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

by Shirtaloon

She plucked a plate with a large sandwich out of the air and set it on the table between them. “A delicious sandwich,” she said. “Do you really think that this will get me to come around?” “Yes.” “You think I’m that easy?” “Yes.” “It’s going to take more than some conversation with a smart and stupidly gorgeous woman to win me over. Also a sandwich.” “A delicious sandwich. And no, it won’t.” “That’s absurd.” “Yes. But you like absurd, don’t you?” “No. Yes.” He ran a hand over his face. “Oh, bloody hell,” he muttered as he reached for the sandwich.

“Your boss didn’t tell you where I learned it?” Jason teased her. He noticed unease in Travis’ aura at the hostility between himself and Gabrielle. “My lady delights in her followers seeking knowledge for themselves.” “I can respect that,” Jason conceded. “I learned that messenger trick from a messenger.” “You would traffic with the enemy?” “The enemy in question is my prisoner, and he has a lot of free time.”

“I can’t say that I’d be up for letting the gods dip a finger into my porridge,” Jason said, “but it’s your project. If you’re happy, that’s what matters.”

“As a priestess of Knowledge, you shouldn’t have such strong opinions on things you know very little about,”

“I tried walking like an Egyptian,” Jason told her, “but it was slower, gunked up my boots and left these little troughs in the mud for other people to navigate.”

“Actually, I dabbled in edgelord for quite a while there. It didn’t work out. I’ve been working on myself, trying to get back to fool, and I’m pretty happy with how it’s going.

“I don’t like people talking to my friends like that,” he mentioned offhandedly. “I’m trying to be less imperious, though. I don’t suppose you could be imperious for me?” “You’ll owe me one,” Allayeth said lightly. “I can live with that.” “I wouldn’t go making assumptions, Jason,” she teased and he flashed her a grin.

“Not exactly subtle,” Jason said. “It’s a bit messy to use inside someone else’s cloud palace.” “I don’t think he’ll complain,” Allayeth said. “Being diamond-rank will be nice.” “You think you’ll be a diamond-ranker?” “For a while, sure,”

be those that know the most.” “Which leads,” Knowledge Priest Jillet said with disapproval, “to a situation where too few people are participating in the research of a field of knowledge. On top of that, those who end up doing the research are the ones who were best at politics, not magical study.”

A book is worthless if no one can read what is inside. You took what were worthless scribbles on a page and turned them into knowledge. Then—and this is important—you shared that knowledge.”

He still pursued his research interests, using the Church of Knowledge to spread any fruit produced by his personal research. The clergy of Knowledge’s church were very nice to Clive.

“Is that because she wants a snack table as well?” Jason asked. “I need to find out about messenger cuisine, although I’m not optimistic. I’m picturing a lot of bran.”

“You’re right,” he said. “It’s not fair, and I’ve indulged in the kind of arrogant behaviour that not only have I done time and again, but I’ve criticised in others. So, how about I apologise to the guy on the ground for overreacting when he had a go at my friend, and you and I both step back and we let this meeting go forward?”

“I tried,” Jason said. “De-escalation doesn’t come naturally to me, which I think everyone saw pretty clearly. But I tried, I really did. I don’t think we can move on to the next stage of this meeting with both him and me in the room, and I’m pretty sure you need me.”

“This feels more like standing in front of a firing squad than I’m comfortable with,”

“I’m no one’s king, lady, and I refuse to believe you said that for any reason other than riling up the other people in this room against me.”

People are starting to get wise to me, though: no one even asked me what a power sander was.”

You wouldn’t go implying that I am an unintelligent traitor only to not just imply but outright prove yourself both a hypocrite and a coward, would you? Please step through the portal.”

“You don’t need to worry about Jason,” Arabelle assured the director. “I’ve been working with him for years, now, and what never changes is that he’ll always throw himself into the monster’s lair. However much he might whine and complain about it.”

“Also, he wasn’t just aggressive in that negotiation,” Emir chimed in. “I’m not the only one who felt that was a little flirty, right?” “Oh, he’s always like that,” Neil called out from the back. “You should see him with Clive’s wife.” “Oh, gods damn it, Neil…”

“I’ve seen it,” Allayeth said. “I’ve even felt it, but not like Lord Bynes. I’m finding my curiosity as to what lies beyond that portal of yours freshly aroused.” “Do try to control yourself,” Jason told her. “You shouldn’t let your curiosity be aroused in front of all these people.” “You say that,” Allayeth told him, “yet you keep arousing it over and over.” “I’m not going out of my way to be arousing.” “I’m not sure I entirely believe that,” Allayeth said. “There’s only so arousing a person can be by accident, and given the frequency with which you are being arousing, I can only assume it is on purpose.” “I need you both to stop saying ‘arouse,’ and remember the importance of this meeting,” Arabelle told them. “We all might need that,” Clive added, glaring at Neil. “Especially while you’re standing next to my mother, Jason,” Rufus said. “Ask Humphrey about Jason and mothers,” Neil muttered. “I told you he was like that.”

