Author's Notes
Of course, as soon as I post my most successful fic on this site ever, the view counter immediately f***ing dies.
Just so I can keep track, if you view this fic, please leave exactly one comment saying that you read it or that you want to sell me art please. Just so I can keep track.
(it's a joke, plz no more art spam)
Happy rats, and don't do crime!
Chapter 12 – Meet the Snek
Which will be harder for Team Job – killing the Grimm or dealing with the aftermath?
"We're getting closer, Blake!" Jaune exclaimed through his scroll. "Over!"
He knew Blake was a little bit bothered by the radio terminology like some exuberant little kid, but since he'd more than delivered on swiping Umberto's scroll and ensuring they succeeded at this mission, he'd bought enough leeway to be allowed.
"I hear you. Waiting at the exit."
Once they'd got the tracker that told them where they were going, the mission was pretty much a cakewalk. Blake's hunting plan was working like a charm.
She'd figured out that this Grimm, for whatever reason, was a runner and not a fighter. Perhaps it had only survived that long because of this trait when all of its kin had been killed by the Beacon team, Team LTUC, but whatever or whyever, the King Taijitu preferred flight over fight. Thus, when Jaune had found it slithering about in the mine's tunnels, it hadn't hesitated to flee his pursuit.
The two of them had walked about the tunnels for nearly the full day before so that Jaune could get a good mental map of it. Blake had instructed him to memorize the twists and turns and plot out a course that led him to one particular exit (the one that he was currently herding the flighty Grimm towards).
It was working really well, actually. The Taijitu's big advantage was that it could see in the dark and move faster than a human, but Jaune knew where it was at all times and could take shortcuts he'd memorized to cut it off in advance and limit its movements to the certain preset pathways that led it closer and closer to Blake. Whenever it moved away from her, he slipped through a narrow passageway and pushed it back.
The snake had actually reared up and tried to fight him on two separate occasions, but a couple of haphazard swings by Crocea Mors had sent it running. Grimm might have been tough, but one average huntsman could defend himself against one average Grimm until its instincts to tuck its t̶a̶i̶l̶ face between its l̶e̶g̶s̶ other face and r̶u̶n̶ slither took over.
He wasn't hurting it enough to kill it, just to fend it off towards Blake. They'd mutually decided that while Jaune was capable, he wouldn't be able to land the killing blow – and that choice had been proven right, for the Grimm was far to evasive for him to keep attacking it whenever it gave up on him.
But when we pin it between the two of us, it'll have nowhere to run. Each head will have a huntsman to face, and we'll turn this snake into a snaked.
As he dashed through the tunnels, blocking the snake from taking an exit hole that could have taken it back into the main labyrinth of mining tunnels, Jaune had to break into a smile. This was the first mission where he was getting some real action, and it was a wonderful and terrifying rush. According to Blake, he was better at memorization than her, but whatever the reason, Jaune was just glad that he got to be the one to move around this time.
She came through for me on the last two missions and saved my life, but only because her own plans endangered it. This time, though, it's both of us up against a single Grimm with no secrets or tricks up its sleeve. I could probably kill it myself if I cornered it.
He wasn't some master huntsman yet – Jaune had severely overestimated how fast one picked up swordsmanship when training – but he had enough aura that he could comfortably take more blows than he exchanged and still win. According to Blake, he was also special at that.
Maybe it's the old Arc lineage rearing up its head? I have no idea if aura or good memory are genetic traits, but it would explain how my kin became such great huntsmen.
But at the same time, it sort of cheapened it. Natural talents? That just seemed so unfair, that Jaune and the Arcs got to be special because of something they were born with. Touting that as his secret weapon would be like being proud of being human and rubbing the advantages his species gave him in Blake's face.
Still, I'm starting at a disadvantage compared to every other huntsman or security specialist or whatever it is out there, so I think I'll need every special power I can get. Blake's says that most hunters have found out their own semblance by my age, and that's a power you're born with, so I guess it's fair…
"Coming your way! Over!" Jaune called into the scroll he'd clipped to his hip. It was his own for the call, as Umberto's was in his hands, busy tracking the Grimm.
"Get ready, Jaune," Blake's staticky voice said back to him. In the bowels of the mine, he'd gotten little more than a faint whisper compared to all of the interference and noise that polluted the call, but out here it was about the same quality as a dollar brand walkie-talkie.
