Gun X Sword: The Adventure Continues

Chapter 23: Fierce Cupcake

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Gun X Sword because it belongs to the likes of Geneon and FUNimation. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for violence, adult content, and adult language.)

"Out beyond ideas of

wrongdoing and rightdoing

there is a field.

I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies

down in that grass

the world is too full

to talk about."

-Rumi

CLANG! CRASH!

The sound of metal tearing up other metal had rang into the ring as there was a fight in the arena in the city of Gujran. There was an Armor that was fighting its opponents as it was clashing with such style. It was an Armor that was named Cupcake as it was the darling of the arena. Inside, there was a pilot who had cherry-red hair and blue eyes as she was also wearing glasses. She was good at kicking butt in the arena as she piloting Cupcake with style. Her opponent didn't have the chance as it was blown to smithereens. After the battle, the pilot with glasses came out of Cupcake as she was cheered by the entire audience. The pilot was also a darling in the arena as she loved the prize money that she got afterwards. Unbeknownst to her, she had a fan sitting in the bleachers as he was a rather peculiar one. With brown skin and black hair, the young man was even dressed like a Maharajah as he was more than likely to be an dressed like an Indian prince of this city.

"If only you would be mine...," he said to himself as he saw the pilot walk away with her prize money. "Oh, Josie..., if only you didn't pilot that Armor of yours..."

The pilot, known only as Josie, was on her way home to take on another battle another day. She was only sixteen years old as she wanted to be more like the legendary Priscilla and her Armor, Brownie. As for the fan, however, he had to return home as he had to attend a social party. It wasn't long until he was being accompanied by a young girl with dark purple and teal eyes. The girl herself was dressed up in a dark blue Gothic Lolita dress with a matching white petticoat, stockings, and a pair of black shoes. She was even wearing a pair of cat ears along with a jingling bell collar with a ribbon as she also wore a pair of alexandrite earrings while sporting a cat-themed bag with a strap. She was elegant from head to toe as she also had her own memory-cloth weapon in the shape of two sets of claws. The young man, on the other hand, had his own memory-cloth weapon as it resembled a vajra. It also seemed that they were Armor pilots as they were also part of the Imperium Twelve.

"Rajiv, wait up," said the girl with cat ears.

"Zira, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I saw an airship flying over here. It's even flown over the the city of Missoghi."

"Are you serious? Could it be that the future queen who bested the will of the famous Catherine Nakata of Missoghi be on there?"

"Yes, but she's also married to the future king that trounced the Wild Bunch in Evergreen. He even put the evil Mustache Baron under the ringer, too, but he also put an end to a man known only as the Claw."

"It's been five years since that scoundrel's defeat, but the House of Feanor could be watching our every move we make. We should be more careful when to speak out in public."

And so, Rajiv and Zira saw the airship fly over as it was about ready to land. They rushed over into a clearing as it landed on a soft plot of green in the distance. They had never seen the airship up close as its doors opened up. To their surprise, they saw Van come out as he was dressed in his usual jet black tuxedo. He was ready to be out and about as he was being accompanied by Wendy, who was fully dressed in an elegant lavender dress with her gun holstered on her back. They were out in the open as they were taking a small break from the twins after another busy night caring for them. Both Rajiv and Zira had heard about Tir Andurinar's future king and queen before as they were known for their heroic efforts in defeating the Claw and his evil plans five years ago. Now, they have seen them out in the open as they were the Lost Region's future and last hope for all the rest of the Endless Illusion.

###

Thessaline was busy doing maintenance as she was in one of the main hangars. She was hard-working as she was also making sure that no other mechanisms are being neglected. To her surprise, she saw an Armor hidden in the shadows as she had noticed that it had seen both battle and competition in one fell swoop. The Armor that was hidden in there was none other than the legendary Brownie as it hasn't been used since Priscilla married Edoras and had two children. It had dust all over it as it hadn't been cleaned or used in five years. Somehow, the memory of Brownie still lingered on the battlefield as it was on hand in defeating the Claw and his followers five years ago. It would take it a while before it was about to be used once again, but it was still a legend after all.

