Gun X Sword: The Adventure Continues
Chapter 24: Kitchen Comforts
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Gun X Sword because it belongs to the likes of both Geneon and FUNimation. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for violence, adult content, and adult language.)
Five years earlier...
Van was busy fishing in the river as he was catching something to eat for him and Wendy. It had been two days since he gotten over his fever as he was keeping a sharp eye on the fish that were coming his way. With his sword, he was at the ready as he used it as a fishing pole with some line and a few hooks tied onto it. Somehow, luck was on his side as he finally caught four salmon as they were nicely grown and ready to be cooked. After he was done fishing, he got up and carted away with the catch that he caught and went towards a rock with a smooth surface. With his sword, he severed the fishes' heads and removed the guts as he carted them towards the fire that Wendy had started.
In the forest, there was plenty, but survival was most likely to be something that was least expected in a man in a tuxedo along with a feisty girl. To his surprise, he saw some wild rosemary next to a rock as he picked it to go along with the fish. Luckily, there were two lemons in Wendy's luggage that hadn't been used as he took them out of there and began to use them to season the fish. With some clean sticks, he placed the fish on them as he squeezed one of the lemons all over it along with sprinkling the rosemary on it as well. There were a few salt and pepper packets in his pockets as he used them on the fish that were being cooked. With the dinner going smoothly over the fire, Van was satisfied that he wasn't going to go hungry for the rest of the night as he later saw Wendy walking towards the campfire and sat down. She was as hungry as Van as she heard her stomach growl at the sight of the fish cooking.
"Of all the strange things, I've never seen you cook before," she said.
"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," said Van.
"Well, as usual, you always put a lot of condiments on your food, but I've never expected you to cook up those fish."
"It'll take a while before they're done, but in the meantime, nighttime is coming, so we should be on our guard."
After that conversation, Van continued to check up on the fish that were cooking near the fire as they were almost done and ready to eat. Somehow, they were done after all that conversing as Wendy grabbed one of them and started to eat it. She had never tasted Van's cooking before, but she found it to be very tasty while staying in the forest. As usual, she had never forgotten the proposal that she gave to him since she saw him in Evergreen as she would someday marry him when he gets revenge against the Claw, but it'll be a tough time to do it for the time being...
###
Present Day.
The smell of smoke had filled the air as Edoras woke up and went towards the kitchen. There was something wrong here as he went inside. To his surprise, he saw Van trying to cook as the smell of burnt toast wafted all over the place. The smell was horrible as Edoras turned on the fans to clear it. Even though the fans had cleared the air in the kitchen, there was no hesitation for him as he grabbed the burnt toast that Van had prepared and threw it away. It was ironic that Van was trying his hand at cooking, but he was going to have a long way to go in the hands of several cookbooks that were in the drawer.
"What were you thinking?!" cried Edoras as he was coughing from all the smoke. "Are you trying to burn the whole kitchen or something?!"
"I was trying to cook, that's all," said Van.
"Next time you try your hand at cooking, pay attention at the food that's being prepared."
"I wanted to make some toast and scrambled eggs, but it seems that I burnt the toast. Sorry about that."
"You sure set off the smoke detectors around here. It's a miracle that we're all still alive."
Van decided that he was ready to clean up his mess as he put away the bread back into the breadbox. In all his immortal years, he had never known how to cook as he was trying not to mess things up. He didn't want any failure as he was mainly focused on trying again at cooking. He wanted to be more of a husband to Wendy and a father to Hamana and Haleth as he was ready to try again. He decided to take a crack at making some pancakes as he got out the pancake mix along with a bowl, a whisk, and a spoon. With some of the mix into the bowl, he cracked an egg in it as he later got into the fridge and took out a carton of milk and set it on the table. With the measuring cup in his hand, he was ready to put the needed amout of milk into the bowl, he was all set as he started to mix at the ingredients for pancakes.
Van continued to whisk away at the pancake mixture as he was taking such a slow pace. He didn't want to rush the mixture as he was trying to make it as smooth as possible. After whisking away, he grabbed a frying pan and spatula as he even got out some cooking spray to use. It wasn't long until he sprayed the pan with the cooking spray as he set it aside and turned on the stove. Now, all he had to do was to set the pan down and he was all set. He didn't want to rush things as he watched the pan heat up very quickly. He later got the pancake mixture and grabbed a ladel to spoon it with one at a time. He was much careful with it as he was cooking the pancakes with such preciseness. It was his first time in the kitchen as he was being careful in his cooking. After the pancakes were all done, it was time for breakfast as usual when Edoras was busy getting things ready in the mess hall. He had never tried Van's cooking before, but there was a first that was about to commence.
