He Who Fights With Monsters 7 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #7)

by Shirtaloon

“Jason’s world held many secrets. On returning, he found himself with responsibilities that someone of his rank should not have had to shoulder. Enemies whose power utterly dwarfed his own.” “No change there, then,” Jory muttered. “Still picking fights he can’t win.”

“It's fine,” he assured her. “I mean, have I met a bunch of gods? Yes, but it's not like we hang out.” Farrah gave him a flat look. “I told you, it's fine. What's the next thing I need to know about our destination? What's the signature drink? Does it have coconuts? I love coconuts.” “I don’t know the signature drink.” “What kind of half-baked training did you go through?

Just don’t go off on any of your ‘here’s why everyone but me is wrong’ speeches.” “I’ll do my best.” “Could you strive for my best?” Farrah asked. “It’s just that, you know… I’ve seen your best.”

“I don’t want to live at some marina again,” Jason said. “I want to find a nice little spot, maybe buy an out-of-the-way plot and put my cloud house on it. Arnote is perfect for that.” “Livaros will have crystal wash.” “SHADE! We’re changing course!”

“Jason would not see it as a waste if it keeps you all alive,” Dawn said. “In his time away, he came to understand how much he needs you all.” “Maybe not Neil,” Belinda muttered. “Jason has earned my help,” Dawn said. “Both with the sacrifices he has made and the sacrifices to come.” “What does that mean?” Neil asked. “Does that mean us? I don’t want to get sacrificed.”

“I do like to try new things,” Jason said. “I can give it a go.” “And don’t try to sleep with their princess.” “I’m not going to sleep with their princess.” “I know you’re not going to sleep with their princess. I'm saying don't try.” “I won't.” “Good.” “But what if they have a lot of princesses?” “Jason...” “That Vidal guy suggested the royal family is pretty big. They might be hard to avoid.” Farrah shook her head. “This is not going to go well.”

“You’re about as mortal as it gets,” Farrah told Jason. “Which is odd for a man who keeps coming back from the dead.”

She instructed me specifically to ask that you to be more careful, Mr Asano. She may not know the details, but she is aware that death is becoming an unfortunate habit for you.” “Yeah,” Jason said wanly. “Coming back from the dead is kind of my thing.” “She would rather it wasn't, so please do her a favour and stop dying in the first place.”

“You did plenty for my world,” Jason told her. “You faced the monster waves. The army of the dead at Makassar. Without you, they may have never figured out how to repair the grid and bring the monster waves to an end. You did more than anyone actually from that world.” “Jason,” Farrah said, “you’re from that world.” “No,” he said softly. “Not anymore.”

“If Dawn's warnings hold true, there are dark days for all of us ahead.” “Nope,” Jason said. “I’ve had quite enough of dark days, thank you very much. If the Builder and his creepy steampunk cyborgs want to make things crappy for people, they need to go through me. I’m appointing myself the defender of cheerfulness, friendly barbecues and nice afternoon naps. You have to help, by the way.”

“Since when do you care so much about food?” Rufus asked her. “You can eat spirit coins if you like,” Farrah told him. “I’ve lived in the land of refined sugar.”

Don’t expect it any cheaper than here, though. I’m only offering you this because you married my ex-wife.” “Can I get a discount if I give her back?” “Do that and I charge you double.” “You’re already charging me double.” “Yeah, well, it’ll be double-double.” “Do you mean quadruple?” “Shut your smart mouth!” “You know, this is why Ella left you…” Rufus shook his head and moved on.

“Not sure how, exactly. I’ve got this friend whose disregard for the rules apparently extends to the laws of life and death. I’d say it’d get him into trouble, but, from what I hear, he’s running out of kinds of trouble to get into.” “I think you might be underestimating him,” Neil said.

“You know how he came back?” “No, but I saw his certification from the Church of Death and it said he's died four times. So far. It actually said ‘so far’ on the certification. I've never seen that before.”

“How bad was it really?” he asked Farrah softly. “He wanted to bring his family with him,” she said. “They didn’t come because they were scared of him.” “Because of the way his abilities are?” “No. But make sure Gary doesn’t make any jokes about evil powers once he gets here, alright?”

