Thanks to the minor deception that everyone in their part was a demi-human, Crow was able to sell off most of the crap he didn't need from the monsters he regularly killed for a good price...and that was before he upgraded their armor at a discount.
He asked about upgrading Firo, Talia and Fenrir, but apparently you needed special permission and he wasn't dealing with the idiots back in Melomarc who believed the King.
At least he had managed to gain a 'neutral' attitude from the shopkeepers.
They didn't like him, but they didn't hate him for a baseless lie either. It was more of a 'wait and see' approach, one that generally leaned towards the more positive spectrum because of him tipping well.
Crassus still couldn't believe that Crow was thirty-two, and still looked like he was barely 19. Or that he was currently passing as a canine demi-human...and succeeding. It was surreal.
Naturally the guard was very skeptical about the idea that Cerberus was coming.
Even if Crow confirmed it when he took his natural animal form and flew over the damn thing...twice. It had not veered from it's path, and it was most certainly taking the direct route to Silt Welt.
Besides, it was amusing for people to give him and Firo looks because of their wings.
Crow could care less about whether or not they actually did listen to him. In the end of the day he just had to give them time to evacuate...or give his team time to do it.
It was noon the day after they reached the city that the beast arrived. However, whatever plan he might have considered went right out the window the second he felt the canine up close.
That beast was holding a vast number of souls, likely the ones it had consumed while killing. And considering the same status that made him hate the title of 'hero' in the first place, there was no way he could reasonably allow such a monstrosity to survive.
"Fenrir, you buy me time to prepare. Firo, you and Talia will make hit and run tactics while Fenrir deals damage. Crassus, I want you to help in any evacuation efforts while Fawkes keeps everything orderly," said Crow, with a tone that left no room for argument.
With that, the group dispersed.
Fenrir bore the two women to the beast, shifting into his true form as a three headed dog much bigger and more powerful physically than the Cerberus it was facing. Once on the ground Talia and Firo commenced their own attacks.
Meanwhile Crow did something he hated. He activated the Hallow Shield.
"I am the destroyer of worlds. I am one who walks between this realm and the next. Let all who stand before me fall, and all those who seek to disturb the natural order be destroyed. I command that which is beyond the realm of Life, and bring solace to those that are Dead. The Way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead, and the Dead shall keep it. The Way is Shut," intoned Crow in a dark voice.
All around him the sky darkened as if in pitch black night. The wind began to howl as if to resound the horn of the end. His clothes, which were originally rather bright colored because he hated darker ones (thank you Snape for inspiring a hatred of all things black and Dumbledore for anything that clashed), flowed outward until it became something out of a Goth store. His black wings, which had merely matched his hair before, now made him look like a fallen angel come to the living.
In short he had become an almost perfect representation of the "Crow" franchise, which had always amused him after finding out about it from a former bed partner.
Any sane person shivered, for this was no longer a hero. This was "Death" given human form among the living.
And he was not happy.
Hallow Shield activated. Invincibility time limit 30 minutes and counting. Defense against Undead attacks for all party members increased by 100 percent. Increased attack against Undead for all party members increased by 100 percent.
Crow used his superior speed, and took flight within seconds. The Cerberus of the Wave shivered. The souls it had consumed screamed louder and louder, resonating with the Hallows inside the Shield Hero's soul.
He slammed into the beast from above, dealing a great amount of damage. Far more than his dragon form would have because the Cerberus was automatically protected by the souls inside it.
The crystals on Fenrir glowed. Where the Cerberus shot out fire and acid, he shot out crystals from all three mouths aiming directly at his prey. Because the Hallow Shield covered everyone in his party, Fenrir's attacks became holy based, gouging chunks of flesh from the other dog.
The howl of pain gave Fenrir all the opening he needed to slam his mouth over each of the Cerberus'.
With that attack nullified, Talia was able to drive her sword into the heads of the monster that killed her parents, while Firo's kicks dealt devastating damage to the legs, causing them to buckle, before being healed over by the souls inside.