"This Armor must have been something special," said Thessaline.

"You must have found Brownie," said Priscilla as she was holding Penelope in her arms.

"I take it that this Armor is yours."

"It's been in the family, but I was once an Armor darling with this thing."

"This Brownie..., it's not part of the special Armors, is it?"

"Edoras decided to take it along after he proposed to me. Don't get me wrong; I've known him ever since we were kids, but we have our own children now. Sooner or later, Lemuel and Penelope would inherit both Armos and Brownie when they get bigger. I'm also hoping that Penelope and Haleth will grow up and get together soon."

"I take it that you once had a crush on Van, didn't you?"

"I did, but it wasn't meant to be because Edoras told me that he could break my heart. Now that he's married to Wendy, they have their twins and I see some determination that both Haleth and Penelope would someday hook up and get married."

"It seems that Van's son's got himself someone who will be his future betrothed. I bet that he'll also inherit Dann, too."

And she would be right, too. It may have been five years since Priscilla saw Van before he left inside of Dann as she had found that he would be in love in Wendy. Even though her infatuation with him was never meant to be, she found fresh hope that her daughter would marry Van's son as there was a great future ahead. She also had her old Armor, Brownie, as it was still sitting in the hangar collecting dust. Even though she put it up after giving birth to Lemuel and Penelope, she would someday be up to the challenge and put it to good use once again.

###

Van and Wendy were at a small convenience store as they were at a currency machine. Somehow, the money that they had wasn't the proper type as it was converted to Gujran's currency, which was some zitriks. They were comfortable with it as they were buying some cold drinks. After paying for their stuff, Van, on the other hand, had bought two scratchies as he wanted to kill some time scratching them off. Somehow, he scratched the first one as it showed three identical marks that were in some strange writing. When he scratched off the second one, he saw two of the same marks along with a strange symbol on it. He had never known about the strange writing before, but he decided to show it to the clerk.

"Excuse me," he said as he showed the clerk the two scratchies. "Do you know what those things are worth?"

"Good gracious me!" cried the clerk as he stared at the two scratchies with such shock. "Do you know how much you have won?!"

"Well, spit it out; I'm listening."

"The first one is worth five thousand zitriks. On the second one, you have tripled your amount with fifteen thousand zitriks! Let me cash them in for you right away!"

The clerk wasted no time as he cashed the two lucky scratchies with such gusto. With the right amount of twenty thousand zitriks in cash, it was given to Van as he walked right out of the convenience store. Wendy was shocked to see him with such cash that he won as he was stuffing it in his pockets. It was some extra cash to keep on hand as he was still here in the Zolti airship. He was very responsible with money ever since he married Wendy as they both went towards a diner to get some lunch. When they got inside, they saw Thessaline and Ithilien sitting at a table as they were most likely to be sent in by Edoras to guard them. Even though it was a good idea, they seemed to be comfortable with it as they later sat down to order some lunch.

"So, you decided to tag along with us, didn't you?" said Wendy.

"Edoras said not to leave your side," said Ithilien.

"Why can't Edoras mind his own business for once?" grumbled Van.

"Van!" scolded Wendy.

"There's been some talk about a tournament here in Gujran," said Thessaline. "The promoter here has close ties to the House of Feanor. They say that he fixes the matches so that the one that hasn't been betted on wins the matches."

"Fixing matches?" said Van. "That sounds like cheating to me."

"According to what was heard here, there seems to be an Armor beating the odds in every tournament," said Ithilien. "The girl who pilots this Armor, known only as Cupcake, goes by the name of Josephine Lundgren."

"Wait, I've heard that name before. She could be related to Josh and his late brother, Ray."

"She might be a cousin of theirs," said Thessaline.

