Our Compromise

is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
==Journal==
* Sid has at last accepted that Myste is not coming back to Ishgard, and that if we are to reclaim the remainder of our stolen aether, we will need to take the initiative. Rhalgr's Reach was the last place you spoke, and so that is where we will go.
* In speaking with the people of Rhalgr's Reach, we learn that Myste stayed there for a time, asking questions of a conjurer regarding aether and perhaps being responsible for the mysterious deaths of several chocobos. He's been naughty, to say the least.
* Sid is unsure what to make of what we learned, though it seems fairly obvious to me what mischief the boy's been about. And you too, I hope. Anyway, it would seem that Myste was seen leaving the Reach and heading towards the Peaks. The hunt is on!
* Two beasts, dead, with no discernable injuries. Now where have we heard that before? Sid finally realizes that the boy must have sucked them dry of their aether, in the same way that he stole our aether. Needless to say, he is far, far more dangerous than he appears. A pity it took you all this long to see it.
* Wrong way, wrong way! He'll kill Sid and Rielle if we don't hurry!
* And now, the betrayal. Myste believes that the only way we can atone for our sins is to “undo” them with his simulacra. Every life we took, every death that weighs upon our soul, he would make amends for it all with his beautiful lies. I can end this charade, godsdammit, I can end it! Now is the time! You need me! YOU NEED ME!
* ...So it goes. If you would not forsake me, then of course you would not forsake him. And so...neither can I. He is a fool, but he is our little fool. The little girl/boy who wanted to make this cruel, twisted world a better place, futile as that is. She/He's going to get us killed one of these days...but what can I say? I love her/him. I forgive her/him. And you...
* Do you recall how we came to this place? At a friend's behest, in the midst of a raging blizzard? As we drew closer the gates faded into vision, and the towering spires...the man bowed low and bade us follow him, up the winding stair, from still smoldering ruin to untouched splendor. There we found a warm home and warm hearth, and warm hearts...
* At the Last Vigil, as you reflect once more on the path you have walked, you are surprised by Lord Edmont, who greets you warmly. News of your exploits is delivered to Fortemps Manor daily, and you remain always in the thoughts of the former count and his family. Though a part of him wishes that you would remain in Ishgard, he knows that your destiny leads you elsewhere, for you are still a hero. You are still a good person.
※The next dark knight quest will be available from Sidurgu once you have met the following requirements:
※ You must have registered a product key for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers to your service account.
※ You must have completed the main scenario quest “Shadowbringers.”
※ You must have completed the role quest “To Have Loved and Lost.”
==Objectives==
* Gather information in Rhalgr's Reach.
* Speak with Sidurgu.
* Follow Sidurgu.
* Search the Last Forest for Myste.
* Search for Sidurgu.
* Speak with Sidurgu in Ishgard.
* Return to where it all began.
==Script==
script 	script
 	
Sidurgu 	...Godsdammit, Myste. We're going to have to track him down and make him return the remainder of the aether he stole from you, aren't we?
Sidurgu 	He said that when this was finished, naught would remain of him. Bloody vague and ominous, to say the least...
Sidurgu 	We'll just have to press him for answers when we find him.
Sidurgu 	You last saw him at Rhalgr's Reach in Gyr Abania, yes? We'll start there.
Rielle 	I'm going too, and I won't take no for an answer. Sid's gotten better, but he's a long way from fully recovered. Besides, you'll need someone else to help you do the talking. Sid's no good at it.
 	
Sidurgu 	What are you waiting for? Clearly I'm no good at making small talk, so you and Rielle will have to ask after Myste.
 	
Rielle 	Someone here has to know something that can lead us to Myste...
 	
Gilow 	Lot of unusual folks coming through the Reach these days...
 	
GATE Keeper 	Looking for a young boy with long blue hair, you say? Reckon I would remember someone like that if they were to come this way. And I don't.
GATE Keeper 	Spoke with the fella before me during the changing of the guard, as we do, and he made no mention of anyone matching that description either...
GATE Keeper 	I'm not saying the boy didn't come this way, but I'd be surprised if he had. Someone would have noted his passing and told the others.
 	
Orella 	...Ah, yes, I remember the long-haired boy. Very curious, with many questions about the nature of aether. He conversed with one of the Adder conjurers for a time. I know not what they discussed, but from his expression I gathered it was important.
Orella 	Very mature for his age, the boy. And somehow ethereal...
 	
Breeder02919 	Hm? What's that!? You're looking for that boy too, are you!?
Breeder02919 	I was watching some birds late the other night when I hear someone skulking about behind me. “Forgive me, forgive me,” I hear him saying, before he runs off and disappears into the dark.
Breeder02919 	Then I realize it's quiet─too quiet, aye? Sleeping birds make noise, and mine ain't. 'Cause they're dead. Every last one of them. No wounds or any other obvious marks, but there they lay, like the life was sucked right out of them!
Breeder02919 	I don't know how or why he did it, but there's no denying that he did! I demand recompense! If you find him, you bring him to me!
Breeder02919 	Wait─are you that boy's keeper? Are you responsible for him!? 'Cause if you are, you owe me an explanation!
 	