Crow's presence made it impossible for the Cerberus to hold onto the souls it had devoured. For every one it tried to use, another one slipped it's grasp.
In what seemed like hours, but in reality was more like twenty-five minutes, thirteen seconds, the Cerberus laid dead on the ground.
Crow turned off his Hallow Shield with great relief.
He hated using that much power, and he hated even more having to relearn the fact he was not Death. Every time he used all three Hallows, gained that much power, he could see everything about a person for a full week. And by everything he meant everything.
Their entire soul, and therefor a chronological timeline of their life, was laid bare for him to see at a glance. He liked to think of it as encouragement not to use the damn things in a fight, even if he only did it whenever he saw the balance of Life and Death being threatened.
Probably the only reason Death hadn't complained about his current master. Crow was more of an unhappy agent towards the balance. He didn't make demands on Death, and Death didn't bother him unless there was no other option.
The second Crow saw the number of people, staring at him and at the beast behind him, he almost collapsed.
So many souls, so much information...it was overloading his mind.
Fenrir immediately shifted into his 'human' form, and let Crow lean on him. Crow focused on his soul and only his. The short, brief time Fenrir had with his mother, and the even shorter time with Crow's party. He could feel the trepidation, the fear when he was first taken from that cave...and how it slowly developed into a sense of Pack. How Fenrir came to realize Crow didn't want to force him into being a pet or a source of spare parts...he wanted a Beta he could trust that wouldn't try to turn on him later. A fact that solidified when he saw Crow's memories.
So long as Crow acted as his Alpha and didn't betray him, Fenrir would stay by his side.
And right now he was acting as Crow's shield from the souls. Firo came up beside him, and her presence doubled that protection. Her limited life had been entirely around Crow.
He vaguely noticed Talia talking to what remained of her parents. They seemed to look at him, before turning back to their daughter. He didn't know what was said, and he didn't care. All he wanted to do was sleep for a week.
Finally the noise overwhelmed his ears, and the only thing he could think was "I'm too tired and too damn old to deal with this shit."
He promptly passed out onto Firo's feathery bulk. They could chalk it up to magical exhaustion or whatever, all he wanted was sleep. And later food.
Crow woke up a full day later, and the first thing he saw was Fawkes standing guard above him. His posture clearly said he wasn't protecting people from Crow, but more like he was protecting Crow from anyone stupid enough to wake him.
Close by was Crassus, Fenrir and Firo. Talia walked in, and the second she saw he was awake she nearly dropped the tray of food.
The others immediately turned to him, thankfully none of them said anything until he was able to handle it.
Finally Crassus spoke first.
"What in magic's name was that?"
Crow sighed.
"I'm going to guess you're referring to the pale skinned, oppressive darkness I brought about when I killed that damn thing."
Crassus nodded.
"Long story short, the king has absolutely no idea what he accidentally summoned when he called the heroes in, and there's a reason why I'm stuck looking like a nineteen year old. When I realized what the Cerberus was containing, it pissed me off more than you could believe and gave me all the excuse I needed to test out the one Shield I absolutely loathe using above all others. What happened to the corpse, by the way?"
"Burned, buried and gone. Since it was clear you didn't want any part of the body they destroyed it so it wouldn't cause any problems."
Crow snorted. Like he needed another overpowered shield.
"So what exactly was that whole show about?"
Crow sighed, before settling on the easiest explaination.
"A long time ago, there were three brothers who came across a mighty river on the route to visit their dying father. They had survived several trials, most of which should have killed them. It was at that river that Death itself appeared, annoyed that he had failed to claim them indirectly. He told the brothers he would grant them one boon each for foiling his plans. The eldest, a prideful fool, asked for a wand of which there would be no rival. A tool he could use to defeat any foe he came across. The middle brother, who had suffered a great loss, asked for a way to contact his lost fiancee, who had died shortly before. A way to speak to the souls of the dead. The third, and youngest son, merely asked for an item that would cloak his presence, even from Death itself."
