CHAPTER:2

The Journey to Glarera 

Nowell: "I'm Nowell Hindsight and this is my partner Lay Rylon." 

Ryan: "How come you answered for him?"

 Nowell: "Lay isn't a big fan of words, he's more of the silent type." 

Ryan: "I see, anyway tell me how were you two able to damage the Krakus like you did since our weapons barely had any effect on it?" 

Nowell: "Well the thing is we're Crusaded Defenders it's kind of what we've been trained for." 

Ryan: "Not spilling the beans so easily, huh? Well, tell me what was this Forcer you mentioned before?" 

Nowell: "Think of it like hoping you hit a target with force a little harder." 

Ryan: "This isn't a game! Tell me now or you can forget your payment!" 

Nowell: "[Sigh] Forcer is an ability that allows its user to summon force fields from their spiritual aura that surrounds them." 

Ryan: "Spiritual aura?" (What aura? Is this another joke or is it something only someone with similar abilities like them can see?) 

Nowell: "As you could see, the creature you saw was no match for Lay's gifted level of it." 

Ryan: "You don't say?" 

Nowell: "Forcer also enhances someone's speed, strength and endurance tenfold, a user of Forcer can also transfer it to anything they touch and keep it contained there for as long as they are in physical direct contact." 

Ryan: (So that's how he was able to cut the Krakus's shell and tentacles, his force field transferred directly into his blade and made the weapon sharper due to its shape.) "Interesting. And are all Crusaded Defenders like this?"

Nowell: "Who can say, I guess the answer is, mostly." 

Ryan: "Hmmm, by the way, has my brother Charles fully informed you both on the objective of this voyage?" 

Nowell: "Yeah he said that you both were traveling the Berlyra ocean to reach some island called Glarera’s Rock for treasure, right?" 

Ryan: "Correct and do you know that this island is very mysterious yet completely unknown to the public due to the restrictions of entering the Berlyra sea?"

 Nowell: "We kinda figured especially since we passed the Berlyra Sea gate a couple of days ago, that's something many cannot do, they say that the seas in Berlyra are cursed due to tons of disappearances, hence why not many go exploring these seas." 

Ryan: "Correct and where we're headed will not be any better. They say Glarera's Rock is very dangerous and that only three individuals have made it out alive out of two entire expedition crews that pursued the island and came back." 

Nowell: "Really? You say? That explains why there aren't many notes and information on the island itself." (You think those three people would give the world some insight.) 

Ryan: "They say the survivor of the first expedition was founded by another ship while on a raft and was terrified beyond belief to where he went into hiding, but was founded 2 years later when he decided to come clean about what he had seen." 

Nowell: "What about the ones after?" 

Ryan: "The other two on the second had kept important info to themselves and have gone into hiding. Me and my brother know this personally." 

Lay: "..." 

Ryan: "As you can see, this is no ordinary expedition a lot is at stake." 

Nowell: "So what's so important about this Glarera's Rock? Why are we heading there?" 

Ryan: "For treasure obviously!" 

Nowell: "Well obviously we kind of figured that but we're not idiots you know, I feel like there's more to this treasure than meets the eye that you're not letting us on to, after all you are a wealthy man already, so why go through all the trouble of gathering a small army, leaving your home where your wife is and putting you and your family lives on the line?" 

Ryan: "I…"

Nowell: "At least let us know what we're going up against instead of leaving us in the dark, after all me and my partner here told you our secret so tell us yours, who knows we might even be your only chance of pulling this off and surviving in the end." 

Ryan: (He does have a point be it this info is very crucial.) "[Sigh] you have quite a way with words, fine i'll tell you." 

Nowell: "..." 

Ryan: "we're heading to Glarera's Rock to find a treasure called the heart of Glarera." 

Nowell: "Heart of Glarera?" 

Ryan: "Yes, for 40 years me and my brother Charles had studied and read books and notes on the heart of Glarera, a treasure that's been said to be an ancient fruit that's been around for thousands of years."

 Maxdell showed the two notes and pictures on the table of what the fruit looks like.

 Nowell: "Hmm?" (An apple?) "This is it?" 

Ryan: "Yes, these are notes from the first expedition member my father discovered. These were not easy to obtain and cost a fortune for the info, also this was the closest description of the fruit meaning it might not be so." 

