Reward Board: 800a, 25 SP
One of the first side quests you can undertake in Chained Echoes, The Food, the Chap, and the Hungry is also a great place to start. Not only is it just the right level for where you are in the story, it will also net you a new party member when completed. You'll also find plenty of goodies along the way. Worth the trip, for sure.
To trigger this quest you need to travel to the Arkant Archipelago, a seaside community along the southeastern beaches of Valandis. Once here, check the beach to the east of your landing point and the quest will more or less fall right into your lap. An old man named Tomke will fall out of the sky, and, lacking a memory, he'll ask for your help. Agreeing will start the quest.
To complete the quest all you need to do is speak to Tomke again. This will shoot you to the Hooge, an offshore, artificial island. Do this once and the Hooge will appear in the ocean to the southeast of Valandis whenever you set out in your airship.
Jump to the Hooge and you'll meet Captain Agatha, the owner of the island, who seems very put out by the return of Tomke. He's a confusing eating machine, and they want him gone. You receive a few clues as to why Tomke is in Valandis - it appears he wasn't alone originally - and the old man will ask to join the party so he can regain his memory. Quest complete!
(Want to explore the Hooge a bit? This guide will help.)
Tomke's Skills
When you first get Tomke he'll have access to the same number of Grimoire Shards as the rest of the party, and your first impulse will be to level him up immediately. Note, however, that while you have access to all of Tomke's Passive Skills and Stat Boosters, he only has one Action Skill unlocked: Uncanny Encounter.
Thanks to his amnesia, Tomke's knowledge of his full skillset is locked away. In order to unlock Tomke's Skills you need to let him use Uncanny Encounter on enemies that are considered Cannable. Whenever you check an enemy's stats in battle you'll see whether it can be Canned, and if you check the Bestiary Cannable enemies will have a can icon beside their name.
In order to can an eligible enemy your party must first reduce it to 25% or less health. You can then use Uncanny Encounter to instantly defeat the enemy. You still need to use a Grimoire Shard to use these Skills in battle, so you may want to hold off on spending a few so you can make Tomke more useful in combat.
The Skills you'll gain from each enemy are as follows:
- Adamant Crab (Arkant Archipelago) - Convert
- Alphoarn (Kortara Mountain Ramge) - Run Aground
- Ancient Turtle (Flying Continent Shambala) - Sharing is Caring
- Blemmyae (Magic Academy Nhysa) - Clap on the Back
- Boxfly (Rohlan Fields) - Hard Swing
- Croapier (Narslene Sewers via Ograne Grottos / Baalrut Tunnel) - Rushing Anchor
- Golem (Empyrean Ruins) - Spinning Swirl
- Ice Devil (Mount Rydell) - Sailor's Song
- Phantom (Magic Academy Nhysa) - Treasure Mark
- Saliva (Rohlan Fields) - Freak Wave
- Seahorse Knight (Leviathan's Trench) - Broken Accordion
- Sewerdiver (Narslene Sewers) - Sacrifice
- Terror Terrier (Phyon Oasis) - Cigarette's Light
- Titan Elemental (Kortara Mountain Range) - Spinach Power
- Vin (Fiorwoods) - Know Your Limits