Crow paused for a bit of breath.
"Death gave the first son a wand made of elder wood, created in a way that made the item seem like it had come from a bone. In the hands of it's master it would increase their magical power many fold, and they would never suffer defeat in a magical battle. He then gave the second son a stone from the river, which when turned three times would raise the souls of any who had parted this life, though they would be a mere shade. The third son he gave a piece of his own cloak, which would hide him from Death until he took it off."
Seeing he had their attention, Crow continued once he drank some water.
"The brothers saw their father to the next life, before heading to town. The first brother, being the prideful fool that he was, defeated his rival in a magical duel...but a greedy mage came up from behind and killed him, thus becoming the new master of the wand he had so proudly displayed. And thus the first brother was claimed by Death. The second went home, and summoned his fiancee's spirit, but upon realizing that she was nothing more than a shade, and in great pain from being forced from the after life, killed himself in despair. And so the second son was claimed."
"And the third?" asked Crassus.
Crow gave a tired smile.
"The third son lived to a ripe old age, having several children, before he handed the cloak down to his son and heir, and greeted Death like an old friend. In the end he was perhaps the wisest of the three."
"What happened to the items?"
"They faded into legend and myth, until a fool of a mage got it into his head that only those from purely magical lineage should be allowed to learn magic, and thus started a blood war. In the process he discovered the stone and stole the wand from the dead hands of a former mentor of mine. The cloak I had already possessed, because I'm a descendant of the third brother who did not fear death, but rather embraced it like a wise person should. I defeated the mage and became master of the three items, which had become known as the Deathly Hallows. Mages back home foolishly called me the 'Master' of Death, but I knew in my soul that was a misconception the moment I accepted the fact I would never be truly rid of them."
Crow took a deep breath.
"I am, in essence, the closest thing to Death you'll meet while alive. Or at least his replacement. I'd think he had a hand in me landing here, if he had any sense of humor. Though come to think of it, he did sound pretty annoyed when I turned his clothes a girlish pink the last time he made me clean up yet another one of his messes," said Crow.
Crassus was glad he was sitting down.
"At least that damn Cerberus is dead. No offense, Fenrir."
"None taken. He was weak, a pathetic beta who was cast from the pack. You could smell it on him," said Fenrir.
Cerberus was a weak canine, one that was mad, disease ridden. Putting him down was a credit to his kind and to all monsters.
"And how did they react to Fenrir's true form?" asked Crow with a smirk.
There was panic for all of about five minutes until someone finally realized he was guarding you like a puppy and Firo was giving anyone who looked at you funny the evil eye," said Crassus smirking. And if Fawkes hadn't deliberately stayed with Crow, then the demi-humans might have believed him some sort of evil spirit.
Once he was reasonably clothed (and by that Crow meant something that didn't reek of Cerberus blood and things best not mentioned) he left the room...and found out he was in the middle of a guard's garrison barracks.
And to top off his already crappy day, seeing as how he had started it with a headache, the woman in charge wanted to speak to him. Somehow he had a feeling this wouldn't be one of his better days.
"So let me get this straight. The king, who hates the Shield Hero because of what he represents to us demi-humans, has no idea that he literally summoned Death in human form when he cast the spell. And because of that power you have obtained a title lost for well over a thousand years, and his oldest daughter has made false claims against you," said Sherufanir, who looked like a fox.
"That's right. Unfortunately for him, I don't take the title of 'hero' well, and as such only intervene when it looks like the others are about to royally screw things up. Children do need a chance to grow, after all," said Crow pleasantly, sipping his tea and allowing his wings to stay out.
Sherafanir gave him a fanged grin.
"You said you have a way of recording expressions, correct?"
"Yes. Would you like blackmail pictures of their face when they see exactly what I can do and the amount of damage I could cause once I put my mind to it?"
