The interrogation

A Few Minutes Earlier...

The queen and her guards arrived at the worst section of the Abyss's underground prison: Tartarus. Quieter than the upper levels but far more dreadful, the air was scorching and suffocating, the light scarce, and pre-recorded screams echoed to amplify the prisoners' torment. Only humans and Fae who had declared themselves enemies of the crown were sent here, based on the threat they posed or the severity of their crimes against the Fairy Kingdom.

Few prisoners resided here, all condemned to death with no hope of freedom. The low population was also due to the kingdom's era of remarkable peace—executions had been rare for centuries, except during a few wars fought outside the Forest of Fairies' borders. The exact number of inmates was irrelevant, but one figure stood out: the one who had stained the kingdom's history with infamy.

The lizard-man occupied the second cell from the back.

As the trio advanced, they heard the assassin's agonized screams mingling with the taunts of the grotesque Judge Triface—an immortal "entity" "elected" to his post during the founding of this sanctuary for Fae. He was said to have been created by the second queen of the Forest of Fairies, Achillea the Brutal, for wars against human cities, rival Fae kingdoms, or factions like the Church of the Machine-Man. No one knew when this "election" occurred, but everyone knew better than to ask.

Entering the chamber, they saw Triface wielding a bloodied club studded with teeth, relentlessly beating the captive mercenary.

"When will this golem be removed from power?" muttered the portly dwarf guard.

"When we find the document detailing his 'election,' Globox."

"I've always said we should open Queen Aliénor's coffin. That madwoman probably took it to her grave."

"We'll only open the royal mausoleum if a cataclysmic threat endangers the entire kingdom," the queen snapped.

"Yes, to retrieve the ancient weapon—"

"Pluton," Sawyer interjected.

Triface finished his brutal task and turned to the queen.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I didn't expect you to descend here for such vermin," said the central face, Bartholomé.

"Attacking a wingless princess… What vileness! What infamy!" roared the face named Thor Björn.

The third face, Djabel, remained silent as usual.

This immortal golem possessed consciousness but no free will, its entire being devoted to protecting the kingdom from external and internal threats. Sculpted from mud and stone into a humanoid form, it wore tattered blue-and-yellow rags and necklaces symbolizing its judicial role. An inscription in an unknown language marked its forehead.

Its three faces had once represented distinct personalities for impartial judgment, but over centuries, its "system" corroded. All faces now shared a brutal, violent persona, delighting in torture—as seen today. Most disputes were handled by elected judges, and the queen kept Triface occupied with Tartarus, where the kingdom's greatest criminal and threat was held. Yet even this couldn't stop the golem from meddling in state affairs.

"Could you refrain from crippling him further?" the queen demanded.

Triface halted, wiped its weapon, and tucked it under an armpit.

"I assumed the military police would handle interrogations," said Bartholomé.

"So did I," the queen retorted.

Approaching the lizard-man, Audisélia nearly pitied him. His face was shattered, an eye gouged out, fangs broken—how was he even alive with his skull caved in? Had his armored hide failed him?

Triface didn't hold back, she conceded.

Rubbing her majestic wings, she released coveted fairy dust over the assassin. His wounds healed miraculously—bones reset, ribs fused—but she left his spine severed by the Hero's blow.

"I'll fully heal you once you reveal who hired you to kill my subject."

"Why bother? I'll just be executed in the square," the saurian croaked.

The queen glared at Triface, teeth gritted.

"Do you truly believe someone who attacked your people would survive? Your lenience irritates me!"

Couldn't you at least lie? she fumed inwardly.

Rubbing her temples, she sighed.

"Only valuable information might spare his life," added one of Triface's faces.

The lizard-man's eyes lit up—a lifeline.

"I don't know who hired me to kill the wingless fairy, but my partner does. He took the contract," Jordan lied.

The queen narrowed her eyes skeptically, but Triface leaned in, captivated.

"What partner?"

"The human I fought."

"Nonsense!" the queen spat. "You expect me to believe the Hero who saved the princess colluded with you? Pathetic liar!"

"It's obvious!" the assassin insisted. "We disagreed on terms and clashed."

Not very professional.

"Have you noticed anything unusual among the prisoners?"

"No—"

"Yes," Globox interrupted. "A guard reported a prisoner swap during the human shipment."

Shut up, fool! the queen mentally screamed.

The lizard-man's gamble worked—Triface's "justice" favored audacity.

"You see? A meticulous plot!" the saurian embellished. "That bastard planned to kill me after I slew the target, steal the reward, and pose as a failed hero!"

"What—"

"I've heard enough," Djabel intoned. "I decree a verdict for both."

"Which is?" the queen pressed.

"Bring them to the arena. A duel to the death will decide who earns a stay of execution."

The lizard-man rejoiced—his ludicrous lie had fooled a being dumber than a Lombax City automaton.

What idiots.

Genius move.

"Are you mocking me, Triface?" the queen shouted.

"My judgment is final," Djabel replied. "Only the reptile may earn mercy. The human dies regardless."

"Justice, eh?"

"Humans deserve only death. You know this."

The queen healed the lizard-man and ordered guards to help him stand.

"Inform the guards to prepare the assassin for the arena," she said. "We'll retrieve his 'partner.' Triface, notify Caesar of the schedule change."

"It shall be done," Bartholomé answered.

As they left, the queen warned the saurian: "If you survive, don't think this ends well for you."

Once the queen departed, Triface retrieved a strange syringe from the shadows.

"She's right… This will end well for you…"

Upon exiting the elevator, the queen instructed the fairy and Yeneltig to take their seats in the royal arena. 

"Aren't the games starting today?" Yeneltig asked. 

"Not yours yet," Audisélia said. "Today belongs to the human." 

"What do you mean?" the fairy asked. 

"He'll face the creature who tried to kill you," the queen half-lied. "A chance for redemption." 

"Better than nothing, I suppose," the fairy whispered.