"Breakfast is up," said Van.
"At least there's no burnt toast to it," said Edoras.
"It'll be a while before everyone else gets up. Looks like you've followed instructions on the pancake mix box, didn't you?"
"Look, I didn't want a repeat offender that I had with the toast, alright?"
"What's for breakfast?" asked Ithilien as he was coming into the mess hall.
"It's just pancakes," said Edoras.
"Wait, who's been cooking them?"
"Actually, it was Van who was doing the cooking. He's been trying his hand at cooking lately. Speaking of which, he's gotten very good when he reads the instructions on the box and cookbooks."
Ithilien had never heard his brother say something like that before as he always tasted Priscilla's cooking in the past. It would also seem that he loved no one else's but hers as he was about to be in for a real shock. He had never tasted anyone else's cooking as he still savored the feminine touch that was added by Priscilla. Even Edoras cooked every once in a while as he had learned from those around him. Somehow, Ithilien was unimpressed by Van's cooking as he decided not to get anything from the kitchen.
"How can you let him cook like this?" he complained. "It's as if he doesn't know what he's doing in the kitchen from time to time.
"You shouldn't insult anyone's cooking, Ithilien," said Edoras. "Van took a lot of effort in there and he even followed instructions, too. Don't you think he deserves some credit in the kitchen?"
"Oh, he had some credit, alright. He set off the smoke detectors, that's the credit that he has."
"Ithilien, that's enough!"
"If I had to choose between Priscilla's and Van's cooking, I rather prefer the feminine touch because it suits the kitchen better. Anyway, I rather stick to the standard because Van's cooking sucks!"
The comment that Ithilien had dished out had upsetted Van as he went out of the kitchen and mess hall. He never had a critic before as he was slightly insulted by such nasty comments. He felt as if his cooking was never appreciated enough after trying so hard to follow instructions while cooking for everybody. When he went into his room, he decided to check up on the twins as they were still asleep in their bassinet. Somehow, he was thinking about the cooking that he did as he found that it wasn't enough to satisfy anyone here on this airship.
"Next time, I'll let Wendy or Priscilla do the cooking," he said with a heavy sigh.
"Van, what are you doing in here?" she asked as she came into the room.
"I won't do any more cooking. It'll only be worse for everyone."
"What are you talking about? I've seen you cook before five years ago. It was when we left that cave and-"
"Look, just drop it already, alright? I'm good at taking care of everyone, but my cooking's just lame."
"But, Van...!"
And so, Van decided to leave his room as he was on his way towards the main hall of the airship. Everyone here, including the four turtles, were talking about how tasty the pancakes were as they wanted to talk to Van about them. The nasty remark of Ithilien's had burned in his mind as he was on his way out of the airship while taking a stroll. He didn't want to think about the morning disaster as he was on his way towards the convenience store. To his surprise, he saw Rajiv and Zira strolling down the street as they were busy getting away from such social gossip. They had noticed that Van had been unhappy as he had something on his mind. When they followed him into the convenience store, they saw him getting a bottle of chocolate milk as he was ready to pay for it. After he paid for his chocolate milk, he left the convenience store as he sat down on a bench.
"Mr. Van...," said Rajiv as he came out of the convenience store. "What are you doing here? Is there something wrong?"
"I'm fine," he answered as he opened up his chocolate milk. "I guess that I'm not made for cooking after all."
"What are you talking about?"
"This morning, I had a rude comment that stated that my cooking sucked. Basically, it's hopeless to try again, so I might as well give up on the whole damn thing."
Van's words had angered a passerby dressed in a chef's outfit as he was not too happy with him. He was about to get trounced by the man in the chef's outfit as he saw him face-to-face. Van turned around as he saw the angry man up close. Somehow, the day would get from bad to worse as things were about to hit the fan. After finishing off his chocolate milk and threw away the bottle, Van was in for a real shock when he is about to confront a person who has a passion for cooking right in front of his eyes.