The conversation about the Armor tournament continued as two more were hearing in on it. There was Rajiv and Zira as they were fully concerned about the well-being of the pilot in question, Josie. Both Armor pilots were worried for her as she had lived most of her life with her uncle, who has a penchant for abuse. Rajiv wanted to get Josie away from him and start a much better life as he was still pining for her. Even Zira was concerned as she hated people who abuse those who were vulnerable on the sly. The next tournament was coming up as it featured both Josie and her Armor, Cupcake, but the match was about to be fixed as usual.

"I can't believe that the promoter's fixing another match," said Zira as she was fiddling with her cat ears. "He knows that it's forbidden to fix matches."

"I know," said Rajiv. "It's not the match fixing that worries me."

"It's that uncle of Josie's, isn't it? Every day, he hurts her badly, even after she wins the prize money after each battle with Cupcake."

"It's far more worse than that. Her uncle has been itching to fondle at her ever since she had reached puberty and every time, she flees him to the warehouse where Cupcake is kept."

"We need to get her out of that abuse. Josie is a pilot and all, but she deserves better."

Rajiv sighed as he was worried about the safety and well-being of the girl he was pining for while she was in the arena. He always had a crush on Josie as she was more beautiful with or without those glasses of hers. Even Zira felt concerned as she wanted to get Josie out of that abusive environment that she had endured from her uncle as she was worried for her safety. They have known about the pilot's sad home life as they would even go further to protect her from harm. It would only be a matter of time before her wicked uncle decides to make a move on her, but will she have time to escape?

###

Josie was on her way home as she had the prize money in tow in her backpack. She was eventually saving up to move out of her old home as she wanted a much better life. When she opened up the door to her home, she found relief that her uncle was still not home yet. It was a good opportunity for her as she went straight to her room and locked the door behind her. Setting down her backpack, she went straight towards her bathroom as she stripped off her clothes and turned on the hot water. Taking down her hair and removing her glasses, she got into the tub as she was relaxing in the water that was perfumed with the scent of lavender and water lilies. It wasn't long until she washed herself off with some soap and water as she was even washing her hair as well. After rinsing off her entire body, especially her hair, she drained the water as she got out of the tub and went towards to get a towel. To her shock, there were no towels in her bathroom as she found that someone had been in here.

It was her uncle who took the towels out of her bathroom as she saw an empty cigarette butt on the floor. She found that his fixation on her has gotten a lot worse as she went out of the bathroom and checked everything in her dresser. She had noticed that her bras and underwear have been taken out of the top drawer as she had found that her uncle had stolen them as well. Unlocking the door to her room, she went out into the hall as she wrapped herself in a dark blue top sheet. When she went into the main closet, she found her towels and her underclothes as they were stuffed in a trash bag. It wasn't long until she grabbed the bag and went straight back to her room as she locked the door behind her.

Checking up on her backpack, she unzipped it as she found that the prize money was still intact. She had a moment of relief as she took one of the towels out of the bag as it was newly cleaned while she dried herself off. It was a moment of satisfaction for her as she later got out a pair of clean underwear and a bra from the bag that she took and put them on. Just as she was about to put on some clothes, she opened up her drawer as she also found that her nightgowns were still intact. Putting one on, she was glad that she had some clothes as she put the underwear and bras back in her top drawer where they belonged. Just as she was about to get into her bed, she heard the door open from downstairs as she heard staggering footsteps coming in. She also heard that the footsteps were coming upstairs as they were approaching her room.

"Josie!" said an angry voice coming from outside of her room. "I know that you're home! You could at least acknowledge that you're here for once!"

"Go away! Leave me alone!" she cried as she was scared to death. "Why can't you just leave me alone for once, Uncle?!"

"So, you wanna stay in your room for the rest of the night, do you?! That's no way for a girl to act! Now, where's that trash bag that was in the main closet?!"

"It's gone. You were in my room and bathroom, weren't you? You took out all my underclothes and towels, so I put them all back."

"You little cunt! I'll break down that door! It can't keep me from beating the shit out of you forever, you little whore!"

