Guardians of Terraria II: The World of Calamity

Episode 27.2 - The Nexus Level

"Against the barrier," Meg shouted. "Now!"

She thrust her hand out with that energy ball threateningly, and William, Robyn, Sid and the Steampunker could only comply.

Robyn couldn't believe this. How could this be possible? Meg had been their friend for such a long time. A powerful ally and fighter using magic. How could she be Calamitas? The real Calamitas?

Unless...

"You're not Meg," Robyn exclaimed. "You're an impostor. Where is she?"

Meg's dark eyes flickered over to her, and she immediately regretted asking. Fire seemed to burn in them, igniting that old fear inside of Robyn.

Of what Calamitas had done. Of what she was capable of.

"I'm not an impostor," she spoke. "I am Meg. But Meg... she was only an illusion. A friendly face to add to your party."

"But... how?" Sid asked. "Why?" He looked the most shocked, appearing not to know what to do with his hands. Grab a summon weapon? Hold them out?

"You know what the Witch Doctor told you," Meg said. "Lord Yharim used to rule over the Lihzahrd Temple back in Firstworld, with the Golem as his proxy."

"But then Calamitas... you..." William spoke, "You unleashed the Golem onto Yharim. You betrayed him."

"I was nothing but a weapon to Yharim," the one cradling the red energy ball spoke. "You've seen what I've done. I burnt the sea that was once King Amidias's home. I invaded the Brimstone Crags, massacring everyone there. After all that, I began to have doubts in the way he ruled. Was complete destruction, including of many innocents, worth it to maintain absolute control? The final straw was when I looked through the mind of one of his soldiers, and found out that he had created a clone of me. A clone, nowhere near as powerful, but which could contain my power.

"It proved that he didn't trust me at all. So yes, I betrayed him. I stole some documents from the temple, unleashed the Golem, and got out. I handed those documents over to the leaders of two of the biggest factions that opposed him."

"And then... did you go into hiding?" Sid asked. "As Meg, an alter ego Yharim would have no idea was his former underling?"

"Oh, my poor Sid," Meg simpered, an unnaturally wicked smile spreading across her face. "If only it was that simple. I can see it in your eyes. You loved Meg, didn't you?"

"What? I mean... sure, you're quite... badass, and beautiful, and..."

Meg held up a single finger. "I'm going to stop you right there. After I gave the documents to the leaders, Braelor and Statis, there were three things that happened.

"The first was that Yharim put a curse on me. It compelled me to return to him, worming into my mind." She ran a finger across her cheek and through her hair, which Robyn noticed seemed to be changing. It was shortening, turning from blonde to silver. Her skin too, was changing colour, to an unnatural grey.

"The second was that Braelor and Statis attempted to use the information from the documents to lay an assault on the Temple," she continued. "But they failed. Yharim threw them into his pocket dimension, and the Devourer of Gods ate them both. With them both gone, there was no more chance for any forces of good to ever prevail over Yharim. And the third thing... he enlightened me to what has been his true motive all along."

"And... what is that?" Sid asked, fright in his voice.

"Well... why don't you listen when he comes to tell you himself?"

"He's coming?" William spluttered.

Meg, or Calamitas, or whatever she was just stared at him. "He's on his way right now. He's been hard at work in the Nexus, getting settled in the temple he once ruled from."