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

by Shirtaloon

“Hole in the universe?” Clive asked. “How is that even possible, and why is⁠—” “Clive,” Jason’s projection cut in, wagging a disapproving finger. “I know you've got questions but stop interrupting. People are trying to listen to the recording. Be courteous and wait.” The group burst out laughing at the expression on Clive’s face, the tension breaking like an overflowing dam.

Jory was contemplating the return of the crystal wash vampire

or rummage around those fancy pants and see if you can't dig out some balls.”

Soph, Asano was always one story or another to you. You thought too little or too much of him and never looked at him for what he really was.” “Which was what?” “Some guy. He was kind of amazing and kind of a turd, but he was still just some guy. But now he's a myth in your head and you can't expect him to live up to that.”

“Because dragons are famous for responding well to being told what to do. Especially when they have Jason Asano as a role model.” “It does feel like he takes after Jason more than me,” Humphrey said. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Jason's an adventurer,” Humphrey said. “It's not just what he does, but who he is. My mother once said that Jason was the most natural-born adventurer she's ever seen. She told me that because she said it would get him killed and, being Mother, she was right. We saw him die an adventurer’s death with our own eyes. Wherever he's been, and whatever he's been through, I refuse to believe that's changed.”

“Being royalty means we should be more fastidious about the rules, Vesper, not less. We have to be examples.”

“You can't just pretend you secretly agreed to marry someone who is now conveniently dead to dodge a political marriage. Also, killing him would be a bad idea.”

“All he would say is that coming back from the dead is kind of his thing. Once I saw his certification, that turned out to be not quite as facetious as I first thought.”

Jason immediately got along with the local gold-ranker, retired adventurer Warwick Warnock. Despite having the name of a mid-tier supervillain, he was friendly and humble, heavily dialling down his aura so as to not make anyone uncomfortable.

“All I’m invading is the local crystal wash supply. I’m not that hard to deal with.”

“You don’t need to worry,” Jason assured her. “It’s me. What could possibly go wrong?” “You’re really going to tempt fate like that?” “Fate tempted me first. If I can fight the Builder, I can bloody well fight her.” “You realise there’s no actual god of fate, right? It’s just a metaphor.” “Good, because I'm pretty sure I couldn't take her.”

“Sir, are you sure that wasn’t a monster?” “I don't care if it's the Goddess of Pain's firstborn daughter. Anyone who kills monsters and carries supplies will get a warm welcome from me. And from you. That's an order.”

“I said he uses afflictions,” Kerr said. “I didn’t say he uses the good sense the gods gave a plate of candied fruit slices.

Gold-rank monsters could live for decades or even centuries before their bodies broke down, sending them berserk. As such, the Adventure Society often left the non-aggressive varieties alone, while keeping track of their location and age.

“Once people invest enough in an idea, true or false no longer matters. They have made it such an intrinsic part of their identity that any challenge to that idea’s validity is viewed as an attack. Once it takes hold in an entire culture, that culture becomes very dangerous to its neighbours.”

It felt like he was in an endless loop where someone powerful used him for one thing or another, he got angry, made a little speech and nothing ever changed.

“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,”

Which tells me that this guy is gayer than a nautically themed dance troupe called Hot Seamen.”

“Don’t worry,” Farrah said. “I have an object lesson in foolish risks running around with me. I leave that sort of thing to him now.”

“Affliction skirmisher,” he muttered to himself. “Haven’t seen one of those in a long time.”

“He’s arrogant,” Ledev said. “You said it yourself, Ledev,” Jana told her brother. “Look at the people in this room. If meetings like this were being held about me, I’d be arrogant too.”

“He’s an affliction skirmisher,” Trenchant said. “Hit and run tactics, high mobility, high efficiency. It’s a specialisation that rarely appears and those that have it tend to die early, so you don’t see it often. Affliction skirmishers have a low margin of error and their survival is all about how well they expand that margin.”

“You know what I'd do if I was up against an affliction skirmisher? I'd run like the God of Pain was chasing me.

“With respect, Your Highness, you’ve held a politician’s meeting to assess an adventurer. If you want to know if he can handle a contract, give him one. And I’d recommend that you take one or two yourself. There’s a monster surge on, and I think you could use the perspective.”

“Then you should stop wagering. I thought you learned your lesson after he made you read the novelisation of Kazaam.” “Mr Asano, your world has dark and terrible things.”

“Why do I keep making the same mistakes?” he asked. “Because you keep facing the same problems,” she told him. “You’re surrounded by people with too much power whose interests converge on you.”

“I’d forgotten what it was like talking to you.” “It’s a treat, I know,” Jason said brightly.

“It’s Young Master Geller. I understand that my aristocratic lineage, being from a provincial, low-magic city-state, is inconsequential to a princess from Rimaros. But while my friend doesn't care if you call him Mr Asano, Jason or Susan the flower girl, I take pride in my name and my house. Unless you wish to forgo formal decorum, I will thank you to respect them both.”

At Humphrey’s use of the term ‘formal decorum,’ Liara and Vesper both flicked their eyes over Jason, lounging in a cloud chair with his feet up on a cloud footstool.

“You stepped out with me. You, me and Farrah.” “And look at what it did to you. You’re a vase, smashed and put back together so many times, you’re more glue than pottery.”

The Builder has come to our world and has been pushing the boundaries it agreed to abide by. This gives the gods of our world an amount of leeway to push their own boundaries in reaction. The time has come for the Builder to pay for his recklessness.”

“If it’s between letting people die and working with people who suck, that isn’t a choice.” “Yes, Jason, it is. It’s just an unpleasant one.