With Kupka defeated (but not dead) you'll find yourself back in the Hideaway, outside the Infirmary. Head out to the Mess and speak to Otto. In the process you'll be introduced to Mid, Cid's daughter, who appears to be... exhuberant. Follow Mid when she leaves the Mess, up the nearby stairs, and you'll find her in the Atrium. Mid will give you a sub-quest to do. First, though...
Eikons
With the defeat of Hugo Kupka you've received another Eikon, Titan, which you can equip on Clive. The problem here is that you can only equip three Eikons at any one time, so if you want to use Titan - which I recommend - you'll need to unequip one of the others. Let's have a look at their specialties:
- Phoenix covers a bit of everything, with a spread of short, medium, and long-range attacks. It's also the Eikon you're most familiar with.
- Garuda is primarily a short-range Eikon, though Deadly Embrace is great for plucking enemies out of the air at a distance.
- Ramuh tends more towards long-range attacks, and is a great alternative if you find normal magic blasts to be a little underwhelming.
- Titan is a short-range beast, and is the only Eikon with a strong defensive move in Titanic Block. It also has a few good AOE Abilities.
Which three you equip is ultimately up to you, though ideally you should minimize overlap. Garuda and Titan, for example, cover a bit of the same ground, so you may want to choose between them. That said, if you really prefer getting in the face of your foes, then you should have them both. There's no wrong answer here, as it all depends on your prefered playstyle.
Getting to Work
Reward: The Breath of Earth (Windup), 35 Renown
Mid's little venture is largely a fetch quest. You'll need to visit four NPCs:
- First is Blackthorne. Hand him a Supply Kit.
- Next is Charon, next door to Blackthorne. Give her Mid's List of Materials.
- Third is Bardolph, the carpenter. He's down on the Pier, at the bottom of the lift and near the exit to the world map.
- Last is Martha. Head to Martha's Rest and you'll find her behind the bar, as usual.
The trip to Martha will let you know that the carpenter Mid wants, Bernard, is in Greensheaves. Head north out of Martha's Rest, then west through Greensheaves until you reach Rhiannon's Ride. Swing southeast and you'll find a bridge, previously broken, that Bernard has apparently repaired. Bernard has a request, however: He wants Clive to clear out the ruins of Cressida, a town on the other side of the bridge that is infested with monsters.
Head into Cressida and you'll find a horde of Cray Claws and Vultures. Defeat them and Vampire Thorns will show up in a second wave. Take these out and a Wivre will show up as a third wave. Defeat this creature - you should have plenty of practice fighting them by now - and you'll have cleared out Cressida.
You'll receive a Dragon Talon, Sharp Fangs, Magicked Ash, and a Gil Bug for winning the battle. Poke around a bit after Bernard leaves and you'll find a few Items in the clearing where you fought, as well as in the cluster of buildings in the east. Also by the buildings is a chest containing ten chunks of Wyrrite, and on the second floor of the northern building is a chest containing ten spools of Steelsilk. There are two more Items in the conspicuous clearing behind the village, but... nothing else. (For the moment.)
Head back to the Hideaway and speak to Mid, still in the Atrium. This will complete the sub-quest, and put you back on the main quest. Speak to Tarja in the Infirmary for a status update on Jill, then speak to Gav, inside the Shelves. Torgal's lineage - and the reason for all the crazy magic - is more or less revealed.
After a quick visit to Mid's new workshop - colorfully named 'Mid's Dungeon' - you'll need to visit Vivian, in the Map Room. Some important cut scenes will follow, and when they're done you'll need to welcome Byron, Clive's uncle, who is waiting down on the Pier. This leads to another chat with Otto in the Mess, and back to Byron, down the steps from the Mess. Speaking to Byron will finally complete the chain of conversations.
Your next stop is the Velkroy Desert, and Byron will be joining Clive as a party member for the journey. First, though, you have some side content to complete.
- There are two new side quests in the Hideaway: The Weight of Command and Do No Harm. There are no new Alliant Reports available, but if you speak to Gaute you'll notice that there's now a category for the Dhalmekia Republic, hinting at quests to come.
- Nektar has two new Notorious Marks on the Hunt Board: Muddy Murder and A Hill to Die On. The latter is in the Velkroy Desert.
- Blackthorne has a new weapon for Clive: The Grindstone. You'll need the Levinbolt you likely forged earlier, as well as the Earth Shard from the Kupka fight and three Meteorites. You should also have the items needed to make the Drakeslayer's Belt, if you've been hunting Notorious Marks.