Ahead of him and the snake, Jaune saw rays of sunlight peaking from around the corner, meaning that Blake was just beyond the bend with Gambol at the ready.
And that means that the snake will have nowhere to go, and I'll need to handle my head.
The turn would hopefully give them an advantage, as it would be forcing the snake to bend at an odd angle. It wasn't enough to make or break the fight, but Jaune had a good feeling about this one.
As the white head breached the corner and went out of view, Jaune heard a loud hiss. He'd already gotten Crocea Mors up and ready, and his shield was raised to defend him.
Now that it's preferred option of running was gone, the King Taijitu's black head barreled forward and headbutted the shield, knocking Jaune down to his feet. It cost him aura to not break a bone, but the head of the snake shook in pain from the impact.
Even though it's so much bigger, we're both just about as durable. Time to end this.
Jaune threw down the shield, hoping that would entice the Grimm to come at him faster and more recklessly. People said Grimm were mindless, but Jaune always assumed that was hyperbole, and they were referring to how Grimm were unintelligent or at the same level as the animals they frequently resembled.
Fangs bared, the snake hissed and lashed out at the huntsman who'd stuck his sword straight out. Its single-minded devotion to the goal of painfully ending a human being was its undoing, as the Grimm impaled itself right on the blade. Jaune himself took a rather sharp bite, but he had the aura to tank it, and it wasn't as though he were saving it for something else after the mission.
As long as I survive, self-destructive moves are on the table. Maybe when I'm good with my sword, I can chop the head off at no risk to myself, but this is the safest option right now. Trying something stupid like grandstanding or swordfighting a snake would probably get me killed faster.
The Grimm dropped dead and swirled away into a vortex of cinders, meaning that Blake had already taken care of her own side.
"You still alive, Arc?" she called from beyond the bend.
Instead of answering, Jaune just popped his head from around the corner and waved at her.
"Alright, let's get going," Blake said. "We've got a reward to claim."
They left Umberto's scroll on the ground in the area around the office space and command center, right around the spot where Jaune stole it, hopefully providing enough credibility if they tried to pretend it had just been dropped by accident. Blake had wiped it clean of any fingerprints and done some sort of technological thing to erase records of usage, thereby deleting any evidence of it being in their possession…and also piquing Jaune's interest as to how she had these skills.
She always says that Faunus have it harder, and I don't think she had a job before hunting. Was she forced into a life of crime out of a lack of other options? If so, I'm in no position to judge, not after forging my own application to Beacon or doing what I did today.
Speaking of Beacon, they might be trouble. Jaune would still have made the same choices he made if he could go back, but that didn't mean he couldn't regret the four hunters who'd gotten caught in the crossfire.
I cheated, sure, but Team Job was cheated in the very way they called us here. Mrs. Corundum didn't actually expect us to kill the last Taijitu – she just wanted to use us as a scare tactic to whip the Beaconites into shape. I wonder if she'll even pay us.
He really hoped she would, but they'd completed their mission one way or another. It was the business they needed, not just the money.
Jaune knocked on the door to her office, as schmoozing with the clients was his area of expertise. Blake remained behind him, slightly in his shadow, but he knew that that was where she was the most comfortable.
"Enter," said Mrs. Corundum.
The pair came in and found her sitting behind her desk, typing on a computer.
"Ma'am," Jaune said politely, tipping his head.
"How may I assist you two?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Did you kill the Grimm?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jaune said.
"Then go get it done," she said, waving them away. "And don't bother me until you have."
Jaune did his best to keep up his happy face in spite of the complete lack of attention she was paying. "Ma'am, we –"
"For the Gods' sake, just do the job I'm paying you to!" the woman almost shouted, throwing her head back in disgust.
"We have, ma'am. The Grimm is dead."
It seemed that she was listening properly that time, for she looked up at him in surprise. "Y-You did?"
Jaune nodded. "It's dead. You can resume work with no risk of Grimm activity for your miners."
"But…t-the…"
Blake poked something into Jaune's back in a way that Mrs. Corundum couldn't see it. Taking the hint, Jaune cleared his throat.
"Blake, do you have the…ah, excellent."
He faked turning around and collected her scroll, which had been opened up to the Team Job Security website.
