Rats

{{{1}}}

Rats
Type	Street criminals
Members	Pete Lenny Mang-chi
Appearances	Library Of Ruina

“	Groups of half-assed thugs that barely qualify as a Syndicate. They don’t have money or power. They’re losers who only think about making ends meet day by day.	”
–Roland, Rats Episode I, Pre-Battle

The Rats (쥐, Jwi) are low-level street thugs who inhabit the Backstreets. Consisting of people who have failed to achieve their dreams and can only focus on daily survival, groups of Rats are far too disorganized to be considered formal Syndicates, and are not affiliated with any other large factions.

Composition

Character	Description
Pete	Pete is the leader of the pack of Rats who enter the Library. He is gruff, foul-mouthed, and not afraid to get his hands dirty. Pete is rare amongst Rats for still holding on to a dream; he hopes to one day become one of the Five Fingers, and he will do anything possible to chase his dream. In combat, he wields what appears to be an army knife.
Lenny	The "surgeon" of the group, Lenny handles the cutting and scraping involved in the pack's organ harvests. Her personality is generally neutral and she is the most coolheaded of the group, having given up on her goal of joining a Wing. In combat, she wields a dented and rusty scalpel.
Mang-chi	Mang-chi can be considered the "helper" of the trio. Nervous is the first word that comes to mind for this fellow. He's nervous when he speaks and is overall hesitant about visiting the Library. In combat, he wields a hammer. Mang-chi's name (망치) is also the Korean word for hammer.

Story

Episode 1

Pre-Battle

Pete, Lenny, and Mang-chi are seen occupied with a gut-harvest in a Backstreets territory protected by the Zwei Association, hurriedly scraping up their victim's organs into a large duffel bag to avoid being discovered. Upon returning to their hideout, they discover that the organs they collected are damaged beyond any use, to the extent that the person they harvested the organs from was no better than a walking corpse yet still somehow lived. Discussing how this could be possible, Mang-chi notes that their victim had an orange circle symbol on his neck, which makes Pete fear that they've become involved in something beyond their ability to handle. The situation also makes them start to panic, as they need enough money to pay off the Stray Dogs in order to join them, and their current unfulfilled job also puts them in danger from the Zwei.

The Rats obtaining their Red Invitation

To their luck, they find an Invitation within the victim's gathered organs. Though they are skeptical, they determine that there is no better option for them to avoid death, and they choose to go to the Library in the hopes of collecting and selling off its books to survive.

The scene changes back to the Library, where Roland is startled by the events he has witnessed. Angela explains that the Invitation allows them to see the stories of the Guests that are coming, which is usually the moments following the acquisition of the Invitation but before it is signed. Roland comments on the power of the Invitation, asking Angela why they cannot use it to directly kill the Guests and skip the trouble of the Reception process. Angela says that is the will of the Invitation and the Library, while she just borrows that power. She also explains that the invitation simply finds a way to appear to whoever needs it, and is not responsible for the external conditions surrounding the Guests. Roland recalls the Rats' victim and considers the circumstances surrounding him to be almost like magic and then mentions the Ruins, where he's heard that similar phenomena exist. He also explains about the Rats and the Backstreets to Angela before she goes to greet the group.

After the Rats arrive, Angela greets them. Pete asks whether they can truly take what they want from the Library, which Angela affirms, but only with the condition that they can overcome its trials. Mang-chi hesitates, questioning the books' worth, but Pete tells him that they must seize any opportunity they can get in order to survive, and so they enter the Library.

Post-Battle

After the Rats are defeated, Angela asks Roland if joining a Syndicate like what the Rats sought is truly necessary. Roland answers that joining a group in the City is necessary, as life will become tough without a group's support.

Background

Rats are considered the lowest order of criminal groups in the City, not even worthy of designation as a formal Syndicate, with the term generally applying to low-threat groups of Backstreets criminals whose strength mainly comes from their high numbers. Rats are not part of any larger organizations (be they Offices, Associations, or Syndicates,) and Rats themselves are also not one large organization. They are divided into various individual groups, or "packs", each with its own leaders, who join together for the safety of numbers.

