Surpassing the Samurai

is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
==Journal==
* The ancient wards holding the mad auspice Koryu in his prison are on the verge of failure, and Genbu of the Four Lords would have you return to Reisen Temple at once. Tataru too is needed, but it seems the collective has already taken the initiative and summoned her themselves...
* As feared, the mad auspice that could single-handedly transform the Ruby Sea into a fiery hellscape is poised to return at any moment. The only means by which this calamity might possibly be averted is through the combined powers of the Four Lords, and to that end, you must quell the aramitama of the fourth and arguably most powerful member: Seiryu. The serpentine dragon, who appears to be in full possession of his faculties, agrees to face you in mortal combat, albeit on a distant island he calls home. To that end, you must first journey to the Isle of Bekko in the Ruby Sea, and from there set forth to the chosen battleground with the aid of Genbu.
* Before you depart for his island, Seiryu reflects on the fallen samurai Tenzen, who bested him in single combat long ago. On that fateful day, he vowed to train tirelessly that he might claim victory in a future rematch, but was denied the opportunity to do so. And so he found a new purpose in striving to destroy the fiend that robbed the Four Lords of Tenzen: Koryu. Alas, in order to do so, he intends to embrace the aramitama and become a demon to destroy another. Though deeply troubling, your objective is unchanged─you and your adventurer comrades must band together and defeat the legendary auspice.※The Wreath of Snakes can be accessed via the Duty Finder.
* Dangerous and deadly though he was, Seiryu was ultimately no match for you and yours. His soul now at peace, the auspice appears to be in a rather more contemplative mood than before...
* Long, long ago, Seiryu was regarded as a great kami by the people of an island, who offered him gifts. When visited by calamity, however, they mistook him as the cause and began to offer their own children as sacrifices, who Seiryu would spirit away to other lands and set free in secret. And so, over the years, his worshipers slowly became his decriers, believing him less a guardian spirit and more a malevolent demon. Accordingly, they turned to sellswords, whom they plied with coin to come and slay the serpent, until Tenzen came and defeated him in single combat, only to then offer him a place at his side, along with three other fantastic beasts who would comprise the remainder of the Four Lords. As he thinks on those halcyon days, Seiryu recalls that he was not so much driven to surpass Tenzen, but rather to become an auspice worthy of man's worship─a magnificent dragon that would safeguard his chosen. A noble aspiration briefly forgotten, perhaps due to the influence of the aramitama...
==Objectives==
* Speak with Genbu in Reisen Temple.
* Speak with Seiryu in the Ruby Sea.
* Use the Duty Finder to confront Seiryu in the Wreath of Snakes.
* Speak with Seiryu.
==Script==
script 	script
 	
Bunchin 	Passing through, or here for another reason? Regardless, I have tidings from our friends beneath Hells' Lid.
Bunchin 	Another missive delivered by one of the auspices─a raccoon dog, I believe. It was rather agitated, too. I fear matters may be coming to a head...
Bunchin 	Koryu's wards are on the verge of failure. Return to Reisen Temple at once, brave warrior. Worry not for the urchin─I have sent a messenger to her as well.
Bunchin 	Straight to the point, was it? Do not let me keep you, then.
 	
Genbu 	Good, good. Then let us proceed.
Tataru 	You weren't exaggerating, were you? About Koryu's wards?
Genbu 	Would that I were. Soroban and my comrades are doing their utmost to maintain them for now, but I fear Koryu will not be denied.
Genbu 	Even now I do not understand. I was certain we had more time to prepare...
Genbu 	Bah! Worrying over my mistake will avail us nothing. Only the strength of the Four Lords united will see us through this crisis. Only together can we hope to renew the wards and keep Koryu in his prison!
Genbu 	It falls to you, [Player Name], to quell the aramitama of our comrade Seiryu. Will you do this for us, brave warrior?
Genbu 	I doubted not that you would agree, but am nevertheless relieved.
Genbu 	The last of our quartet is perhaps the most formidable among us, for in battle he commands a great host of shiki. You will see this yourself soon enough, but for now we must wait patiently...
Seiryu 	Nay, Genbu. You need wait no longer.
Genbu 	You are come sooner than expected, comrade. I trust our messenger informed you of the dire circumstances.
Genbu 	Then you know what must be done. This warrior, [Player Name], will face you in battle, as s/he did Suzaku and Byakko before you.
Seiryu 	...Very well. But not here, for this is a temple, not a battlefield.
Seiryu 	To the east of Hingashi is an island I have claimed as my own. There we may wreak havoc to our hearts' content. 'Tis far from this place, but a warrior such as you would not balk at a lengthy swim, I trust.
Genbu 	Perhaps not, but it would needlessly tire her/him before the trial. I will use my command of the flowing waters to speed her/his way.
Seiryu 	If it means I am spared the burden of looking after her/him, then I am all for it. We shall gather at the Isle of Bekko first, and from there begin our journey.
Genbu 	Urchin! While I am away, I leave you in charge!
Tataru 	Yes sir, tiny turtle, sir! I'll keep a close eye on the others while they work their magicks or whatever it is they're doing!
 	
Bunchin 	As much as I do enjoy your company, should you not be with Genbu and the others averting a calamity or some such?
 	
Nue 	I tell you, I've got a bad feeling about this...
 	
Seitentaisei 	I don't know why everyone's so worried. I mean, we've got the whole gang back together, right? The Four Lords! What could possibly go wrong?
 	
