The cave entrance does not exist until this point in the game, preventing you from entering before the game is ready for it.

Most monsters in the area are tougher physical specialists with a relative weakness to magic.

Don't miss the Heal Rod here. It's useless for attacking enemies, since it heals the target of its attack, even if undead, but it's a free way to recover HP, and an interesting novelty at the very least. There's also another purpose it can serve later on.

Let a Poison Bennu survive a few rounds with at least two enemies alive to see White Wind, a useful healing skill for Stragus to learn.

After some spelunking, and glimpses of what appears to be a certain young girl following them, the party finds a chamber with three golden statues prominently displayed. Stragus is astonished to see them.

Lock takes a closer look.

Relm wanders in as they're talking, then notices them and rushes back to crouch in the doorway.

The screen pans briefly to the far exit.

Each of these statues has an inscription.

The style here is rather more archaic and ceremonial than normal text. I'm not attempting to imitate that, at least for now.

Let's see... there's nothing about a banishment or anyone laughing at them, the bit about their powers neutralizing each other is lost, and of course anything that smacks of worship is censored. Though not as evident here, there's also the issue that the NA version has a tendency to confuse the distinction between these statues, made to represent the gods, and the gods themselves, which rest elsewhere and possess quite a bit more power. Since both sets are referred to as "statues" this confusion is understandable to an extent, but the difference matters.

The NA verison also has an unfortunate tendency to call them "the goddesses" when not calling them "the Statues". I believe a more recent remake uses the name "Warring Triad" instead, an accurate, concise phrase that also has a nice poetic sort of sound to it.

The party tries to move on, but a familiar eight-legged purple character drops in, landing on them and taking a few extra spiteful hops on Lock before going to look at the statues.

Hey, another battle with seafood.

He has relatively low physical defense and the usual weaknesses to Flame and Thunder, so use the corresponding swords and rods for plenty of damage. He also has 'levitate' status in this battle for whatever reason, so Lock's Hawkeye can be very effective as well. Finally, Orthros is vulnerable to 'slow' and 'stop' status, so that can work to your advantage.

Actually, 'stop' can work a little too well, with the potential to lock out the counterattack scripts that trigger the upcoming events. The new character still joins after the battle regardless, though.

Orthros will gradually advance toward the party, then use Magnitude 8 (67%) or Aqua Breath (33%) after advancing eight times. A few shots of magic, or a larger number of normal attacks, will make him back off a step, but be wary of casting too many spells:

As noted way back in the Beginner's House, the prime traits are Flame, Ice, and Thunder. Attacking with any of these after this point will provoke a counterattack of the matching trait, either Figa, Blizzaga, or Thundaga. Stick to weapon attacks to avoid that, or try throwing a few Reflect Rings into the mix...

After taking 6,640 damage, Orthros casts Haste and Protect on himself with the following line:

After another 5,120 damage, Relm finally gets sick of lurking and decides to jump into combat. "Relm" plays for the rest of the battle.

Relm joins the party mid-battle to fill in the empty position. She can Sketch enemies to use their attacks against them (refer to her character entry for details). Successfully using it against Orthros will end the battle immediately (though you can also finish him off normally).

Steal for a White Cape (common). No rare steal or dropped items.

Relm remains in the party, giving you a full four members again.

Sadly, Relm's Sketch ability is largely useless given that it uses the opponent's (typically pathetically low) stats, and that many opponents favor attacks that don't affect them anyway (trying to burn fire-based enemies, for example). It helps on occasion if you know there's something available that doesn't care about stats, or that you can teach Stragus. Generally, however, she's more useful for her unusually high magic power, so get her some offensive spells as soon as possible.

Also, remember that Memento Ring hidden in their house? Relm can use it... but she already has one equipped, so that other one still seems kind of pointless.

The next room has weak floors that wouldn't collapse without Relm in the party, so now further exploration is possible. Look around for an X-Potion as well as a Chocobo Suit and Sleepy Cat Suit, peculiar armor that only Stragus and Relm can use. Deeper in the cave is an occupied chamber. When the party approaches, the music stops, and "Another World of Beasts" fades in.

The Genjuu does something aggressive. Relm jumps back, and Stragus moves to defend her. As more Genjuu approach, the others start to look worried, too.

Stragus nods and gets Relm, who also nods a few times before leaving with him. However, they return almost immediately, Relm waving her arms wildly, as several more Genjuu approach from that direction. Tina takes up a defensive position behind them, Lock covers the front, and Stragus guards Relm's exposed flank. Not encouraged by the way things are going, Tina and Stragus began chanting as Lock braces for an attack. However...

The other Genjuu part to make way as a more distinctive one approaches. Tina steps forward to face him, and some odd sounds are heard.

Flashes of light and more sounds.

More sound and lights, but this time the screen fades out, then fades in to show the two groups facing each other in a more organized fashion.