They were the scientists. These were the highly educated, incredibly loyal researchers who worked directly under Augusto. They looked completely desperate. Their skin was pale and sickly, covered in dark, nasty chemical burns from handling the raw, highly illegal radiation without proper safety gear. They were breathing heavily, their eyes wide with manic, cult-like devotion to their boss.
They weren't holding swords or magical staffs. They were holding crude, heavy metal stun batons that crackled violently with wild, unstable blue electricity.
"Don't let them reach the lower vault!" the lead researcher screamed. He was an older man with wild, messy gray hair and thick goggles strapped to his forehead. He swung his crackling stun baton wildly in the air. "Protect the Doctor's vision! We will die before we let you Royals ruin our glorious future!"
Naomi stared at the desperate, screaming scientists. A few minutes ago, she might have hesitated to fight people who were clearly not trained soldiers. She might have tried to talk them down.
But not right now.
Naomi’s blood was absolutely boiling. Ken was missing in the pitch-black depths of this bunker. He could be bleeding. He could be dying alone in the dark. And these pathetic, brainwashed scientists in dirty lab coats were standing in her way, wasting her precious time.
All the fear and guilt inside of Naomi completely evaporated, instantly replaced by pure, merciless, explosive fury.
"Get out of my way!" Naomi roared.
The fight wasn't even a contest. It was completely, overwhelmingly one-sided.
The researchers charged forward, swinging their crude electrical batons clumsily. Laxmi didn't even use a full fireball. She was so angry about Ken that she just dashed forward, her hands glowing with intense heat. She grabbed the metal end of a researcher’s baton with her bare, flaming hand. The intense heat instantly melted the crude wiring inside the weapon, completely destroying it in half a second. She followed up with a swift, brutal kick to the man's stomach, sending him crashing to the metal floor.
Elma, completely fueled by the heavy guilt of knowing the lazy guy had saved her life, moved like a white blur. She didn't use the sharp edges of her silver swords. She flipped her weapons around and used the flat, blunt sides of the blades. With flawless, lightning-fast precision, she swept the legs out from under three researchers at once, knocking them flat on their backs before they could even blink.
Naomi didn't bother with fancy footwork. She sprinted directly at the lead researcher. The older man tried to swing his crackling baton at her head, but she easily dodged under his clumsy attack. She grabbed him by the front of his dirty white lab coat, spun him around, and slammed him face-first into the cold steel wall. She kicked the back of his knees, forcing him down to the floor, and pinned him firmly in place.
The entire "ambush" lasted exactly twenty seconds.
The dozen desperate scientists were entirely subdued. They were groaning on the floor, their crude weapons broken and smoking, completely pinned down by the elite Royal vanguards.
Sayma walked calmly to the center of the intersection. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose and looked down at the scientists. Her polite, gentle smile was completely gone. She looked at the nasty, gray chemical burns on their hands and necks. Her highly analytical mind instantly pieced the dark puzzle together.
"You are the scientists," Sayma stated coldly, her voice echoing in the quiet, metallic room. "You are the ones running Augusto's banned experiments. You are playing with raw Solurius radiation to build illegal biological weapons."
The lead researcher struggled weakly under Naomi's firm grip. He spat angrily onto the metal floor.
"You narrow-minded fools don't understand the Doctor's vision!" the researcher yelled, his eyes burning with fanatic loyalty. "We are pushing the boundaries of science! When the project is complete, the Belmontia Empire will be completely unstoppable! The world will bow to us!"
Sayma crouched down slightly so she was perfectly at eye level with the man. Her voice remained completely steady, but it carried a sharp, deadly edge.
"Your vision is a nightmare, and your facility is highly unstable," Sayma said logically. "If this bunker melts down, everyone in the capital city will die from the radiation poisoning. Including you. Where is the Core of Luminus? Where are you hiding the raw Solurius caches? Tell us right now so we can shut this down."
The researcher clamped his mouth totally shut. He glared at Sayma with absolute, stubborn defiance.
"I will never betray Dr. Augusto," the man hissed through his teeth. "You can threaten me all you want. We will gladly die for the cause."
Sayma let out a slow, tired breath. She stood back up, looking at Prince Hephaestus. They didn't have time to play interrogation games. If these scientists were willing to die for their crazy boss, logic and reason were completely useless.
Naomi had heard enough.
Every single second this fanatic kept his mouth shut was another second that Ken was lost in the dark. Her patience was completely, entirely gone. She wasn't the strict but caring friend right now. She was a lethal, highly trained Royal vanguard, and she was done playing nice.
Naomi’s green eyes went totally cold. She didn't shout. She didn't make a threat. She just moved.
With a swift, absolutely merciless motion, Naomi raised her sharp dagger and drove the steel blade straight down into the thick meat of the lead researcher's calf.
"Aaaagghhhh!"
The man shrieked. It was a horrific, echoing, ear-piercing scream of pure, agonizing pain. He thrashed wildly on the floor, his hands desperately grabbing at his bleeding leg.
The other researchers on the floor went completely pale, staring at the red-haired girl in absolute horror. They were scientists who spent all day in a lab. They talked about sacrifice and dying for the cause, but when faced with real, brutal, physical pain, their blind loyalty crumbled into dust instantly.
Naomi didn't pull the dagger out. She leaned down, her face just inches away from the crying, sobbing man. Her voice was freezing cold.
"I am not going to ask you politely like my Vice-Captain did," Naomi whispered fiercely. "One of my teammates is missing in this bunker because of your stupid experiments. I want to know exactly where Augusto is holding the artifact, and I want to know right now. If you stay quiet, I am going to move this blade to your other leg."
"Stop! Stop! I'll tell you!" the researcher sobbed hysterically, completely broken by the agonizing pain. Tears streamed down his dirty face as he clutched his bleeding leg. "The vault! He is down in the lower vault! It's in the subterranean vault room at the very bottom of the facility! It is completely impenetrable! The heavy blast doors are locked from the inside! Dr. Augusto is down there with the Core!"
Naomi stared at him for one more second, making absolutely sure he wasn't lying. She saw the pure terror in his eyes and knew he was telling the truth.
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