He Who Fights with Monsters 4 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #4)

by Shirtaloon

He resolved to be different. Now he had killed as much as any of them, probably more. He was still unsure if it was naiveté or decency that he’d discarded along the way.

“It is good to see you alive again, Mr Asano.” “Good to be seen,” Jason said. “It comes as bit of a surprise.” “Not entirely,” Shade said. “The World-Phoenix token in your possession was always a comfort to me, in regard to your safety.” “Wait,” Jason said. “You knew?” “Of course,” Shade said in his usual dignified tone. “I’m not a scrub.”

“Mr Asano, you are more than reckless enough as it is. If you realised you had a tool to bring you back from death, it would only have exacerbated the cavalier attitude you hold to your mortality.” “I’m not that bad.” “Mr Asano, you just died attempting to have a knife fight with an entity so powerful that it was forced to use a proxy so as to not annihilate the universe by simple virtue of arriving in it.” “Oh, come on, Shade. It was one time.”

My advice to is make yourself scarce before he gets here.” “Thanks, but I’m fine.” “If you say so. I’m Taika, by the way. Like the director, but I don’t make films.” “Jason Asano.” “You really Hiro’s dead nephew?” “The trick is to not stay dead.” “I can see how that would be useful. You might be needing that soon.”

“You know, I’d like to hear what really happened some time.” “You will,” Jason promised, “but I’m not sure you’d be glad once you did. Some secrets change you forever.”

“You can’t fight every vampire in Sydney, Mr Asano.” Vermillion caught something flinty in Jason’s eyes and his aura that sent a chill down the vampire’s spine. “You’d be surprised at what I can fight, Mr Vermillion.”

“I can live with that,” Jason said. “Sooner or later, I’ll have to make an example of someone.” “It isn’t prison rules, Mr Asano.” “Maybe not to you,” Jason said. “I’m all alone and surrounded by dangerous people who, as it turns out, are already in gangs.”

“Out of curiosity, do you need a formal invitation?” Jason asked. “Only as a matter of manners.” Jason and Vermillion stared at each other. “You’re not going to invite me in, are you?” “You could be lying. If I was a vampire, I’d be lying all the time. Sure, I don’t need an invitation, but it would be the polite thing. No, that’s not stench of death. Of course, tomato juice coagulates.”

Thirty blood servants and I don’t think he even saw them as a threat. It’s almost like he was testing out different ways to kill them, to see which ones worked. As it turns out, all of them did.”

The big question mark is this man Asano. I don’t know what he’ll do after what happened.” “Didn’t the Network take him?” “I believe the answer to that is complicated,” Vermillion said. “Not least by the question of whether or not they can hold him.”

“Silver-rankers kidnap me from time to time. It’s kind of my thing. You should just go to a bakery. You’ll be supporting local business and you won’t get bread that tastes like sadness.”

These people, they trained me up over a few months. They became my friends.” “They taught you to shoot people?” “I’m more of a knife guy.” “Oh, you’re a knife guy,” Erika said lightly. “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?”

“You know, I’ve been going over what you told me yesterday and the more I think about it, the more it comes off as a pile of hot nonsense.” “How much did you tell her?” Hiro asked. “About what I told you, at first.” “None of the really implausible stuff, then,” Hiro said. “That’s not the implausible stuff?” Erika asked, her voice rising an octave. She turned to Jason and saw that he was looking suddenly nervous.

“You know the saying about not knowing who you are until you’ve walked through the fire?” “Yeah.” “I found out who I am.”

“The realm of the All-Devouring Eye?” Emi asked. “I’m pretty sure it’s in the South Pacific,” Jason said. “Uncle Jason, why do you tell such obvious lies?” “So it’s harder to notice the subtle ones,”

“He insists on hosting you himself, on his houseboat.” “He’s not willing to accept neutral ground? That doesn’t speak well to his willingness to come to an accommodation.” “His position,” Vermillion said, “is that he has one houseboat and you have the rest of the planet, being an international network of secret magicians. Who have already tried to kidnap him once, you might recall. I think you should just concede the point, Anna.”

“There are things I’ve already done. I’m not sure who I am anymore, Dad.” Ken placed an arm around Jason’s shoulders as his son’s quiet voice broke. “Don’t worry, son. You can tell the others as much or as little as you’d like. But whatever you tell me, I’ll listen, and you will never have to be ashamed.”

“G’day, Greg,” Jason said. “It’s been a while.” “Since you left for Melbourne or since you died?” “Both, I guess,” Jason said. “How’ve you been, mate?” “Alive. Consistently.

“This guy thinks you should be Other Gordon,” Jason said, pulling a pitcher from one of the two large refrigerators. “What do you say, Gordon?” The familiar responded by turning on Truffett, making a slow, menacing approach. Nigel stepped between them. “Alright, Gordon,” Jason said and the familiar vanished. “Sorry, Other Gordon. Looks like actual Gordon’s taking a hardline position.”

“Asano, you need to do as I say, when I say it, no complaints,” Nigel said. “Your job is to do what you’re told and not die.” “I won’t lie,” Jason said. “Those are both things I’ve struggled with in the past. Since I’m a self-invited guest, though, I’ll do my best.”

“It’s a professional interaction,” Jason insisted. “And what’s your profession, exactly?” Vermillion asked. “Interdimensional man of mystery? That definitely doesn’t sound like someone that mixes business with pleasure.”

“My name is Jason Asano, and you’ve come here to kill me. You won’t.”

“I know that you were the one that pushed to get my chance at freeing Farrah. You never have to thank me for anything again. Ask and I’ll be there.” “An infinite supply of favours?” Asya asked. “Friends don’t count favours,” Jason said. “They just show up.” “Is that what we are?” “Don’t look down on friendship,” Jason said. “It’s the foundation of every positive relationship. I love my dad, I love my sister and my niece. While I love my mum and my brother too, even after everything, it isn’t the same with them. They’ll always be family, but the friendship isn’t there. Some family you want to see every day, and some you only see at Christmas. That extends to every relationship, from lovers to co-workers to people you escaped a cannibal cult with.”

“He has always been very confident.” “Or seemed that way,” Farrah said. “He’s good at masking his fear and uncertainty, even in his aura. It’s like the first person he convinces is always himself.”