"I'm not a whore! Therefore, I'm still a virgin and I wanna preserve my virginity!"

"You sound like one of those nuns from that dog kennel. Are you a girl or are you a dog?! Which is it, you little cunt?! You're a woman, aren't you?! You should be pleasuring me like one!"

Josie covered her ears as she refused to listen to her uncle's nasty rants. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wanted to move out of her home. She heard the footsteps leave the front of her room as they were on their way into some other room. It seemed that she really had enough as she decided to flip over her mattress, where most of her prize money had been kept. With all of it stuffed in an oversized luggage, she also packed most of her clothes and belongings into it as she went into her bathroom and put back on her glasses. She wanted to leave and never come back as she put on her bathrobe over her nightgown. With her luggage fully secure, she grabbed her backpack and unlocked the door to her room.

It was a great thing that her uncle was on the floor in a drunken stupor as she left downstairs and straight to the front door. Luckily, it was open as she fled into the night. She was on her way towards her secret place as it was considered to be a warehouse where Cupcake was kept. When she finally entered into the warehouse, she locked the doors behind her as she was in her "true home." She loved the warehouse as it not only had Cupcake, but it also had a public bathhouse right next to it. The place was somewhat perfect as she didn't want to stay at her home forever. The continued machinations of her uncle fantasizing about using her as a sex toy was considered the last straw as she refused to return to the place where she was kept most of her life. It was once said that she was related to the Lundgren family, but she was taken away from her home at an early age. She wanted to know more about what had happened to them as she was longing to be free from her uncle's bullying and lechery. Staring at Cupcake, she found a livelihood that would never leave her side as it once belonged to her late mentor, Sister Theresa. There was also a picture of her and her mentor as they were sitting in a bakery at the time, but those times were long gone by now when Sister Theresa passed away four years ago.

"Hey, it's been a while," said Josie as she was looking at that picture. "I finally got away from my uncle after what he's been trying to do to me. I also have your Armor. I've won the last battle, but it'll take a while to keep Cupcake in good shape. By the way, there was this guy who came into the city. He wears a tuxedo, but he once fought against the legendary Brownie at the time until they both teamed up to put a delinquent in his place. Oh, those were the days, but this time, I'll come out on top in the arena. Just wait and see..."

Josie walked over to her spare room as it had a comfortable bed in it. She was happy to have such a great night sleep in such a long time as she was safe and secure in the warehouse. She was also dreaming of the life that she had before her uncle grabbed her and took her away with him ten years ago. She also wanted to remember what her family looked like over the years as she was eager to know what had actually happened to them.

###

Van was back in the airship as he was busy giving the twins a bath. He was careful with them as they were being gently bathed in the warm water in the baby bathtub. With Wendy on hand to help him out, she saw him rinse them off one by one as they were being cleaned with such care. With the twins being dried with a clean towel, they were diapered and dressed as they were being put in their bassinet. Both Hamana and Haleth were staring at their parents as they were as cute as they can be. Van and Wendy have loved them very much as they were the spitting image of them. It was time for Hamana and Haleth's nap as they were yawning and rubbing their eyes.

"Look at them," said Wendy as she covered up the twins with a blanket. "They're look so cute in their little bed."

"I know," said Van as he was staring at the twins. "It's ironic that these little stinkers were born quickly than normal. Maybe God demanded that they ought to be born in such a quick way because of those House of Feanor bastards."

"Van..., I know that we both love the twins, but sooner or later, they'll be growing up and they'll be having their future boyfriend or girlfriend by the time we reach the Lost Region."

"The Lost Region is still many days away, but according to Edoras, there's a city that borders it called Zetsuei. That's the last stop before we get to our destination. As soon as we leave Gujran, the better we move onward."