The fate of his city rested on a meeting where the silver-rankers brazenly ignored rank decorum, the gold-rankers were pulling pranks on city officials and even the diamond-ranker was spouting off innuendos.

“Then I want your word that anything you manipulate me into giving up stays with you.” “If I’m manipulating it out of you, why would you trust my word?” “Call it an experiment. I like making friends and I don’t care for having allies. I like you, Allayeth, but my judgement isn’t always the best.”

“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.”

“You either dance around a point until the other person passes out from exhaustion, or dive on it like a shark on an unfortunate sailor.”

“Strictly speaking, I married into it,” Arabelle said. “It’s how I manage to go five minutes without telling people my family runs a school.”

“Honestly,” Jason said, “it’s actually kind of great to see you make a mistake. You’ve always been this sage-like figure, talking me through every dumb thing I’ve ever done. It’s nice to see that you can stuff up too.”

“Well, that sounds nice,” Jason said. “I just don’t know if I have the kind of luck where the bad guys have a go, get spanked and then cut their losses.”

“I will go and supervise the proceedings directly,” Erigo said. “See that civility is maintained the next time we speak or this planet goes nowhere.”

“Asano threatens to become more than just an astral king. He claims domains like a god and employs intrinsic-mandate magic.”

“Every person here is an enemy to everyone else in this room, yet we work together regardless.”

“Jumped-up silver-ranker? A moment ago, he was a terrible new astral king, ready to bring us all down with his unheard-of powers. You need to settle in your own mind if you’re dealing with a genuine threat or an insignificant pawn. He can’t be both.”

I will give you my advice anyway, knowing full well that you will ignore it: Find better ambitions. Stop scavenging for power outside the group and turn your efforts to seeking out the purification artefact. Becoming a critical player in our greater plans will serve you better than carving your own path.”

“You’ve been paying very close attention.” “No, Vesta Carmis Zell, I have not. My information comes from paying a regular amount of attention without you ever noticing. Perhaps you should dwell on the ramifications of that when considering my advice.”

“He is… troubling. He is not one of us, yet he also is, in the ways that matter. So much of what makes us superior is shared by him. And he is an astral king, or close to it. I felt his aura myself and…” “…and?” Kaal prompted. “I felt the instinct to kneel,”

Following the messenger acceptance of Jason’s terms, the various stakeholders were all looking to serve their various agendas. Jason hoped that most of those agendas involved saving the city.

I’m too important to kill, I might be open to a little show and tell.”

“Anyone who knows anything is already aware that, magically speaking, I have more in common with the messengers than with anyone on our side.”

“Yeah, because that’s totally why you’re making a spectacle of yourself.” “That’s rich, coming from you.” “Yeah, well… shut up. Look, the blue ball is flashing; I have to take that.” “Fine,” Dominion said,

“Is no one else going to…?” he asked. “I’m just going to go ahead, then. If the evil angel sorceress thinks we’re screening her calls, she might get cranky with the negotiations.”

“Are you done talking nonsense?” she asked. “No,” Jason said through laughter. “I’m really, really not.”

“To summarise, then, you messed up your evil plan, the after-effects of which threaten to destroy this city and a good chunk of the landscape around it. You propose that we finish your plan for you, giving you everything you want?” “And saving the city.”

“One of you? Are you trying to isolate me from my own people? I’m not one of you, Kaal, and I don’t think your minions would like you saying I am. There are ways in which I’m like you, certainly, but your kind has too many flaws. You’re inferior.”

“My astral king shares and hides what she wills; it is hers to do so. If there are secrets she keeps from me, it is not my place to know them.

It’s hard to throw off a shackle when you think it’s a lifeline, and it will take more than me to convince you.

“They’ll stop or be stopped,” Jason said. “I hope for the best in people, but I’ve learned to prepare for the worst. But I’m going to pass you off to the city’s representatives now. Give them most of what they want or I’ll back out of the whole thing.”

If I were a devious astral king—” “Which you are.” “Hurtful, but to continue:

“And that’s always been my problem; people keep warning me of ramifications, without considering the ramifications of crossing me.

There’s a saying on my world about people who fight with monsters and the dangers of becoming monsters themselves.

If you’re going to fight monsters, you have to be like them, at least a little. The temptation is to be like them a lot.