He Who Fights with Monsters 5 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #5)

by Shirtaloon

She looked up from the paper, her eyes searching his face for answers. “Why me?” “Because you didn’t ask,” he said.

At the base camp. Koen was rewinding the footage from the drone. “What are you looking for?” Nigel asked him. “The timestamp,” Koen said, pausing the footage. “We just watched a solo category two wipe out a swarm of elementals and a cat-three the size of a train car in forty-three seconds.”

“How did you get in here?” Kaito asked. “I’ve got magic powers. How do you not know that at this point?” “I have security abilities,” Kaito said. “Sensor abilities.” Ruth chuckled, sharing an amused look with Jason. “The tyranny of rank, little brother.” “You’re the little brother,” Kaito said. “That may be true out in the world, Kai,” Jason said, “but not here. This is my kingdom.”

“I’m positively dripping with anticipation.”

“Jason,” she said. “Did I ever tell you that you were my favourite grandchild?” “No, Grandmother.” “Good, because you’re not. You are coming along, though.” Jason chuckled and leapt over the railing, leaving his smiling grandmother behind.

“Miss Emi,” Shade said. “If you find yourself in need of a shadow-based familiar once you obtain essences, I think you and I should talk.” “Traitor!” Jason exclaimed.

“It’s him, right?” Griff asked. “It’s him,” Lauren said. “I saw him when he was here a couple of weeks ago. Thank God.” “I would not say that to his face, ma’am,” said a voice that sounded vaguely like a British butler. “He has a thing about gods.”

“We have proof!” “So does climate change and how’s that going? If I hear anyone on our side peddling a line about the EOA being behind this, I will personally have wild monkey sex with your father.” “My father’s dead, you arsehole.” “Then he won’t struggle, will he? Get back to work.”

“You’re talking about god-like power, right? Is that what you want for yourself? If you become that powerful, will we be the grains of sand to you?” Jason looked up at her with tremulous eyes. “I don’t know.”

It had barely been days since Jason had been desperately fighting to save lives in Broken Hill. In its wake, he had been seeking out warmth and levity while his insides were pulled taut like a bowstring. As he pictured the lives being lost at that very moment, the bowstring snapped.

“Most of the survivors have been collected,” she told him as he dropped off a busload of rescued people at one of the Network’s evacuation camps. “Most of the monsters are gone.” “Guarantee me that if I stop, no one will die that would have lived if I hadn’t,” he said. “You know I can’t do that.” “Then you know I can’t stop.”

“You can be a fool of the highest order, Jason Asano, but even you’re not fool enough to think the cosmos is fair.” “It should be.” “If you don’t like the way of things, then change them. All you need is enough power.”

“It’s bad, yeah,” Jason said. “But that’s the job.” “Is it your job? You never actually joined the Network.” “No, I joined the Adventure Society, which means putting myself between the bad things and the people who aren’t equipped to face them. Jumping worlds doesn’t change that.” “And this Adventure Society is some bastion of virtue, compared to the Network?” “Of course not, but they let you make your own choices. You just have to be willing to live with the consequences. My friend Rufus taught me that.”

“Mr Asano,” Souta said as they waited for Itsuki to return. “The Japanese authorities came to find you during your absence. We truthfully told them that you had already departed, but it might be time for you to bring this trip to Japan to an end.” “Well, I did set off a bunch of car bombs, so I can hardly blame them. Good thing you tried to murder me or I’d feel bad about bringing that to your door.” Souta gave Jason an awkward smile.

“This is an important opportunity, son, but while I know you admire Mr Asano, do not lose sight of how dangerous he is.” “We are all dangerous, Father. We have all slain many monsters.” “That’s not what I mean. You need not fear the man who kills, for all you need to do is be better. Fear the man who kills, then smiles and laughs like it is any other day. There is no line such a man will not cross, whatever he might tell you. Or tell himself.” “I don’t think he’s like that,” Itsuki said. “Look at the things he’s done. It’s clear how hard he’s trying to be a good man.” “Exactly,” Koya said. “Good men don’t have to try.”

“I’ve known Jason since he was twelve years old,” Ian had told her. “I’ve seen him at his highest and his lowest points. At the end of the day, what matters is that I know he would do anything for my little girl. We’re here right now because Jason doesn’t trust himself to choose the entire world over my wife and daughter. What matters next to that?”