Both Van and Wendy were grateful that the twins were in their lives as they would have a good potential for the future. After putting the twins to bed, they left their room as they were on their way out of the airship. It was at dusk that they decided to sit down and look at the sunset. It was beautiful that they saw the sun go down while night was flooding in. Just as they were about to go back inside, they saw Thessaline and Ithilien in front of them as they had a poster in their hands. It was somewhat of an Armor tournament that was scheduled for tonight as it featured one that was similar to Brownie. Whatever it was, it certainly outstaged Priscilla's Armor hands down as it was ready to fight for another bout ahead.

"This tournament is scheduled as planned. There's is no turning back, but it's tonight according to this poster," said Ithilien.

"What's this all about?" asked Van.

"According to the people here, several afficionados of the tournament had complained that the matches were fixed for a while," said Thessaline.

"Sounds like that he wants the loser to win."

"It's more than that. Looks like that an Armor's been seeing through the match fixing."

"What Armor could that be?" asked Wendy.

"It's an Armor called Cupcake that's been trouncing the competition lately. Even the fight promoter has been foiled by this new Armor on the block."

"This Cupcake..., I wonder if it looks similar to Brownie?"

"You should go and ask Priscilla. She's got it in storage ever since."

Wendy wanted to know more about this Armor that has followed in the footsteps of the legendary Brownie as she wanted to go to the tournament tonight. She wanted to see who was piloting it as she wanted to know a lot more about what was going on. As for Van, however, he wanted to do the same thing as he wanted to see the Armor tournament in question. Little did they know was that they needed to be guarded around the clock as there were spies all over Gujran in which the House of Feanor was watching every move that they made. Somehow, Van and Wendy had wanted to bring the twins along as they wanted to be recognized as a family unit. When they gathered them up, there were two diaper bag full of diapers and wipes as they were made at the ready for the twins. They were all set as they were ready to go see the tournament. It was going to become a first outing for them as they were leaving the airship with the twins in tow, but they had to settle with Ithilien and Thessaline following them as bodyguards. It was going to be a fun night, but there was also the appearance of Cupcake as it was ready to appear in the ring sooner or later.

###

Josie was finishing up the maintenance work for Cupcake as she was ready to get out there in the arena. The tournament outside was packed as she was most likely to be ready and good to go out there with her Armor. She wanted to become the best Armor pilot in the tournament since the legendary Priscilla and Brownie as she also wanted to be free to start a new life. She was happy that she fled her nasty uncle as she was ready to get on out there in the arena. Just as she was about to get inside of Cupcake, she heard the doors open from behind as she turned around. To her shock, she saw a familiar face emerge in the training hangar where Cupcake was being maintained. It was none other than her uncle as he demanded that she return to her "normal home."

"Hello, Josie," he said as he had his hand on his crotch. "It's time that you come home right now."

"What are you doing here?!" she cried as she stood beside her Armor. "You know that I won't come back home!"

"You're mine, Josie! You can't hide behind your dog kennel whore's Armor forever! I brought you here so you wouldn't become like that whore, Shino! I took you away from your piss-poor excuses of brothers because of the Armor technology. Did I tell you what really happened to that whore and your brother? They're dead! Thank God for their deaths because they're no longer alive. Back then, I was ecstatic that Shino was killed after the birth of hers and Ray's son, Rikiya, when I even thanked God for sending that man with the Claw to do the work. After Shino's death, your older brother, Ray, took the little boy to an unknown sanctuary so he could be out of harm's way when he set out to get revenge against the Claw. It's such a shame that he died in battle."

"No...; why did it happen to Ray? Now that Rikiya is an orphan, there is no father to run to... And what about Josh? Is he still alive?"

"Josh lives is Gloria with the granddaughter of that late whore, Chizuru Stevens. Looks like they've married and had a daughter of their own. It's too bad that you won't be able to see them because I'm gonna beat you to a pulp. How does you like it when you are about to be disfigured? Well, if you don't come home to make my meals, let me pleasure you and suck on my cock, I'll let you live with such a pretty face."

"No, I'm through with you, Uncle!" Josie started to become more angry at him. "I already have a home in that warehouse with Cupcake! I will always be free from you, no matter what! You wanna know something? I'm still a virgin and I don't want to be deflowered yet!"

