He Who Fights with Monsters 3 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #3)

by Shirtaloon

Gabriel gave him a proud smile, placing a warm hand on Rufus’s shoulder. “You did it, son. Fantastic job.” “What your father means,” Arabelle said with a pointed look at Gabriel, “is that you should never have confronted an enemy like that.” “Exactly,” Gabriel said. “Terrible job, son. Don’t do it again.”

“Your team is terrible to fight against,” he said to Jason. “You’re running around like an invisible teleporting plague while your familiar is trying to burn down our healer. Normally, my job is to put down problems like that, but that damn woman is made of the wind. How does an immovable object move that quickly? That’s not how immovable objects work.” “You do realise you won, right?” Jason asked him. “She head-butted my sword! That shouldn’t be possible. And what’s with that woman who’s everything? She had a wand in one hand and a shield in the other, which doesn’t seem like something people should be allowed to do.”

“I still can’t fully figure you out, Jason Asano. Are you a fool, a genius, or a monster?” “Yes,” he said with an impish grin.

“You need to watch your decorum around royalty.” “Do I?” Jason asked. “I was more thinking that I need to get powerful enough that they watch their decorum around me.”

He urged his shadow horse to a gallop, roaring ahead of the group. Trailing behind him was the sound of hooves on the packed earth of the street, mixed with the sound of Shade’s voice. “I would like to remind you that I can talk. You could just ask me to go faster instead of digging in with your heels.”

He promised that a life of adventure would give Jason the world, but it would come at a price. That price was safety and the inescapable stain of bloody hands.

In his most honest moments, Jason knew he didn’t kill them in self-defence or through some need to send a message. Not any message worth sending anyway. It had been pride. They had the temerity to challenge him and he had wanted—needed—to let everyone know that to come for him was to pay the price in blood.

“Oh, please overstep,” Jason said. “I’m pretty much just bumbling through this whole adventurer thing with no real idea of what I’m doing.” “It’s true,” Neil confirmed. “He needs all the help he can get.” “Thank you, Neil,” Jason said flatly. “I mean, he’s genuinely bad at this.” “You can stop helping any time, Neil.” “Oh, it’s no trouble,” Neil said.

“You aristocrats are all about dignity and status,” Clive said. “We regular folk appreciate someone who doesn’t climb up on their high heidel. And say what you will about Jason, it’s clear that if he was ever on a high heidel, he fell off.” “And landed on his head,” Neil muttered.

The elf gave Jason a hungry smile. Silva snorted derision. “You willingly admit to fear?” “I’m chained up, naked, in a room with the winner of a most obvious sex-predator contest and the guy who got disqualified for being too creepy. Not being scared is admitting to being an idiot.”

“Lamprey, if Asano is dead and I find out you’re involved, I’m going to carve you up for chum on the steps of the Adventure Society, for everyone to see, and then use you to go shark fishing. That was me threatening you.”

“Sorry, what was that, Asano?” Silva asked with a malevolent chuckle. “This is going to be very, very hard for you.” Jason let out a pain-tinged chuckle of his own. “That’s funny,” he groaned. “What is?” “I said the exact same thing to your mother last night.” “Really, Asano? The pain must be getting to you if cheap jokes about my mother are the best you can manage. My mother died a dozen years ago; her ashes are interred in the family mausoleum.” “That did take most of the fun out of it,” Jason admitted. “All I could really do was take the lid off the urn and waggle my thing in there.”

“Nothing speaks louder than power,”

“If I have to come back here, Miss Silva, you’ll find my mercy does not extend to killing you. My name is Jason Asano.” A cold fear washed over her body as she recognised the name.

“It’s probably for the best you’re not evil,” Neil said. “You’re not evil, right?” “No, I’m not evil,” Jason said. “Because you seem evil. With your powers.” “Well, I’m not.” “That’s good to know,” Neil said. “Thankfully, someone evil wouldn’t lie about that. Oh, wait…”

“Are you suggesting people are only interested in my looks?” Sophie asked. “Of course I’m saying that,” Belinda said. “You’re like a treasure chest full of swords with no handles. It looks enticing, but rummaging about inside is going to get you hurt.” “Thank you,” Sophie said brightly. “That was not a compliment!” “How is that not a compliment?” Sophie asked. “Who doesn’t want to be full of swords?”

“Wait,” Neil said. “Did we just make the sensible decision and not charge into the hopeless fight? Go team!”

When I take a bribe, I stay bribed. That’s how integrity works.” “That’s not how integrity works!” Humphrey said, the team laughing at his exasperation.

“You want someone to get up, then you get up,” Neil said to Humphrey. “Alright, I will,” Humphrey said, then didn’t so much as twitch. “Am I up?” “No,” Belinda said. “Well, I tried,” Humphrey said. “At least I’ll be able to say I died valiantly.”

“That’s comforting,” Neil said. “As far as you can tell, we’re all going to die, but you know so little that you might be wrong.” “Pretty much,” Clive said. “I think I have some cake left,” Jason said, opening his inventory. “If I’m going to be obliterated into astral nothingness again, I’m doing it with cake.” “What do you mean again?” Neil asked.

“Anisa, if deserve had anything to do with what we get in life,” Jason said, “a meteor would have landed on your head years ago.

“Jason is good at being what he needs to be, in order to do what he needs to do,” Clive said, likewise speaking softly. “Sometimes, what he needs to do is kill a lot of people. And yes; seeing what he becomes to do that does scare me a little.”

“Do you think I don’t see through what you are doing?” the Builder said. “Engaging in classic hero-villain banter. I won’t lie; this is something of a dream come true for me.”

“Jason saved some of us at the beginning,” Sophie said. “He saved all of us and more at the end. Everyone in this city. If I had the choice, I’d bring him back and let the city burn; I don’t think they’re worth his life.” Everyone looked awkward, not knowing what to say. Sophie raised her glass to join the others. “But he did,” Sophie said, her sombre voice getting lighter. “So I’m going to try live the life he saved, in the way he’d want me to live it.”