Rat

Rat by Agustian Noor.

## High-Functioning Partnership

Rat is a combination of two people. The male does the walking while the female rides on his back, facing backward. No one sneaks up on Rat. Rat is a jovial person and loves a strong drink. The male has a doom rider mustache and is rarely seen without thick black war paint across his face. When asked by strangers why he wears the paint, he often gets close enough to look them directly in the face and says: "to better see the darkness in you, friend..."

The female is his weapon. Through amazing feats of gymnastics and teamwork, he wields her through the air in various ways to topple, maim and kill enemies. When applying full strength, Rat can hit a target from up to 20 meters away, using their lanyard to slingshot the female through the air. By the time the male arrives to assess the damage, the female has often finished the job with a vicious scratch-and-paw job to the victim's guts.

When encountered by bothersome strangers, the female often hisses with the rasp of a cornered mountain lion. Amidst her own war paint, piercing green eyes and sharp feminine features, she is a ferocious warrior. She has been known to take particular issue with anyone who scoffs at her for riding her male and she has gone berserk on more than one individual foolish enough to question her methods. She has knife-tipped fingernails and incredibly muscular, fast hand which devastate enemies as she is swung through the air. Though she's demure and often quiet, she does not hesitate to throw back drinks with her lover.

The reason she rides is simple: she lost the use of her legs. The source of her paralysis has a legend for years. Those closest to the truth tell a tale about a wedding ceremony gone awry. The facts are shrouded in fog as any who question Rat about her legs are quickly battered in a berserker rage. Don't talk about her legs.

In any fight, their battle cry is pure and poignant: "RRRAAATTT!!!!"

Rat isn't above using any weapon at their disposal; however, their tandem war-dance fighting style is usually more than sufficient. It is as beautiful as it is deadly.

Rat is known to hunt and wear leathers, furs and natural jewelry. Though no one knows what truly motivates them, Rat is clearly looking for something. Together, they search.

Both the male and female answer to the name Rat; however, when it's necessary to distinguish between the two, the male goes by Ra and the female can be called At.

## Fight History

STALKED: RAT VS BUTCHER

Adept hunters on the lookout for the best game, Rat were intrigued when they heard a man had bested the grandson of the historic fighter Ban Chan Chou aka the Fistfoot. They hunted down the Butcher and challenged him to a duel. They lost the match but landed a crushing punch to the Butcher...one of the few challengers to ever get a solid hit on the Butcher.

NATIONAL WILDLIFE: RAT VS FOOT

After facing the Butcher, Rat gathered enough evidence to track down the new Fistfoot. They needed to know his strength. They found him on the night of the high strangeness and attacked before Foot was scheduled to fight Apsu. They overpowered him, claiming perhaps the only victory they would ever cherish for they had defeated the grandson of their own hero: Ban Chan Chou.

After this match, Rat moved to the plains to pursue a simpler life more suited to their primal nature. Following the death of Russel Palmer, the buffalo herd was getting out of control. If someone didn't cull it, the whole Preservation would be in big trouble.

FIGHT 104: RAT VS. SPIKE

Spike and Lovetrails were having a hard year. First, they were the only survivors when their university was attacked for harboring underground educators. Then, they were taken prisoner by cannibals and held underground before finally making their escape. Though generally laid-back and easy going people, they were in a bad place mentally when they wandered onto the plains and encountered Rat. Rat is also a jovial person, but these two didn't get off to a great start...

RED DUST: RAT VS. SHISO

Shiso was bored. She went exploring one day and found Rat, who perceived her as a threat to their territory. Ra launched At at Shiso but could not have anticipated Shiso's ability. A freakishly placed palm-strike snapped At's head back with such force that she was killed instantly. For Ra, the rest was a blurred berserker rage that ended with Shiso laying before him and his lover dead.

FIGHT 118: RAT VS. TARBABY

Since the death of At, Ra continued culling the buffalo herd on the plains. He'd come to terms with the loss and become a leader for the others in his tribe, which had grown to include Spike/Lovetrails, El Mariachi and Cenote. Ra often disappeared to meditate on greater things. He'd heard the news from outside the Preservation and tasted a bitter metallic taste in the wind. Something not of this Earth stalked the cities beyond the horizon. He would face it...and he would get backup from the Fistfoot. Together, the surviving Rat, Fistfoot and Tiger Ant loaded up for the first assault on Tarbaby. Rat did not survive the attack; however, his actions gave Foot and Tiger Ant valuable information that saved many lives in the following months during the Tarbaby's reign of terror.

Following their deaths, Ra and At are reunited in Madhya Pradesh and become team leaders of Dispatch Squad 5.

## Trivia

Rat was created by Rusty Noesner in 2016. In addition to the other fighters created that week (The Butcher, Apsu and Malito) Rusty's contribution sparked the project and creation of the Season 1 roster. Many thanks to those early contributors to the Oakwood Comics Arena.