Chapter 5: A New Threat

Emi and Thunder filed into his office, followed by Bryn, Cassandra, and Lorre. Bryn placed her hands on the table and leaned forward.

"So," said Lorre. "You were saying? Grave danger, et cetera?"

"I think there is something both ground-breaking and unbelievably dangerous going on," said Bryn. "For thousands of years there have been only three Guilds in Terraria, right?"

"Right," came the reply from all around the table.

"Wrong," Bryn said. "Ladies and gentlemen, Terraria has a fourth Guild, unknown to everyone for thousands of years."

"How do you know?" asked Lorre.

"A few days ago, the Archers' Guild was attacked," said Bryn, beginning to pace the room. "Many recruits were injured, though superficially. Almost all the attackers escaped, except one, whom I managed to apprehend. I haven't been able to interrogate him yet."

"A fourth Guild? But... how could you tell it wasn't just some pirates or something?" said Emi.

"They weren't pirates, or goblins, and they were definitely human. And they were all wearing similar uniforms. Besides, there's a peace treaty between the three known Guilds that's been in place since they were founded. Someone wrote 'Long Live Queen Ixia' on the wall of our storeroom, and there hasn't been human royalty in Terraria for... for a long time. Either they have a human queen, or they're worshipping a great and terrible deity."

"Queen Ixia... Hold on. I seem to recall reading something about a Princess Ixia in a book. Wait here," said Thunder, and he left the room. A couple of minutes later he returned with a tiny, ancient book entitled The Compleat Historie of the Battle of Quelling in old, spidery script.

Thunder opened the book to an early page. "This might be it... The language is a bit archaic, but I think this might be what you're talking about."

The Battle of Quelling was a Greate Civil Warre between the mages of Terraria and the Royal Summoners. During the tyme of King Leonidus and Queen Iphiria Lightspyrit's reign, a Massyve Battle broke out between the dueling communities. On the Wedding Day of the Princess, Ixia, the enrayged mages broke down the doores of the palace and commenced Fighting. Before any harm could come to her daughter, the Queen brought her daughter into her Royal Chamber and sealed the Doore with an Incantation. Moments later she was Killed but the Princess remaynes in her Chamber to this day...

"Do you think this is the same princess? The Battle of Quelling was four thousand years ago," said Cassandra.

"I know exactly who would know the answer to that question," Emi said, chuckling a little.