Rielle 	I have a bad feeling about this. I hope Myste hasn't done something stupid...
 	
Sidurgu 	Our inspector returns. Tell us, have you learned aught of Myste's whereabouts?
Sidurgu 	...Seen conversing with a conjurer and possibly killing chocobos? Not sure what to make of that. Though we can be sure he stayed here for a time.
Sidurgu 	But perhaps no longer. We learned but moments ago from Gilow here that a boy matching Myste's description was seen leaving the Reach.
Sidurgu 	He is for the Peaks. And so are we.
 	
Rielle 	They're dead. Just...dead. Like the chocobos in the story you heard.
 	
Sidurgu 	No visible injuries, no bleeding. Aye, it is as Rielle says: these beasts died for no discernable reason. Just like the chocobos that man in the Reach claims Myste somehow killed.
Sidurgu 	But it doesn't add up. Other than his singular magick, Myste was utterly helpless. Unless...was he always capable of this?
Sidurgu 	...But we know the answer already. He stole your aether when we first met.
Rielle 	Even if he could do it, even if he did do it...why?
Sidurgu 	We'll ask him when we find him. And this time, you'll let me do the talking.
Sidurgu 	Search the east. Rielle and I will head south. We'll meet in between if we find naught, and if we do...either you will come to our aid, or we to yours.
 	
Rielle 	No... Mother...
 	
Sidurgu 	Seven hells, I hate being right...
Sidurgu 	On your guard. Myste has shown his true colors. The aether or whatever else he took from those beasts has given him tremendous strength...
Sidurgu 	Contrary to his earlier warnings, conjuring another simulacrum wasn't the end of him. And of all the wonderful people he had to pluck from our memories, he chose Ystride de Caulignont.
Sidurgu 	He knows why we're here, and this is his answer. He summoned the monster that haunts Rielle in her dreams and sends her screaming from her bed.
Myste 	Forgive me, Sid, but you gave me no choice...
 	
Myste 	...Shall I ask you the same? Who holds the reins? Though it matters not.
We are complicit, you and I.
Myste 	...No. There isn't. Not really.
Myste 	Can you even remember why you came here? Can you even remember how many you killed? How many lives shattered, how many stories ended?
Myste 	Upon the surface of the crystal are carved the sins of dark knights past...and yours are beyond counting. Beyond fathoming. Without end.
Myste 	Justice is an excuse. Nobility is a lie. Murder is murder!
Myste 	And though we are most definitely not without fault, it is this cruel, indifferent world which has made murderers of us all.
Myste 	But we need suffer no longer. I sought to make these broken souls whole, one by one, when in truth the solution was much more simple.
Myste 	A world beyond pain and suffering and anguish and despair─a world beyond death! A world in which we never need bid farewell to our dearest friends.
Sidurgu 	And how many beasts will you need to kill to make this world of yours? How much aether will you consume to see it through? Bloody self-righteous sophistry from a mewling whelp...
Sidurgu 	So your brilliant plan is to fill the world with simulacra of the dead, is it? And somehow that's supposed to make everyone happy?
Sidurgu 	Well, you're right about one thing, I'll grant you that. This world is brutal, uncaring, without logic or justice...
Sidurgu 	No justice but that which we make for ourselves! And I'll be damned if I give it up so you can force your illusions upon us to assuage your guilt!
Myste 	Did you not find comfort in your reunion with your master!? Even though you knew it was a lie, did it not help you to unburden your soul? To find a measure of peace in this madness!?
Myste 	I am not your enemy. Not then or now. I will not fight you. All I ask is that you leave me to do my duty.
Myste 	It's never too late to turn back. You are still a good person.
You can still be...a good person...
Myste 	So this is your answer...
Myste 	Maybe you cannot accept what needs to be done. But I can. Good-bye.
 	
Myste 	So many broken by this world, and then by you. So, so many...
Myste 	Woe betide the man who stands opposed to the Weapon of Light, for death will be his reward. Death for him and his kin and all that he holds dear.
Myste 	Woe betide the man who stands with the Weapon of Light, for death will be his reward. Death for him and his kin and all that he holds dear.
Myste 	Like sands through the hourglass, everything we fight so desperately to protect slips through our fingers...and what remains...what remains...
Myste 	...Is us. Only us, and the memory of our sin.
Myste 	To walk this path is to suffer. To sacrifice...
 	
