A Stranger in a Strange Land

Return to Ragunna City

Head to Ragunna City Square and find Ciaccona

Ciaccona: 'Twas a battle fierce and dire. The Laureate fell, consumed by mire.

Ciaccona: Into the Dark Tide he's gone, vanished. Our minds shattered, hope now banished

Ciaccona: O' woeful hearts! O' helpless hands! Was this the end of all our plans?

Ciaccona: Then soared the dark slayer, wings aflame. Striking down foes, breaking the chain.

Ciaccona: Our Laureate rose in radiant swell, outshining the Threnodian's spell.

Ciaccona: Though shadows vast did crowd the night, the light of unity shone ever bright.

Ciaccona: With lantern held high, he banished the Dark Tide. Rinascita's long night, hereby cast aside!

Ciaccona: And while the dark hero has sadly gone, our Laureate is here for us to cheer on!

Rover: Ahem...

Ciaccona: Well, it was such an epic fight. If I can spin it into a song, maybe it'll live on in the hearts of Ragunna and Septimont, and all of Rinascita.

Ciaccona: Heh, but there's another player in this tale...

Ciaccona: He was neither Ragunnesi nor Septimontian. Have you heard the story of this outlander?

Ciaccona: No? Then listen close. My melody will bring the story to life before your eyes...

Leon: Um... hello? Sir?

Leon: Are you... a neighbor in need?

Leon: By the Sentinel, the Order of the Deep will assist you with all that we have.

Qiuyuan: I need to see Fenrico.

Leon: You wish to confess to our Primus? Alas, Lord Fenrico is currently away on a journey to spread the Sentinel's teachings.

Leon: But if you need assistance, simply let someone know you seek the Order's aid. They'll take you to the Cathedral of Mercury.

Leon: You can always find me in the Cathedral, brother. My name is Leon.

Leon: May Imperator be with you.

Qiuyuan: Confess... to a Primus colluding with a Threnodian?

Qiuyuan: But if he's not here, then I'll seek out the "Blessed Maiden"... or Rover.

Ciaccona: Hello there! You are...

Ciaccona: From Huanglong, right? I assume from the style of your clothing. Are you travelling? Rinascita does offer some marvelous views...

Qiuyuan: ......

Resident of Ragunna: Ah!!!

Fleeing Civilian: M-monsters!

Fleeing Civilian: Watch out for the black mud!

Leon: La Guardia, protect the people! Citizens, to the Cathedral!

Leon: Children and seniors first! Quickly!

Leon: Fear not, the Order will shelter everyone!

Ciaccona: Just as Rover once described...

Ciaccona: Are these... the End Times before the Paradise descends?

Ciaccona: Everyone, get out of here!

Ciaccona: Hey, friend from Huanglong! You should get to safety with the others. These monsters aren't just for show!

Qiuyuan: Escort the civilians to safety.

Qiuyuan: I'll handle this.

Defeat TDs spawned from the Dark Tide

Qiuyuan: ...Hmph, the Threnodian's dregs.

Go to where Acolytes are evacuating the civilians

Guiding Acolyte: Brother Leon, come aboard now!

Guiding Acolyte: The Cathedral is already close to capacity!

Leon: You go! There are still many in the city who need evacuating!

Leon: Tell Phoebe she must protect everyone inside the Cathedral. No matter what!

Find Acolyte of the Order

Leon: It's you...

Qiuyuan: Get to safety.

Leon: But there are still people trapped in the square!

Leon: Carlotta Montelli.

Carlotta: Sir Leon? And this is...?

Qiuyuan: Qiuyuan.

Leon: I might not have survived if not for this kind soul from Huanglong.

Carlotta: My deepest gratitude for your aid.

Carlotta: Tacet Discords have appeared in the city without the slightest forewarning—

Leon: Ms. Carlotta, what of the Montelli Quarter? Have the civilians there been safely evacuated?

Carlotta: They're en route to the Cathedral as we speak. You may rest easy on that front.

Qiuyuan: The Threnodian's shadow already hangs over this city...

Qiuyuan: I can actually see you through the Dark Tide?

Qiuyuan: Could it be...?

Leon: Are you leaving, sir?

