He Who Fights With Monsters 8 (He Who Fights with Monsters, #8)

by Shirtaloon

“Because powerful people are famous for deciding that they have enough power and not trying to get more. You can tell them it’ll only bring trouble all day long, but it’ll only convince them that it’s even more valuable than they thought.”

“That’s the covenant: adventurers protect people and the Adventure Society protects adventurers.”

“Since when do you care about rules?” “I care about rules when it matters,” Jason said. “This isn’t some king or great astral being nonsense that isn’t important. This is a board game.”

“It’s not my fault I have vast cosmic power. Your boss and her friends keep leaving it lying about. You don't put a gun out where an irresponsible child could get their hands on it.” “The irresponsible child being you.” “Do I at least get points for self-awareness?” “No.”

Auras were a spiritual force, an expression of the soul, and using them on others could only be done on a spiritual level.

From being an outworlder to soul trauma to secondary evolutions, Jason kept stumbling blindly into concepts that ranged from rarely enforced restrictions to things that were heavily locked down.

What I won’t apologise for is the anger that led me to that point. What you asked me to do was unbecoming of you as a man, a healer and as a friend.”

I’ve done my share of staring into the abyss, shouting into the void. The void is still there, same as ever. I’m the one who was changed for it.”

My job is to fix problems, usually by making them suffer and die. Your job is to make people better. For good or ill, you can’t afford to make yourself worse.”

‘Asano, you bastard.’”

“We have a lot of that in my world too. We call it faith as well, funnily enough.” “Jason, to some of us, our religion is very important. So, perhaps you could avoid being a huge prick about it?”

“I’ve never been one for the smart move. I don’t think I like what that says about me.”

Until I’m fully recovered, I have no interest in exposing myself to the next unexpected event or person making decisions for me for the greater good.”

“It’s a funny thing. I never used to be serious and now I always am, yet I’ve been the same level of ridiculous the whole time. When your life is outrageous, you have to be outrageous to live it.”

“I’m not sure that ordinary is ever going to be a path you get to walk, Jason.”

You have more insight than most into what Mr Asano’s soul is capable of, which means you could prove a danger to him. Also, that you understand the danger he could be to you.”

“Mr Asano courts no favour. He is true to himself, for good or—more often than I would like—ill.”

“Home isn’t where you’re from, Carlos; it’s where you go back to.”

“Shade is his own person. And it’s easier to forgive someone who has wronged you than someone who has wronged the people you cherish. In my experience anyway.”

“That maybe all the powerful people worried about what about what you’re up to are right to be.”

You are an astral king with a very diminutive kingdom.” “You’re saying I’ve bought real estate in the astral?” “I’m saying you are real estate in the astral. You are your domain, Jason.”

“But now, no warning?” “You are operating on a different scale now. Volcanos don’t warn you not to walk into them. You’re expected to figure that out by yourself.”

“Of course you’re going to die. Probably a lot; you can’t seem to help yourself. Just not from old age.”

“I’ve got a lot going on right now, Dawn; I’m downright eager to be reductive.”

“Travis was right! You are a magic space princess!”

“You don’t have to wave your arms like a magician every time you change things,” Dawn pointed out. “Yes, I do.” “No, Jason. You do not.” “Are you an astral king?”

“Why anyone would pick you to save an entire planet I have no idea.” “You think I’m maybe a little more frivolous than you’d expect from an agent of your boss?” “You can be quite ominous when the mood takes you, but you can never seem to find the middle ground. Melodrama seems to be your base state. I’m used to dealing with people who are a bit more… predictable in their approach.“

“The power to fulfil our deepest desires reveals what those desires are,” she mused, then looked at Jason with a smile. “And you have the desires of an idiot.”

“What are you made of?” she asked, still rubbing the hand she hurt punching Jason ineffectually. “I’m not sure. Infinity? Is that something you can be made of?”

“It’s like you’re trying make Team Knight Rider as written by Lewis Carroll.”

“But you're the guy who fights them anyway. I've done my best to help you, but it's on you to do the impossible. Again. In the coming years, enjoy yourself, but also get strong. As strong as you can, as fast as you can. When the time comes, you're going to need all the power you can muster.”

The time that the trio had been companions on Earth hadn't been that long, but it had felt like it was the three of them against the cosmos.

“If you want to go off having insane cosmic adventures, that's on you. Look at who I'm talking to: of course you will.”

“You got in a fight with Sophie’s mum all alone because you didn’t want to wear an orange belt.”

Life has a way of finding things for you to do.” “The things it finds for me tend to involve my needing to be as powerful as I can get, and it’s still never enough,” Jason said. “I guess I’ll have to be one of those maniacs.”