Mall Rats (Gold Digger)

The Mall Rats are three minor characters in the Gold Digger (comic) by Fred Perry. They were originally introduced as antagonists to the title character's younger sister, a werecheetah named Brittany Diggers. The three at first appearance are reported to be college-aged and it is explained to the reader that they have been trained from youth to be warriors that are supposed to eventually kill the last werecheetah. Their sensei makes full use of the fact that normal weapons can't kill a werecreature and an early complaint from the rats is "Just once I'd like to leave a training session with less than twenty lethal wounds!"

The Mall Rats show intense loyalty towards each other and several implications in the manga and some art portfolios that generally need to be special ordered have shown that the three rats are involved in a three-way sexual arrangement with each other.

The three rats are:

Lydia McKracken - A blonde, waifish wererat girl with a very headstrong attitude best known for unleashing streams of profanity when under stress. She is the leader of the group and has shown herself to be an effective leader, though at times she can be more bossy than necessary. In the recent Throne of Shadows special mini-series, Lydia has also shown that she'd rather her friends hate her than see them die.

Thanks to her late father, Gothwrain, Lydia is wielder of Furrnides, the Fiery Rage. A Soul Edge Weapon made from a silver dagger that sampled her aura under the guise of Lydia being punished for a pre-emptive reconnaissance of the werecheetah Brittany Diggers, the weapon imbues Lydia not only with the elemental power of fire, but in the listing of character physical might drawn up by Fred Perry, the physical strength it gives her makes her the third strongest being in the Gold Digger Universe.

Moisha Rich - A purple-haired wererat apparently Viatnamese in ethnicity. She is best known for her very large chest, having one of the largest proportional chests in the comic. She speaks in valley girl accents and acts bored in most circumstances.

Being chosen to be Lydia's friend from birth, Moisha was outfitted with Aexpios, the Lightning Aura. A Soul Edge Weapon made from a silver dagger that sampled her aura under the guise of being punished due to her ally Lydia's actions, the weapon imbues Moisha with the elemental power of lightning, which serves for both offense, (long-range attacks) and defensive (shocking opponent when touched) purposes.

Romeo Ellis - The only male of the group and seemingly the lowest on the totem pole. Romeo is a blue-haired wererat of apparently East Indian descent. He is overly dramatic in Shakesperean manner. While Lydia is the best combat leader, Romeo could be seen as the group's emotional anchor.

Ever the over-dramatic and cautious individual, the Soul Edge Exodieus, the Mist Form suits Romeo rather well. Having so far shown no major offensive capabilities except being a straight weapon or when paired up with the Soul Edges of Lydia and Moisha, the Exodieus allows numerous Defensive and Support techniques. This includes making it near-impossible to hurt Romeo as his state can be reduced to particles of water, as well as the ability to take a form of mist, making for quick travel in air, an ability that can be shared with others should he hold them.