“All I’m invading is the local crystal wash supply. I’m not that hard to deal with.” “Your soul says otherwise, Mr Asano. It tells a story of war.”

“Why do I get the impression that you’re never quite telling the truth, even when you aren’t lying?” “Because I’m clearly a man of mystery. I lead a life of danger, excitement and baked goods.”

“I’m almost aggressively unambitious,” Jason said before adding with a sullen mutter, “for all the good it’s done me.”

Neil groaned and stomped off. “He misses Jason,” Gary said, approaching Sophie and Ken. “Such a tsundere.” “You know I don’t like that term,” Sophie said. “That’s because you are one,” Neil called back. “You can participate in the conversation or go off and sulk,” Sophie told him. “You can’t do both.” “Watch me!”

“We have a use for you first. Come along and maybe you'll find a chance to escape. Better than fighting and dying.” “I’ve been taken prisoner and I’ve fought and died,” Jason said as he conjured a dagger into his hand. “I liked the fighting better.”

He had to be quiet; to listen more than he spoke and to learn more than he revealed. It was a far cry from his strong suit, but if he wanted things to go better than they had in the past, he needed to be better himself.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to share who or what that backer is?” Liara asked. “I'm sure it'll dawn on you eventually,”

“I don’t like Asano. I don’t like his arrogance and I don’t like his disrespect. But when they made that man, they forgot the part that knows how to quit.

What did I do to deserve the way I’ve been treated by you and yours? Not be powerful enough to tell you all to bugger off? I met one of you once, so now you get to own me? Unless I’m not making it clear, if I get one more of you royal pricks making off-hand comments about respect while showing me none at all, then you are going to find out exactly how I’m still here despite the diamond-rankers, gods and great astral beings on my big list of enemies. The Builder came for my soul, then he killed me, in person, but I’m still here and he’s still trying. You think I’m scared of royalty? You’ve got it arse-backwards, Princess. You should be scared of me.”

“I wasn't meant to be who I am. I was meant to be better, but they won't…” He ran a hand over his face. “It wasn't meant to be like this,” he said. “It can't just be Earth all over again. Not here.”

“You think we don’t want to keep people safe?” Liara asked. “I’m sure you do, so long as it doesn’t cost you too much. Jason doesn’t want to protect people; he just does it. He pays the price every time, whatever it is, because people like you won’t. It’s cost his family, his life more than once and it’s on the edge of costing his sanity. He’s running out of things to pay. I spent the last two years watching every hope he had turn to ash because of the things he had to do and the things he had to become.

“Why doesn’t matter,” Jason cut in, his voice soft. “If you want it, that’s all the why I need.” “It matters, Mr Asano. I know that you worry about what the actions you take are turning you into. You always wonder where the line is, and fear that you crossed it long ago without ever seeing it. You did not. This is the line, Mr Asano. If you do this, there is no coming back. Not all the way.”

Jason turned and wandered back in the direction of the cave. “Okay,” Korinne said. “Who was that guy and what happened to the other guy?” “Same guy,” Vesper said happily as she set off after Jason. “He just put the mask back on.”

“Oh, I’m aware. My friends from home brought word that as soon as I left, the vampires started a war.” “Why would they wait until you leave?” “Because people from my world have learned what it is to be my enemy.” “This is not your world, Mr Asano.” “I know. But my enemies here will learn too.”

All I can do is try and convince him to take his allies and leave.” She turned her gaze back on Jason. “Which he will not. For an outworlder, he is stubbornly human. Again and again, I have watched him sacrifice for those who turned around and treated him poorly. Exploited him. And he kept doing it, even when it made his own family fear what that turned him into. That is how far he will go to secure my assistance for you, for no more reason than you need him to.”

“This does not mean the task ahead of us is easy,” Soramir said. “Only that it is possible at all. Make no mistake: many of us will fall today. The price we pay for our kingdom’s safety—for its very survival—will be high. But we will pay it, because that is our duty. Throughout the history of this kingdom, we have always stood at the top. Now the time has come for us to stand at the front.”