Fray 	Serve... Save... Slave... Slay... I've sins aplenty, aye, but regrets? Not so much.
Fray 	And if s/he wouldn't listen to me, the embodiment of good sense and pragmatism, then what hope could you possibly have?
Fray 	A house divided cannot stand, you know. This childish rebellion ends now.
Sidurgu 	What in the seven hells is this!?
Fray 	...A compromise, I suppose? Our dear friend here refused to let me take the reins, but I wasn't about to stand idly by while that imbecile tries to do...whatever it was he was trying to do.
Fray 	No hard feelings about Whitebrim, eh? Promise not to stab you in the back.
Fray 	It'll be just like old times.
Sidurgu 	A dark knight needs a sword. Take mine.
Myste 	No... No... This is wrong... This is all wrong...
Myste 	I offer you peace! Restitution! A chance to make amends! Do not think you are above it! Do not think that a reckoning will be postponed indefinitely!
Fray 	When it comes, I shall welcome it with open arms...
Fray 	But today will not be the day, and you will not be the judge!
 	
Myste 	Forgive me, forgive me... I ask, I beg, I pray, but it never comes...
Myste 	Again they go to join the multitude in the black oblivion of the abyss...
Fray 	Such is our lot. Such is the fate of all who are born─to suffer and to die.
Fray 	Do not seek forgiveness, for it will not ease the burden. It weighs as it should.
Myste 	But what of the lost? Do they not deserve to live again?
Rielle 	They do. In our hearts and our souls and our memories.
Rielle 	No one likes having to say good-bye. But it's...it's a part of life. That's what makes the time we share together so precious...
Rielle 	You can't obsess over the mistakes of the past, or you'll lose sight of the future. Of the people still with us, who need us more than ever.
Sidurgu 	The greatest strength is born of the flame in the abyss...
Fray 	Listen to my voice. Listen to our heartbeat. Listen...
I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you...
Myste 	Thank you. That is...that is all I ever wanted...
Myste 	So...this is it. One last parting. One final farewell...after a fashion.
Myste 	In your darkest hour, in the blackest night...think of me...and I will be with you. Always. For where else could I go? Who else could I love but you?
 	
Rielle 	Ah...you're back. Welcome home...?
 	
Sidurgu 	You'll forgive us for returning to Ishgard ahead of you, I hope. I, uh...needed some time to think on everything that happened in Gyr Abania.
Sidurgu 	I won't pretend to know everything you've been through in your life. A man can never truly understand what's in another's heart...and probably not their own, for that matter...
Sidurgu 	I'm pretty much rambling at this point, but...I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I'm grateful for everything you've done for me and Rielle. I like you. I respect you. And I'll always be here for you, if you need me.
Sidurgu 	We're fellow walkers of the path, after all. And friends, I'd like to think.
Rielle 	I've been wondering... Myste appeared at the same time the soul crystal cracked, yes? But which happened first? And why then and there?
Sidurgu 	Damned if I know. Does anyone truly understand how soul crystals work? What matters is that the crystal and [Player Name] have been made whole.
Sidurgu 	That said... “A heart bleeds, a man weeps, a soul burns. Thence comes the darkness, to consume.” And few hearts have bled as much as hers/his...
Rielle 	Speaking of bleeding, I think your wounds have reopened. If you would sit, it would be much easier for me to tend to them...
Rielle 	You should get some rest too, [Player Name]. Not all wounds are so obvious.
Sidurgu 	Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings─praise Halone! She's right, though. No need to overdo it by running off to the next battle just yet.
Sidurgu 	If you must put one foot in front of the other, though, why don't you go back to where this whole damn mess began? Maybe you'll have an epiphany.
Sidurgu 	Part of me can't help but think this was all a fever dream. And then I take a deep breath and feel the pain in my ribs...
 	
Rielle 	It's nice to dream of a world without pain and suffering. But the world is what it is, and dreams will only carry you so far. That's why we've got swords.
 	
Edmont 	Hm? What troubles you, Mistress/Master [Player Name]?
Edmont 	Ah, but of course. 'Tis bitterly cold this day. At times like these, one should be warming themselves by the fire.
Edmont 	Not a day goes by without your name being spoken, you know. The soldiers and merchants often bring us news of your latest exploits. That said, to hear it from the hero herself/himself would be much preferable...
Edmont 	But there would be no expectation were you to call on us. The pleasure of your company alone would be more than enough.
Edmont 	Rare though I expect it will be in the days to come... But your destiny was never to remain here, was it? Though a part of me wishes that you would...
Edmont 	Forgive me. I find myself growing more and more sentimental in my old age...and in working on my memoirs, I have had to reflect on the darker chapters of my life...
Edmont 	Haurchefant...lived his to the fullest...and if his story is preserved for generations to come, then I...I should be glad of it...
Edmont 	You will always have a place here, [Player Name]. For you are family. Now, go! Do not let me keep you from your labors. The world waits for none─not even you.
Quest complete.	Quest complete.
Category:Disciple of War Job Quests in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Quest battles in Final Fantasy XIV