"I dunno. How many stories about hell end well, period?" That's kind of wry, but it's also very, very gentle. Like he is being as careful as he can to break some bad news. "Sweetheart, I don't intimidate easy, I don't back down, and I never plan to fail - but I'm smart enough to know what the options are here, and even the wins aren't end well. Might wanna reassess what you're trying to accomplish."