A week had passed in the blink of an eye, no longer did my ribs hurt without the pain medicine, but as advised I kept my cast on as well as the bandages around my chest. But, I, however had noticed something adorable. Amber and Trixie never got along that well with each other, the former was completely rigid with calling me boss and leading her flock, which she thought included everyone under my command. While Trixie, who hadn't officially, 'joined' me yet, butted heads with the Griffon. Usually giving the griffon a small laceration from the impact of her horn while giving the unicorn a migraine from the hit on her sensitive pokey organ. Their arguments were somewhat small but amusing. Like who got to eat the last peanut butter cracker (Which wasn't really the last one, not that I let them know that I had yet to eat all of mine back in my quarters). Cass had found some amusement in it too after she learned that their constant bickering between each other was mostly harmless.
In the meantime the outward world had taken notice of my previous successful robbery of the blue diamond and the headlines read, 'Puppet Master Trumps Shining Armor Again, The captain and his men after Freeze froze security to a standstill.' I felt somewhat disappointed, they forgot the 'Mister' in Freeze's name. But it was acceptable. On the cover was a picture of the museum how I had left it, covered in ice, and half frozen guard ponies. One of which had its tongue stuck on its comrades armor. I chuckled for a good while at that, regretting doing so minutes later as my sides burned. Still sore after all the abuse it had taken in my scuffle with the Windigo King. It was a painful reality check, I realized after a while. That I was still a human being, and not some villain out of a story.
Though something other than my companions or my recent battles felt off. It began when I felt as if I was being watched. Scans showed that no one had infiltrated the building, but rather somehow a solitary figure had managed to sneak up the side of the mountain. I couldn't get a clear view of him or her at first, and every attempts at approaching him with my security camera lead to him vanishing as if into thin air. Its presence leaving for naught but a few hours at a time before he would come back at a different perch. After a few days though, I had managed to get a clear view of a heavily armored, and robed figure dressed in pure red, with the occasional green highlight as trim. Full plate armor from the front, but whoever this figure was, wasn't a pony. That much was evident by the gauntlets and boots, which were contoured and divided to fit a more clawed design. The only other notable feature about him was that upon his back there was only something I could describe as a Jrpg blade. That is to mean, a blade that was impossibly large to be of any use to anyone. Heck it was so large that it had to be worn sideways on his back, and its height from blade to back of the overly large sword of compensation was thick enough to hide someone like a tower shield if he desired.
This meant one of three things to me, regarding this warrior. The first was that this warrior could be incredibly skilled in terms of combat with monstrous strength aside. A violent encounter could possibly be just as, or even worse than the fight with the king of windigos for its own reasons. Especially now that I was confined to either a chair or bed until the Night before Nightmare Night. The second thing, this could mean, was the repeat of the failure of a thief in the woods, but this was less likely considering his ability to dodge my surveillance until then. The final option was that someone had heard about the dragon that used to live here, and was looking for their own claim to the treasure, but instead found us, and was curious to just what we were, and what was being done here. Again any attempts of approach, either by puppets or intercom only made the armored figure scuttle off like some sort of pesky fly that you couldn't swat or catch. So I grudgingly started to tolerate its presence over the course of the next few days. All it was was staring at the entrance of the base, after all. Though I did have security boosted just in case during my off hours of rest and sleep.
When I wasn't watching the stranger, working on projects, or talking with Cass, Trixie, or Amber, I was expanding my base. Several rooms that I had forgotten to build previously were now being added on and several rooms being set aside for future testing experiments as well as resources. Mainly crystals since I couldn't recognize an ore to save my life. To my surprise, however, was when I kept digging down and eventually hit, or more appropriately, didn't hit something. I had found a cave, one large enough that when I kept trying to go down, I almost lost the Aperture Science Standard Drilling Apparatus finding the floor, promptly spawning the use of additional cameras as several mechanical arms pulled the drill back up. It was dark down here, and once lighting was no longer and issue, I could see just what the massive cave contained.
The cave itself was the combined size of about four football domes put together, that being what I could see from here, from my estimates I had arrived at the very top center, or near enough to it, of the dome. On the ground floor I could see a lake of motionless water, surrounded with small islands of dimly lit blue mushrooms that barely offered any illumination on the matter. Besides those were buildings half sunken in the water, one large building was directly below the hole I had made down here, and now I was more than curious. Quickly I spoke to an intercom, "Hey Amber, mind reporting to the lower floors, I found something that may be of interest."