"So, you're gonna give up on cooking just like that, aren't you?" yelled the man in the chef's outfit.
"Look, my cooking sucks, alright?" said Van.
"A person's culinary style focuses on both the heart and mind. Didn't your elders talk to you about that?"
"Look, I have to get back to the airship. Edoras and the crew are expecting-"
Without warning, Van was knocked out by the chef's ladel as he fell to the ground. He was being dragged by Rajiv and Zira as they were hauling him on his way towards a place that was unknown to him. The chef, however, was most likely to be ready to teach this wayward cook a thing or two in the kitchen as he lead the way towards Rajiv's home. Soon, Van would be forced to come to terms with his cooking sooner or later, for the greatest challenge is about to be in the kitchen itself.
###
Van woke up as he found himself laying on a couch with many colorful pillows. He found himself surrounded by servant girls all dressed in exotic clothing and red dots on their foreheads. To his shock, he saw Rajiv walk into the room as he was being attended to by the servant girls. It may be the first time that Van would be in a place like this, but he had suspicions about what would be going on in the kitchen sooner or later.
"I see that you've regained consciousness after Dana clobbered you on the head with that infernal ladel," said Rajiv.
"'Dana?' Who the hell is she?" asked Van.
"I am Dana," said the man in the chef's outfit. "This place here is the home of the Bannerjee family, whose son is one of the Imperium Twelve pilots."
"Mr. Van, this is Dana Hoveland," said Rajiv. "His family is known throughout the entire Endless Illusion. They have hailed here for many generations and now their closest relative is carrying on the legacy of chefs in hand."
"So, you're the guy named Van, aren't you? That's kind of ironic because I've got relatives that live in Zonnet as well as Gohma and Elessar. It seems to me that you're giving up on the skill that you were working on. Well, I'm not gonna let you quit because I'm gonna teach you how to cook a little better!"
"Look, my cooking stinks!" said Van as he got up and walked towards the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to the airship."
"Oh, no! You're not going anywhere! I've heard from Zira that you keep saying that your own cooking sucks, but I beg to differ on that!
"Sorry, but it's much better if I didn't interfere right now. After what I heard this morning, I'll never touch another utensil, pot or pan, or perhaps any ingredients in the cupboard. I'm nothing more than just a simple Armor pilot."
"You're more than that when it comes to someone who's been around for a long time. Now, are you in or do I have to beat it out of you?"
Van had saw that Dana meant business as he got out his ladel. It was going to be a long day in the kitchen as Van had no other say in the matter. He wanted to back out, but this one chance at cooking a little more better was the only way to make him more responsible for everybody around him. All along, he only saw Wendy and Priscilla do all the cooking in the airship as his only chance to redeem himself was put on the line. It was sink or swim for him as he was about to make a very important decision that could change his life one step at a time.
"So, what's it gonna be?" asked Dana sharply.
"I'll do it," answered Van. "I'll take up some cooking options. Hell, I'll even make Ithilien choke on his insults."
"That's a very brave decision for you to handle, Mr. Van," said Rajiv. "Now, let's start up on the basics."
"What basics? What are you talking about?!"
"It's about the joy of ethnic cooking," said Dana. "Now, shall we get started in the kitchen? Our little sous-chef is waiting."
And so, Van was instantly suckered in by both Rajiv and Dana as they hauled him directly into the kitchen. The place itself was a vast one as it resembled something out of a strange cooking competition. It was full of the great necessities that were vital in a kitchen as Van was about to get a head start on improving his cooking skills. To his shock, he saw Zira all dressed in a white Gothic Lolita dress as she also wore a grey apron and a matching set of cat ears. She was ready to assist Van as he was accompanied by both Rajiv and Dana. He wasn't backing out this time as he would even make Ithilien squirm.
"You're just in time," said Zira. "I was about to make some sweets in the kitchen."
"Zira," said Van. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
"She's our sous-chef," said Rajiv. "Zira can also cook just like Dana and me."
"So, when do I start?"
"We start right now!" yelled Dana as he opened up the cupboards.
###
Ithilien was in hot water as he was being punished by Edoras. The comments about Van's cooking had made him a laughing stock as he was being forced to do dishes all day for his unruly behavior. He hated the fact that he had to do dishes all day as he was more than likely to be under such punishment in both the kitchen and the mess hall. He was starting to regret his choice of words that he said to Van earlier this morning as he would wish that he would take them back, but it was too late for him to do so. It wasn't long until he heard footsteps coming into the kitchen, only to find that Edoras was still cross with him after this morning's folly.
