He Who Fights with Monsters 9

3

WHAT SHE WAS WILLING TO DO

“NOW THAT DAWN HAS SCARPERED,” JASON SAID, “I’VE HALF OF A MIND TO

do the same. Bottle up the pagoda, portal out and bunk off. No one would notice, right?”

He and his friends were sitting around a long table on a pagoda balcony, eating lunch.

“Of course someone would notice,” Rufus said. “There are twelve people observing the building right now.”

“Seventeen,” Jason and Estella corrected simultaneously before glancing at each other briefly.

“The point is,” Rufus continued, “that if you start making unexpected moves, people will get worried.”

“He always makes unexpected moves,” Farrah said. “And they always get worried.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Bro, you went through a children’s ward and made everyone think you’re an angel.”

“That was one time.”

“You had a rolling gunfight with a motorcycle gang hopped up on vampire blood,” Taika said. “On TV. And I was driving. I’m not good at dodging bullets, bro. I’m too big.”

“We do have some responsibilities here before we can leave,” Humphrey pointed out. “I don’t feel bad about skipping this meeting with Estella’s former employer, but we’ve agreed to help Miss Leal obtain a new familiar.”

As someone with a bonded familiar of his own, Humphrey was especially sympathetic to Autumn Leal’s plight. Bonded familiars were actual magical

creatures that could die, compared to Jason’s summoned familiars. If Shade, Colin or Gordon were destroyed, their spirits simply returned to the astral and Jason could resummon them. When Autumn lost her familiar, Humphrey could not help but think about losing Stash and how devastated he would be.

“I could go with skipping the celebration ball, though,” Sophie said. “Why do the rest of us need to go?”

After months of monsters and extradimensional invasions, the dimensional membrane that normally kept such problems away had finally repaired itself, bringing the monster surge and the Builder invasion to an end. The Magic Society made public announcements and Rimaros, like the rest of the world, was in celebrations.

A lengthy festival was taking place, despite the devastation and loss the surge had brought. If only for a short time, people needed some release after monsters and death and mobile cities attacking by land, sea and air. This monster surge had been the longest and most devastating in recorded history, bringing with it not one but two interdimensional invasions, only one of which had been dealt with.

Rural populations needed to leave the cities and fortress towns, returning to what would often be monster-ravaged towns and villages around the Storm Kingdom. Infrastructure would need to be rebuilt and industries built back up. More than just the monster surge, the state of readiness the world had been in for a good five years prior to the surge had hurt economies, closed businesses and turned boom towns into ghost towns.

The repercussions would likely still be felt by the time of the next surge, but now, the repopulation, rebuilding and the messengers that had hidden themselves away could wait. The world would take a week for some much- needed celebratory catharsis.

“The festivals on the streets are the real celebration,” Rufus said. “This ball for the aristocracy is just a show. The first round in the next cycle of political gamesmanship. With everything up in the air, a lot of power is up for grabs.”

“So why should Jason put himself up for grabs with it?” Sophie asked. “Anyone with real power will either know Jason isn’t genuinely leaving the team or be able to easily find out. So why bother with the show?”

“It’s not about convincing them that I’m going off somewhere,” Jason said. “It’s about giving them a sense of control. These are people used to holding power, and there’s been a lot going on that they don’t understand and

have no influence over. A lot of that is centred on this pagoda and me sitting in it. Normally, their response to something like that is to take or, failing that, kill it. By jumping through some hoops for them now, I become more of a known quantity, and demonstrate that at least someone can bring me to heel.” “Except that’s total crap and you go berserk when people try to control

you,” Sophie said.

“Yes, but we won’t be telling people that. I told you: it’s a show. I don’t want to spend the next few years fending off people who think that I’m some kind of rogue threat.”

“You are some kind of rogue threat,” Sophie said. “Again, please don’t tell people that at the party.”

“I hope you don’t think one party is going to put a stop to people thinking that they can or should come after you,” Neil said.

“Of course not,” Jason said. “There will always be someone with too much ambition, too much stupidity or both. But most of the people at this ball are just concerned about a loose power running around during times that are already uncertain. The Adventure Society and the royal family can parade me around, showing everyone what a good boy I am. Then I’m no longer an unknown threat to anyone’s ambitions or just the general welfare of the kingdom.”

“You think any nobles care about the welfare of the populace?” Belinda asked. “Good luck finding one.”