"Then how would you like it when you are labeled a slut and a whore as well as being a cunt?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Josie really had enough of her uncle as she jumped inside of Cupcake. With her Armor activated, she was ready to go on out there as she left to get ready for the next battle. Her nasty uncle watched as he was disgusted with her and her beloved Armor, Cupcake. It would be a while before he did some damage to her reputation, but someone was coming into the training area. Turning around, he saw Rajiv and Zira standing in the doorway. They were angry with him as he remained defiant in trying to keep Josie his slave. They couldn't stand for it as they wanted to give him a piece of their mind for once.

"It's the crazed Swami fanboy and the Nekomimi fangirl," he said.

"We have heard you loud and clear," said Rajiv defensively.

"Frankly, you don't wanna be around her because she can carry some really bad diseases after being around a few guys. She's one hell of a whore, I can tell you that. She might even have herpes."

"Josie is nothing like that," said Zira. "You're just saying that because you want her all to yourself."

"You and that Swami know nothing about Josie! She is a whore and a filthy slut." He turns around as he sees Van standing right behind. "Hell, I bet that Josie can bend down and suck on this guy's cock. I bet that he can get off on that. That derpy little cunt really gives me such a hard-on that can make someone fall to his knees"

"You disgusting son-of-a-bitch!" yelled Van as he punched the Uncle in the stomach. "I've heard your slimy little conversation when I followed that young man and the cat-eared girl to where Cupcake was held at."

"Zira, look," said Rajiv as he noticed Van standing in the doorway. "It's that man everyone has talked about."

"It's Van," she said as she was shocked to see him in the flesh. "I knew that he would come and put Josie's uncle in his place."

Van had dodged the lecherous man's attacks as he flung him against the wall. Anger boiled in his body as he threw the man into a pile of plastic crates. He also hated the fact that women like Josie had been called such horrible names. As a man of honor, Van had always valued his code of chivalry very well as it was against his ethics to malign a woman. He also hated the fact that women are abused, objectified, stalked, harmed, and being called such derogatory names that he heard earlier. He was a married man, after all, but he didn't like the fact that women get the short end of the stick in the likes of men who don't even care or value their lives.

"So, you think you can defend that little slut, can you?!" yelled the uncle as he got up on his feet. "Yeah, that little harlot may be preserving her virginity, but she's not gonna have it forever! If she doesn't lose herself to me, I'll disfigure that little whore!"

"You sure say a mouthful, don't you?" yelled Van as he pointed his sword at the man. "Come to think of it, I'd say that you need to wash it out with some soap after what you said about your niece. People like you make me sick! Anyone who calls a girl, woman, sister, wife, niece, or daughter such names as cunt, slut, or whore is nothing more than a spineless worm!"

Josie's uncle had a control stick in his hand as it was more likely to be linked to a bomb. He was ready to blow the center of the arena as Josie and Cupcake were already outside doing battle. He wanted to make her pay for defying him as he was ready to pull the trigger. Just as he was about to do so, it was knocked out of his hands by a chakram as it return to Thessaline. She was aware that Van was in a battle, but guarding him was the top priority here as they saw Josie's uncle fuming with rage. They, along with Rajiv and Zira, saw that he still wanted her to return to the abuse as he was refusing to let her go free. It wasn't long until the man ran out into the open as he had a spare detonator in his hands that would activate something from outside of the ring. He cackled joyously as he was ready to do away with his own niece along with her Armor, Cupcake, who were in for a total shock when it came to an unfair fight ahead.

"Looks like that this guy never learns, does he?" said Thessaline.

"Yeah, and he wants to scare his own niece," said Van.

"Excuse me, Mr. Van," said Zira worriedly. "You have to stop that man! He'll hurt Josie!"

"That's not gonna happen. Besides, I've got an Armor that can back her up."

"Hold it!" yelled Priscilla as she was running into the training area. "The fight promoter out there is in cahoots with not only that dirty man that has the detonator to activate the Armors, but with the House of Feanor as well."