"Yes please," she said evilly. It was so nice dealing with someone who knew how the real world worked, and was determined to screw up the well laid plans of that damn king that allowed humans to turn them into slaves.
Crow gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Oh, and if you happen to see the Spear Hero, who claims his name is Moyotama, feel free to throw him out. He's accompanied by that air-headed princess who thinks people can't see her for what she really is."
"He claims his name is Moyotama?" said Sherafanir, raising an eyebrow.
"So he says, but I find it's more fun to see the look on his face when I call him Mr. Impotency-Issues. After all, he does use a spear," said Crow with a straight face.
The fox-woman let out a laugh. Truly this Shield Hero had a sense of humor!
"In that case I shall have to remember that name... What name do you call the Princess?"
"To her face or in my head?" he asked, sipping his tea.
"Both."
"I act as though she's a well figured boy and call Moyotama her 'girlfriend' because the idiot has long hair while she's the 'man' in the relationship. However I call her the Red Haired Harlot in my head."
The kitsune let out a whoop of laughter, pounding her sides in amusement. She would definitely have to share that one with her friends later.
"In any case you have our gratitude...and may I recommend you visit the Church of the Shield later? There is someone who wishes to meet with you."
Crow went in along with Talia, Firo and Fenrir. Crassus preferred to nurse a rather large bottle of strong liquor with the revelations Crow had just dumped on him.
Crow had to guard without any real warning as an arrow nearly hit him. Only his Seeker's instincts had alerted him to the attack. It felt tingling, but not overly unpleasant.
"May I inquire as to what that was about?"
"Merely to confirm you were indeed the legendary Shield Hero, of course," said the priestess.
Crow's eyes showed her entire life as if it were laid out in a book. She was not human, but she wasn't a demi-human either. In the end he could care less about that so long as she didn't try to kill or attack him again.
"Someone said you wished to speak with me."
"Do you know who this temple is dedicated to?"
"From the statue I would have to say the Shield Hero. At least one kingdom likes him," said Crow, though the last part was muttered.
"Indeed. The beastmen view the Shield Hero as their patron, primarily because the last one chose to trust them over the people of Melomarc. As a result, the Shield is not in favor with the current king."
Crow sighed.
"I think I can see where this is going. Are you trying to allude that you believe I'm some sort of saint, or are you trying to buy time before telling me you're about to join my party?"
"A little bit of column A, but more of column B," admitted the priestess.
Crow looked tired. There was another reason he hated using the Hallows, and it was because it took days for his damn core to stabilize.
"Shall we expedite the entire thing and just get to the end? What exactly can you bring to the party?"
The woman smiled, almost amused by his impatience.
"I am a very skilled archer, I know holy magic, and I am under oath to never betray the Shield Hero and to follow his every order," she said flatly.
Crow winced. That sounded like a slave without the marking or the actual admittance towards the idea.
Then the woman smirked, as she pushed up her bust.
"Not to mention the other...assets...I bring to the table."
Had Raphtalia not been so furious at how brazen the woman was, she would have laughed as Crow gave her the once over, before openly dismissing her offer.
"I've seen better."
The look on her face was priceless, along with the stark shock on her expression. Raphtalia shot a look at Crow, and had to hide her mirth. He had done that deliberately to get a better feel for her!
What a devious, conniving, and evil bastard he was... no wonder she loved him so much, if he could casually dismiss an open offer like that with someone who would follow his every demand.
"In any case it would be rude and outright foolish to deny your request to join...besides, once that idiot with impotency issues sees you on my team he's sure to flip out and the tomboy princess is guaranteed to be furious because you're more stacked than she is," said Crow with an evil smirk.
Above all he thrived on pissing those two off. He got most of his entertainment from getting the Spear Hero to lose his cool, just because he didn't realize Crow was mocking him.
If he had been back home, someone would have correctly identified that behavior as 'trolling'.