Kudagitsune 	Are you sure you have not crossed paths with Tamamo Gozen? No? And you would tell me if you had? Ah, yes, of course. Why would you not...?
 	
Inugami 	There are few in whom I would place my faith without question. I count the Four Lords among these. They will not fail.
 	
Komainu 	So it has come to this...
 	
Seiryu 	...Hmm. [Player Name], was it?
Seiryu 	I see why Genbu favors you. You are...not unlike him. That much is plain.
Seiryu 	Tenzen too was possessed of a quiet confidence─a well-deserved one at that. When he met his foes in battle, blade in hand, he was...magnificent...
Genbu 	As well you should know, having been bested by him in single combat. Which was why you chose to join us, was it not?
Seiryu 	Aye. I vowed to surpass him, and from that day forward trained tirelessly to hone my skills that I might claim victory in a rematch, only to be forever denied the chance when Koryu struck him down.
Seiryu 	By the time I had become a full-fledged auspice worthy of the Four Lords, there was no one left to fight. My vow was broken; my purpose lost.
Genbu 	Seiryu...
Seiryu 	But the whispers within told me of another. They promised me redemption─vengeance!─by destroying the fiend that robbed us all of Tenzen long ago.
Genbu 	...Whispers? Brother, no! You mustn't!
Seiryu 	"The strength to lay Koryu low can be yours if you but give voice to me. If you but let me lead the way.“ And so I have, Brother. I have embraced the aramitama!
Genbu 	Folly. All know not to trust its honeyed words and false promises. And yet you would surrender to it, body and soul, perchance forevermore?
Genbu 	Turn back, Brother, I beg of you! Before it is too late and you fall to the primal rage and become a broken shell! Like Koryu!
Seiryu 	Think you I know not what is at stake!? If I must become a demon to slay another, then I do so gladly! My vow demands it!
Seiryu 	Only by embracing the aramitama will we ever rid ourselves of Koryu. This I know. You will not sway me from this path, warrior.
 	
Seiryu 	I see you too are committed to your course. Hardly surprising, given that you fought Byakko and Suzaku.
Seiryu 	Then we shall forgo further debate, and let the battle determine who is right...and who is dead.
Genbu 	This is indeed a troubling development. In embracing the aramitama, the shiki he commands may pose a far greater threat...
Genbu 	Nevertheless, our purpose is unchanged. You must show him the error of his ways, [Player Name], and save him from his primal rage!
 	
Genbu 	This seems a secluded enough place for us to speak. Excellent.
 	
Tataru 	Don't you worry! This urchin has everything under control!
 	
Genbu 	Whenever you are ready, I will deliver you and your fellow adventurers to Seiryu's lair. You did remember to gather your fellow adventurers, did you not?
 	
Seiryu 	You are every bit Tenzen's successor, warrior, for you are but the second child of man to have bested me in battle...
Seiryu 	Once, I would have never thought it possible. When I was no more than a mere serpent blessed with the good fortune to be born on an island where the people held us in the highest. To them, I was as kami, and I was foolish enough to share in their belief.
Seiryu 	But when I had lived some few centuries, and first began to manifest true powers, my worshipers came to view me in a different light...
Seiryu 	When they were visited by calamity, they mistook me as the cause. And so, in place of traditional offerings, they brought me the flesh of their flesh.
Seiryu 	Though I had no hand in it, their fortunes improved. To them, the answer was clear: only greater sacrifice would satisfy the guardian serpent. Little did they know I had spared the maiden and spirited her away to another land, in secret, as I would the others that would follow...
Seiryu 	Nevertheless, the belief lingered...and soon the guardian serpent came to be regarded as a malevolent demon, and my worshipers became my decriers.
Seiryu 	They tempted sellswords with koban to come and slay me, the poor fools. So began my days as a hunted kami.
Seiryu 	I dispatched them every time, though I took little joy in it. And then, one day, a man unlike all the others appeared before me. A samurai in the company of beasts.
Seiryu 	Tenzen and I fought. He won. The fallen kami had at last been bested by a fortune-seeking hunter. I could not help but chuckle as I closed my eyes and awaited the inevitable blow...
Seiryu 	"Join me. Let us begin anew.“ Saying this, he extended his hand to me.
Seiryu 	All that I was, all that I had ever been was no more. I had nothing...yet not only did he see fit to spare me, but offer me a new home.
Seiryu 	But even a fallen kami has his pride, and I could not readily accept such kindness, even if I yearned for it. Seeing this, Tenzen laughed...
Seiryu 	"Then earn it by growing stronger and in turn using that strength to help others, as you have been helped. Become more than you are─and more than me.“
Seiryu 	Thus did I vow to devote myself to becoming an auspice worthy of man's worship and admiration. To become a magnificent dragon that would safeguard his chosen.
Seiryu 	Strange...my recollection now is not as it was before. Details once indistinct are now vivid and clear. Perhaps the aramitama clouded my judgment...
Seiryu 	Thank you, [Player Name]. Had you not helped me to remember my vow, I might have lost the chance to honor Tenzen's memory forever.
Seiryu 	Wait─where is Genbu? Has he returned to the temple without us? This bodes ill.
 	
Genbu 	Oh, you are returned? But where is Seiryu?
Quest complete.	Quest complete.
Category:Chronicles of a New Era - The Four Lords in Final Fantasy XIV