Qiuyuan: This place is no longer safe. You must all retreat.

Leon: ...May Imperator be with you, friend.

Carlotta: Quite the mysterious man to vanish in such a fashion.

Leon: I sense no ill intent. He appeared... to be searching for something.

Carlotta: An old acquaintance of yours, Sir Leon?

Leon: Not quite. Just crossed paths earlier on Bank Street.

Leon: Leviathan's whispers hold no sway over outlanders. May Imperator's grace guide him to what he seeks and keep him steadfast on his path.

Ciaccona: Carlotta!

Ciaccona: Everyone from the square should be inside the Cathedral by now. I went door by door to make sure! The children here are the last ones left.

Leon: You... you're a Toccata...

Ciaccona: This city and her people are crying out to us. We will weather this storm together!

Leon: Divine Envoys, Ragunna hangs by a thread! Fulfill your sacred duty! Defend the city and her people!

Carlotta: Brace yourselves!

Go to the platform and investigate

Qiuyuan: Rover is here. I can sense it.

Qiuyuan: But there is another strange presence in this tower.

Defeat TDs drawn by the Dark Tide

Put the warrior corrupted by the Dark Tide to rest

Investigate the traces of Rover's frequency

Qiuyuan: This frequency seems to belong to the Maiden.

Qiuyuan: Just what I need.

Clear the waterway and reach the tower

Enter the tower

Qiuyuan: This must be the work of that Maiden.

Qiuyuan: But Rover was not the only one to pass through here.

Qiuyuan: There's another... shrouded in dark flames with intent to kill.

Take the elevator

Qiuyuan: The sound of a firearm...

Qiuyuan: Someone got here before me.

Talk to Cantarella

Cantarella: An agent from Mingting? Wait, I know you.

Cantarella: You serve under Lord Liang... Qiuyuan, if memory serves?

Qiuyuan: ...You know Grandmaster Liang?

Cantarella: I had the privilege of meeting many distinguished officials in Mingting. The Ministry of Sentinel Affairs once introduced me to your Internal Security Agency's workings.

Cantarella: I would never confuse the man behind Lord Liang. The one without sight yet seeing all... the Blind Watcher.

Qiuyuan: I see what others cannot. That's all.

Qiuyuan: This bullet ended Cartethyia... yet I sense no malice from it.

Qiuyuan: Born of light, yet flying amidst shadow.

Qiuyuan: What kind of flame... are you seeking?

Qiuyuan: Cartethyia, Resonator of both Sentinel and Threnodian.

Qiuyuan: Even in "death," you remain the vessel of both.

Qiuyuan: As for you...

Qiuyuan: There's no record of you in Mingting's archives.

Qiuyuan: All your frequencies are tied to the Threnodian.

Qiuyuan: Chaotic, ever devouring, assimilating... That is Tacet Discord. A power not fully your own.

Qiuyuan: You seek vengeance, but she is not your true target... it's the Divinity.

Qiuyuan: But you kept this from Rover. That is why it all unfolded so suddenly.

Qiuyuan: Besides spark and firewood, you needed another person to stoke the fire—

Qiuyuan: So it is you, Rover.

Qiuyuan: You match what Magistrate Jinhsi's bodyguard described. However...

Qiuyuan: The mark of Leviathan's Dark Tide clings to you.

Qiuyuan: That was why I sensed you through the Dark Tide in the city.

Qiuyuan: Anyone tainted by a Threnodian is fated for destruction.

Qiuyuan: Even if a cleansing fire could burn away that darkness, when the moment of choice comes...

Qiuyuan: Will you turn the blade on yourself?

Qiuyuan: That woman did shoot Cartethyia. Rover is after her now.

Qiuyuan: But that's not the whole story.

Cantarella: How do you know that?

Qiuyuan: I can sense lingering frequencies in a place.

Cantarella: The Sentinel is no more, the Blessed Maiden is gone, and now the Dark Tide descends…

Qiuyuan: You are outnumbered.

Qiuyuan: You said you met with Mingting's officials. That means you had an audience not just with Grandmaster Liang, but with the Grand Marshal, too.

Qiuyuan: She asked me to execute a Fractsidus Overseer named Scar in Rinascita, and help Rover in the process.

