Ingred's Journal Entry 16: Cold Bones

''The pages are filled to the brim with quick notes. Beside them are illustrations in charcoal; some of sailors wearing thick furs, a large heart surrounded by wooden planks, a lamprey-like worm swallowing a specific orc bard, a giant white dragon, a vague drawing of a void, a crystalline palace, a rough sketch of some ice-like guardian, a odd, burnt symbol of some kind, and a barbed harpoon. There are small annotations scattered here and there describing minor events from their most recent journey.''

''Day 10, I’ve run out of vodka. Tried my best to save it. Lord Jonsen help me…''

''Day 15, I have encountered Ronny’s misdoing. To say I am disgusted would be an understatement.''

Although the notes are written in graphite, this new entry is done with the usual bluish ink.

We’re finally home from that trip. If I had known how long this would take us I would have packed more essentials. Good lord, it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. We’ve been resting for a few days now, I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I was to take a bath and sleep in a real bed for the first time in many weeks.

The weather here in Gaoli is lovely in comparison. I like the cold but not to such extremes. It was biting as we arrived on board and just got colder and colder. The company was alright, I never talked much with the crew unless they needed something of me but they were decent folks. The food was… not good. The hygiene was terrible. The jobs were also not good. I still wish that I would have been allowed to clean instead of scraping ice from the deck. Either way, I’ve learned some things from my time on the open sea, one of which being what a cannon is. And the fact that the ocean is magnificent. I was allowed into the crows nest at one point and was marveled by how much blue there was. I got banned from going up there again since I had fallen off, but I’m glad to have seen that view at least once.

The other things I had seen on board were… terrible, from murdered crew mates to strange throbbing hearts below deck. I was unsettled for most of the journey. That pulsing sound was not easy to ignore. I read during my free time in an attempt to distract myself from it, but I don’t think it helped much. I ended up telling Lily about the heart. She seemed relatively disappointed in my endeavor, although I believe that being honest with her may give her more faith in me as a member of the team. We’ll see. I’m working on it.

I was also accepting some magic from Lily in order to maintain my cleanliness however it wasn’t working very well. I kept finding myself dirty for some reason. I’m just glad that no one caught whatever foul diseases might have been lurking on the Iron Jaw. Or in Ostend. I’m surprised that I had to tell these fools not to eat snow! It’s as if they have no idea about the presence of bacteria; that or they don’t think about it as often as I do.

Oh, we also fought a giant. worm. thing. I don’t know what it was, but it had teeth and was huge! Managed to swallow both Seipora and Marisol before we took it down. I was rather worried about them. We all were. I was also concerned about K, he had become immobile after getting stung by the creature. Luckily he shook off the effects quickly. I attempted to harvest the gland from it but the organ was far too large to carry back and I suspected that the material inside would be quite toxic, so taking a sample would be too difficult. So much for making a frost-based poison.

Aside from the worm…  we encountered a white dragon. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared of something before. It wasn’t just me though, Seipora had a similar reaction. I was sure that we were all going to die but thankfully that wasn’t the case. We did all have a nice tumble down a pit, though. Lily told us that the dragon was highly territorial. She apparently understood its spoken language. The capabilities of magic are limitless, it seems...

Well, perhaps not limitless… At one point I was very concerned with Marisol’s state. The magic that had been keeping her warm wore off as we stepped into- well… a portal or… something. If she had been exposed to freezing temperatures for much longer, then… well, you know what would have happened. I believe that I may have offended her. No, I most certainly have. She was rather vocal about it… I might have worded some things poorly when trying to help her. It was never my intention to do so. From there my relationship with her has once again spiraled downhill. She wasn't bitter towards me or anything, at least, not until we got off the ship. We even made snow creatures together, although she destroyed hers soon after it was finished.

I’m not sure what to say about the ice palace… it was… interesting. There was a giant ice guardian. I tried to get a good sketch of it but it was restless. We met one of Lily’s ancestors at the end, a being named Nexus. Yet another godly creature, another family member of Anthos’s. I think? It called Anthos “Brother”. I received an autograph from it, my first real evidence of such beings existing. I don’t like Nexus, but it’s still fascinating. Lily’s powers have been stripped away. She mentioned to me recently that she wants to learn how to fight without using magic. I can say with confidence that my respect for Lily grows. I still haven't officially apologized for my behavior after the Tarlie meeting... Honestly I kinda hope she's forgotten about it. I'm too much of a coward to acknowledge what happened there...

Anyways, we were able to escape without hindrance from the dragon. All went well. I had an opportunity to bury some old memories before we got back aboard the Iron Jaw. I was worried about what might come of me if someone had seen the truth behind that blow gun, especially after witnessing firsthand what happens when stuff like that is revealed to the public. I get that you don’t understand what I’m referencing, Papa, but trust me, you’re better off not knowing. Speaking of, I don’t understand why you responded to Seipora’s message that way. It’s not like you to be petty like that. Should I assume that you’re trying to protect yourself somehow? I was hoping to hear a “Congrats on getting a year older” or something but figures you wouldn’t trust a stranger’s voice. Actually, did you even hear her voice..? Is Seipora’s voice the same as it is in person..? Huh...

Well, I’m glad to have left that creepy ship. We had to do a quick job on Cut Rock island as a favor to this “Finnigan” fellow. I finally got to drink something real for the first time in a month, but it got taken away after Marisol got upset at me. It was fruity and delightful while it lasted. Marisol on the other hand? She actually punched me! For giving her advice! Gosh, she is so sensitive. K’s also been sensitive lately but in a good way. He’s… really cool. I kinda admire him. He’s been very open about his feelings lately and speaks awfully kindly of us. I don’t feel like I deserve it, but it’s touching. K is a good man. A very good man.

Once again, we almost got killed. Seipora really almost got killed. I swear, she’s like a magnet to danger or something. I was scared, wanted to run but I was tethered to a harpoon and reeling from being shaken around so hard by that damn Selachian. Pretty much everyone got caught up in harpoons. The coconut lady started yanking them out of everyone, seriously… It’s like no one listens to me but K!! I might just give up on talking. Fuck it, I’ll give them the silent treatment or whatever. Fuck.

''The writing breaks up from this point. Some chunks are thoroughly scribbled out as if the writer was having a hard time deciding on what to say.''

Marisol chewed us out again when we got home. She held back when I told her not to yell, which I appreciate but there’s still some major issues here that need further discussion. Maybe I’ll write her something. Maybe she’ll actually listen to what I have to say instead of just hearing it.

The goblin job was taken. I think I'll be leaving brutal energy a gift for their heroic work.

On a lighter note, I made my first greater healing potion. I gave it to Seipora and asked her to teach me how to dance. 20-ish years later and I’ll finally be able to do what I want to.

Ok I’m ending this entry here before I start chewing you out too. Watch me Papa, I’m going to learn how to dance and you’re going to like it, damn it!!