Gary

Also known as Gareth Xandier, Gary Xandier

Major
First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 8

Gareth Xandier is impossible to miss: a leonid of enormous proportions whose size somehow makes his startling agility all the more impressive. There is an easy, handsome confidence to him, softened by a sociable appetite for good company and good food.

Gender: male
Age: adult
First appears: Book 1 · Ch. 8
Books: 3

Gareth Xandier—known to his friends as Gary—begins the series as a towering, affable leonid adventurer whose size belies his agility and warmth. Over the course of the saga he retires from adventuring to pursue his love of cooking and smithing, only to be remade by Hero’s Cup into a demigod whose golden fire and hammer essences make him a living bulwark against the undead. His journey culminates in a deliberate, sacrificial stand that costs him his life, yet leaves him remembered not as a distant hero but as the steadfast friend who chose others over himself.

Description

Gareth is a huge, muscular leonid, a lion-like humanoid whose imposing body gives him an unmistakably powerful silhouette. He is described as good-looking, though the text does not specify his fur, mane, eye color, or finer facial features. In training, he wears practical exercise clothes; his posture and movement suggest surprising agility beneath his massive build. His presence is both physically commanding and easygoing. A towering, massively built lion-man, with the size and shape of a professional wrestler enlarged to an imposing, bodybuilder-dwarfing scale. Thick fur covers his body, and a glorious, wild mane surrounds his lion-like head and leonine face. His hands are huge, hairy, and fairly human in shape, while his feet and neck are enormous. He wears comfortable, loose clothing over his fur, sometimes dressed in colorful draped evening wear; in battle he can be encased in heavy conjured iron armor. Gareth is identified as a male Leonid, but the text provides no specific details about his height, build, fur, mane, face, or eyes. He is seen working an indoor barbecue in a leather apron bearing the slogan, “Adventuring is more fun when you eat the bad guy.” His practical, work-focused presence suggests a craftsman at ease behind the grill. Gary is a huge Leonid, his powerful frame covered in thick fur and crowned by a leonid mane; his face is distinctly leonine, with striking golden eyes. His usual working presence is that of a practiced smith, sometimes leaning by the forge with a drink in a coconut shell, but he is also seen in heavy black-and-gold armor traced with molten-steel lines. An enormous hammer suits his scale, while a short-handled mallet looks almost modest in his grasp. When empowered, a golden radiance surrounds him, intensifying the already imposing impression of his build and armor. A massive, exceptionally tall leonid with a furry, powerful humanoid body. His eyes can blaze with golden light, and he is often wreathed in golden fire or radiating divine golden light; glowing gold sigils are carved across his bare torso. At normal size he still towers over other people, while his divine power can enlarge him to enormous, even fourteen-story height. His voice is deep and resonant.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Humphrey Gellerfather and son
Gary is revealed as Humphrey’s father; their familial tie is only confirmed in book 10, adding new weight to Gary’s sacrificial choice.
Farrah Hurinconflicting source relationships
Long-time adventuring teammates whose affectionate teasing masks deep trust; Farrah trains Gary’s aura before Jason refines it, and she is among the last to embrace him before his death.
Jason Asanoconflicting source relationships
From the moment Gary welcomes the newcomer into the group, their bond deepens through banter, practical support, and shared danger; by book 10 Jason is devastated by Gary’s choice to accept Hero’s lethal gift, yet respects his friend’s decision in the end.
Rufus Remoreconflicting source relationships
Comrades who have shared countless adventures; Gary supports Rufus through trauma in book 1, and their friendship reaches its most poignant note when Rufus begs Gary to choose life in book 11.
H
Heroconflicting source relationships
Initially a distant patron whose Cup transforms Gary into a demigod; the god later regrets the lethal cost, while Gary accepts both the power and its fatal consequence.
AO
Avatar of Undeathdivine combatants on opposing sides
Gary’s final divine opponent; their evenly matched battle in book 11 is the centerpiece of the coalition’s strategy to weaken and destroy the avatar.

Story so far

BOOK 1He Who Fights with Monsters: A LitRPG Adventure
- Sparring and training with Rufus and Farrah, showcasing acrobatic skill despite his massive frame.
- Carries an exhausted Jason across the desert and advises him on gear in the Adventure Society trade hall.
- Intervenes to protect Jason’s familiar from Anisa and throws Rufus’s trowel to kill Alicia Vane.
- Withstands Dominion’s aura, earning the god’s cryptic remark that monarchs are born from such defiance.
BOOK 10He Who Fights with Monsters 10: A LitRPG Adventure
- Retires from adventuring to run a grill and work his forge before drinking from Hero’s Cup.
- Is remade into a Gold-rank demigod wielding divine fire and hammer essences.
- Holds the breached wall against the undead avatar while Gabriel and Arabelle fight beside him.
- Reunites with Farrah, sharing an enthusiastic hug and asking if she will join the expedition.
BOOK 11He Who Fights with Monsters 11: A LitRPG Adventure
- Challenges territorial rival Durrum and nearly loses control before allies intervene.
- Faces the Avatar of Undeath in evenly matched divine combat, buying time for the coalition’s plan.
- Spends his final hours with parents, Rufus, Farrah, and Jason, choosing to relinquish Hero’s power.
- Gives his relic to Hero’s church, insisting he never wanted to be remembered as a hero—only as a friend.