Rust McClain

Rust McClain's Steam Trading Card artwork.

**Rust McClain** is the 4th patron of the Six Pint Inn, and the protagonist of Lionel Snill's failed isometric RPG project, Waste World.

## Description

Rust is a pale, bearded older man, with white hair and lines in his face. He appears scarred and weathered from his time in the wasteland, and is heavily bandaged. He wears a shoddy cowl marked with the numbers "06" over torn and mismatched clothing, possibly scavenged. He has several belts, strapped to which among other things are a knife and a gas mask.

## Personality

Rust's personality after Waste World is heavily influenced by his difficulty understanding that he is a game character. At best he seems only dimly aware of Waste World's fictional nature, and usually struggles to remember where he is outside of it. He is careful and wary around others, expecting danger in every corner of the wasteland. He is good-natured and conflict-avoidant, as seen when he attempts to reason with the raiders before fighting them. Within the Six Pint Inn, he at least vaguely understands that the other patrons pose no threat, and even tries to socialize with them, to varying results.

He is a deeply caring father, and most of his actions in the story are motivated by his love for his son, Rocky. The unfinished plot of Waste World appears to concern Rust risking life and limb to hunt down an old supply cache to ensure his son's safe future. Rust appreciates Rocky's sense of humor, and no question is too obvious for him to answer. He is lost and inconsolable without him, still inquiring his whereabouts to the end of the game.

## Story

Rust is called upon to be shown to his room, guided by the establishment's newly installed Holo Concierge. After a brief series of hologram-based mouse puzzles and an optional meeting with Catarina, Rust eventually arrives in the attic of the establishment, having been lead there to meet with the mysterious hooded figure.

### Waste World

When we first see Rust in Waste World proper, he and his son Rocky are fighting through multiple group of bandits, in order to gain access to a bunker. After the coast is clear, Rust reveals to Rocky that behind the great steel door is a cache full of a lifetime's worth of supplies. He speaks the password -- "Sarsaparilla" -- and the door opens only to reveal there is no cache. In fact, there's nothing inside at all.

Rust and Rocky meet with the hooded figure, who explains that there is nothing in the cache because the level for it simply doesn't exist. The game they're in was left incomplete, and now modders are the only people managing any form of "development". Rust struggles to understand this information, not fully cognizant that he is a video game character. The hooded figure leaves, and the level resets, displaying the title card "BANDITO7'S WASTE WORLD: THE CRYPTON INVASION (AND BUG FIXES)".

Rust and his son start their day outside a shack, which appears to be their home. They leave to scavenge for supplies, and run into another group of raiders, only to see them killed and quickly replaced by a group of space aliens. Only moderately fazed, they continue on.

After a brief period of travel, the pair find themselves in the Radioactive City. Another group of aliens appear to be surrounded by Radrats, and Rust stands back to let them do the work. Instead, the aliens summon several mind control devices and attach them to the rats, then turn them against Rust and his son.

Making quick work of the enemy, Rust believes the way to be clear, before Rocky points out an alien hiding behind a building. Before Rust can act, they use the same mind control device on him, which activates the download of another mod. The two are transported to a Boss Rush, and their first combatant is Dustbowl Danny, who stands at the center of the battlefield surrounded by several Gunbots. Second is The Vurm, a massive sandworm with a warhead lodged in its skull.

After defeating the first two bosses, Rust and Rocky make their way to a forest. Instead of one of the normal in-game bosses, they encounter Sado, whom they have not met before. Rust attempts to fight her, only to find she can teleport out of the way of attacks. Sado only attacks Rocky, and after a hopeless battle she takes one last shot at him and he disappears, seemingly removed from the game.

Rust demands to know where his son has gone, and Sado says she is preparing him for her own mod, Hardcore Mode. Rust shoots at her again and another mod is installed, transporting Rust back to the first fight with the raiders, only without Rocky and with no access to cheats. At this point, Rust begins seriously struggling with his connection to reality, and at times will speak in Rocky's voice.

Rust makes his way back inside the Cache to meet with the hooded figure again. They try to explain to him that soon even the modders won't have access to the game anymore, as well as the fictional nature of his reality, and Rust shoots them in retaliation and confusion. They leave with one final warning.

Rust is then taken through a final series of mods. These include a Super Weasel Kid mod, a mod that allows for combat in the overworld, and a mod that switches Rust and the raider's places. After he's seemingly killed, he wakes up on the street of the Radioactive City.

Rocky explains that after the mind control device landed, he attacked the last alien and brought his father over to the sidewalk to pry the device off of his head. Rust is relieved to see him alive, and tells him he loves him, only for Sado to reveal herself one last time, having disguised herself as Rocky.

Rust is transported to the battlefield with Sado, who finally shoots him. He drifts through the void for some time, before eventually finding his way down a rainy mountain path to the Six Pint Inn.

### Back at The Six Pint

The sequence ends, and the hooded figure reveals himself to be Jeremiah. He urges Rust to agree to a deal with the bartender, but is cut off when someone knocks at the door downstairs.

Rust participates in opening The Hex later that night.

## Trivia

* In the Six Pint Inn, the painting on the wall that Rust recognizes is of Rocky.
* Rust's name is metioned in Act III of Inscryption, with Rust, and Clain being variable Bounty Hunter names: therefore it is possible to face a Bounty Hunter named Rust McClain.
* The cowl Rust sports, depicting the number 06, is likely a reference to the 6-sided nature of The Hex.

## Gallery

Rust in the Six Pint InnRust's battle sprite in the first part of Waste WorldRust's overworld sprite in the first part of Waste WorldRust's battle sprite in the Boss Rush part of Waste WorldRust's overworld sprite in the Boss Rush of Waste WorldRust's Steam emote