356. Outbreak III
“What are you doing here?” Adam asked as the others awakened, scrambling together in case there was a fight.
The figure wore something on their head, like a large hat. As the figure approached, the group could see it wasn’t a hat, but a large bird.
“I see you are doing well,” the one known as Crowseer said. He was a man with a large, dark bird resting on his shoulders, over his head. He was adorned in long cloths all about him, with a rapier at his side, and a cane in hand. His eyes were dark, though his face was hard to see under the thin cloth across his face.
He stopped near the camp. His eyes moved in tandem with the large bird’s, a crow Adam assumed, though it was bigger, and fatter, than any crow he had ever seen before.
“Well, you know...” Adam replied, waiting for him to mention that.
“You are still making great waves,” Crowseer, which was both a title and name, said. “I have warned you already.”
“I can’t help it.”
“You can.”
Adam looked back to the others, noting Oliver, who reached back towards his greatsword, wondering if there was a fight brewing.
“Do you know of him?” Oliver asked.
“Kind of. He’s a...” Adam looked towards the sky, then back to the Crowseer. “I assume Demigod is incorrect.”
“It is close enough.” Crowseer bowed his head.
Upon seeing the Crowseer, Jurot bowed his head slightly. “Crowseer,” he said, and the other Iyrmen did the same.
“Children of the Iyr.” Crowseer raised a hand to greet them, before they returned back to their places to sleep.
Upon seeing the Iyrmen leave, the farmers also withdrew slightly, but they remained nearby.
“I’ve never seen a Demigod before.”
“Demigod, Quasigod, Psuedogod,” Crowseer began, “they are all incorrect, but correct.”
“What does that mean?” Oliver asked.
“I merely wish to rest for the night here.”
Oliver looked to Adam, and noting that the Iyrmen didn’t seem too bothered, he retreated away. The punk’s party and the harem party were still on edge, but they didn’t act on their own.
The Crowseer sat, upright as though his cane was glued to his back. “Take a seat.”
Though he was speaking to the air, they all understood he was speaking to Adam, who stepped towards the centre of the outpost, taking a seat opposite the Crowseer. The flame had begun to die out, though Adam placed several small twigs and thicker pieces of wood into the fire, stoking the flame with a stick.
“You are playing a dangerous game, Adam.” His words may have been firm, but they faded away after they reached Adam.
“I’m being good and quiet now.”
“It may be too late for that.”
“What do you expect me to do?”
Crowseer smiled. “I am merely offering my opinion. If you do not wish to take my advice, it will be what it will be.”
“So you’re not going to take responsibility for your words?”
“No,” Crowseer replied, simply, smiling at the Half Elf. “There are very few things I can, and will, take responsibility for.”
“No wonder I like you,” Adam said, chuckling. “I feel like I’m at home.”
Crowseer stared down at the flames, the flickering light painting him with light, adding a little warmth and colour to his cold darkness.
“You know, every time I meet you, there’s always someone whose depressed as hell that eventually joins my party,” Adam accused. “First it was Jonn, and then it was Fred.”
“A coincidence,” Crowseer replied, though there was a shadow of a smile on his face.
“Yeah, yeah,” Adam replied, rolling his eyes. “A coincidence I’m sure.”
“I should be thankful you are not rushing forward so blindly, otherwise the Iyr would have killed you.”
“Can you beat him?”
“It is not a fair question,” Crowseer finally replied. “In his current form, he holds but a fraction of his strength.”
“Yeah, but can you beat him?”
“In his current form, perhaps even you could beat him.”
“Really?”
“If you were lucky.”
“Yeah, but isn’t that true for everyone?”
“No.”
“Are you as old as Strom?”
“I am not as old as you think I am,” Crowseer admitted.
Adam wondered. “Are there multiple Crowseers?”
“We are one.”
“Hmmm.” Adam continued to wonder. Crowseer was far more talkative than Adam expected. He was sure Crowseer had let slip many secrets during their conversation, but he didn’t understand the context to reveal such slip ups. “What kind of powers do you possess?”
“You should sleep, Adam,” Crowseer said.
“Too far?”
“No, but you will not awaken well rested if I keep you up all night.”
“I’ll just sleep a little longer.”
“It would be rude of me to press upon you so much.”
“Is that really why you want me to leave?”
“No,” Crowseer admitted, smiling at Adam. “If you do not leave, it will be difficult for me to leave.”
“Alright, alright.” Adam hoisted himself onto his feet, patting his trousers. “It was nice to speak with you, Sir Crowseer.”
“Just call me Crowseer,” the man said.
“Alright.” Adam looked to the farmers. “Are any of them, by any chance, the depressed person who will join me?”
Crowseer smiled.
Adam waved. “Good night, Crowseer.”
“Good night, Adam,” Crowseer replied.
Adam walked off, all the while the Crowseer’s eyes flashed. Though only a moment had passed, time flashed before his eyes of another’s life.
“Adam,” Crowseer called.
“Yeah?”
“Please pass on my congratulations to the Iyrmen.”
“Congratulations? For what?”
Crowseer smiled, though the shadow on his face formed a frown. ‘Oh dear.’ His eyes fell across to the group of Iyrmen, and the Demon in their company.
‘Fate will be forever changed.’
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