"What do you want?" asked Ithilien with an annoyed look on his face.
"You're still being punished for what you did to Van this morning," said Edoras.
"Didn't he set off the smoke detectors earlier? He's nothing more than a sloppy cook who does nothing but pilot an Armor."
"After hearing that his cooking sucked, you have been put directly into the doghouse because of your insults. Van followed instructions on the box of pancake mix like clockwork and gently took his time cooking breakfast for everybody. Now that he's wandered off, Wendy, Carmen, and Josie are out looking for him."
"Look, I get that Van was trying his best in the kitchen, but I still believe that Priscilla's still in charge of the kitchen. Everyone knows that the kitchen always needed a woman's touch, but-"
"Men can also cook, too," said Tinuviel as she brought in some dishes to wash. "We all should learn a thing or two from the man in the tuxedo and besides, both genders have to help out sooner or later."
Ithilien was frustrated at the fact that men were straying from their place in life as he continued to wash up what was left of the dishes. He also found that men can be as good as women when it came to helping out in the kitchen. If only Van came back, but that still remained to be seen at present.
###
Wendy was worried as she was looking for Van. Although she wanted to embark on a search alone, she was barred in doing so as she had Carmen and Josie following her. All three women were looking for the wayward future king of the Lost Region as they found a clean-up crew right next to the convenience store. Somehow, Van had gotten into some trouble as Wendy was eager to find him and bring him back to the airship. After this morning's debacle, she wanted to get him into the kitchen as soon as possible in order to make some more of those tasty pancakes, but it had to wait.
"You are really in big trouble, Van," she said.
"You're mad at him, aren't you?" asked Josie.
"I'm not too happy at him for tossing aside his cooking prowess after this morning's folly. Did you see Edoras punishing Ithilien after the rude comments?"
"Ithilien got what he deserved whenever it came to kitchen and mess hall duty," said Carmen.
"Van's starting to get the hang of cooking once again. It's been a while since he did it."
"When did he start cooking?" asked Josie.
"When I travelled with Van five years ago, we stopped into the forest for a while. Normally, I've seen him get at his food while spreading out a lot of condiments on it, but I've never seen him cook before until now."
Wendy had remembered the time that Van had cooked at the time as she found his cooking very good. It was some fish that he caught as he slow cooked them over a fire as he was seasoning them just to the right consistency. She never forgot it as she was eager to look for him and tell him that his cooking is just as good as anyone elses'. She wanted him to remember it as it was also one of his finest skills ever, but she had to find him first.
###
Van was still busy in the kitchen of the Bannerjee Household as he was still helping Rajiv, Zira, and Dana do all the cooking. The scent of exotic cooking had filled the kitchen as the smell of curried lamb and chicken vindaloo had wafted all over the place as it was slow-cooked to such perfection. There was to be an upcoming dinner party with several guests as there was more help than ever. Van was overwhelmed with the scents of curry and vindaloo as he had done very well for assisting the chefs in the kitchen. Somehow, he had gotten the hang of cooking in such a very long time as if something had taught him before.
"You're pretty good at this stuff," said Dana.
"I'm only here to help," said Van.
"Hey, you're not only here to help, but to learn much more," said Zira.
"I'm doing as best as I can, you know. Cooking isn't rocket science, I can tell you that."
"It seems that you've done well on the chicken vindaloo that's cooking right now," said Rajiv. "It also seems that you've been reading some recipes from all of those cookbooks. It's as if you've been here before and not even know it."
"Look, it's been a long time, but I don't even remember being here until now. Maybe I either imagined it or it just came back to me. All I know and all I do is to go to the Lost Region and know a little bit more about myself."
"Van, the Lost Region is a territory that belongs to the House of Feanor," said Dana cautiously. "The main rulers there are the Elite, which consists of Eomer, Eowyn, and Eothain. They hold the keys to the kingdom and they still refuse to give up on their hold of power. All I know is that they're afraid of something coming towards them."
"Yeah, I know. Two members of the House of Feanor are already dead, but the head honcho's still at large."