"Would you please sign here to note the completion of our mission?" Jaune asked, handing the scroll to Mrs. Corundum. "We're more than happy to take our payment in cash, but we also accept Scrollopay or Deb-Mo if you'd prefer."
Jaune had been adding more features to their website since their last mission, as it had been awkward to explain to the people of the Lake of Lost Voles that he couldn't accept a bank transfer. Blake insisted that in order to appear professional, Team Job needed to exude an air of professionality, and the first step was to start pretending that they were a real business.
I mean, we are in a legal sense now that we're licensed, but Blake and I are just kids making do.
"How did you…"
Jaune waited to make sure she wasn't going to continue, as interrupting was rude, then answered. "We're Team Job Security, ma'am. As promised, we ensured the security of your mines and defended ourselves from any Grimm within. It was our pleasure."
"But Team LTUC spent over a week tracking it down. They were struggling like incompetents, and they're actual hunters!"
It took a lot of willpower to not show any reaction at the mention of their names. Jaune just shrugged. "I can't speak to the efforts of another entity's talents or shortcomings. All I can promise is a job well done from Team Job."
Oh, that was good. Jaune would have to write that down. Every good company had a catchphrase, right?
Mrs. Corundum silently logged into her account on the Team Job website and electronically signed it. As she filled out the review, Jaune turned around to check on Blake and make sure he hadn't missed anything. She gave him an invisible nod, and he retuned it before turning back to Mrs. Corundum.
"Very well. I must say, I wasn't expecting such fast results. It barely took you a single day…not that I'm not pleased with this. Those Beacon incompetents were slowing down operations here at Zaherite with ever day they lingered." She snorted disdainfully. "They can expect a review of their own when I contact the school to inform them of their incompetence."
Jaune bit his lip. If he recalled correctly (and he did), Team LTUC was apparently at risk of not graduating if they failed this assignment. As much as he might resent them solely for their behavior yesterday and the fact that they hailed from Beacon, he couldn't help but admit that they would probably have been the ones to complete the mission had Team Job not interfered. They'd had the tracker lined up to kill the King Taijitu that had been giving them so much trouble.
It's my job to be the customer relations department. I think that what I'm about to do next also falls within that purview.
Blake reached over to accept the case of lien chips (apparently Jaune's many hours of programming had been rendered useless) and was halfway to the door when Jaune cleared his throat.
"Not to contradict you, ma'am, but am I correct when I say that Team LTUC killed all but the last of the nest of Taijitu?"
Blake obviously had no clue why Jaune was bringing them up, but she seemed to recognize that he was working in their interests and let him cook.
"They did," said Mrs. Corundum cautiously. "But they failed to finish their assignment. Any failure is failure, young man."
"I understand that. But it was through the groundwork they laid that we were able to freely move about in the mines to hunt down the last Grimm. That must be worthy of some recognition."
The older woman looked at Jaune as though he were threatening her. "What exactly are you implying, sir?"
"Only that their effort might merit some reward," Jaune said.
She rolled her eyes. "If you feel so strongly about them, you're welcome to pay them with the money you're holding."
With that, she turned back to her computer and resumed her work.
Again, Blake tried to step out the door, but Jaune remained unmoved.
"Blake, would you please open the case? This should only take a moment."
Eyes wide, she shook her head at him, clearly uncomfortable with doing anything other than taking the money and running, but Jaune was her 'boss,' at least in front of the customers. She'd given him that power, and he was going to use it to protect them both, even if he couldn't explain how or why to her just yet.
Mrs. Corundum was now eyeing them as they dawdled in her doorframe, so Blake obeyed and revealed the lien to Jaune.
"Thank you." He reached over and began to count through the chips one by one. "Two hundred, four, six, eight…there we go. An even thousand."
Taking them out, he pivoted around and stretched out his arm, offering the money back to the forewoman.
"For a positive review. Of Team LTUC, that is, not us."
She opened her mouth. "Why do you care about tho–"
"Ma'am, I don't. But neither do you, right? Your mine is back up and running no matter what grade they receive, so you lose nothing by telling Beacon they completed their assignment. And you stand to get back ten percent of your fee if you do."
She stared at the money, clearly wary of some sort of trap, but when her head lifted slightly upwards, Jaune could tell that she was on the same page as him.
