levels and excellent skills, they had managed to avoid any serious injuries.

While Alex and his party were messing around, they noticed Captain Hunter and his squad enter the atrium. Their once neat police uniforms were now covered in goblin filth. Evidently, they had done as they had said and slain the goblins who attempted to escape.

Captain Hunter observed the situation with a grim expression; he had not expected the slayers to encounter such adversity. Quickly he recovered his senses and approached the party leaders requesting a situation report.

"Report"

The party leaders' conditions varied; some were gravely wounded, while others were excellent. Despite this, they still managed to stand at attention and report their findings to the Captain. Brandon was the first to speak.

"The north wing has been cleared entirely; there is no usable loot found within the area, though there is a bit of a situation with some captives."

The remaining squad leaders all reported the situation in their wings. Some of them found loot caches used by the goblins to store their treasures. Others found waste pits filled with nothing but goblin waste. The one thing all the wings had in common was the existence of the captured women.

After listening to all their reports, Captain Hunter gazed at them with a stoic expression.

"Have any of the women been responsive to contact?"

"No, sir!"

the reply was unanimous from the various party leaders. Apparently, many of them had tried to contact the women, but they could not get a response from them, merely a lifeless daze as if they were in a coma. Though one thing was certain, they were all still alive.

After hearing the party leaders' responses, Captain Hunter stated the unspeakable as he gazed upon his teams with fervent determination.

"Then they're as good as dead already; loot whatever you can and burn the building to the ground."

Alex was shocked upon hearing this, and he was not the only one. Cries of protest erupted from the crowd as they couldn't believe what they had heard.

"What did you say?"

"Captain, you can't be serious?"

"This is outrageous!"

"I won't do it!"

Just as a Riot was about to break out, Captain Hunter lifted the two-handed sword that was strapped to his back and cut a diagonal slash into the air, slicing the last slayer to complain completely in half. His blood splayed across the room as the weary slayers were covered in his gore.

Instantly everyone fell quiet and looked at Captain Hunter with dread. It was as if they were suffocating under his dominating presence. They had never expected the charismatic man who took them all in to act in such a manner. Within a moment, their savior, who kept them all alive and gave them a goal to work towards, had become a blood-stained tyrant exuding absolute dominion.

Alex felt chills down his spine as he glared into Captain Hunter's eyes. Even though Alex was stronger than most of the other slayers, he was uncertain whether he could beat Captain Hunter in a one-on-one fight.

Captain Hunter began to speak in an emotionless voice; there was no wrath nor melancholy in his voice, only boundless authority.

"I have given you an order, and you will obey it! For those who wish to rebel, your fate will be the same as his."

The slayers began to look away in submission, as they could no longer resist the dominating presence of the sovereign Captain. Even Alex looked towards Cassie for aid, but all he could see from her expression was dread; her usual shining personality could no longer be seen in her eyes. She approached Captain Hunter like a slave bowing before their master and stated coldly.

"We will do as you command"

With this said, any flicker of resistance still waving in the hearts of the slayers had died; all except Alex had completely given in to the overwhelming authority of Captain Hunter. The pressure they felt simply gazing in his direction was unreal.

Captain Hunter gazed at Alex cautiously, all of the other slayers had bent to his will, yet there was still the fire of rebellion within Alex's eyes as he stood in defiance. This was truly astonishing; a wicked grin appeared across the Captain's face as he spoke to Alex with admiration in his voice.

"Truly, you are a remarkable specimen. To be able to so boldly challenge my authority even when my [Aura of Domination] is active."

A flicker of light appeared in Alex's azure eyes as he came to a sudden realization.

"You're using a skill to control these people?"

Captain Hunter chuckled wickedly, it was the first time Alex had ever heard the man laugh, and it made his skin crawl.

"You would be surprised by the impeccable skills you can gain from the Charisma tab. Though I would not expect a brute like you who only thinks with his fists ever to browse that section."

Captain Hunter began to rest his sword blade down on the ground; as he gripped its handle, his wicked smirk continued to grow.

"Still, for a useless meathead, I admire your strength. You have been a useful pawn, but I would like to remind you to think carefully about your position."

Alex smirked in defiance as he listened to the Captain speak; his hands were beginning to clench into fists instinctively.

"What position? I'm not sure if I can beat you, but you can't control me either!"

Captain Hunter burst out in a brief state of laughter as he listened to Alex's words as if they were the greatest joke he had ever heard; after calming himself down, he spoke with a sneer of disdain on his face.

"Can't I? Sure, you might be able to escape from me, but what about that pretty little girl Emily you brought into my compound? What do you think I will do to her if you defy me?"

Alex clenched his fists tighter than ever before; his nails were digging into his palms to an extreme degree. If he did not have the skill [Iron Hide], he would have already pierced his skin.

"You fucking bastard!"

Though Alex was furious, the more he thought of the plight of Emily, the more his rage began to subside. He could not put that poor girl in a precarious position due to his reckless actions. As such, his fists began to loosen.

Captain Hunter carefully observed his actions and decided to give the rebellious youth one final opportunity.

"I'm only going to ask you this once; you have two choices. Bend the knee, or continue to resist like the stubborn child you are. Though I promise you, you will not be the only one who suffers if you continue to resist my authority."

Alex gazed around at the other slayers who were kneeling, with a lifeless expression in their eyes; it was as if they had become nothing more than mindless thralls existing to serve the Captain's bidding. Though he had no idea how long the Captain could keep this skill activated, it became apparent that he was on his own.

Captain Hunter was running out of patience, and as such, made his final decree.

"So.... What will you choose?"