Van was right about that as he was still making the final touches of the dinner. The smell of curried lamb and chicken vindaloo were perfuming the entire kitchen as everything was being brought over to the dinner party. When the main courses were done, all four chefs were starting to make some dessert that consisted of apple pie, chocolate cake, and lemon cheesecake. Everyone in the kitchen was hard at work as they were preparing for tonight's dinner party with all the honored guests of the Bannerjee Family. It was going to be a long day of cooking, but it was also worth it as well.
###
Wendy was starting to get a little bit tired after searching for her wayward husband. She wanted to find him and tell him that his cooking wasn't bad as she was walking towards a fancy palace. The place itself had belonged to the Bannerjee Family for generations as Wendy, along with Carmen and Josie, had saw it to be the most beautiful building in all of Gujran. It also seemed that there was a dinner party going on as everyone that was associated with the Bannerjee Family had gone inside. Just as Wendy, Carmen, and Josie were about to go inside the palace, they saw a group of women all dressed in black as they were none other than the Sezorin Sisterhood. Carmen, however, was aware of the group as she was also a member despite the fact that she was a simple information broker. What were the Sezorin doing here at a time like this and why were they here all of a sudden? Carmen had been a member of the Sezorin ever since she was born as she saw them walk towards the palace. Somehow, they were intending to see Van as they had sensed that he was inside the palace after all.
"Who are those women?" asked Josie curiously.
"They're called the Sezorin Sisterhood," answered Carmen. "They're well known throughout the Endless Illusion for their prophecies and manipulation of certain bloodlines. It seems that Granny and the others must have caught up to Van."
"'Granny?' What are you talking about?" asked Wendy.
"Granny is the Reverend Mother. I've known her ever since my parents died. She came here in Trinolia at the time, but she also did some information brokering. Anyway, she's out in the open now and still wants an audience with Van."
"I see... Looks like that Van's been more famous than ever since the fall of the Claw five years ago."
"The Sezorin also want to seek an audience with you as well."
"We should go and follow the Sezorin in there," said Josie. "I've heard tales about them, but I've never seen them in person before."
"Anyway, we should check it out just to be sure," said Wendy.
And so, all three women entered the fancy palace as they saw the Sezorin Sisterhood standing next to a fountain. They were only staring at the kitchen window as they knew that Van was there. Somehow, a chance encounter with the Reverend Mother and her group was something that was out of the ordinary as Wendy, Carmen, and Josie were staring at them face-to-face.
"It's been a while, Caruul," said the Reverend Mother.
"Long time, no see," said Carmen. "Looks like that you've came here to see Van, I take it."
"It's not only him, but his beloved wife as well. They are the future king and queen of Tir Andurinar, or the Lost Region, in which it's now known these days."
"It's an honor to meet all of you," said Wendy.
"We've been searching for the one who can overthrow Eomer and the rest of the House of Feanor. It seems that he's here in this palace helping two other Imperium Twelve pilots do all the cooking for that dinner party."
"Wait! Are you saying that Van is here?"
The Sezorin Sisterhood was right about that as they continued to stare at the window where the kitchen was. Even Wendy had stared along with them as she saw Van help out while preparing some of the delicious meals and side dishes that were being set up for the upcoming dinner party. Even Carmen and Josie were astonished to see Van at work as he was still busy in the kitchen inside. They had never seen him cook, but he did make some pancakes this morning as he was brought to a much grander endeavor. Even Wendy was grateful that he was more than just an Armor pilot as she wanted to go straight into the kitchen and try out his cooking.
"I guess that Van's trying a lot more new things," said Josie.
"I know," said Wendy. "It also seems that he's got some help."
"There's Rajiv!" Josie noticed him as he was taking out the apple pie that was in the oven. "Looks like the super fan that I have must have gotten the cooking bug."
"You know, he's really got a crush on you."
"Yeah, but he's part of the Imperium Twelve along with Zira. All I've known so far is that they are designated to protect Van and you along with the twins."
There was a point that was made as Josie was right on the money about Rajiv and Zira being pilots for the Imperium Twelve. It also seemed that both Rajiv and Zira have their own Armors as they were most likely to be joining up with Van and the others in the Zolti airship. After this dinner party, everyone here that rode in the airship was most likely to be leaving Gujran as they were on their way towards the last city that was near the Lost Region. The place that they were going to after hanging around this city was known as Zetsuei as it was right next to the border with the Lost Region. It would take a while before everyone got towards Zetsuei, but they were still in Gujran for the time being.