"I see." A smile broke out across her face. "Very well…I do suppose that, looking back objectively, their work in slaying the vast majority of the snake nest was exemplary. I'll be sure to inform Beacon."
Jaune smiled back as well. "It's a pleasure doing business with you."
They second they exited her office, Blake opened her mouth to berate Jaune, but Team LTUC, who was walking up to them, beat her to it.
Oh, crap.
"You!" Umberto screamed. "You son of a bitch! I don't care what your lawyers say, I'm –"
Jaune, quenching his fear, kept walking past him, taking Blake by the hand and leading her forward. "You passed your mission. Congrats."
That shut him up, and Jaune kept walking. Now that they'd resolved this situation, he didn't want to spend a minute longer here, especially given how low his aura was and how short the tempers of the hunters were.
"W-What?" said bandana girl.
"You passed," Jaune said, not stopping for a minute. He wasn't even going anywhere in particular, just heading towards a random patch of trees in the forest to get away from here. "Handle it with Mrs. Corundum. Go in there, get your papers signed, and don't F-word it up by flying off the handle."
Blake started to look back at them, but Jaune squeezed her wrist, and her head snapped forward.
"Let's head right to the airship, Miss Belladonna," he said to her, even though the airship would have to be called for pickup before they could head anywhere. "We're done here."
Jaune led them deep enough into the forest that they couldn't see the mining camp anymore, then let out a long sigh.
That was stressful. Four pissed off pro-hunters who I'd swindled…it's a recipe for a butt-whooping if I've ever heard one. I might have managed to get them a passing grade, but they didn't know that when they were waltzing up to me with clench fists and murderous looks on their faces.
"Okay," Blake said. "I think I get it now. You were getting Beacon off our asses."
Jaune nodded up and down a few times as he waited for his heartrate to re-enter the double digits. "You said we don't need the money as much, so I figured a vengeful, failed team of hunters wasn't worth the thousand."
Placing a hand onto a tree for support, Jaune leaned over and groaned. He hadn't been expecting to run into Team LTUC at the end, and he'd just ad-libbed his lines to say whatever would get him out of trouble.
"I'll call the bullhead," Blake said, taking out her scroll. Before she started the call, she looked up at Jaune. "You did a good thing, Jaune."
She was wrong. A good thing would have been to never steal Umberto's scroll in the first place. Jaune had taken a calculated risk, and it had paid off for everyone, but it could have just as easily gone sideways. If Mrs. Corundum didn't play ball, Jaune could have just ruined the lives of four innocents and gained himself a couple of nemeses.
Blake kept trying to calm Jaune down as they flew back to Vale, but none of it got through to him. All he could feel was the guilt at what he'd done.
Am I bad for hoping that I can get over this? I don't want to feel like a scumbag, even if I probably deserve to.
He tried to remind himself that everyone involved had won – Team Job got their payday and positive review, Team LTUC passed their test or whatever it was, Mrs. Corundum got her mine back at a discounted price – but something about it just felt wrong.
The aura of malaise followed Jaune as he disembarked from the bullhead and thanked Benson.
It followed Jaune as he let Blake lead them to their hotel, too out of it to make his way without her help.
It followed Jaune as he cooked their dinner mechanically, distracting him so much that he added twice the spice and nearly burned his tongue off.
It followed Jaune when he went to sleep, plaguing him like an illness.
It followed Jaune when he woke up to the sound of knocking at their room's door.
It followed Jaune when he opened it up and came face to face with Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon.
Mission Complete: Zaherite Mines
Client Review: The Grimm was slain in an expedient manner. Team Job Security's performance was most pleasing. The team they sent contained a Faunus, but overall I would recommend. [4/5 stars]
Current Holdings (lien): Ⱡ 18,800
Current Holdings (assets): Benson Airship Rental punchcard (three punches)
Current Holdings (realty): none
Employees: 2
Coming Soon: Stand Your Ground
Team Job Security's very existence is challenged by the man who inadvertently created it.
Author's Notes
The chapter is titled Meet the Snek. Well, the snek has arrived.
And sneks eat rats…you know, these Ratatouille metaphors, they just show up. I don't even plan them or anything.
Was this the first mission without some picture to explain the setup? I suppose it was. What a shame.
Happy rats, and don't do crime!