Guardians of Terraria II: The World of Calamity

Episode 19.1 - The Tale of a Cruel World

"I am the King of the Sea, Amidias," the fish-man said, rubbing an armoured glove over the green fins on his head. "And I guess I should say... welcome to what used to be my home."

"Used to be?" Robyn repeated, casting an eye over the navy cavern.

"You're really a king?" Meg asked.

"Considering my kingdom no longer exists ever since my world turned to flames... that is up for debate. But I have no other titles."

Turned to flames? How... Robyn shook her head. "How were you inside the Giant Clam?" she asked.

"It was a... safety mechanism set up by my constable," Amidias said. "The Clam could hold me in stasis, inside its pearl, and also exist on a different plane of existence, only appearing once it sensed my time to return to this world had arrived." He stared hard at them, his fish eyes unblinking. "It seems it has deemed now to be the time, and you two with whom to entrust my fate to."

"But why us?" Meg asked, taking some steps back.

Amidias seemed to shrug. "I suppose we shall find out. Until I know what my purpose now shall be, I will lend my services to you. I have many weapons that may assist you in upcoming battles, magic blessings that can help you survive underwater environments, and knowledge of this world that you may find useful."

"What kind of weapons?" Robyn asked. Was Amidias a citizen? With a shop interface or something? She took a step towards him and reached out a hand.

Sure enough, his shop opened up, and there was quite a number of weapons there. Including a bow – the Shellshooter. And a magic weapon, a spell tome named the Waywasher. She purchased both items, and handed the tome to Meg.

"Both of those weapons are specialised, but effective if you find the right time to use them," Amidias said. "The Shellshooter may not have the range you are used to, but the power can decimate opponents." He began moving towards Meg, his blue-green fish tail flopping on the ground as he did so. "And the Waywasher will cast a barrage of water bolts that can overwhelm your enemies."

Meg gave a nod but said nothing.

"So what now?" Robyn asked. "Do we try to head to the surfa–"

"No way! You guys caught a fish man!"

She spun around.

There, standing on a ledge above them, was Bart the Angler.

"Bart!" Robyn called. "How did you get here?"

"We sunk here!" he giggled. "The ship has stone and rock through half of it, but most of us are here. Red Beard, Roxie, and Princess Faye!"

***

Bart led them through some navystone tunnels, streams of water streaking along with them. They soon exited the underground sea biome and entered a more normal set of caverns.

It was there that Robyn saw, lit up by lanterns and torches, the bow and hull of the Red Pearl, now a permanent fixture sticking out of the massive cave wall. Some ropes hung from its hull, leading up to an entrance that had been cut out. Robyn saw the Princess standing at the bottom of the ropes, talking with Roxanne the Stylist.

More familiar faces. One step closer to reclaiming the home they had once lost.

But what about Sid and William? They hadn't been on the Red Pearl when it had sunk. What had become of them?

What if Yharim – don't. Don't do that to yourself, Robyn.

"Ahoy there!" came the familiar, always over-the-top voice of Red Beard the Pirate.

He was hanging out his face from one of the starboard cannon-windows. Whatever they were called.

"Robyn! Meg! Me two finest lookin' lassies in all tha' seas! Don't get seasick, I'll be down in a jiff!"

"I'm even more impressed with you than I already am, Bart!" Faye the Princess beamed. "I asked you to catch us some fish, and you come back with Robyn, Meg, and a... merman?"

"Not a merman, young lady," Amidias said. "King Amidias of the sea."

The Princess gave a bow. "And your majesty, I am Princess Faye of Terraria."

Amidias returned her bow, his body bending in a more curved and flexible way than a human's could. "Your highness."

The Pirate dropped down from his ship without using the rope then, his boots clinking on the stone floor.

"Our treasure is here!" he boldly proclaimed, "All the friends we made along the way!" He nodded at Amidias. "And some new ones."

"Not all of them," Roxanne said.

"Have you seen or heard from William or Sid?" the Princess asked.

"What about Durim or Tony?" Bart added.

Robyn hadn't even noticed the Demolitionist and Arms Dealer were missing, even though they'd also been on the Red Pearl with them.

"We haven't seen any of them," Meg said, shaking her head. "Right now, we're trying to find a way to the surface. Get out of these caves. Then try to find the others and regroup. Then... hopefully retake the villages from Yharim's forces."

"I'm sorry," Amidias said, "Did you just say Yharim?"

Meg and Robyn turned to him.

"You know him?"

"Lord Yharim is the reason for my kingdom's sinking," he said. "My kingdom was... seclusive, preferring not to involve ourselves in the affairs of those who walk the lands. Until the day one such walker came to involve himself with us."

"Yharim?" Robyn asked.

"He came to hold council with me. He had an offer for me. One that would have granted me great magic, power, control... but I refused."

"You refused?" Red Beard exclaimed. "Why?"

"I could sense... madness in his mind," Amidias said. "I've come across land-men before who were simply greedy, ambitious. The type of men who would have just come to steal our treasures had they learnt of our existence."

"People like my former co-workers," Red Beard murmured. "But not me. I'm above that sort of pirate's life."

Amidias nodded in understanding. "Yharim was different. In a way I could not explain at the time. A type of burning hatred, not necessarily for me or my kingdom, but... almost just unbridled. Upon my refusal of his offer, he simply nodded and left without a word. Until that night, when our ocean burned."

Our ocean burned... The thought of a burning ocean only brought back memories of what Calamitas had done to sink their ship. She'd incinerated the oceans, and brought the ocean floor up to engulf the surface. Had the same thing happened to Amidias?

"We got here thanks to a burning ocean too," Robyn said. "Yharim had his witch Calamitas do that."

"Calamitas... that name does sound familiar," Amidias said. "Yharim may have mentioned that name in passing."

"So let me get this straight," Faye said. "When Calamitas burned the oceans, causing our ship to sink into the sand, that also burned your kingdom?"

"My kingdom was burned many years ago," Amidias said. "It doesn't sound impossible that a powerful witch like that would be ordered to commit the same act twice." He paused to think. "But it doesn't seem possible. The land above is still desert. Always has been, since my kingdom fell. How did you and your ship get here..."

Robyn was beginning to get an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She'd felt something was off about the world ever since she'd woken up alone in that cave. No items to her name, the ores were all different, and there was that new biome...

"We'll have to head to the surface to confirm it," Robyn said, "But I have a theory."

"A theory?" Roxanne repeated.

"It's that we're not in the same world anymore."

Wait, did this suddenly go multiverse?

Vote if you'd like, and read on to find out!