“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.”

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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.”

“Even as a Nephew?”

Crowseer smiled, but he decided against confirming or denying what the Iyr was capable of. “It’s a beautiful place, the Iyr.”

“Are you familiar with it?”

“Familiar? I am no Lord of Storms or Lord of Earth, Adam. I am Crowseer. I know what I know. I see what I see. One day, soon perhaps, I will…” Crowseer smiled. He had been caught up in speaking with Adam, who had the ability to move people at his pace. He had almost let slip his own mortality, but it would not do to reveal so many secrets to someone like Adam. “No. I am not familiar with the Iyr.”

“Is that why you’ve come to me again? To warn me that I’m a crazy little bastard?”

“No.” The Crowseer, stared into the flames. “I travel the lands, and walk where I must.”

“Why here?” Adam asked. “There’s nothing special around these…”

“It is not what you think, though you are not so far from the truth,” Crowseer admitted.

There was something special around these parts. Not far from where they camped, there was a man known as Sir Harold. He was the previous King’s Sword, one of the greatest warriors in the land, one even the Iyrmen respected. Sir Harold was known as the greatest King’s Sword to date, it was so well known, that everyone spoke of it as fact, even the Iyrmen.

Then there was the previous Knight of Death, Sir Royce. The Knight of Death was North Aldland’s version of the King’s Sword, and Sir Royce was spoken in the same breath as Sir Harold.

‘Right, I forgot those two old monsters were nearby,’ Adam thought. ‘Why the hell aren’t they focused on dealing with the Outbreaks?’ It was a joke, of course, since the pair were quite old.

“There are many matters to attend to in this land,” Crowseer said. ‘One has died, one has awoken, and another will soon die.’

“What kind of matters.”

“Matters beyond you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Adam grumbled. “Some God stuff, huh?”

“There are many beings, Idols, in this world who even the Gods avoid troubling, save perhaps the Lords of Order and Chaos.” Crowseer smiled.

“Are you one of them? Those Idols?”

Crowseer smiled. “There are many Idols who walk amongst the lands, some in disguise, some who walk without a disguise, but have been long forgotten, and some who appear infrequently frequent, that only whispers of them remain. Perhaps I could be considered an Idol.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Adam asked. “Sounds like information you should keep to yourself.”

“Fate will be forever changed, Adam.”

“Are you someone intertwined with Fate?”

“Fate. Chaos. Order. I remain neutral in such matters, as best as I can. I shall act when I am forced to, and never more.” He wondered if he should admit just how close he was to Adam, but decided that was a matter for another time.

If Adam lived long enough to find out.

“How strong are you?”

Crowseer smiled. “I am as strong as I am strong.”

“Come on,” Adam whispered. “I won’t tell. Stronger than the Chief of the Iyr?”

Crowseer smiled.

“Stronger than Lord Stokmar?”

Crowseer remained smiling.

“Not going to say?”

“No. It matters not how strong I am. I do not come to blows with just anyone. I leave others alone, and I prefer to be left alone too.”

“Who have you come to blows with?”

“You would not have heard of them.”

“Sure, sure,” Adam grumbled. “What about Strom? Do you know him?”

“Of course.”

“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.’