What these packs of Rats all have in common is their day-to-day struggle for survival. The majority of Rats are people who have failed to accomplish their dreams and are left unable to pursue them, being forced to commit petty crimes and unsavory jobs such as harvesting organs from corpses in order to earn money. This gives them a negative image as failures who scavenge off of others' efforts to survive, being unable to succeed in their own pursuits. Still, this doesn't mean that all Rats do not dream. Even in the decrepit conditions of the Backstreets, some still cling to hopes of a better life and will do all they can to pursue them. Many Rats have one goal: to join a proper Syndicate in order to reap the benefits of such a group's name without being bound to the societal rules of other organizations.

Rats may be belittled as low threat, but this doesn't mean that they are harmless. Even a novice Fixer, let alone an average citizen of the Backstreets, can often be no match when faced with a pack of Rats.

Rats also seem to overhear various rumors, myths, and legends from their area and other people. Information spreads easily between Rats who take note of such rumors, whether they are confirmed or not, to plan and react to any potential changes. Other groups, like Offices and Syndicates, attempt to hear the gossip of Rats to identify new possible anomalies, threats or points of interest.

Key Page stories

Lenny’s Page

Wanna hear a secret? This is kinda embarrassing, but… I used to have a dream once, like Pete does now. Yeah, I know, I’m still younger than him with a long future ahead of me. But what could I do? Life’s too rough for that. Others say that Rats are a pathetic bunch who were too incompetent to join even the smallest Syndicate let alone a Wing. Filthy losers who feed on junk and leftovers, not making any effort to change… Back when I was a young kid, I didn’t like that. I thought I was better than those Rats. So I decided to get into an examinee town. Little did I know that it’d be the one choice I’d regret the most… I begged and nagged at my parents, wanting to achieve that stupid dream. How’d it go, you ask? Seems you’re just as stupid, aren’t you. I wouldn’t be hanging out with these folks if I made it, now would I? What I’m saying is, dreaming won’t do jack shit for you. They didn’t end up here because they gave up trying. Hell, they wouldn’t have set foot on this gutter in the first place if they had what it takes to achieve their dreams. You get it now? Pete’s a huge idiot.

Mang-chi’s Page

Didja know? There’s grades for each alley in the Backstreets. Funny, ain’t it. Trash in a trash can are grading each other… The parts that’re under the protection of a Syndicate, Office, or Association are pretty safe. Sweepers can’t raid those streets easily. Putting the people who live there in a different grade from those who don’t, though… is pointless, honestly speaking. Sure, it’s a bit safer over there, but we’re talking about the Backstreets, get it? You know what’s funnier? Even kids would group themselves according to what part of the streets they live in. They’d even shun the others whose clothes or manner didn’t fit their turf’s style. I had no choice but to accept this sad truth. You wonderin’ how things were in the alleys I lived? Couldn’t afford to pay protection fees to a Syndicate, so the Sweepers came down at night and collected most of my neighbors. I had to witness ‘em take chunks of flesh outta my parents and brothers while they were still breathing. Don’t pity me, though. My story ain’t nothing special around here.

Pete’s Page

There’s not a lot of peeps who hang around in the Backstreets alone. It’s cuz that’s just madness. Weak and dowdy folks gotta band together to survive. Get into a small Syndicate or anything and make a living somehow. Some ignorant fool makes a scene in the Backstreets on their own, they’re just making themselves a target as soon as others notice they’re alone. That’s why we move in groups. We’re called Rats for a reason. We crawl about the dark in packs, and jump at prey for the chance to bite ‘em apart when we spot one. So, you wondering if we Rats have any dreams? Hmm… I guess belonging to a proper Syndicate, if any. We’re just too tacky and amateurish to be called one. We hate being bound to rules, so hell’ll freeze over before one of us joins an Office, and no Rat I know would move to an examinee town and study for Wing entrance exams. Those nerds at examinee towns ain’t too different from Rats like us. We’re all dreaming silly dreams that’ll never come true with our petty skills. An Office, a Wing, a Syndicate, or whatever… Think it’s an easy task to belong to a decent group? People just accept what they got and live on. But still, I wanted to have a dream.

Battle Symbols

There is one Battle Symbol related to this guest group; see their reception page for details.