"What's going on out there?"

"You know that Cupcake? It's being challenged by four Armors! That Josie girl is no match for them and that promoter's definitely not playing fair."

"Putting extra Armors in a match is forbidden," said Thessaline. "The tournament here only promotes one-on-one battles, not unfair fights."

"Seems like old times," said Priscilla. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

And so, Van and the others went straight outside to the arena as they saw Cupcake being surrounded by the four Armors, plus the one that it was fighting with. Somehow, Van wanted to help Josie as he was also willing to protect her for Rajiv and Zira's sake. Knowing that Josie's nasty uncle had set her up, Van had decided to summon Dann after all as he was ready to protect both her and Cupcake. To his shock, he saw a familiar Armor standing beside Cupcake as it was ready for battle after five years of retirement. It was Brownie as it was standing in the arena when Priscilla jumped inside of it. With the five interfering Armors facing off against the two that were in the ring, they saw Dann fall from the sky as Van was ready to do battle. And so, there were three Armors against five as the entire crowd was cheering on the spectacle in the ring.

It wasn't long until Thessaline had summoned Galadriel as she saw it come down from the heavens. When she climbed inside, she joined Van the others as they were going up against the Armors that were in the arena. There were now four Armors battling five as there was an odd number in the mix. Rajiv and Zira saw the battle up close as they even noticed another Armor fall down from the sky. It was Artros as Ithilien was joining the battle in the tournament. It was a five-on-five match-up as the Armors that were assisting Cupcake had gotten the upper hand against their opponents. The crowd cheered for the Armor that Josie was piloting as she had help from three sky Armors and the legendary Brownie. The powerful force of the Armors had obliterated the opponents as they fell to the ground. The match was over as everyone in the stands had cheered fot the winners. With Van and the others out of their Armors, they were claimed the victors as they saw three of them return to their satellites.

Josie was impressed by the people who came to their aid as she would one day know more about herself. She not only had Cupcake, but she had the people who came to her aid as she was grateful for their presence. Even Rajiv and Zira were satisfied when there was a fair fight played simple in this bizarre tournament. They heard the audience cheering as there was multiple signs of applause. Even though the battle was won, Josie, however, hadn't seen the last of her uncle yet as he was still fixated on taking her back home to all that abuse.

"So, you've finally won," he said as he was rubbing at his crotch. "You've gotten another taste of victory, but I still won't let you leave."

"Leave me alone," yelled Josie. "I won't come back home anymore. I've got friends and admirers who believe in me."

"You arrogant little whore! Who do you think you are?! You belong to me! You're my prize and I will never let you go that easliy! Look at you all defiant and everything. You'll never make it on your own and you'll never will, either!"

"Of course she'll make it on her own!" cried Priscilla. "That girl is everything to herself and her Armor, but she is no whore!"

"Well, if it isn't Priscilla who's just came out of retirement. I bet that you're like the trailer trash that you really are!"

"Why, you-! YOU JACKASS!"

Priscilla was furious as she threw Josie's uncle against a wall. She was angry at him as she later saw security guards haul him off in handcuffs. She hated being called derogatory names, especially trailer trash, as she was relieved that the man in question was being escorted out of the arena. She was also defensive of Josie as she was ready to come along on a journey with Van and the others towards the Lost Region. Everything was ending with a silver lining as there was the matter with the fight promoter in question. Van decided to check it out as he wanted to know why the matches were fixed all of a sudden.

###

The promoter was packing his stuff as he was fearing for the security to arrest him on suspicion of match-fixing and fraud. He wasn't aware that Van would show up as he had once heard from Morwen that he was nothing but trouble for the rest of the House of Feanor. After spending such time fleecing from the crowd who watched the tournament, the promoter was on his last nerve as he heard the door open up in his office. To his shock, he saw Van in the flesh as he even had his sword pointing at his cowering hide. Knowing that he was done for, the promoter was shaking in his boots as he was even chewing on his fingernails. He had heard of Van before, for he was also the one who can put the House of Feanor in its place as well.

