Part 3: No Relation to the Anthroposophist

Chapter 3: No Relation to the Anthroposophist



Looking around me, it was hard to disagree. Arima looked exactly as if a bomb had hit it. Most of the houses and shops were reduced to burned-out shells, and debris was scattered everywhere.



One of the locals explained what had happened. The Scoundrels, a local criminal gang, had somehow got their hands on some dynamite.



The stories I heard of what had happened sickened me. The Scoundrels had gone on a looting spree through Arima, destroying everything they couldn't steal.


sticks. Unless we take them away, another town will be destroyed."

Worse still, they had the means to continue their rampage. I couldn't let that happen. Even if it delayed my mission, it was my duty as an agent to hunt them down.

What about Darum? Had he fallen in with this gang? Was that why he was robbing and killing travellers on the bridge?


violent is that his daughter, Teim, was kidnapped!"

So that was it. The Scoundrels were holding Darum's daughter for ransom. That didn't excuse his actions, but his daughter was an innocent. Whatever I thought of her father, I had to rescue her.



A young boy had followed the gang to their hideout, the abandoned factory of Shure to the north. It looked like that was my next destination.



Nei and I weren't in any condition to go there right now, though, and this town didn't even have a functioning hospital any more. We headed to the teleport station, which was fortunately intact.



60 meseta wasn't exactly cheap, but with the commission I'd earned from killing Biomonsters on the way to Arima, I could afford it.



After a brief, unpleasant sense of vertigo, I found myself standing outside the teleport station in Paseo.



I paid the doctor's fee and we were led into hibernation chambers where we could rest while we were treated. An hour or so passed for us in moments, and we came out fully healed and refreshed.

"Well," I said to Nei as we clambered out of the chambers, "we'd better not waste any more time. Let's get going."

"But I'm still hungry," Nei complained.

Come to think of it, so was I.

"Okay, Nei, I guess we can go home for lunch. But after that, we'll have to get moving."



We were interrupted towards the end of lunch by a knock at the door. I opened it to see a tall, heavily-muscled blond man aged in his mid-thirties.


the Biomonsters. I am a professional Biomonster hunter. I have little talent, except that I am good with a gun. I also want to go with you. My name is Rudo, which is short for Rudolf Steiner."

He held out his hand, and I took it. His handshake was firm but not overpowering: he knew his own strength, and felt no need to show it off. I liked him already.

"I'm glad to have you in our group, Rudo. Why don't you come in and tell us about yourself?"



Rudo sat at the table with us. I offered to get him something to eat, but he politely declined.

"So, you wanted to hear my life story, right? I used to be in Mota's army, but with Algo unified under Mother Brain there's not much call for soldiers these days. When the Biomonsters first appeared..." His voice became strained. "My wife and daughter were among the first casualties. They were on a walk outside, before we knew the extent of the Biomonster threat. When they didn't come back, I spent ten days waiting for news, with no idea what had happened to them, before their bodies were found. I left the army and became a Biomonster hunter, because nobody else deserves to suffer the way I have."



I nodded solemnly. "I know this isn't quite the same, but I know what it's like to lose my family. Both my parents died in a spaceship accident ten years ago. I guess that's part of the reason I've always felt so protective of Nei: I'm the only family she's ever known.

Anyway, when you caught us, Nei and I were just about to head off to Shure to deal with a gang of thieves and murderers holed up in there. We'd be very glad to have your help."

Rudo's expression darkened. "The Scoundrels, right? I've heard what they did to Arima. I'd be more than willing to help you clear out those scum."



Rudo came well-equipped for the mission, with fibreglass body armour including full head and leg protection and a standard military-issue crossbow.



Unfortunately, its performance against Biomonsters was underwhelming. The bolts pierced through Biomonsters' carapaces well enough, but they were too small to inflict a quick kill.



Rudo traded in his crossbow for a pair of long daggers.



I wasn't disappointed in the result. Rudo was almost as well-trained with knives as with guns, and his great strength was a valuable asset in melee combat.



We walked north and east in the direction of Shure, encountering new Biomonsters along the way. Locusts looked imposing and had razor-sharp claws, but their soft underbellies were vulnerable to our blades.



Armorants were much more of a threat. They hit hard, they could take a lot of hits before dying, and they had a paralysing venom.



With a combination of Rudo's strength, my techniques and Nei's healing, we were able to make it to Shure. The entrance was unguarded, presumably to avoid revealing the gang's location. With any luck, we could catch the Scoundrels by surprise.