Due to a stupid feeling of superiority by being a inter-world traveller, his apparent intelligence compared to the primitive natives of this world.
Alongside, their failure to resist any of his means, Ishar had underestimated these humans a bit too much.
"I was originally only a human. Disregarding my powers, everything else about me is ordinary."
Ishar glanced at what a few minutes ago was a battlefield. It was now littered by the corpses of his crows.
If a person at the point of death, is dissatisfied and unwilling these negative emotions would attack Ishar's consciousness when absorbing the white mist.
But what if they hold positive or admirable emotions instead? I should be able to use these emotions to alter and improve myself?
"Like how Gran was" Ishar looked at Gran's corpse.
Before his death, all that he felt was the determination and perseverance to accomplish his goal no matter the cost.
If I absorb these emotions, would I not then posses such a determination and perseverance?
As for if these changes would make him not himself anymore, Ishar didn't care.
The real Ishar had already died. He was just a remnant soul of the person who used to be called Ishar.
People eventually change and grow. Change was constant in the life of any living thing. Without change evolution becomes impossible and you become redundant.
If you look back at your current self several years from now, you would find only a stranger.
That's why on retrospection most humans didn't understand why the made certain stupid decisions.
Because the current version of them had evolved past that state.
And growing was exactly what Ishar wanted to accomplish but at an accelerated and unnatural rate.
The target of his growth was the god Pilgrim. But he wouldn't just stop there. He would improve on the concept of Pilgrim and surpass it.
Strigoi stood still and looked on as the three crows buried their fallen breathen. And then began eating Grand corpse.
As if holding a feast in honour of their fallen brethren. He didn't dare to interrupt or urge them to hurry, his mind was already completely broken.
Even when the crows were desecrating the corpse of his party leader, he couldn't do anything but watch. All he wanted to do was survive.
Someone else could play hero not him.
The events that has transpired had convinced him without a doubt of Pilgrim's existence.
And with the curse acting like a knife on his throat. He didn't dare to show anything but loyalty.
Who could call him a coward? Submitting to a god was nothing to be shameful of. In fact he should take pride in the fact that he was chosen by a god.
"I'm not cowardly, people just simply can't win against a god, doing that would only bring calamity to the village. Yes, that's right, I'm doing this for the village, I'm doing the right thing. Gran was a fool no one should resist a god, now look at how he has ended. It's only right he pays for his sins." Strigoi gradually convinced himself and subdued the guilty feelings in his heart.
Ishar was observing the change in Strigois' expression, so he was able to tell the general mental journey that he just went through.
Ishar didn't say anything and merely sighed. But he felt a great sense of disgust when looking at young Strigoi.
But that didn't change anything. He would spread word of Pilgrim's invincibility, raise more crows and bring in more humans to serve him.
As he looked at Gran's throat being ripped out by the crows, Ishar couldn't help but recall his quick thinking during that previous moment of desperation.
He had used his telepathic force to control Gran's vocal cords and imitated the feeling of talking according to the memories of his past self.
If he hadn't absorbed enough white mist causing his telepathic force to become stronger, it would have been impossible to achieve the same effect.
"That is also a way to communicate" Ishar thought: "Speaking directly into someone's mind is only suitable for those already cursed and In the final stages of it. So having another way to communicate is a good thing"
"My soul has been replenished quite a bit" after Ishar completely absorbed the rest of the white mist, he controlled the 3 crows to stop eating and follow Strigoi.
Strigoi froze for a bit before realizing that it was time to go and bring these Heralds of Pilgrim back to his village.
The thought that he was bringing a calamity not only up his village but to the other 4 tribes kept gnawing at him and each time he shut it down.
"With Pilgrim's guidance, the village will definitely become a lot better. We will no longer need to fear the other tribes. Perhaps we can even destroy the Sword kingdom. And will no longer need to form any hunting parties, this is for the good of the village!"
A coward was dead multiple times before the sword pierced his heart.
Ishar was following him not too far behind, carefully slowing down the progression of the curse inside Strigois' body.
Ishar didn't want Strigoi dying too soon. At least till he had served his purpose.
Due to his soul being replenished a bit more, his control had gotten a lot stronger.
Before heading to the village he had the crows lead Strigoi the corpse of a wild boar that he had the crows kill previously.
The real reason why the hunting party found no game was because the moment Ishar entered this area. The animals fled in fear.
He had the crows kill this boar and kept it here after all if he wanted to subdue the members of the Weyian tribe he needed them to be alive.
Strigoi approached it, with an expression of joy. The hunting party had not even caught a rodent.
Yet with the help of Pilgrim even a boar was caught and presented to him on his lap.
"Perhaps the legends are false and Pilgrim is actually a kind God. That must be it. Bringing him to the village is going to benefit us all."
"Lord Heralds sirs, please wait a few minutes." Strigoi respectfully told the crows, chopped off one of the boars hind legs, minced it up before offering it up to the crows.
The crows pecked at it before turning their heads away. Ishar smiled at this. Over time the crows had developed a liking to human flesh. They won't eat anything else now.
Strigoi made a fire and grilled some of the meat, then carefully lifted his shirt up to see that a few black spots had already shown up on his skin.
Thankfully, they hadn't spread at all since they first appeared.
"The Weichy tribe's village should be up ahead" Ishar noted.
Now that they were close to the village, Ishar was drafting various contingency plans, with Strigois' help, to spread the greatness of Pilgrim through the entire village without much trouble. And consequently the other 4 tribes.
Even if the name Pilgrim had been deeply engraved in the Weichy tribe's culture, making it so that they wouldn't mind the integration of a God into their daily lives.
It was still far from enough to convince everyone to help him breed crows and sacrifice one or two people from time to time.
Plus, they would be those who would have seen through the actions of the sword and Rose kingdom and know that the gods didn't exist.
"Which means, conflict will be inevitable, and I can use that conflict to my advantage"
Ishar looked at Strigoi who had a jolly expression on his face.
Ishar had time and time again displayed unimaginable feats of 'miracles' in order to further persuade the young man's beliefs and help solidify his mentality.
From the looks of it, it seemed to have worked perfectly.
"Considering this brat's cowardly and weak nature, I will need to prepare another hand to play. I can't make use of him long term."
He still needed a trump card in order to deal with any unexpected situations.
A rodent approached the corpse of the boar, licking the blood that was spilt from its body.
Ishar silently moved in front of the creature and picked it up with his telepathic force, he had an idea.
Finally, Strigoi arrived at the entrance to the village, the two crows landed on a branch of a nearby tree, their jet-black eyes reflecting the figures of the people in the village.