Cantarella: So Mingting had foreseen all this?

Qiuyuan: That's not my concern.

Qiuyuan: "Thou shalt wield the torch of the usurper to drive away the darkness."

Qiuyuan: That's all the Ministry of Sentinel Affairs gave me. Any clue what this "torch" might be?

Cantarella: Usurper... Torch...

Cantarella: That may be referring to Primus Fenrico and the "First Relic" he holds.

Qiuyuan: Then that relic might be the help Rover needs.

Cantarella: Fenrico should still be in the experiment site he secretly built.

Cantarella: It lies beneath the waters to the southwest of Thessaleo Fells. I'm afraid you'll need to pinpoint the precise location yourself.

Qiuyuan: I see.

Qiuyuan: One more thing. Don't tell anyone I was here.

Qiuyuan: Do I have your word?

Cantarella: And why is that? Are you not a Mingting official?

Qiuyuan: I was. Not anymore.

Qiuyuan: Mingting... is not the place you once visited.

Qiuyuan: Secure Cartethyia's body and get to a safer place.

Chase down any traces of Fenrico

Qiuyuan: To hide such a facility under the sea.

Qiuyuan: Such desecration. Such... absurdity.

Qiuyuan: You creatures lurking in the dark...

Qiuyuan: I'll show you what the real darkness looks like.

Defeat TDs drawn by the Dark Tide

Reach Fenrico

Find Fenrico

Your Nemesis stands before you. Defeat the "Fractsidus Member"

???: Oh?

Leon?: This place is marred by the Dark Tide's filth. Why risk yourself, brother?

Qiuyuan: It's you... the Fractsidus I sensed.

Qiuyuan: Playing dress-up again... Is this your twisted idea of fun?

Leon?: By the Sentinel, do you not recognize me?

Qiuyuan: Your disguise means nothing to me. I recognize your frequency.

Leon?: Hehe... What truly separates us, brother?

Leon?: A face alone is a sorry veneer. I am an Acolyte...

Leon?: Just as you are a fugitive clinging to an official's uniform.

Leon?: What a shame you couldn't end "him" in Mingting… and now, you still can't.

Qiuyuan: Why are you here?

Leon?: A grim stage has been set for Rover in this land.

Leon?: And I, at the invitation of another, am merely a supporting character in this grand performance.

Leon?: And my role is to stop you here.

Leon?: As an Acolyte, my faith in "Imperator" is indestructible, though my flesh remains so very fragile.

Qiuyuan: You killed that Acolyte.

Leon?: Oh, he's quite hale and hearty. Right now, he should be tending to the wounded in that vault.

Leon?: Besides, it's beneath me to move against such an... ordinary character.

Leon?: Such brutality. And here I stand, an unarmed Acolyte.

Leon?: A pale shadow compared to Lord Liang Dongyuan, the mighty master of both pen and sword.

Qiuyuan: You will pay for murdering Grandmaster Liang with your blood.

Leon?: Oh really? Isn't that debt yours to answer for?

Leon?: A wanted criminal of Mingting, and yet the Ministry of War sent you all the way to Rinascita to hunt down Scar in secret.

Leon?: Who would've thought... Mingting places such importance on him.

Qiuyuan: If you know that, it means you still have eyes and ears in Mingting.

Leon?: Without a doubt. I am... "everywhere."

Leon?: Speaking of which, Scar should be in Septimont now.

Leon?: He did a patchy job in Jinzhou and needs to answer for his own missteps. I will not interfere with how you handle him.

Leon?: As for our dear Primus here, a ruling hand clinging tightly to a cruel fate, a martyr yet to earn a name...

Leon?: You are here for him, no?

Leon?: "Thou shalt wield the torch of the usurper to drive away the darkness."

Leon?: A Huanglong prophecy, yes? But isn't it just another verse in Divinity's script?

Qiuyuan: What have you done to him?

Leon?: Me? Nothing.

Leon?: What you see is simply the consequence of him fulfilling his destiny.

Leon?: A remnant of his consciousness still lingers, right inside that lantern.

Qiuyuan: Step aside.