I moved, or more precisely I had several puppets begin to move and make their way down there even as Amber took her merry time getting there. Since I didn't want to remain immobile with concentration, I had selected only two of my more mobile puppets, that is to say a pair that could move in the air as well as under water for what it may be. Those being Aku once more, and yet another new mask, which albeit lacked in the flight department but well made up for it in the aquatics. I guess it didn't hurt that the villain also had a face that was representative of a squid. With one hand being a crab claw. That and the pirate outfit was downright wonderful. I chuckled to myself, somewhat worriedly wondering if I had way too much free time now that I was stuck in the confines of my room physically, but then reminding myself that only the foolish villains ever rush their plans before its ready to be deployed.
It wouldn't be the first time where I had fallen into that trap, well figuratively speaking anyway. What little childhood had managed to be enjoyable was also the parts that started up my desire to build cosmetics and replicas of game and movie memorabilia. Though while it took up a good portion of my time, the early days were more about role playing with Yuko and company. Early on I had the misfortune of getting my character's killed off by rushing ahead while everyone else was busy with things like loot or war gear between battles. I was often under prepared for the situations ahead, but this often lead to some rather more creative sessions than the standard shoot and kill everything fest that was involved. Two close encounters with mutant killer bugs, and one somehow accidental daemon portal opening for 'thinking too hard' in a row eventually made me learn the lesson that you should really think of everything you're going to need for every situation.
Yuko had been a great help as well, later on. As well as inspired me to try my luck at being a villain. Started simple enough, but as summer progressed she ran my stuff separate from the group, giving birth to the persona of Inquisitor Dearon, a tragic villain who took unusual methods into preserving the life of the realm, before becoming named a traitor to the empire after saving a planet from a race of soulless walking skeleton robots with the aid of the cyber-punk-adoring faction known as the Tau. Afterwards fleeing and eventually finding himself joining the war and recovery efforts of the same faction. He spent the rest of the campaign trying to stop a chapter of particularly pesky space marines which turned out to be the other group of role players. I found myself an architect in a way with this, plotting out diplomacy, commanding troops, requisitioning armies worth of supplies, and once or twice even ending up building the important bases and going into advanced details for supply lines. There was also the standard action, more than one bar fight during my characters off time, as well as his insatiable craving for garlic. But those were the little things.
My mind wandered deeper as I waited for Amber to hurry her furry flank up.
Ultimately as stories go, my villain ended up failing his mission and losing his life during a scuffle against said space marine players. Inquisitor Deargons latest plans on improving the Tau armies and agriculture had been sabotaged by the Space Marine chapter that had already foiled several of his plans so far. Driving the Inquisitor deeper and deeper into a pit of which he couldn't return from. He had tried to improve the lifestyle of the Tau, who while technologically advanced in the art of war, as well as other technologies, had lacked the technologies of agriculture, as well as trying to minimize losses through the creation of a special forces team. One that was currently traveling towards another important landmark hours, if not days before the invasion had taken place, and by the time that they returned, a lot of drama had unfolded. Primarily the loss of Deargons life after a dramatic what-have-you-done speech.
The door being opened to the lowest floors caught my attention, Amber was almost here, and now it was time for a bit of Imaginary Chaos.
"So you conquered the seas as a reaper of the dead, only to be destroyed from a broken sword to the heart?" Aku spoke to Jones as Amber arised, as if already in mid conversation.
"What be ye suggesting shade?" Davy jones was, in a word, disgruntled with the taller spirit. As if they had known each other a while.
"Not only that, but you managed to get your ex lovers wrath by betraying her all those years ago because she didn't even show up to your ten year planned date." Aku shook his head, "Talk about a heart breaker."
Aku smiled coyly at his own pun, but Davy Jones merely sighed and face-clawed, "Do you not have anything better to do than make jests?"
The imposing figure of black opened his mouth to reply but Amber cut them off, "Hey, you two, wheres the Boss?"
A screen flipped out of the wall, and a camera appeared in my room, temporarily allowing me to communicate to her, "Right here, Amber, I discovered a cave system with ruins in it, wanted you and these two to check it out if it was alright."
"Alright, but who's the squid face?" Amber asked, and I replied, "Amber, this is Davy, Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman."
"Alright then, Davy Davy Jones." Amber said, "Mind if I just call you Dave?"
Did she really just...? Aku's face went from normal to puzzled, and from puzzled to smirking, "I like her." he commented as Jones eye twitched..
"You're lucky we aren't on my ship, lass. Captain Jones will work for now."
"Whatever you say captain." Amber commented, and together the two puppets and the Griffon went down onto the new elevator, and into the depths below.