He Who Fights with Monsters 10 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #10)

by Shirtaloon

“The greatest martial arts trainer my world ever produced was asked by one of his students why he showed mercy to an enemy. He said that for a person with no forgiveness in their heart, living is a worse punishment than death.” “Mercy is leaving the roots of trouble to grow back stronger.”

“Mercy can seem like foolishness, and perhaps it is. But it’s also the hope for tomorrow. Ruthlessness will never turn an enemy into a friend. It leaves only barren ground, in the world and in your soul. I’ve seen that in a half-dozen years of having power, so you must have seen it over and over.”

We are specks of sand on a beach that goes on forever, lasting only an instant before blowing away on the wind. The very world we stand on exists only for a fleeting moment in an insignificant corner of infinity.”

“Friendship requires the extension of trust,” Jason continued. “I’m going to extend a little trust to you, Allayeth, and see where it takes us.”

This is because the civic pillar has one group that undermines the Duke for their own ends.” “Let me guess,” Jason said. “A bunch of rich pricks.” “Yes. A collection of wealthy aristocrats, along with a few very wealthy merchant barons. They are known as the Aristocratic Faction. They own most of the land in the region and provide most of the jobs. They use that power and influence to co-opt their tenants and workers into certain ideologies. Playing on simplistic ideals and commonly held prejudices, they’ve built a power base of loud and angry people who rabidly support their policies. The very policies that keep them poor and ignorant.” “I’ve seen that before,” Jason said. “A lot of countries in my world have suffered through that, my own included.”

“It’s part of an attitude the Aristocratic Faction promotes,” Allayeth said. “They are trying to normalise their strengths of money and influence as being more important than personal power. The problem is, they’re willing to undermine the structure they belong to. They don’t see themselves as a third pillar alongside the city authorities. They’ll happily undercut those authorities if it advantages them, then blame everyone else for the repercussions. And then they’ll position themselves as the only solution to the problems they themselves caused.”

“They’re riling up the population, using that to enact policies and force through appointments to put their own people in the nodes of bureaucratic power.”

“Plans are great,” Rufus told him. “But sometimes there’s a giant explosion and you just have to go out and fight. Take it from a guy who failed as a team leader: it’s not always about having a clever plan. Sometimes it’s about getting out of your own way and trusting your amazing teammates to be amazing.”

“Why is he projecting it now?” Korinne asked. “I don’t know,” Zara said, “but I think I like it. It makes me want to hit things.” “Good,” Korinne said. “We’ve got no shortage of things to hit.”

“I’m still learning to control this place properly and I occasionally get some reflexive Airwolf.”

“That absolutism is a safety mechanism against the kind of treatment I have been carrying out. It means that when a victim’s reasoning comes into conflict with the brainwashing, the brainwashing goes from subtle to overt. A wall no amount of critical thought can overcome. The resulting dissonance causes the outbursts that we’ve all seen. Her faith is forced to override her normal sensibilities, almost to the point of having two minds.”

“It just adds that one inviolable absolute: faith in a false god. But as any devout religious follower can tell you, their faith informs every part of their lives, from values to behaviour. Arabelle’s therapy has effectively isolated the two aspects of her mind: the part that can examine things critically, and the one with blind faith. The dissonance between them as the faith shuts down Melody’s rational mind is the cause of Melody’s episodes. Is that right?”

“Because why not try to make things better, even if it seems impossible? Killing is necessary sometimes, but it doesn’t make anything better. At best, it stops something from getting worse. And if we’re being honest with ourselves, sometimes justice is a word we use to mask indulging in our anger. That doesn’t make anything better; it just makes us worse for having done it.”

But you’ll never accomplish the impossible if you aren’t willing to try,

But the thing about youth is that it can be passionate. Idealistic. It can chase impossible dreams, and in doing so, be the change that pushes civilisation forward. I don’t know about this world, but in mine, every generation makes society a little bit better. Showing compassion where their parents showed blame. Accepting outsiders where they were once excluded. And every generation before it looks back, calling them frivolous or selfish or caught up in foolish ideas that will never work. They claim that what they want is impossible. The reality is that positive change is closer to inexorable. And yes, there are some rough steps backward as well. But compared to even a century ago, society is transformed.”

“Good,” Sophie said. “I hate all of this. Leave me out of it until it’s time to punch things.”

“I don’t think my mum would like this,” Taika said as he gave all the people looking at them an awkward wave. “She’s pretty Christian.” “That’s one of the religions from your world?” Clive asked. “Yep. The god is kind of like the Builder, in that he’s more on a creating-the-universe level than the gods here. Also, he doesn’t like shellfish or mixed fabrics. I was never clear on why.” “Your mother didn’t tell you?” Sophie asked. “Well, there’s this book with all the rules in it, but it seemed a bit sketchy to me. Mum used to make me read it, but then I’d ask questions until she hit me with a spoon.”

So many of my peers were striving to be great while I never expected to be. I accepted myself as I am, and that was the key, I think.

“Mercy and compassion aren’t about deserving. Or they shouldn’t be, not if you genuinely want to make things better. Compassion can be hard to give, and so easy to give up on. I did that for longer than I’d like to admit. Mercy and compassion are so often regarded as pointless, weakness or all cost and no payoff. I once showed mercy to a man who tried to murder me, and that choice saved my soul.

They built a control system on faith, and nothing is more poisonous to faith than knowledge. The Unorthodoxy is what threatens them, not me.”

But a positive outlook is more likely to achieve positive results. The anticipation of negative results can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, something I believe you understand.”

“Mr Asano, if you’re waiting until you become a perfect man, you’ll be waiting forever. Literally.

“The hammer pushes in the nail, but it’s the man holding it who builds the house.

“I’m just so sick of it,” Clive complained as he ran his hands over his face. “Why is everyone so stupid?”

“I’m just saying that if you’re going to use magic, the fundamental energy of the cosmos that is the most powerful and therefore dangerous thing there is, then maybe you should learn how it works before sticking your hand in it and wiggling about.”

“Oh, terrified. I’ve lost people before. But if you try and leave them behind for their own protection, they won’t thank you. I lost a brother, a lover and a friend because they decided to fight alongside me. I blamed myself for letting them come along, but I ultimately accepted that they made their own choices. They chose to stand and fight for their world and I had no right to take that from them. We don’t get to do that. I’ve been here before, Miriam. Armies of undead, transformation zones, everything on the line. After I lost those people, I took on the rest of it alone. That helped me realise that what I needed more than anything else was to have the people I trust at my back. This time I do, and I’ll take that over fighting alone every time.”

“Your hair. I had no right to make you do that, however angry I might have been.” “It’s just a hairstyle.” “However justified my anger may or may not have been, I don’t have the right to tell you what to do with your body. Thinking it’s okay to do that may seem harmless when it’s hair, but what about when it’s not? I’m sorry for that.”

I’m trying out forgiveness as a philosophy.” “And how is that working out?” “It’s bloody hard. So many people suck, and they’re usually the ones you have to forgive. If it was all forgiving beautiful princesses, I’d be all over it.” “I do appreciate it. As I said, while you may have issues with me, I never had any with you.” They both leaned to the side as an undead’s severed limb was thrown out of the storm, passing between them to land wetly on the ground behind them. “Princess, are you hitting on me in the middle of a zombie war?” “When else am I going to do it? It’s always something with you.”

“Why would the undead being ugly have any bearing on victory here?” “Because it’s not about what you do, Garth; it’s about how good you look doing it.”