Leon?: Why of course. What could an unarmed Acolyte possibly do against Huanglong's blade?

Leon?: Still, allow me a parting word...

Leon?: Fenrico... he's not so different from you.

Leon?: You have killed without hesitation, and your one mistake was a single act of mercy.

Leon?: For that moment of weakness, you've paid no less than he did.

Leon?: How can a lone, flickering torch hope to banish shadow upon shadow?

Leon?: Ruthless soul, your end awaits you!

Qiuyuan: This is...

Qiuyuan: The Fractsidus.

Put Fenrico the First to rest

Fenrico: Be gone... Be gone...

Fenrico: You short-lived glimmer of a candle...

Fenrico: Just as the tale of the fool...

Fenrico: Vociferous, but hollow.

Qiuyuan: The Dark Tide. Seems like he's still connected with the Threnodian...

Fenrico: My... cathedral.

Fenrico: This is...

Qiuyuan: A corner in the realm of my mind. It shifts with the person I meet.

Qiuyuan: This cathedral shows your obsession.

Fenrico: A soul from Huanglong...

Fenrico: Here, you shall find neither the gospel you can accept, nor the judgment you are meant to endure.

Qiuyuan: The Threnodian has taken everything from you.

Qiuyuan: Your Blessed Maiden is dead, your city crumbles.

Qiuyuan: The Dark Tide will soon swallow it whole. Your tie with the Threnodian should have shown you what's already happened.

Qiuyuan: Give me the lantern.

Fenrico: Tell me, by what right do you demand what is ours?

Fenrico: "The path born of injustice must be fortified with further transgressions…"

Fenrico: No. Our path was built upon a foundation of righteousness.

Fenrico: Here, one Primus after another offered up their battered flesh... in defiance of Leviathan.

Fenrico: And... be it Leviathan, Cartethyia, or the Fractsidus, none shall steal Ragunna from my keeping.

Fenrico: Under the hands of the Primuses, Ragunna flourished. By our light, the people were shielded from the Threnodian's corruption and led toward a true Blessed Land.

Fenrico: People need unity of belief. That is why a Primus must rule. That is the heart of our creed.

Fenrico: It is what sustained me across twenty years of struggle against the Threnodian. I sought to bend Its power toward a higher purpose.

Fenrico: But in the end... that creed consumed me. I believed I could use Leviathan as a hammer to forge a true Blessed Land against Its hollow "Paradise." But I was the one used.

Fenrico: Such is my appointed fate. I accept it without challenge.

Fenrico: What still binds me here... is naught but fury and hatred for the betrayal.

Qiuyuan: You are only mortal. Mortals don't stand a chance against a Threnodian.

Fenrico: Night and day, Its whispers echoed in our heads. A torment no soul can endure.

Fenrico: And despite Imperator's fading light granting us only fleeting moments of clarity, generations of Primuses have willingly walked this path.

Qiuyuan: And you still thought you could control Its power?

Qiuyuan: Ambition and obsession fueled your fight against the Threnodian. But in the end, they're the very things that brought you down.

Qiuyuan: Yours is a scripture of righteousness. Yet evil and atrocity are written all over your deeds.

Fenrico: I stand knee-deep in a river of blood. What is spilled cannot be unspilled.

Qiuyuan: There was a time I could have killed a man before he waded into a river of blood.

Qiuyuan: Now, that chance stands before me once more.

Fenrico: "No mortal shall inflict upon you even the slightest harm."

Fenrico: It is this prophecy and fate that lead me onward...

Fenrico: Pleasure born of violence shall end in violence.

Fenrico: You that are heavy laden by guilt, come and confess.

Geshu Lin: Tell me why.

Qiuyuan: By the order of the Censorate, you are to be executed by the Internal Security Agency.

Geshu Lin: Me?

Qiuyuan: They accuse you of... colluding with Tacet Discords and wreaking havoc across Jinzhou.

Geshu Lin: What a joke...

Geshu Lin: Killing them isn't enough.

Qiuyuan: You killed these Tacet Discords. These people owe you their lives.

Geshu Lin: Yes. So what?

Geshu Lin: The border is in chaos, and all your Agency does is lick the boots of corrupt officials.

