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The Traveller is a fictional character, the protagonist of the graphic novel The City, written by James Herbert and illustrated Ian Miller. The graphic novel is the concluding chapter in Herbert's popular Rats saga.
Fictional character history
The Traveller is a survivor of a devastating nuclear attack which left all of the United Kingdom's major cities in ruins. Most of those who survived the attack reverted to a state of anarchic barbarism, trying to survive in a ruined, radioactive ghost town. As if that were not enough for what little humanity remained, the sudden shift in power did not escape the attention of a colony of mutated Giant Black Rats, a carnivorous species which in the past had been defeated after two bloody outbreaks. With the British populace fragmented and severely weakened, the rats took control. Other than the fact that his name is Jon and that he once had a family, very little is revealed about the Traveller's past. He is the hardened and coldhearted product of traumatising circumstances and it can be assumed that he had prior experience with the mutant rats before the nuclear attack, as he is shown to be remarkably adept at slaughtering them in their hundreds single-handedly with an array of weaponry, ranging from machetes to machine guns. The Traveller goes to the ruined remains of London to seek out and terminate the mother rat on the orders of a group of resistance fighters, and for his own personal reasons. He is accompanied on his journey back to the city by a pair of viciously loyal robotic dogs. He shows little consideration for the pathetic, radiation-poisoned populace, most of them physically and mentally scarred lunatics. However, he is far from passive when approached by the twisted legions of mutants. Though he and his canid companions fight fiercely and without quarter against the hated rat foes, one of his dogs tragically succumbs to the rats' relentless ferocity, bravely giving its life to protect its master and canine companion. Before arriving at his destination, the Traveller briefly stops at what remains of his old home. He is greeted by the skeletal corpse of his daughter and his radiation-scarred wife cradling an unfamiliar baby. At first the Traveller tries to convince her to go away with him, but seeing that the child she is holding is a grotesque ratlike mutant, he ruthlessly kills it and shoots his wife, considering her to be tainted. After setting fire to his old house, the Traveller arrives at the rats' lair; the ruins of St Paul's Cathedral. There he confronts the mother rat and her disgusting brood, roasting them with a flamethrower. After escaping the vengeful rat army on a disused motorbike, the Traveller leaves the city behind, his future uncertain.
Skills, resources, and abilities
The Traveller has been trained and equipped to be the ultimate soldier against the giant black rats. His costume is a cobbled-together hybrid of plate armour and a biohazard suit. He wears a helmet with a mounted torch and a gas mask that allows him to enter rat lairs without asphyxiating on their guano. The Traveller's weapons include a miniature cannon fastened to his breastplate to repel swarming attacks, a pistol, grenades, a flamethrower and a rocket launcher. For close combat, he uses a machete and is a decent hand to hand combattant.
