The Tribunal [ B ] The Other World

The heroes were captured and sent into a flying object. The five of them were separate cages. Really small cages. Small enough for them to sit, not tall enough for them to raise their heads.

Terry was semi-conscious. He heard them speaking.

Joneses: "We're doomed for good this time. Me and my big mouth. My cousin Anna? What was I thinking?"

Loraine: "Thank you for trying to help me. I'm sorry about everything."

Joneses: "Sorry? It's too late to be sorry now! We're finished! We're goners! We'll never return to the village alive."

Loraine: "Yeah...but maybe this way I can see my father...seeing him one last time will be worth dying for. At least then we can die together."

Joneses: "What? Dying together and alone? What's the difference? You'll be dead. Period."

Terry: "Don't look so gloom, Joneses. You must always have hope."

"What hope do we have left?"

Terry: "We're high off the ground, so maybe my powers have recovered a bit." He grabbed the steel bars and tried to pull it apart. He grunted and sweated. He finally pulled the two bars apart, leaving him just enough room to squeeze through.

Joneses: "Wow! You're strong!"

Loraine: "Mr. Spade, you don't have enough time to save us. Save yourself!"

Terry: "But-"

One of the troops came into the cargo room. "Huuuu...you're, you're out of...the cage...help! He's escaping-" Terry slammed him into the door and jabbed his face. Crack! He heard troops' footsteps.

Margrit: "Terry..."

"I'll be back. I promise. Just wait. Once I fully get used to this gravity, nothing will get in my way."

The troops entered. He opened the side door. Winds blew the papers all over the place.

Troop C: "What do you think you are doing?"

Terry: "What does it look like I'm trying to do?"

Troop D: "You are not going to - you are not that foolish, are you?"

Terry: "Don't worry about me. I can fly."

Troop E: "Hey listen, he says he can fly! He's an angel!" The troops laughed.

Terry jumped. The troops ran to the door. He fell into a cloud. The troops looked around. He couldn't be seen.

Troop D closed the door. "Nobody can survive a fall at this altitude, not even if he is lucky enough to fall into water. We don't have to worry about him."

Troop E: "Good riddance. That's one less meal the prison would have to give to these scum."

Terry tried to fly by concentrating his energy evenly throughout his body, but it was extremely difficult. He struggled to stay in the air while descending, but it just wasn't working.

"Owww…"

He went back to the village.

Inside the Chrysalis, the judgment was about to begin.

Guardian, a half man, half statue was about to begin. The three Tribunal judges, sitting next to one another on a higher platform, watched the defendant carefully. Their faces were covered, dressed like the Grim Reaper. Their fingers were green and slimy. The defendant, one of the villagers, was chained on the ring in the middle of the giant hole.

Guardian: "Well, defendant, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Defendant: "Just let me go, please!"

Guardian: "You tried to escape the village, abandoning it, trying to escape from us. That kind of behavior is intolerable!"

Defendant: "Just don't send me into the pit, please!"

A few seconds passed by. "Have the judges made a verdict?"

Judge A: "Not guilty."

The defendant was a bit surprised. Suddenly, his chains automatically released, letting his hands free. The ring turned sideways, causing him to fall into the pit. He screamed as he fell.

He gathered himself up, patting dust off his pants. He realized he was in a network of dark tunnels and seemed to lead to nowhere. He heard footsteps other than his own. Loud footsteps. Then a growl. He thought it was a lion. But it was much worse than a lion.

He ran for his life, going any way he can, and reached a dead end. He saw nothing but the red eyes of the creature approaching him.

Screams of immeasurable pain were heard, then silence.

Loraine and the rest were put into separate cells within the lower layers of the Chrysalis. Magarita and Zelfire were put together, and they didn't know what happened to Loraine or Joneses.

Margrit: "What a bummer..."

Zelfire: "If only we had a few days to get used to this gravity, then we wouldn't be stuck here."

Margrit: "Yeah, just wait 'till I get my strength back. I'll break these walls down!"

"It's hopeless. We'll never escape." said a voice from the adjacent cell. He was dressed like a bum, and he looked like he's been here for eons.

Zelfire stood up and walked towards the bars, holding them. "You've been caught too, huh?"

"Yep. There's no escape from the Tribunal. Once we are caught, it's over. No one has ever escaped from this prison hell."

Margrit: "What do they do to the prisoners?"

Harold: "Why, that's a silly question. They'll kill us."

Margrit: "How?"

Harold: "I heard that first there's a trial to determine if you're innocent or not, and if you're guilty, you get thrown into the pit."

Zelfire: "That's it?"

Harold: "They say a terrifying beast lives down there. And it isn't a pit, it's really a network of underground tunnels. And the beast's home."

Zelfire: "So those who are unlucky get slaughtered by the beast, or monster."

Margrit: "What happens if we're innocent?"

Harold: "One thing's for sure, no matter what, you ain't leaving this place alive. Don't keep your hopes up."

Zelfire: "How did you get in here?"

Harold: "I been trying to escape those bastards for years. Yesterday I tried to make a run for it away from the village, but they got me."

Margrit pulled on Zelfire's sleeve, and they sat down together. "Do you think he's Loraine's daughter?" she whispered.

"He could be."

They got up, walking back to the bars. "Did you escape with anyone else when you were-"

Harold: "Yes, my daughter. She was lucky to make it, but not me. I just hope she's alright."

Zelfire: "Is she named Loraine?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

Margrit: "She came to us and asked us for help."

Harold: "Well, some help you turned out to be. Is she ok?"

Zelfire: "I wish I could say yes. But she was captured as well."

Harold: "Oh no, we have to help her! She'll be killed like the rest!"

Margrit: "I'm sorry. It was our responsibility and..."

His cell door opened, and Guardian, with other troops came in. They snatched him from his place violently.

Guardian: "It's time for you to be judged."

"No, please, no! Not yet!" They struggled, and dragged him towards the exit.

Margrit: "Stop! Stop!"

Then troops came in from their side and dragged them out.