Geshu Lin: Might as well... kill me here.

Geshu Lin: Do it.

Geshu Lin: If you let me live today. I swear... Every one of the ISA's dogs...

Geshu Lin: And every last Tacet Discord... I'll turn these lands white with your bones.

Qiuyuan: Grandmaster Liang from the Agency spoke in your defense.

Geshu Lin: Then why are you here?

Qiuyuan: ...I've read your case files in Jinzhou these past few days.

Qiuyuan: Those Censors failed in their duties and deceived us...

Qiuyuan: How could a single squad captain possibly conspire with Tacet Discords to kill and raid?

Qiuyuan: You're just an ordinary man.

Geshu Lin: Those things are killing our people. I... won't let that stand.

Geshu Lin: Tacet Discords don't get to live. No matter the cost, I won't stop until... they're all annihilated.

Qiuyuan: Jinzhou's survival depends on stopping the Tacet Discords.

Qiuyuan: You wield incredible might, but such strength demands restraint.

Qiuyuan: A sword exists to deter, not kill. Draw too quickly, and you'll die by your own blade.

Qiuyuan: Your sword can cut down Tacet Discords. Or save lives.

Qiuyuan: If your resolve to protect this land stands firm, you will forge a legacy.

Fenrico: I... I see it now. What haunts you, the memories you carry...

Fenrico: I see that rainy night. That battle. And the Threnodian... feeding on it all.

Fenrico: I see the plain drenched in blood. The man standing atop it all, burning in black flames...

Fenrico: What happened to him?

Qiuyuan: He fell into Ovathrax's abyss.

Fenrico: And shared my fate...

Qiuyuan: Maybe when we first met, he still held on to a shred of goodness. But even so, it didn't stop his end from coming.

Fenrico: You should have killed him when you had the chance.

Qiuyuan: History grants no second chances. And the dead do not return.

Qiuyuan: I've lost everything, but it still doesn't cover the debt I owe the dead of that battlefield.

Qiuyuan: There's only one thing I can do. Next we meet, I'll end him, quick and clean.

Qiuyuan: If given the choice again, would you still become Primus?

Fenrico: I would.

Fenrico: Usurper they may deem me, but never shall they deny the fruit of my toil.

Fenrico: Well do I know my iniquities, and clear is the end of my path.

Fenrico: So, were I to choose anew, I would tread this path once more… though it spurns the wisdom of every Primus before me, though nothing but trials and terrors lie ahead.

Fenrico: Now... take this.

Qiuyuan: "Thou shalt wield the torch of the usurper to drive away the darkness."

Qiuyuan: So this is the "First Relic"?

Fenrico: Napoli the Second wielded it to purge Ragunna of the Dark Tide. And at that moment of triumph, the Order earned the Threnodian's full attention.

Fenrico: This lantern… carry it forth. Should the Journeying Paradise come, it will emerge from Septimont, where the Righteous One shall surely be.

Qiuyuan: Rover has also been tainted by the Dark Tide, like you.

Fenrico: The Dark Tide binds us all. I did feel his presence.

Fenrico: He now stands as the new Harbinger, walking a path that… was never meant to be his.

Fenrico: That is why he needs this lantern far more than I do.

Qiuyuan: Is this your penance?

Fenrico: I do not repent. But a dying Primus has no right to hold onto this relic.

Fenrico: This is... my destiny.

Fenrico: Upon deception had I built my reign and legacy. And no mortal could inflict upon me even the slightest harm.

Fenrico: The wandering Righteous One... is no mere mortal.

Fenrico: Take this lantern!

Qiuyuan: The flame of ambition and obsession has died. Only the lantern's glow remains.

Qiuyuan: So... do you seek vengeance?

Fenrico: In violence shall I end the pleasure born of violence...

Qiuyuan: A Threnodian is no easy kill.

Fenrico: My flock, the faithful of the Order, and the wandering Righteous One… they shall prevail.

Fenrico: Even though I should fall into hell, Leviathan too shall burn beside me.

Fenrico: Become my knight. Take this and go.

Fenrico: In this way... shall I fulfill my destiny...

Fenrico: ...I am Fenrico Macbeth...