Van was finishing up on the side dishes as he was ready to welcome the guests at the dinner party. It took him a grueling long time as he was helping out with the other chefs in the kitchen. Even Dana was impressed as he saw the man in the tuxedo do a lot of work and put so much effort into making some of the food that was about to be catered to the dinner party. After knocking some sense into Van, he was glad that the apprentice chef had finally proved himself worthy of the process that he had.
"You sure know how to cook, that's for damn sure," said Dana.
"I've been using the cookbooks to follow instructions with," said Van.
"You did more than that," said Rajiv. "You've enticed our guests with the tasty scents of curried lamb and chicken vindaloo here."
"By the way, Van, there's someone at the door of the kitchen," said Zira as she opened the door.
###
Van was shocked to see that Wendy had came here after searching for him all over the city. Somehow, they were together again as they were in the kitchen of all places. After this morning's debacle, Van was finally mastering some of the cooking as he was even ready to get Ithilien back for that awful remark earlier. He was ready to bring out the dishes that were made for the dinner party as he was thankful that he was a great cook after all.
"What are you doing here?" asked Van.
"Why do you ask me that?" said Wendy. "I've been looking eveyrwhere for you throughout this city."
"You're just in time for the dinner party," said Rajiv. "It also seems that you didn't travel alone this time. Looks like Josie came along with you after all."
"She's outside waiting with Carmen and some group of women out by the fountain right now. Anyway, I guess that those women are the guests of this upcoming dinner party."
"You got that right," said Van. "I've even heard that kid's family talking about how they are hosting the Sezorin for something like this."
"Dinner will be served right now," said a voice over the intercom.
It was the chefs' time to get the dishes ready for the guests as Van and the others were bringing out the main courses along with the dessert. Even Wendy was astonished to see that Van had taken such great care of the meals that were on display as he lead the way towards the dining room. With some help from the other servants in the Bannerjee household, the vast meal finally made its way towards the dining room as Rajiv's mother and half-siblings awaited the arrival of the Sezorin Sisterhood. With everyone seated, they awaited the arrival of their guests as they were being escorted by Carmen and Josie towards the vast dinner table. It was something to savor as everyone had tasted the dinner that was made to please. Even Van was satisfied as he tasted what he made for this dinner party. He was also grateful that he had some culinary prowess after all.
"This is delicious," said Wendy as she was digging into her plate full of chicken vindaloo. "Looks like Van had a hand in this."
"He sure did," said Rajiv.
"Hey, I'm trying to eat here," said Van as he was eating his fill at dinner.
"By the way, your cooking has improved so far," said Wendy.
Van smiled at that sentiment as he was grateful that he was cooking a lot better than anyone. The dinner party lasted until the evening as everyone was talking about the revival of the House of Telfer. Even Van and Wendy were happy that they were almost there towards the Lost Region. Sooner or later, he would go up against the House of Feanor as he was on his way to overthrow them from power.
###
Ithilien was still on clean-up duty as he was taking the full brunt of his punishment from Edoras after what he did to Van this morning. After spending several hours cleaning the airship from top to bottom, he decided to go outside for a break as he later saw someone standing in a clearing. It was Morwen as she summoned her Armor, Drusilla. She was on the warpath as she was ready to cause havoc all over the city. She had specific orders to take out the city's generator as she didn't want to fail Eomer. Sooner or later, action had to be called as Ithilien left the airship and summoned Artros. He was determined to follow Morwen and Drusilla as he also had to warn Van about the danger that they were about to wreak upon.
"Whatever you are up to, I won't let you harm this city," he said.
And so, Ithilien jumped onto Artros as he followed Drusilla towards a terrain that housed a generator to the city. It was so vast as it was also known as Sheherazade when it powered the entire city of Gujran with such warmth and exotic splendor from a ongoing cold front that lasted for centuries. Ithilien had seen the generator up close as he had Morwen and Drusilla in his sights. Just as he was about to go even further, he piloted Artros to turn around as he saw Armos flying towards him. Edoras was determined to not only scold his brother, but to make sure that Morwen doesn't use Drusilla to destroy Sheherazade completely.
"What the hell are you doing?" asked Ithilien.
