Squeak! Squea-
A few minutes later, I removed its tail.
That's thirteen rats, I thought to myself while huffing. I still have over an hour left.
It wasn't going as fast as I thought it would. These rats, because they're big, don't hide but nor are they so abundant that you can make a fortune off them. The first few days I managed to take care of roughly thirty each time. But after that, the numbers started dropping, and on the seventh day I'm struggling to hit fifteen.
---
Seven days of work:
Day 1-3: 9 coppers total
Day 4: 2 coppers, 1 holed copper
Day 5: 2 coppers, 1 holed copper
Day 6: 2 coppers
Day 7: 1 copper, 1 holed copper
Total: 17 coppers and a holed copper.
---
Converted into silver, that's one silver, one holed silver, two coppers, and a holed copper.
But do I keep it all? Nope.
Ten and a holed copper went to covering one of my meals, and four went to mom to help since she still feeds me and pays the bills.
Seven days, down to three coppers.
Don't have fun or else you'll have none. Or at least fun that costs coin.
Now I get why Gideon, the older man who helped me initially, suggested moving on after a few days. We continued to talk and chat intermittently after the first day, and more recently he's been looking over with obvious expectation for me to crack.
And I was going to crack.
But what about those other kids? They weren't there anymore. Gideon, turns out, was also in charge of weeding the newbies out. It was only me and if I chose not to act, he'd most likely get rid of me too.
Wiping my blade on the rat's tumored back and fur, I sighed.
Apprentice work is safest and will keep me out of trouble. It also aligns nicely with what I wanted to do in my past life.
The other route Gideon suggested is definitely the illegal kind: smuggling, mercenary work, and probably murder for the Chem-baron Karvyq the Silverhanded. This baron clan wasn't known for excessive violence and wasn't very powerful in general, but it was behind sophisticated Chemtech products.
Kind of like Chem-baron Smeech, the rat who controlled most standard Chemtech augmentations, whom Jinx and Sevika killed in Season 2 of Arcane, but higher quality. Which meant it cost more, which meant Karvyq's influence wasn't as widespread.
You can't sell a diamond in a coal mine.
And Piltover's residents don't use Chemtech often, if at all. It's too crude for their taste and too smelly.
Or so they say. Intermediaries were used instead of direct contact and the volume was low.
In the Promenade the products do well, but that level which is right against the river separating Piltover from the Undercity, drifted toward Piltover products because they wanted to be part of the club.
Through all this contemplating, I finished the remainder of my time and headed back. The insignia above the Gearwright Guild which was, in reality, Chem-baron Karvyq's territory, was three gears interlocked with Chemtech powering it from behind, causing them to spin.
It was honestly pretty cool to look at. Like watching a spinning top toy.
"Hey, fuck you!"
Woah. Wasn't expecting to see her here.
Vi, storming out of the guild, was flipping the suited doorman off in my direction. I tried to move out of the way, but she wasn't exactly looking either as her backward walking arced toward me.
When she came within a few feet of me...
"Fuck you too!"
She stopped, took a step forward, and flipped me off in front of my face, her expression furious.
"Fuck me? No, fuck you!"
Double flip-off, two hands!
"Asshole."
She snorted, eyeing me up and down, and continued to storm away.
Shrugging it off, I turned back toward the guild and walked inside.
"What was that about?" I asked Gideon as he leaned against the counter with the receptionist. Snickering, Gideon stroked his gray-speckled brown beard.
"She wanted a 'real job.'"
Ah. Are we at that point already? That was in her head before Arcane started though so I might be jumping the gun.
"Why didn't you give it to her?"
The female receptionist, Anya, was tall and lithe with narrow, sharp features and straight, black hair. She crisply adjusted her round glasses.
"She's Vander's pup. We maintain various marketing Chemtech products he uses, like the one above his bar. He's made it clear he doesn't want his kids involved in any dangerous activities if we want to keep his business."
She paused.
"Just enough to… keep them entertained."
I frowned, tilting my head. "I didn't realize the guild maintained relations like that. I thought Gearwright handled mostly physical augments and maintenance of sewage and ventilation systems in this region."
She nodded. "We do. Our relationship with him is… well, exactly that. We don't get much physical payment out of Vander. It's immaterial payment. Do a few things for cheap here and there in the Entresol level for some high-profile individuals, we get referrals and a good word, and our products get marketed over our competitors."
"We get a lot of decent fixes out of that relationship, aye?" Gideon added, glancing at her.
"That we do," she sighed, glancing at the door. "And a few annoyances... but it's part of business."
"A few?" I asked, placing my pouch of rat tails on the counter in front of her and ignoring her disgusted expression. "Does she bring company?"
"No," she said slowly, picking up the bag by the edge of her fingernails and pouring its contents onto the counter to count. Gideon snickered as she did, earning a glare from her.
"She's just persistent. Honestly, if it wasn't for Vander's request, I'd give her a 'real job' that'd shut her up in a heartbeat."
Gideon laughed. "Like what? Killing rats?" He shoved my shoulder.
"Why'd you give me that job anyway?" I winced, annoyance slipping into my voice. "It scared off the other two."
"Exactly," Gideon replied. "Sometimes you'll have to do some vile shit down here, even if you don't wanna."
"Killing those rats weeds out the weak-willed and…" Gideon gave me a toothy smile. "…stops me from having to do it!"
He broke into another laugh before clapping me on the back, my chest bouncing off the counter.
"Oof! Fair enough."
When my copper and holed copper pinged on the counter, Gideon's tone shifted.
"So, Varyn, have you decided?"
"Yeah, I want to get in on an apprenticeship."
"AH!" Gideon straightened up and bellowed with a gaping smile, pointing at Anya. "AH-HAH! KNEW IT, YEH COW!"
Without warning, his burly arms swooped around me as he hugged me, completely lifting me off the ground.
"HAHA!"
Anya pursed her lips with bitter resignation. "Congratulations."
"What?" I wheezed. My arms felt like they were going to snap as Gideon hoisted me up like a kid.
"The crow and I had a bet, yah see. She thought you'd move away from the rough and gritty work after those rats, but I…!"
"He thought you'd want to stay hands-on and away from the office hunchbacks."
Anya adjusted her glasses again, the lenses catching a glint from the Chemtech lighting.
"I didn't think you'd last," she admitted flatly. "Kids who dive headfirst into physical labor without hesitation usually burn out once the novelty fades."
Gideon snorted. "Horseshit. The lad did fine."
She ignored him.
"I was hoping you'd want to become involved with clerical work, contract handling, or building accounts."
Gideon huffed. "Yeh mean boring office work."
She shot him a look.
"Proper documentation keeps the guild funded and Chembarons and Enforcers from breathing down our necks. Someone has to balance the books and you barely know how to read."
He grinned proudly. "Aye. 'Cause I don't need to. Well, outside of schematics and blueprints."
Anya inhaled slowly, then returned her attention to me.
"I think you would do well in both lines of work. It isn't uncommon and it's a very valuable skill."
My eyebrows rose. Being able to see work from more than one angle was always a valuable skill. I'd be able to see how it worked from ground level but also from a mid-level and potentially a top-down view.
Gideon slapped the counter. "Bah! He's a hammer lad. Give him a wrench and he'll be fine."
Anya slammed the counter back and they locked eyes with fierce gazes. Time seemed to freeze around them as their expressions twisted before Gideon finally gave a little and sighed.
"Ah, she's right. You can work both lines… but I want priority!"
With a smile, Anya hummed with content. "You did win the bet."
"Yes…!"
I grinned and watched Gideon fist pump.
"So, when do I start?"