"So, you're the fight promoter," said Van.

"What's it to you..., Eovanuus?" asked the promoter as he was returning to his calm demeanor.

"So, I'm well-known, aren't I?"

"It was said that you defeated one of the retainers from the House of Feanor five years ago. Was his name Kroo Kring Koo..., or perhaps the Claw?"

"Oh, yes he was, but now he's as good as dead."

"You don't scare me, Mr. Tuxedo Man! I can see right through you in-" The promoter begins to cough up blood as he felt his bottom lip beginning to dissolve. "What's happening to me? Morwen, what have you done to me?!"

Van was shocked to see the promoter's body dissolving as it became nothing more than bones and frayed guts. It was far too late for the promoter as Van went towards the window and saw Morwen sitting on top of a roof. She had a hand in the promoter's death as she had some wire on her fingers. Just as Van was about to pursue his enemy, he saw her disappear as she was laughing with such malice in her voice. He wanted to follow her, but he also had to check in as he heard the door open. There were security guards coming into the room as they saw the remains of the promoter. Even Edoras came in as he was ready to examine the demise of the promoter. There were signs that the House of Feanor has executed the victim as he had failed them here in Gujran. It seemed that they were much harsher here than in anywhere else as they still refused to let go in their hold for power. No matter how anyone would look at it, the House of Feanor refused to give it up as they found their grip slipping very slowly.

"Just look at this mess," said Van.

"It's definitely Morwen's dirty work," said Edoras as he was examining the promoter's remains.

"I saw that woman from outside. She had wires on her fingers after the victim died."

"The security guards and the local cops can handle this one. Right now, we need to get back to the airship at once."

And so, Van and Edoras left the promoter's office as they were on their way back towards the airship with the rest of their group. They were dealing with the aftermath that Morwen had caused as she was considered to be a force to be reckoned with. Even though Van and company were in Gujran, they weren't alone as they had to contend with the House of Feanor's dirty schemes and corruption. Power was still active here in both cities of Gujran and Zetsuei as they were still under the grip of the House of Feanor. Sooner or later, there would be hope in the form of a drifter in a tuxedo as he was still on a quest of both discovery and restoration. Even though that the Lost Region was neighboring the cities in question, it was still active in a winter-like state as the weather has been leaking towards them. It was only a matter of time before Van would face Eomer and his cronies soon enough, but not yet.

###

Van and company had returned to the airship as they were ready to settle down for the night. It was also said that three new friends had decided to join them as they were here to assist Van on his quest towards the Lost Region. With Brownie back in storage, it was accompanied by a new Armor as Cupcake was sitting inside of the hangar along with it. After many introductions, it was time for bed as Van walked into his room. To his surprise, he saw Wendy as she was sitting in the rocking chair nursing Haleth, who had gotten very hungry. It was one hell of a night as the tournament had ended, but the House of Feanor continued to be still at large. Anyway, now wasn't the time to be reeling about it as Van sat down on the bed while he watched Wendy cradling Haleth while she nursed him with her breastmilk.

"Looks like our son's still hungry," said Van.

"Actually, he just woke up," said Wendy.

"Of all the trouble that I faced, I had to go toe-to-toe with our new friend's nasty uncle of hers."

"Van, you shouldn't say bad stuff about one's relatives."

"Sorry, but the guy was saying those nasty words that devalue and dehumanize women and girls. It really turns my stomach to hear such talk about women that way. Women are more than just wives and mothers and they are also sacred. They should never be maligned or maltreated in such a barbaric way. I also come to a conclusion that whenever Haleth grows up, I hope that he has a lot of honor and respect towards women and girls because he'll wind up getting himself a girlfriend when the time comes."

Wendy had never heard Van say something like that before as she was grateful that he was defensive towards women and girls. He was a man of honor as he was also ready to defend and protect his friends and family. Soon, they would be on the road again, but not yet...

To be continued...