"I got a signal from the Sezorin," said Edoras. "We have to defend the generator at all costs."
"I know what is going on here, but Van has to be warned."
"He knows, according to the Sezorin. Sooner or later, he'll be dropping down with Dann."
"We better hurry up and follow that woman and her Armor. Otherwise, this city will be an icicle without it."
Both Edoras and Ithilien finally caught up to Morwen as she was piloting Drusilla to plant bombs at the generator. This was a difficult fight for the both of them as they were fighting against a member of the House of Feanor. Drusilla, itself, was a hybrid between Dahlia of Wednesday and Brownie as it was ready to pounce on the two Armors that pursued it. The fight began as Armos threw the first punch at the opponent. Drusilla threw a punch right back at Armos as it struck even harder. This was going to be a challenging battle as both Armos and Artros were battling a very tough opponent.
"It really is such a shame," said Morwen as she was piloting Drusilla. "You'll never succeed in protecting that generator."
Drusilla was quick like Brownie as it was starting to pound at Armos. The damage had been terrible as Armos' right arm wasn't functioning after that last punch. Edoras was worried as he was taking such damage from such a formidable opponent such as Drusilla. The enemy Armor was about to go for another attack as it was being fired on by Artros. Unfortunately, Drusilla remained undamaged as it had a shield around its body. Both Armos and Artros were facing an opponent like no other as it was charging up with a grueling power. The shield around Drusilla's body was charging with enough energy to destroy a building as it was ready to finish off its opponents. It wasn't long until it fired at its intended target, which was the generator itself. A devastating blow shook the generator as it blew a hole in the left exterior. Both Armos and Artros were quashed in shame and defeat as they saw Drusilla return to space.
"You failed, Imperium Twelve," said Morwen as she was standing next to the wreckage where the generator was hit. "The House of Feanor has won! It has triumphed! Thank God that the generator to Gujran is now destroyed."
"Damn you!" yelled Edoras as he emerged out of Armos.
"Face it, you've lost! Get over it! Anyway, see you around."
Edoras was angry as he saw Morwen disappear into the plume of smoke. The generator was destroyed as snow was about to fall on the ground. A winter was coming towards the warm exotic climate that the generator brought out as cold weather was slowly coming into the city. With Ithilien getting out of his Armor, he aided Edoras as they saw both Armors return to their satellites in space. They saw the damage that destroyed the generator. Sheherazade itself was in shambles as it was beyond repair. It was an all-out failure as both brothers were devastated at the damage that Drusilla had inflicted upon.
"We both failed," said Edoras. "Now this city will be slowly be covered in snow."
"We may have failed, but we can't let that woman humiliate us again," said Ithilien.
"We have to tell Van about this. He has to know about what happened to the generator."
###
Van was busy in the kitchen as he was helping everyone clean up the kitchen. After such a great dinner party, he was grateful that he perfected his cooking skills once again. With all that work done, he was ready to meet up with Wendy as he was ready to go back to the airship to check up on the twins, who were in the care of the rest of the crew on board. Just as he was about to do so, he looked at the window as he saw snow falling all over the city. He even noticed a black plume of smoke from the distance as the generator to the city had been destroyed. The House of Feanor had been at work and they finally succeeded in turning Gujran into a place full of snow.
"That's just great," he said. "The House of Feanor did some damage, but they really went too far this time."
"What's going on?" asked Rajiv.
"What's happening here?" asked Zira.
"The House of Feanor struck the city," said Van.
"Oh, no... They destroyed Sheherazade."
"Who is Sheherazade?"
"It's the city generator," said Zira. "It was also something that kept the city warm like it is, but now there is snow falling on the ground and it'll be a disaster."
"That's not gonna happen. We'll fix the generator and put the House of Feanor in their place sooner or later."
And Van was right. He noticed the plume of smoke in the distance as he was determined to stop the House of Feanor from putting Gujran into a winter-like state. He was now aware that they weren't messing around as they were out in full force to keep their hold on power. Sooner of later, they would lose that power as Van was ready to seize the throne, restore his family, and regain the power that was lost. He was a super-being and a male Sezorin as he was ready to put the House of Feanor in their place for doing such damage in a city like Gujran. He was more than ready as he was about to save the city from a wintry fate."
"The House of Feanor is going down," he said.
To be continued...