Guardians of Terraria II: The World of Calamity

Epilogue

William woke with a hefty breath.

He couldn't breathe. Something was wrapped over his mouth. Beeping was permeating the air. Bright light shone in his eyes. He tried to raise a hand to block it, but felt pinpricks digging into his arm. Once his eyesight had adjusted he saw several wires were attached to his skin. The thing covering his mouth was some sort of mask, which he felt decompress and fall off his face.

Wait...

He sat up, coughing, blinking, taking his first look around this unfamiliar environment, details assaulting him from all corners of his vision.

But one thing was clear.

He was no longer in Terraria.

He was now in the real world.

He had made it.

But... at what cost?

He saw he was lying on a bed in a silvery-white room, in what looked like some sort of hospital ward. Several more beds were aligned to his left and right, about ten to the left but only one to his right. On the closest bed lay another person, similarly with wires running into his arms and an oxygen mask over his mouth. He was dark-skinned, with messy hair that looked like it had once been dyed a pale green.

He blinked. Sid?

He looked to the patient to his left. Light brown skin, long brown hair... Robyn!

"Doctor Henderson?"

He had never heard that name before, but some unconscious impulse caused him to look up in the direction of the voice. A woman, wearing glasses, dressed in casual work attire, was walking towards him, high-heeled boots clacking on the hard floor.

"You're awake." Her mouth dropped wide open. "Oh my god, you're awake!"

"I'm... awake?" William repeated, his real mouth feeling wholly unfamiliar to him.

"You've been unconscious for months," she gasped. "Trapped inside Terraria..."

"Trapped?"

"William, do you remember anything? What do you remember?"

His head suddenly felt wobbly, as though it was going to roll off his shoulders, and he couldn't think for a moment. His eyes boggled down at the white bedsheets, then back up at the woman. He found himself reading what was on her nametag. His vision was blurring too much for him to discern her name, but he could clearly make out the letters that were printed underneath.

X.E.R.O.C.

***

"Robyn!" Someone was shaking her. "Robyn!"

She blinked, a silhouetted figure blocking the sunlight that was streaming towards her. She reached up, touching the person's arm.

"Renee..."

The rogue pulled Robyn to her feet. The sun now out of her eyes, Robyn found herself taking in their surroundings. They were standing in the middle of a grassy field, a number of groves at least a hundred blocks away in a few directions.

The world had broken apart... but somehow they'd survived.

She checked her inventory. Nothing but the usual starting copper tools and an Annoying Copper Shortsword.

It was like when she'd first woken up in Secondworld.

Except... this had to be yet another world.

She turned around and screamed.

"S-slime!"

It was big. Humungous. Probably as tall as a tree and as wide as a dozen trees. It was blue in colour, a familiar golden crown studded with rubies resting atop its dome.

It was King Slime.

But it was so much bigger than the King Slime Robyn had once faced off against so long ago.

Both she and Renee quickly turned to run from the monster, but without wings or even any Hermes Boots, Robyn felt extremely sluggish. She risked a glance back at their pursuer, but it was gaining on them, its massive size looking like it could swallow up the two of them in an instant.

Robyn found herself tripping on a stray grass block sticking out of the ground, tumbling over. She watched as King Slime took another leap towards them.

This is when we die.

"Ayooo!"

The sudden yell almost made her jump, but what followed amazed her even more.

It was a... a person, flying with rocket boots and wielding some sort of shotgun. A girl, judging by the waves of long red hair flying behind her. Booms permeated the air, bullets striking into the massive King Slime. The boss changed directions and leapt towards the person, but she effortlessly slung out a grappling hook to the side and hooked herself out of its way. She didn't seem scared at almost being crushed to death at all.

In fact... she seemed to be enjoying it.

She wasn't even the only one who had arrived. There was a person kitted from head to toe in gleaming armour, riding a majestic white horse in circles around King Slime and jabbing at it with some sort of dark purple lance. And a third person, who seemed to be using a freaking yo-yo to slap at the boss's gelled body.

The King's health fell quickly, its size shrinking in direct proportion, and it soon burst apart into a load of slimes that were quickly mopped up by the horse-rider's lance.

"Woah," Robyn breathed, still tense from adrenaline. Going from almost being killed by a tyrant with almost god-like strength to the lowliest of bosses... it was something.

One of the fighters – the yo-yoer – spotted them and ran towards them. He had olive skin and was dressed in shadowy violet armour.

"Never had newbies pop up during a fight before," he said.

"Who are you?" Renee asked. "What the heck is this place?"

Robyn stared at his label – 'Yosuke: 320/320' – and waited for him to answer.

"Welcome to the Kingdom for the Worthy."