Of Endings and Beginnings

Of Endings and Beginnings

Quest giver

Biggs

Location

The Dravanian Hinterlands (X:17, Y:22)

Quest line

Alexander Quests

Level

60

Required items

1   Weathered Manuscript

Experience

 0

Gil

 745

Previous quest

Judgment Day

Next quest

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Retells Your Story

Patch

3.4

“

Biggs has been reflecting on your final confrontation.

— In-game description

Rewards

• 1   Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son Orchestrion Roll
• 1   Locus Orchestrion Roll
• 1   Metal Orchestrion Roll
• 1   Metal - Brute Justice Mode Orchestrion Roll

Unlocks

•   Back in Time
• 
  Alexander (New Game+)

Steps

• Search for Roundrox.
• Deliver the weathered manuscript to Backrix.

Journal

• Biggs has been reflecting on your final confrontation.

• Having successfully escaped from the heart of the colossus, you share a moment of relief and reflection with Biggs, who remains somewhat rattled by what he saw within. The moment is short-lived, however, as a sudden linkpearl transmission from Cid reveals that Roundrox has gone missing from the Shortstop. Fearing for the child's safety─and state of mind after losing her best friend─you agree to split up and go in search of her, with Biggs tasking you to investigate the Collectors' Quarter, where Roundrox and Mide often traveled together.

• You find Roundrox standing at a lookout point in the Collectors' Quarter, where─as the goblin child explains it─she came to do some thinking. She then shows you a stone fragment that somehow fell into her possessions as she was fleeing the colossus. It is one of her precious glowstones─a shattered fragment of the Enigma Codex─and yet, she explains wistfully, it glows for her no more. Cid and Y'shtola arrive, and upon hearing the story, the former posits that Roundrox's experiences inside the colossus have fundamentally changed the girl─she is no longer a naive child, but one who has seen both the wonders and horrors that technology can give rise to in the single-minded pursuit of an ideal of perfection. Roundrox, her eyes firmly fixed on the future, expresses her desire to deliver the Codex shard back to Mide and Dayan, a sweet gesture which Y'shtola laments as impossible, as the barrier surrounding the colossus is now all but impenetrable. With uncanny timing, the coeurl kitten Shanoa returns to the scene, mewing as if she were offering to carry out Backrix's wish. Thinking that it wouldn't be the strangest thing to have happened in recent days, you look on as Roundrox entrusts the Codex shard to Shanoa, who happily bounds away. The threat of the primal now passed, Cid and Y'shtola take their leave, the latter entrusting you with a weathered tome to be delivered to Backrix. And so you set off back to the Shortstop.

• Backrix's eyes light up at the sight of the tome, which he explains is a Sharlayan book of legends he had requested of Y'shtola. He reads from a chapter containing the legends of the Hotgo, a tribe of blue-haired Au Ra. According to their myth of creation, the Hotgo trace their ancestry back to two children─a boy and a girl─who emerged from the belly of a great steel giant in days of yore. All present are astounded when Backrix further reveals that, according to the legend, the two children were named Dayan and Mide, and that they are said to have emerged from the giant holding a curious black stone that glowed at the touch of a hand. Though you can only speculate as to the wrinkles and twists of time that have brought such implausible events to pass, you can once again look to the future knowing that the primal threat has been subdued, and history set back on its proper course.

Dialogue

Optional Dialogue

Wedge: Just what do you think is happening inside the barrier? Perhaps I'll head down and take a closer─on second thought, maybe not.

Accepting the Quest

Biggs: Phew! I'm still not sure how we managed it, but I'm just happy to be out of that godsforsaken place in one piece. 'Course, it's a damn shame what happened to Mide...
Biggs: ...Hold on a moment, [Forename].
She's what!? Aye, aye, Chief─leave it to us!
Biggs: Bloody hells, [Forename]─Roundrox's gone missing! I've been worried sick about the poor lass ever since we got back. I mean, how would you feel if you saw your best friend throw herself into a running engine?
Biggs: I'll wager she's run off somewhere the two of them used to frequent together. Wedge and I will have a look around here. Why don't you search the Collectors' Quarter? Come on, let's find her before she gets herself into any more trouble!

