The Maiming

Captain's Log... I care little about the date.

I said that this mission would be troublesome. Understatement of the year, or maybe the decade... you know, I'm not entirely sure how long I'll live with this shard in me or if I will reach the end of my "natural" lifespan. It seems that I'm going to die a rather horrible and violent death when I make my last mistake.

But, I get ahead of myself here.

Akira and I set out and it was initially uneventful. She makes both an excellent and horrible scout. Excellent because of those shape shifting abilities and horrible because she hardly notices anything.

When we scouted the area there was nothing of interest. Boring agricultural land and a rather strange city. We had the rest of our mates camp outside and wait for our report. The city was strange as described by the Undertow with spirits and "mortals" scarred beyond recognition.

My Anima Power and my Charms were not enough to protect me from those bitter gods guarding the Isle. I feel like I overestimated my abilities and I failed more than myself or my friends. I feel like I failed the Unconquered Sun.

Ashamed, I was caught totally by surprise, his Principle of Motion and the blowflies that composed his body consumed me. I thought I had died. The pain I felt was indescribable and as such I won't describe it here.

The results were horendous. My entire body was consumed. I had no skin anywhere. My lips were chewed away, a few strands of hair was all that remained on my head. My extremities were disfigured. The skin grew back with Body Mending Meditation but it was... uneven. I saw much later that a scar saying "Welcome Aboard" carved down there and a little memento from my tormentor was left behind my right shoulder.

The next thing I knew, I was beside my comrades somehow miraculously rescued by some unknown force which up to today, my friends cannot explain as well. I found out much later that Naar and the rest went in under his auspicious Anima and claimed the missing Amarel and my missing possessions.

My friends were able to retrieve the girl despite my failure.

The mission however, remains incomplete. There is the matter of a promise we made to a Storm Mother. The three scarred Sirens were nowhere to be found. I believe they are hiding. They should not be away from this island. They might be in disguise or hiding somewhere nearby. They cannot afford to be away from their treasure because they lose their leverage and will likely face the wrath of our patron - something they are not willing to risk.

I grip the enchanted nets again with my maimed but functional fingers before I finish writing this log. I will now wrap myself up in a cloak and bandages lest I scare away the quarry. The sun now hides itself. It's time for the Hidden Sun to do his work. I will not fail again.