“There’s no shortage of selfish nobles,” Jason admitted. “But some, I assume, are good people.”

“Nope,” Sophie said. “They all suck.”

“Based on your long history of robbing them?” Rufus asked pointedly. “Yes,” Sophie said.

“You realise that Humphrey and I are both from aristocratic families, right?” Neil asked.

“Yeah, but he’s pretty and you’re the healer. I’ve seen the things they hide away. Mostly while stealing them. Your aunt Clarice has a hideous doll collection, by the way, Neil. I have no idea why she locks it up, because no one is going to steal that, trust me.”

“You broke into my house?”

“There’s no point breaking into poor people’s houses,” Belinda said. “They don’t have any money. I suppose if you’re crap at breaking into places.”

“The point is,” Sophie said, “that I’ve seen the things they hide. The worse they are, the harder they work to make themselves seem good. Humphrey and his mum might be nice and clean, but even Humphrey will tell you that not all of his family are like them.”

“We all have secrets we hide,” Humphrey said. “Things we’re ashamed of.”

Everyone stopped eating and turned to look at Humphrey. “What?” he asked.

“What do you have to be ashamed of?” Neil asked.

“My entire point was that we don’t tell people those things,” Humphrey said. “That’s why they’re secrets.”

“You keep saying ‘we,’ but I don’t think you have anything you’re ashamed of,” Belinda said.

“Of course he does,” Jason said. “I bet it’s that one time, as a boy, he secretly pilfered some condensed milk from the pantry.”

“No,” Gary said. “I bet he skipped out on training once to read a book on how to maintain a humble demeanour when people won’t stop looking into your sensuous eyes, like molten bowls of dark chocolate.”

“Sophie,” Belinda said. “What’s Humphrey’s deep, dark secret?”

Sophie finished chewing on a mouthful of salad as everyone looked at her.

“He accidentally killed a baby,” she said casually. “This salad dressing is fantastic. Can I get some of this on a sandwich?”

As she shoved another forkful of salad into her mouth, Humphrey looked more and more like a boiling kettle until he finally boiled over.

“I DID NOT ACCIDENTALLY KILL A BABY!”

“You did say that not admitting it was the entire point,” Jason observed. “Yeah, he definitely killed that baby,” Neil said.

“I did not kill a baby!”

“It’s a helpless little baby, bro. I know it was supposedly an accident, but how could you?”

“Of course he had to say it was an accident,” Gary pointed out. “Plus, it’s his word against that of a dead baby, so that’s probably how he got away with it.”

Estella, watching the group continue roasting Humphrey, leaned towards Clive, who was also staying out of it.

“Is it always like this?”

“More or less.”

“Aren’t you all meant to be some group of elite adventurers?” “I’d consider our capabilities adequate.”

“I was expecting more… I don’t know. Dignity, I guess.”

“Admittedly, it’s more like this with Jason around,” Clive told her. “He has a way of setting the tone. But it’s a good thing. Dignity is for outsiders; a face we put on, as needed. We let Humphrey take the lead with that. But we’ve seen some serious things. Lots of death, lives ruined. Adventurers often meet people on the worst days of their lives. Being able to have a little fun helps keep us sane.”

“Jason knows that better than most,” Farrah said from where she was sat next to Clive. “He and I were trapped in another world for a few years, and we saw some serious business. Sometimes you need people who understand and accept you, and if you don’t have that, things can get extremely bleak.”

“He asked me to come work for him.”

“As an auxiliary, I know,” Clive said. “We try to avoid letting Jason make major decisions for the team without discussing them first. Unfortunately, they keep cropping up while we’re busy trying to not die. It’s a good life, but even if you’re not fighting for us, spying for us will be far from risk-free.”

Estella looked at the boisterous people loudly devouring their lunch. Being risk-averse had always been important to her. Too much risk was the very thing that had led to her falling out with her previous employer. As she watched the group, saw their care for one other, having fun together, she witnessed something she’d never had for herself.

Estella’s parents had been adventurers, dying when she was young. She had been raised by her grandfather, who never pushed her towards adventuring, not wanting to lose her the way he had his son. Estella had always been solitary by nature, but the loss of her grandfather had changed something. The absence of the one real connection she had to another person left her feeling untethered. Perhaps it was time to start re-evaluating what she wanted and what she was willing to do to get it.

“I don’t like you going to him,” Sophie said. “Smells like a trap.”