Searching for Roundrox

Roundrox: Pshkohhh... Oh, it is uplander. Why does uplander come to this place?
Roundrox: Roundrox is sorry for worrying uplanders. Roundrox just wants to go to quiet place, and do some backthinking...

Cutscene start

Roundrox: Running out of giant of whirlycogs, Roundrox feels something rattling in pocket. So Roundrox reaches in and cannot believe what she finds. Rattling thing is glowstone...Roundrox's favoritest treasure.
Roundrox: Pshkohhh... But it is dark. Even with many tryings, glowstone does not glow for Roundrox...not anymore.

Cid: There you are, child! We were worried sick about you. What's that, [Forename]? Is aught amiss?
Cid:...The codex no longer responds to her touch? Intriguing...if not entirely surprising. Were I to guess, I would hazard that it's because this experience has served to open her eyes.
Cid: The Enigma Codex was born from one man's all-consuming pursuit of perfection, its knowledge sealed off from any who harbored even a sliver of doubt as to the merits of the ideals it espoused.
Cid: Quickthinx. Mide in her youth. Roundrox. Though their reasons might differ─arrogance, youthful idealism, childish innocence─none thought to question the words within, and so the codex opened itself to them. But now Roundrox has seen with her own eyes what blind devotion to ideals can bring.

Y'shtola: ...And she is not the naive child she was before.

Cid: Aye. It's all well and good to dream of building something perfect, but sooner or later you have to stop dreaming and start doing─hammering it together by your own hand, with your own blood, sweat, and tears.
Cid: In so doing, you are forced to confront your own failings, and deal with your frustration at the world's unfortunate habit of falling below expectations. Hells, there may come a time when you just want to tear the whole bloody thing apart and start again. But more often than not, you emerge from it all with something you can hold on to, and carry with you into the future. And that will do a damn sight more for you than any starry-eyed ideal.

Roundrox: Pshkohhh... Roundrox understands! Roundrox will collect more and more junk! Build city of great treasures, with own hands!
Roundrox: Roundrox has just one wish... Not-glowing glowstone is piece of Mide's dream. Roundrox would give back to Mide...

Y'shtola: A noble wish, child...would that we could grant it. But I fear the steel giant─and all that lies within that barrier─is far beyond the reach of mortal hands.

Cid: Frozen in a single moment until the end of time. That's a fate I'd not wish on anyone...

???: ...Mew!

Cid: Well, look who it is! You have a real knack for turning up underfoot, don't you?
Cid: I am reminded of the apparent ease with which this little coeurl seemed to slip in and out of the colossus. Were it not for the small matter of time having stopped in there, I'd send her in with Roundrox's glowstone without a moment's hesitation.

Shanoa: Mew mew!

Y'shtola: Two mews...? Might that suggest a willingness to try?

Shanoa: Mew! Meeeeeew!

Cid: Giving a stone to a cat, in hopes of delivering it to two souls trapped in time─now I think we've seen everything. Do you think those two will ever be free of that place?

Y'shtola: Mayhap one day, when the perfect future they sought to bring about becomes a reality. In that sense, one might even say their fate is in our hands.

Roundrox: Pshkohhh... Leave to Roundrox! Roundrox works hard! Builds sparklyshining future for Mide!

Y'shtola: ...As shall we, child.
And with that, [Forename], we must take our leave. For all you have done to stave off yet another primal threat, you have our gratitude.

Cid: I contacted Biggs and Wedge to let them know that they can call off the search. Needless to say, they were relieved to hear that Roundrox is safe. There was also a matter they were looking to discuss with you. They said they'd be waiting for you back at the Shortstop.

Y'shtola: If you will be returning to the Shortstop, I would ask a small favor of you as well. Pray deliver this volume to Backrix, and tell him I believe it is that which he seeks. Till next we meet, [Forename].

Optional Dialogue

Biggs: Thank goodness Roundrox is safe! With all the Illuminati stragglers running about, I feared the worst. The girl could at least have the courtesy to tell someone before she goes wandering off like that!