Lay: "Hmmm." 

Nowell: "Wow, but a fruit that's been around for thousands of years? Ugh, it must be way pass it expiration date!"

Ryan: "Nonsense it's said that the fruit itself is ageless and that an angel from the heavens flew down and placed it on the island of Glarera."

Nowell: "An angel?" 

Ryan: "Yes centuries ago a crew witnessed from the skies, an enormous winged creature descending from the sky surrounded by a light onto a small island, but instead of heading to the island to pursue it, they fled due to a great fear and uneasiness they felt of seeing such an enormous creature."

Nowell: (An enormous angel? No, that sounds more like.) 

Ryan: "Instead they returned to land and told the stories of what they saw and like that listeners went to go discover it. But this creature was responsible for many disappearances to where many chose not to seek its presence."

Nowell: "..."

Ryan: "But a few centuries later back to the survivor of the first expedition team that discovered it, he explained and made a statement that this was no ordinary angel, that it had gone rogue and stole a glowing fruit in his arms that was from the goddess herself and hid on the island." 

Nowell: "Seriously?" (I've never heard them mention that.)

Lay: "..." 

Ryan: "Legend has it that the goddess created that fruit for the sole purpose of giving it to the one who would be the savior of humanity and that the fruit had the ability to see into the future once eaten, the angel hearing of this stole the fruit for himself and took a bite out of it once it was on the island, but being that the fruit was not intended for an angel to devour, the angel turned into a hideous beast and was forever lost on the island guarding what remained of the fruit it was so obsessed with."

Nowell: "For reals? And you're planning to go there?!" 

Ryan: "Yes I know full well and will stop at nothing to obtain that fruit." 

Ryan: "So is there anything you two would like to share?" 

Nowell: "Yeah this all sounds crazy." 

Ryan: "What?" 

Lay: "Nowell." 

Nowell: "First of all an ancient fruit that can see into the future and was created by the goddess? And an angel guarding it for thousands of years? That sounds way too far-fetched, and say if your story really is true then you're asking us and everyone on this ship to go up against some sort of deity, correct? I don't know about you, but do we look like divine exterminators to you?"

Ryan: "I understand your concern but I have an army at my side to give me the power I need to face it." 

Nowell: "In case you didn't notice, your men and the weapons they were using had no chance against the Krakus! So what makes you think our chance against this fallen angel will be any better?" 

Ryan: "Quiet you don’t--" 

Nowell: "You have no idea what you're going up against. Me and Lay know firsthand how dangerous an angel and goddess are! You don't stand a chance!" 

Ryan: "Don't underestimate me child or you'll regret it." 

Nowell: "Say what?" 

Lay: "..."

Ryan: "If you two want to get your pay for an honest good day's work then you will follow my orders and stay out of my way, otherwise there will be complications for you both on this voyage." 

Nowell: (Huh? Was that a threat? Is this guy forgetting what we're capable of?) "Now hold on who the heck--!" 

Lay: "We understand we'll be on our way." 

Nowell: (Lay?)

Ryan: (Oh so he can talk.) "Wise decision, do take your time enjoying this expedition." 

Nowell: "Tch." 

Lay and Nowell left Maxdell's cabin while Charles entered and stuck his head in. 

Charles: "Hello, brother? May I come in?" 

Ryan: "Yes go ahead." 

Charles: "So how did it go?" 

Ryan: "They both seem to be very interesting young men, though one of them has quite the tongue." 

Charles: "I see." (So brother must see how useful they are.) 

Ryan: "By the way Charles has Rise awoken yet?" 

Charles: "Yes I saw him walking by the front deck." 

Ryan: "Damn that idiot! Where was he when we were being attacked by that overgrown squid?! Tell him I want to speak with him at my quarters now." 

Charles: (Sigh does brother see me as his messenger?) "Very well Ryan." 

Ryan: "One more thing is Luna alright?" 

Charles: "She's fine but you should come see her and give her comfort yourself." 

Ryan: "I'll do that later i'm in the middle of my studies. Just make sure she doesn't leave her room again." 

Charles: "Very well just don't work too hard Ryan." 

Charles left, meanwhile, for Lay and Nowell who were present in the ship's hall.