"Winds seems heavier than it used to be," remarked Tidus as he and Tidus stood at the very edge of the Ruins surrounding Baaj Temple.
"That's nice," replied Stree, kneeling down to look over the edge.
"You don't think that strange at all?"
"Tidus, look where we are."
"Point."
Stree stood up for a second, then stepped forward to drop into the raging waters below.
"Hey, wait up!" shouted Tidus, running and jumping off the edge after him. He landed in the water, then broke the surface. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Something's moving around here," said Stree quietly, looking down.
"Well, look where we are," smirked Tidus.
"Quiet," commanded Stree. "I –!" his reply was cut short when something grabbed him and dragged him under.
"Stree!" shouted Tidus, diving after him. He got no more than a few feet when a thick cloud of something burst around him. He looked around wildly, but was knocked backward by something that was disturbingly familiar. He grabbed his caladbolg, and swam towards the thing.
Stree hammered at the bars that held him prisoner, trying his hardest to hold his breath. He grabbed his Hasamune and started hacking at the bones, but they were too strong. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tidus swimming up towards the thing holding him. Unfortunately for Tidus, the thing saw and swatted him away as though he were a bug. Below him, Stree could feel the pressure bubbling up, and renewed his efforts to break free. But it wasn't enough. The force punched him upwards and out of the things mouth, straight at Tidus. Seizing the chance, Stree used his sword and sliced through the back of the things throat on his way out. He then collided with Tidus, though not as badly as he had feared. He shook his head and turned back around to face the monster. The thing let out a high-pitched yowl that the water made even more eerie. Using it's pain as the distraction needed, Stree moved over to one side, while Tidus went the other way. He started to move in, but something moved in front, using speed Stree had never seen before, and ran straight through him. Stree recognized it vaguely as a Tros, using it's Nautilus Charge. He spun around, summoning flames to his hand, and shot it backward blindly, then kept moving forward. He looked around to see Tidus, but all he could see was a winged, blue furred demon-looking creature. He saw it attack the big monster, so Stree did as well. The demon grabbed the thing – Geosgeano, he realized – by one of the chest bones, and started pulling it towards itself. It then grabbed another chest bone and started prying the two apart. The Geosgeano screamed in agony, and the demon looked at Stree for a second, then motioned for him to attack. Stree put his sword back on his back, and summoned the fire to his hands as he swam toward the Fiend at an incredible speed. He swam right up inside the opening created by the demon, and punched his way through the top of the Geosgeano's head, using the flames surrounding his hand to cause incredible pain. The thing screamed even louder, and the demon ripped its hands away from each other, pulling out both chest bones and started clubbing the fiend with them, spraying blood everywhere. Stree took the chance, and jammed his sword straight through the monster's left eye, causing even more blood to push out. Tired of the screaming, the demon started charging up what seemed to be an overdrive, and golden enrgy started crackling around it. It moved away a few metres, promting Stree to do so as well, then spread it's wings out. Balls of enrgy started forming on the tips, and spread out to cover the entire wing, then the demon unleashed a frenzy of cuts on the the Geosgeano, ripping multiple limbs off. As a finale, the demon gathered a ball of pure enrgy in it's hands, and held it right up against the fiend's head, then let it explode, the demon rode the blast, allowing it to push him clear of damage, while the Geosgeano was completely vaporized, leaving not even pyreflies to claim it. Stree raised his sword warily as he watched the demon. The thing howled suddenly, and it morphed shape, turning into Tidus!
Stree motioned for Tidus to follow him, then broke the surface and jumped up onto a rock ledge. Tidus followed and Stree stared at him for a second. "What the hell was that?" he asked finally.
"What you mean the Metamorphosis? It's what happens to me when under extreme stress, like you and your fire thing. Sort of an over-overdrive. I learnt it when I was inn the Farplane."
"You can control it?" asked Stree.
"Yeah. It took a bit of work. I guess the key to it was realizing that, you have all this power that you can destroy with, but you need to control it because of things that are worth preserving."
Stree nodded. "Come on, we should keep going."
The two men were walking slowly around the ruins of the Temple, until Tidus tapped Stree on the shoulder, indicating for him to stop.
"Just down there. That was where I went in the first time." Stree nodded. The two of them dropped silently off the edge and knifed into the water, and made their way into the hole. They slowly made their way through. They got up onto a dry area, and found themselves in a dazzlingly bright hall.
"Well, this has changed a bit," said Tidus. The two moved cautiously into the middle of the room, keeping a look out for anything suspicious. They got there, and found nothing.
"Something's not right here," said Stree quietly.
"Well, you get points for stating the obvious," replied Tidus. The two of them moved over to one of several doors at the other end of the room, and Tidus opened it up quietly. Stree peered through, then moved forward when he saw no one. They made their way to the end of that room, and Tidus opened up the door again. Stree peered through, then motioned for Tidus to wait where he was, Unsheathing his knife, he slipped through the door. Tidus heard a muffled thump, then came through the door himself. Stree stood waiting as Pyreflies swirled into nothingness.
"What was it?" asked Tidus.
"Fang. My guess is it's a sentry." Tidus nodded.
"You have any clue where Lulu and Wakka might be?"
"Nope. I hope it's nearby though." The two continued on, quietly taking out Fangs and the occasional bite bug. They opened a door, and went in, and Tidus hissed, "Wakka!" Stree looked, and saw the Bliztball player chained up to a wall, his head bowed in what appeared to be unconsciousness. Tidus moved forward quietly, and unchained his friend.
"Uhh, Lu?" he groaned.
"No, it's me, Tidus," he replied.
"Where's Lu?" asked Wakka, becoming more alert.
"We're going to find her now, calm down," said Tidus quietly.
"Lu!" said Wakka loudly.
"Shut him up!" hissed Stree, keeping an eye out for anything.
"Wakka, shut up!" said Tidus, trying to put his hand over the big man's mouth.
"Lulu!" Wakka shouted again. But all three of them shut up when they heard a low growl.
"What's that?" asked Wakka, quietly now.
"Some, three headed dog, thing," replied Tidus uncertainly.
"Cerberus," said Stree.
"You know what this thing is?" asked Tidus.
"This one and I have come across one another on multiple occasions," said the middle head of Cerberus, in a surprisingly soothing voice.
"Oh, yeah, I almost ripped him apart, but the little twerp ran away!" growled the head on the left in a cocky, croaking voice.
"You almost killed me?" asked Stree. "That's a laugh. Cerebur, I cut your face and you ran like a Fang pup in the face of a Behemoth."The left head, Cerebur, growled angrily.
"Calm down, Cerebur. You got angry last time and that was how he bested us."
"You're gonna blame this on me, Cerebal? You missed him more times than I did!"
"That's because you never got a chance to hit him!" Cerebal said, getting angry himself now.
"Quiet, both of you!" commanded the right head. "Remember, this is how he defeated us last time. He drove us to distraction in exactly the same way."
"Well, at least you figured it out, Cerebus," said Stree.
"It was indeed a good plan, Marked One. But it will not succeed this time."
"Look, I don't want to kill any of you, but I will if I have to."
"We do not want to end your life either, Marked One," replied Cerebus. "But if you best us, alone, then we shall give you aid, and help you find your missing companion."
"Lu!" exclaimed Wakka.
"Yeah, her," growled Cerebur. "So, waddya say. Wanna take us on?"
Stree brought his hand up, and sparks started flying around it. Then flames burst into existence, making the three-headed dog jump backwards a bit. Though no one could see it under the face guard, Stree smiled. "Let's do it."