to Kill a Warlord's Right Hand

Vincent Graves, a name that struck fear and authority into all those who heard it. He was known as the right-hand man of Captain Hunter's dictatorship. He was appointed leader of the Hunter's Slayer Corps sometime after Alex and his party ran off.

A certain amount of dread was carried when Vincent's name was spoken; the man was equally ruthless with monsters and humans alike. More than a few slayer squads that had gotten in his way ended up disappearing from the face of the Earth.

Rumor had it he was a fighter much like Alex; however, unlike Alex, he wielded a giant two-handed battle-ax and was fully armored in a set of beast hide from a relatively high-level beast. By himself, he was a force to be reckoned with, yet with his elite slayer corps that was close to Alex's party in level but three times the size, he wielded absolute authority among Captain Hunter's microstate. Answering only to the Warlord himself.

Apparently, Vincent and his corps had attacked a merchant caravan and invoked the ire of the merchant who had set a premium price for his capture. This was not uncommon in the wasteland, as the only areas with any semblance of society were the survivor shelters, and they regularly competed with one another for resources.

Captain Hunter had essentially declared himself dictator and laid claim to a large section of Eastern Vegas, despite not having the power to fully control it. He was constantly engaged in conflict with monsters and humans alike and had made a reputation as a ruthless warlord since the fracture.

Few survivors within Captain Hunter's domain were as lucky as Alex and his party; once you were a part of the Warlord's Domain, you were kept by force. Anyone who dared to leave would be executed for defection.

Cassie had many conflicted feelings about Captain Hunter; she had previously been under his employment and looked up to him as an inspiring and honorable police captain before the world fell apart. However, after the fracture, she noticed many changes in his personality. His hidden cruelty and indifference began to show themselves.

She was initially assigned to Brandon's squad to keep a close eye on the criminal turned slayer and later to keep an eye on the potential threat of Alex who's power rivaled the Captain himself. Though she thought it was paranoia on the Captain's part, she fulfilled her duties to the letter without complaint.

Until, of course, the incident with goblin's nest and the dozens of women who Captain Hunter had ruthlessly burned to death, using his power to force herself and others to commit such an action, and threatening to hold refugees hostage to coerce Alex to do his bidding.

The incident with the goblin's nest was the final straw, so when the compound was attacked, and the brigands had stolen the survivors, she took the opportunity to jump ship with her squad and abandon her duties—something in which Captain Hunter had never forgiven her for.

Though she leads this ragtag group of fools who braved the wasteland in the pursuit of fame and glory, she had never told them the truth about her past or how she spied on them. The entire party still thought she was just some cowgirl visiting vegas for gambling purposes.

Deep down, she feared they would abandon her if they knew the truth. Thus she kept up the act. Though with this mission, there was a chance her secret would be revealed, and she was ready to accept it.

She was tired of waiting for Captain Hunter's vengeance and decided to take this mission partially because of the pay but also because she believed stopping the paranoid dictator would be a blessing for the survivors who dwelled within the ruins of the city.

She outlined the details of the mission; Vincent Graves was wanted dead or alive. Either way, it paid the same. Cassie knew it would be easier to kill the man than it would be to capture him; thus, she was devising a plan as she spoke about the bounty to her party.

The latest intel was outlined on the bounty; Vincent was believed to have reached level ten, as well as 2 of his comrades. The rest of his minions were between level seven to nine. The reason nobody had taken the bounty before despite the alluring reward was due to the power gap between Vincent's slayer corps and the majority of slayer parties.

However, Alex's party had all reached level 10, and though there were four of them, if they worked together with other squads, they might be able to kill the dictator's right hand. Though they would have to split the reward, it was still an enticing proposal.

For now, Cassie and the others would have to ask around and try to coerce other high-level squads to assist them in the bounty. It was a task that was easier said than done. Through co-operation existed between the slayer squads of the airport, it was rarely a pleasant experience.

Aside from the gangs that ruled over various airport sectors, practically all other slayers were freelancers with no loyalty to anything but themselves. As such, a certain amount of friction and lack of trust existed between the parties.

Most of the time, during a co-op, at least one party would sit back and let the others do the hard work while rushing the objective when it was close to completion. Reaping the spoils for themselves. The commonality of this experience was a large part of why there was mistrust and conflict between the various slayers who essentially acted as mercenaries that dwelled within the airport's various gates.

Luckily for their party, the reward for this bounty was too enticing for the other squads to ignore. It would take some serious negotiations, but Cassie was confident that in the end, the squads she had in mind would agree to join her in the hunt for Vincent Graves.