Wedge: Here we are then, at the end of yet another harrowing journey! And still with all our important bits, to boot! I─ Wait, my favorite wrench! Oh dear, I hope it isn't lost in time and space somewhere...

Roundrox: Pshkohhh... Roundrox is sorry for making troubles. Roundrox will be good gobbie, play here with bittybobs.

Delivering the weathered manuscript to Backrix

Backrix: Pshkohhh... Now Roundrox is safe at Shortstop, and Backrix is easybreathing. Uplanders have thanks of Backrix. Hm? Uplanders bring present for Backrix?
<Hand Over Weathered Manuscript>
Backrix: This... This is Sharlayan legendbook from Y'shtola! Backrix has waited for legendbook for long time!
Backrix: Backrix has been reading about many, many things. About Enigma Codex, and blue-haired uplander that writes it. Maybe these knowings will save gobbieflock from giant of whirlycogs, thinks Backrix.
Backrix: Now giant of whirlycogs sleeps, and gobbieflock is safe. But still, Backrix would fill braincase with knowings! Fill pages of watcherbook with data! Let Backrix see...

Cutscene start

Backrix: Yes, yes... It is just as Backrix─ Pshkohhh! Are Backrix's eyes playing tricks on him!?

Biggs: Oi, are you feeling all right, there? You look like you've seen a ghost!

Backrix: Page tells faerielegend of Hotgo tribe, uplanders of blue hair. Many, many years ago in oldtimes, two children─boy and girl─outstep from belly of great steel giant. Two children grow to man and woman, becoming father and mother of great people of Hotgo...
Backrix: Names of two are...Dayan and Mide! Look at handdrawing! Even faces are same-looking!

Wedge: Ye gads! If that's our Mide and Dayan, why, that means that one day they'll be freed from their fate, and reborn far, far in the past!

Biggs: So after searching for near an eternity, they finally found the perfect world they were searching for? It may be just a faerie tale, but I, for one, would like to believe it!

Backrix: And faerielegend goes on... Two children step out of steel giant holding small stone. Stone is dark when sitting on ground, but hold stone in hand and shinylights!

Roundrox: Glowstone of Roundrox!

Wedge: Let me see if I have this straight: the codex fragment you gave to that coeurl a few moments ago now features in a legend from ages past. That can't be possible─can it?

Biggs: At this point, I'm about ready to believe bleedin' anything. But that reminds me. There was something I wanted to ask you, [Forename]. Remember when we went into the core, and almost got our arses fried by that colossus-inside-a-colossus? Well, I felt the strangest sensation then─a feeling that chilled me to the bone. As if something terrible had happened that I couldn't for the life of me remember...

Wedge: I-I felt it, too! So tell us─did you see anything when you were going in and out of time? Do you have any idea what happened to us while Quickthinx was spinning the hands of the clock?

< What will you say? >
< I'm afraid I do... >
< I'm afraid I don't... >

< I'm afraid I do... >
Wedge: Y-You're afraid you do!? Well, that's not ominous in the least! On second thought, how about you don't tell us, thank you very much.

Biggs: You'll get no arguments from me. There are some secrets better left secret, and from the look on [Forename]'s face, I reckon this is one of 'em.

< I'm afraid I don't... >
Wedge: Y-You don't know!? Well, excuse me if that doesn't exactly put my heart at ease. Would it have killed you to say, “But of course! I saw plenty of alternate realities, Wedge, and I can say without a sliver of a doubt that in none of them were you and Biggs blasted to smithereens!”

Biggs: Wedge! I know we were both thinking the worst, but you didn't have to go and bleedin' say it. Look, as far as I'm concerned, what [Forename] doesn't know can't hurt us, so why don't we just forget we ever asked?

(Both)
Biggs: Anyway, it'd seem this long and thoroughly mind-boggling battle of ours has finally come to an end. 'Course, there's still plenty of work to be done, but now that Quickthinx is out of the picture, I've got high hopes that Roundrox and her friends will one day build their shining kingdom of rubbish and refuse.

Wedge: Speaking of work, we'd better get back to it before the chief catches us chattering. Always a pleasure, [Forename]─till next time!