Fenrico: Though I may never stand among the greatest Primuses…

Fenrico: History shall remember me... as Fenrico the First.

Qiuyuan: History's truth is inscribed in stone. May those who come after render their verdict on you.

Qiuyuan: So ends the path of Fenrico the First, of the Order of the Deep.

Qiuyuan: Your wish is well received.

Talk to your companions and inquire the whereabouts of Qiuyuan

Phoebe: Good to see you, Rover.

Phoebe: Ms. Zani and I have been assessing the damage to Averardo Vault and the Cathedral of Mercury.

Phoebe: I think I saw him by the square.

Phoebe: Hard to miss someone from Huanglong in the crowd.

Phoebe: I also noticed quite a few friends from Septimont there discussing the rebuilding. Maybe you could ask if anyone's seen him.

Augusta: Ragunna is indeed nothing like Septimont.

Augusta: It is. After all, Ragunna was closed to outsiders.

Augusta: The swordsman named Qiuyuan?

Augusta: I ran into him earlier by the docks. We spoke briefly. He looked ready to board a ship home.

Augusta: The Gladiators who stood their ground during the attack spoke of him. They said it was he who held the fiercest frontline alone when the Fractsidus unleashed the Dark Tide.

Augusta: The ship hasn't set sail yet. So, you should find him at the dock.

Find Qiuyuan at the harbor

Qiuyuan: Sir, how long before the ship departs?

Old Merchant: The captain says once these goods from Septimont are loaded, we prepare to set sail.

Qiuyuan: I see no Acolytes supervising.

Old Merchant: Thought you couldn't see! So you can, eh?

Qiuyuan: No... I just sense no one is causing you trouble.

Old Merchant: Ragunna and Septimont have been through a lot. Really was those heroes who carried us through this disaster.

Old Merchant: And Lord Fenrico and his predecessors... Under Sentinel Imperator's guidance, they held the lantern high and drove away the darkness surrounding us.

Old Merchant: Still gives me chills when I think about it...

Qiuyuan: That's all behind us, sir.

Old Merchant: Right you are...

Qiuyuan: You board first. I'll be ready soon.

Old Merchant: Aye. Thank you, lad.

Qiuyuan: You have come.

Rover: Leaving so soon?

Qiuyuan: I've lingered long enough. My work isn't done.

Rover: Scar and the other Fractsidus operatives got away...

Qiuyuan: Our Grand Marshal likely expected as much. They always have a way out.

Qiuyuan: Pity. Would have liked to see if I could sever that goat head in one strike.

Rover: I still haven't properly thanked you for your help in Septimont.

Qiuyuan: Leviathan's influence was aimed at Rinascita. Outsiders like me were spared.

Qiuyuan: Besides, it was the Grand Marshal who asked me to help you here.

Qiuyuan: You should save your gratitude for her when you visit Mingting someday. She takes great interest in you.

Rover: Mingting... I've only been to Jinzhou so far.

Qiuyuan: The world is wide. Rove far enough, and you'll find your way there.

Rover: Wait, about Geshu Lin...

Qiuyuan: You know Jiyan. You fought in Norfall Barrens. You must also know what really happened in Jinzhou three years ago.

Qiuyuan: And what becomes of those who fall to the Threnodian. Not everyone has the strength to resist Its persuasions, not like the people here.

Rover: Are you still after him?

Qiuyuan: Back then, corrupt officials lied to the Internal Security Agency, to Grandmaster Liang, and to me. I went to Jinzhou to execute him.

Qiuyuan: But at the time... he wasn't what they claimed. It was only later that he fell to the Threnodian's influence.

Qiuyuan: For the lives lost in that battle because of him, death is too light a punishment.

Qiuyuan: But it's what I can give him, and what I must.

Old Merchant: Come now, lad! Ye' miss this ship to Mengzhou, and you're waiting till morning!

Qiuyuan: They call you Rover, but you're not without a home. You are a blade with a sheath.

Qiuyuan: Those who stand by you are your home. Your sheath. They will fight for you. And you, for them.

Qiuyuan: Maybe one day...

Rover: You will.

Qiuyuan: You are what they say.

Qiuyuan: May our paths cross again.