Rubber Cult

* Civilian
* Grunt
* Sniper

**Snipers:**

* Idiot Party
* Archon Grid

**Grunts:** Idiot Party

**Grunts:** Cruelty Squad Headquarters

The **Rubber Cult** is an otherwise unnamed high profile secret society of Civilians and gunmen found mostly in and around Rothenberg Fortress. They wear full body rubber suits which are (often) color coded with the individual cultist's function.

Their name comes from their identifier in the map files ("Cultist"). The Enemies page once had them listed as "Elites" due to the mission briefing of Idiot Party describing the cultists as "elites from all over the world". However, another enemy in the game is already called an "Elite". The term "Elite" here likely simply refers to members of the Rubber Cult being of high social and economic status. This is supported by dialogue by red-clad rubber cultists in Rothenberg Fortress who suggest, in a very disconnected and dismissive manner, that anybody can join a "secret" society when the bar of entry is one deposit of one billion dollars.

Their sense of fashion is seen often throughout the game on various NPCs.

The Rubber Cult seems to be a parody of wealthy secret societies made up of powerful people and the conspiracy theories which surround them. Their dialogue about topics such as depopulation and their bristling at being accused of being a "secret society" supports this.

## Variants

### Rubber Cultist Civilian

Red-clad rubber cultists are always harmless Civilians. Though they are mainly found proliferating Rothenberg Fortress in Idiot Party, they are first found in the Landlord's party in Apartment Atrocity.

Upon speaking to some in the Rothenberg Fortress, they'll ask the protagonist to get changed into the proper attire.

#### Possible Rubber Cultist Civilians

Though there aren't any unique red-clad Cultist Civilians, there are some NPCs who may fit the mold. The evidence for such is entirely speculative and circumstantial.

* The Secret Librarian is one of the only unique civilians to wear a red mask. This could just be in line with many enemies in the Hope Eradicated section of the Cruelty Squad Headquarters wearing colorful rubber bodysuits. His dialogue doesn't exactly fit with that often heard from cultists, but perhaps he was encumbered with deep thoughts at the time.
* The Pure Optics Advertiser wears a green suit similar to the high priests, but a blue mask similar to the combat cultists. He can be found amongst the red-clad Cultists in Rothenberg Fortress's entrance lobby.
* The four sub-archons in Office all wear colored rubber masks and suits. Given that they are members of the "elite" it would make sense for them to be members of the cult.
	+ Interestingly, Number Four wears a teal mask which doesn't match any known ranks of the rubber cult.
* Earl from Neuron Activator wears a green rubber suit similar to a high priest, but doesn't wear a mask and seems new enough to becoming part of the "elite" that he likely doesn't yet have any connections in secret societies (though all it takes is one $1000000000 deposit yearly...).

### Rubber Grunt

Rubber Grunts are blue-clad combat cultists who wield either the Spectacular Dynamics MCR Carbine or the AMG4 and patrol the corner rooms and dance floor of Rothenberg Fortress. The Rubber Grunts who wield the AMG4 are notably bulkier and more muscular.

According to dialogue from some of the Cultist Civilians, the Protagonist's physique is cause to mistake him for one of the "blue uniforms."

A rubber grunt makes a special guest appearance in the Hope Eradicated section of Cruelty Squad Headquarters in the same room as the Marble Dog.

### Rubber Sniper

The Rubber Snipers (or "Cult Snipers" as they're referred to in the map files) are blue-clad combat snipers found primarily in the Rothenberg Fortress in Idiot Party. They are often armed with the Mowzer SP99, but on occasion can also be found wielding the Stern AWS 3000.

Rubber Snipers have a special ability to tag the player as a target for other snipers. All of the snipers in the mission will become aware of the player once they're tagged and the indicator for being sighted by an enemy will remain on the screen until the end of the mission. This is signified by a caption appearing on the top right of the HUD and the Sniper whispering:

"YOU CAN'T HIDE"

"RUN PIG"

"TARGET ACQUIRED"

"I SEE YOU"

Aesthetically, the main difference between a Rubber Sniper and a Rubber Grunt is the sniper's baggier pants, similar to the Swamp Sniper's differentiation.

On Hope Eradicated mode Rubber Snipers are placed along various missions to increase the difficulty.

Rubber snipers make a guest appearance near the end of Archon Grid, as well as within the secret obstacle course on that mission. A rubber sniper also makes a special guest appearance in the Hope Eradicated section of Cruelty Squad Headquarters above the room with the Marble Dog.

### High Priest

The High Priest stands on a raised platform in dance floor belong Rothenberg Fortress in Idiot Party. It can be reasonably presumed that High Priest is one of the greatest ranks within the rubber cult one can achieve.

The High Priest wears a green rubber suit with a three-eyed mask.

#### Possible High Priests

Though the High Priest in Idiot Party is the only one said explicitly to be a "high priest," there are a few other enemies who wear similar garb.

* The target of Apartment Atrocity, the Landlord, is dressed in a high priest uniform and can be seen having a party with several red-clad rubber cultists.
* The ZKZ Transactional Rifle is guarded in the Cruelty Squad Headquarters by a combatant wielding a Security Systems Anti-Armor Device. This combatant is unique within the mission and wears the High Priest uniform.
* Earl in Neuron Activator, listed above in the "Possible Rubber Cultist Civilians", wears a green High Priest uniform sans the mask. For the reasons stated in the cultist civilian listing, it's unlikely that Earl is actually a high priest.
* The first Sub-Archon, Number One, in Office wears a high priest's mask and is an extremely high-ranking member of the elite.

## Possible Inclusions

Because of the popularity of rubber suits in the world of Cruelty Squad, there are some characters whose uniform makes them appear to belong to the rubber cult. In particular, the Hope Eradicated section of Cruelty Squad Headquarters holds a few notable examples.

* Three Fleshmen are spread throughout the mission, each wearing a colored rubber suit: red, blue, and green. They don't seem exceptional beyond their appearance.
* One Psycho in a vertical room leading to the ZKZ Transactional Rifle wears a green rubber suit.
* One Dog in the hallways above the HQ Target's arena is clad in full blue rubber.

## Gallery

A Rubber Grunt with the Spectacular Dynamics MCR CarbineA Rubber Grunt with the AMG4The "high priest" with a Security Systems Anti-Armor Device in Cruelty Squad HeadquartersThe Landlord in Apartment Atrocity, who is dressed exactly like the High Priest