“Any chance you could leave a guy some loot in there?” “I think I can manage that,” Jason said. “You made a wise choice, Franz.” Shade’s bodies emerged from the shadows of every one of Franz’s silver-rankers, including Franz himself. As Jason strode to the aperture, the bodies returned to his own shadow in a swarm.

“I was once shot off the side of a mountain by a waterfall experiencing intermittent service failure,” Jason said, watching the upside-down-helicopter-turned-power-saw. “I’ve come back from the dead, fought interdimensional dinosaurs and met my evil magic clone. Somehow, this is still the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.” “He’s very precise,” Akari’s sister, Mei, said. “You don’t see a lot of that in upside-down helicopters.”

“Haven’t tried that, yet. I’ve never actually needed a palace for anything.” “No one has ever needed a palace, Jason. They just wanted a lot of golden sconces more than they wanted poor people to have food.”

“So, ah, has Asya talked to you yet?” Greg asked. “About going to the other world?” “Yeah.” “She has. Have you both been working up to ask me?” “We figured one of us should soften you up by sleeping with you first,” Greg said. “I won’t lie: I’m glad she volunteered.” Jason burst out laughing.

hangar to meet Cleary, when his assistants approached him. “We’ve found an elf for you, sir,” Fiona told Gerling. “We have?” David asked. “It turns out that one of the early reactions to people transforming into strange new species is—” “Rich people paying to have sex with them,” Gerling realised. “Precisely,” Fiona said. “Brothels are opening up like mushrooms after rain in the transformation zones and we have contracted someone who has quickly come into high demand, despite her considerable rates.” “Excellent work.” “Contracted?” David asked. “I thought we were just going to grab some elf.” Gerling and Fiona both turned on him with disdain. “Do you think I’m a rapist?” Gerling asked. “You kill a lot of people,” David said uncertainly. “I thought you did what you wanted. Isn’t that what power is for?” “And you think what I want is to rape people? Fiona, get this guy replaced.” “Yes, sir.” “You just said that you wanted us to get you an elf!” David whined. “I assumed not raping people went without saying,” Gerling said. “Fiona, make sure the next guy understands that.”

“You don’t think I’m bad for killing all those people?” “They came for you and yours, bro. Put ‘em down hard and don’t look back.”

“You realise that if you knew as much about magic as you did about American television from the eighties and nineties, you’d probably have saved the world already.” “Forever Knight was Canadian!” On the other side of the hall, Erika had a tear in her eye and a smile on her lips as she watched her brothers loudly argue.

“Don’t you dare pity me. You made my life a triumph. My death too, for that matter. Don’t you ever try and take that from me by thinking you made my choices for me. I died a hero, Jason, not a victim. You don’t get to turn me into one inside your head.”

“I love you, brother,” Kaito said as they walked. “I’m going to bang your wife and raise your kids,” Jason whispered. “I’m going to make all three call me Daddy.” “Oh my god, you’re an arse.”

Jason looked at them all for the last time. “Whatever it is waiting for you on the other side,” he told them, “I hope it’s amazing.”

“I'm gettin' good at me powers,” Orange said. “I've been practising like Instructor Hot Stuff taught us.” “You’re a pig, Orange,” Darce said. “I only call her that because of her volcano powers,” Orange said. “Do I also want to bang her like a drum? Yes, I do, but I'm a gentleman.”

“Thank you for setting this up, Dawn. And Shade, thank your dad, when you get the chance.” “The Reaper will not care,” Shade said. “I’d appreciate you doing it anyway.”

“Why would I want to be feared?” Frank asked. “Have you ever tried to find four for a bridge game when everyone thinks you’re going to eat them?”

“Where exactly are we going?” Frank asked as the careening chase continued. “Away,” Vermillion said, swerving the car around a corner as they rushed through Bankstown’s empty streets. “I don’t like ‘away’ being the most solid plan we have,” Frank said. An explosion to the right of the car tore up asphalt. “You may have missed it, Frank, but even just ‘away’ is a high bar right this second.”

“What does that mean?” Andreas asked. “It means that your vehicle is bleeding,” Javier growled with his wolf mouth. “It doesn’t have any blood,” Andreas said. “I don’t think the guy who fought a zombie army with magic butterflies really cares.”

“We’ll look after your family,” Dawn said. “If the worst happens and you fail, I will make sure they and Miss Hurin are safely sent to the other world.” “You can do that?” Jason asked. “If this world’s dimensional membrane enters a state of irreversible collapse, I no longer have to worry about damaging it. I can intervene directly and take them away in my dimensional vessel.” Jason gave her a warm smile. “Thank you.”