Ixion 167, 774833 YSG (Earthen date: February 9th, 1996)
Today, I set out to find Antiome. Gotthel has faith in me, as does the rest of the village. As usual, he still trusts the straw boy. Peculiar of him, staying near that creature even after one of the "children" dragged Antiome away screaming. But that concerns me not.
Lucielle was especially worried about my departure, but I assured her that I would be safe. I also told her about how I shall meet Sir Varg in the deep forests of the Cambodian Horror Aisle.
I just found this page. To those who may be reading this, I'd pay billions just to see this fucker leave. – Lucy
I waved goodbye, stepping from the straw boy's garden into the dangerous wilderness. I, Sir Samilotte, shall not return emptyhanded!
_____________
Ixion 168, 774833 YSG (Earthen date: February 10th, 1996)
im lost god damn it im lost
i, sir samilotte, have accidentally tripped and fallen into a shallow ravine. my ankle has been twisted by the fall. if this be my last memory, to whomever may find this diary journal, please tell lucielle that
I have been saved! Sir Varg just so happened to be near by! The silly ol' bastard was worried sick! He's looking better than ever: his armor shines brightly against the primordial lanterns hung far above, the light reflecting off each intricate crevice like an angel's wings! His pistol isn't looking too shabby either!
And of course the valiant knight from the Old English Non-fiction Aisle comes with medicine as well! He picked up a nice healing spell from Greatwyrm Amanyl. Snapped my tendon right back in place! Hurt like hell, but it worked! Now that that's done and over with, it is time for us to set out.
Varg tracked down a trail of footprints. Belonged to some sort of giant. The toes are pointed and slender, and there are multiple strange worm-like things sticking out from every angle. I think he's found it.
I was searching whilst Varg took a drink, and a wolf jumped out of the thicket and bit down on my arm. The fiend bent my gauntlet, but I managed to pry it off with my sword. Just as it began to rush towards me again, Varg shot it. He nearly hit me with that one!
The wolf's skin is made of stone. It is cracked and charred, and its ribs are exposed. Its mouth looks as if it was able to open all the way down to the underbelly. Gotthel told me about these monsters, he called them "gargoyles." What a strange name. They don't even have wings! Varg seems to be afraid of them, though. He tells me that he's "lucky the bullet hit the right spot." He shot the wolf right under one of its rocky neck folds. The blow has also twisted its spine a little, maybe even fractured it. I smashed its head off with a rock just to ensure its death.
From what I've gathered from my notes, gargoyles are a type of golem. Or robot. No, they are most certainly golems. I checked the corpse again and smashed its chest open with the same rock. I dug out a golden talisman from where its heart would be. The talisman displays a bright red jewel, very sharp on each end. If the wolf was a golem, that means its owner must not be too far away. This is why Varg was so scared! Cowardly little knight, he has much to learn from I!
We found a pile of tomes nearby. Nothing of value, just some strange pictographs featuring malformed women with unusual proportions. We used those to make a campfire. Strangely enough, the covers burnt for longer than we thought. Me and Varg then feasted on some of the bread and sewer cheese I brought with me. After that, we caught up on each other's lives. I told him the usual; how I have been making steady moves on Lucielle, and about that strange skunk child that keeps ravaging the straw boy's garden.
Varg then went on to tell me about Antiome. Turns out he had actually seen the poor bastard being carried away by that thing. Said it disturbed him, looked like a pale cadaver with horrific strands of moss hanging from its back. The very thought of a creature so vile manages to scare me a little as well. But I shall not back down from a quest!
Eventually, me and Varg became quite tired. Best to get as much sleep as we can until a librarian decides to turn the lantern back on.
_____________
Ixion 169, 774833 YSG (Earthen date: February 11th, 1996)
What a morning.
I was awakened by Varg's screaming. He was being dragged away from the pile of burnt tomes. I saw his gun on his blanket and snatched it. Shot the monster two times in the head. It dropped him and screamed. A few fragments of stone slammed against my helmet, but regardless, I kept shooting until I ran out of ammunition.
Varg ran up to me and hugged me. Anything for my old friend. After I gave him back the gun, I went over to inspect it. This was a gargoyle. It was also made of cracked stone. Big and cumbersome, with ribs jutting out from its chest. It was made from the same dark stone as the wolf golem. Its head looked like that of a withered old man's, but with ram's horns jutting out from where the ears should be. There was a gaping hole in its forehead, made by me, of course.
Its flesh was too thick to bust open. No doubt my sword would have no chance of piercing it either.
I wish I had a gun.
We've recovered from that small altercation and are ready to go! We can already see the end of the rotting forest ahead of us. The footprints continue from there. Mark my word, Gotthel, Sir Samilotte and Sir Varg shall not return emptyhanded!