I got off him and reached the land. Druk followed me to the shore as I scanned the surroundings. I saw some blue trees around, just like the one I had seen the first time I was in this Realm. The ground had a light bluish mud color near the shore. Twenty meters ahead, the color changed into a darker blue. Maybe the shore was transformed due to the water constantly hitting it.
We had landed in an island which didn't seem to be too big. The horizon was visible from the shore itself. The island was mostly flat except for a very heaps and hills on the side. I noticed that the whole island had life only in the center. As we walked forward, I saw more of the settlement. Ahead I saw a small house, circling it was blue grass.
I turned to Druk for explanation. "We are here to meet someone. The Legend speaks about the magical flower but not about its location. The man living here is my friend, one of the only people who knows where the patch of flowers lives. You'll find many islands like this in Glacidon. Some people choose to be far away from the local citizens. These people claim their own islands and start living there. It's a hard life but they signed up for it." Druk explained. I noticed that someone was watching us from the window.
The man opened the door and waved at Druk. Greeting back, Druk went up to him for a hug. "It's been a long time, Volmur." He laughed. Volmur said, "Yeah, it has been. What brings you here? And who is…" The man couldn't form words. He looked at me in confusion. Druk declared, "This is a warrior from Darknor and my good friend, Blaze Hunt. We need to talk."
These words from Druk convinced Volmur of the importance of our arrival. He greeted us inside and offered us a seat. For a lone man, he had kept his house clean. There was a small kitchen on one side. The small dining table was understandable along with a television on the side. The flower vase on another bench looked fresh. Volmur was a neat and energetic man. The small strips of white hair on the side spoke of his old age but the twinkle in his eyes convinced me that age didn't stop him from being a strong jolly man.
He took a chair for himself and then we began. "Volmur, you have been to many different places. Travelling has also been your hobby." Druk said. Agreeing, Volmur declared, "That is correct. I have a whole lot of love for travelling. But I will admit – this is the place I will always be living. I love my island." Druk smiled. He then looked at me. Taking that as a sign to continue the story from my side, I stated, "Darknor is in grave danger, Volmur. There is going to be war soon. But gaining victory is not possible unless we break through the barricades situated around the enemy Palace." I explained to him in detail the story which took roughly about ten minutes.
The guy was all ears for stories, I figured; because he didn't move from his seat a single time, maintaining eye contact, engrossed in my narration. Druk then muttered, "Volmur, you are the only person I know who has seen the magical flowers. You had described about them to me after returning from a travel a few years ago. We need a favor from you, pal. We need to know where to get those flowers." Volmur smiled. He got up and went to the kitchen. He brought back with him a plateful of eatables.
"You can have them. I am sorry but I don't have anything better than these right now." He chuckled. "And about the flowers, I'll be happy to be of some use. I had been to Kroiko a few years back. I had found the flowers there."
"Kroiko?" I asked. Druk answered, "It's also known as the Ocean of Troubles. It's a place with deep water. No one has ever reached the deep water bed at the bottom. You'll be out of breath before you succeed." Volmur took a cookie from the plate. "That's the reason I went there. I wanted to see that with my own eyes if I could reach the bottom. And to be honest, I almost did. The danger in Kroiko is due to the whirlpools in the water in which if once entered, there's no way out. Also, the watermen living there isn't a scarce numbers. At least fifty of those dangerous beasts live underwater." He said.
"When I had visited the place, I had taken two months swimming practice prior. The breathing technique you use is the key. Dodging many watermen and sometimes even getting hit, I finally had the ocean bed in my sight. There lying in thousands, I found the magical flower, Anderclar! How beautiful the flower is! But before I could even touched the bottom and grab them, watermen attacked me once again. Their hits proved to be fatal and I lost my breath. Desperately, I tried to swim up. My hands weren't ready for the chore and the watermen looted all that I had. I found a boat and screamed for help. The kind man lent me a hand in reaching the nearest shore. So I forgot about Anderclar and never went back." Volmur's story concluded and Druk and I looked at each other.
The place – Kroiko – seemed to be very dangerous. I hadn't yet met a waterman but hearing Druk's and Volmur's backstories having watermen as their villains, I was sure to have trouble fighting them. "How can you be sure that those flowers are actually Anderclar?" I asked. "The Legend speaks of the flower like this: 'Red with occasional white marks on it found deep in water is where one finds the strong magic. The flower emitting white light which can be seen from far – these qualities make it different, something no flower possesses.' I had seen the flower the Legend describes. There's no doubt about it." Volmur said.
"We are grateful for your help, buddy! I'll see you some other time!" Druk thanked and looked at me. I understood and got up. Shaking hands with Volmur, I bid him farewell and we exited the house. Volmur stated, "Have a safe journey and be cautious. I would like to meet you two again so try not to die." We giggled and left to the shore.
Diving into the water, Druk announced, "Alright, kid. Hop on. To Kroiko we head now!"