74. Doing Better

Jason relaxes on his balcony, ready to absorb an Awakening Stone of Wrath, when Humphrey arrives unexpectedly. Humphrey’s uneasy demeanor signals a serious purpose, and he questions Jason about the brutal, mocking tactics Jason used against Rick’s team in the mirage arena.

Jason tries to frame the issue as complex, offering a hypothetical about stopping a drunken town bully and the unintended harm that might follow once the adventurer leaves. He argues that moral choices aren’t always simple and that sometimes any action worsens outcomes. Humphrey admits there’s no clear answer but presses Jason on how this connects to the arena incident.

Jason explains that Humphrey’s mother wants Humphrey’s rigid principles tested, not replaced, and that Jason is tired of being treated like an ethics lesson instead of a friend. He asserts he is trying to do better, even if he errs, and that his powers—geared toward fear, misery, and death—necessitate unsettling methods to prepare others and deter enemies.

Humphrey challenges whether terrorizing others is acceptable training, citing Jason’s laughter and staging of a corpse as inhuman cruelty. Jason calls it theatrics meant to harden them for real dangers and to cultivate a reputation that deters attacks. Humphrey rejects this, saying words can excuse anything, and leaves, telling Jason to examine where that cruelty came from.

The conversation ends with their friendship strained and the Awakening Stone unused, underscoring the gulf between Jason’s pragmatism and Humphrey’s moral absolutism.