GUNZ: The Fiery Lotus <<Part 7>>

[Senvae]

GUNZFACTORIANS BEWARE: Contents may contain scenes of violence which may be inappropriate for younger readers.
GUNZ: The Fiery Lotus 7

Riding beneath a starlit sky, the taxi car approached the front gates slowly and lowered its driver side window. From it's backseat, surrounded by tinted glass, Senvae could not discern the faces outside. A few guards inspected the vehicle and the driver's credentials, while another one moved to the back. Senvae rolled down the window, giving the guard a discreet and courteous salute. Without a word, the guard held his hand politely waiting for the guest's papers, but what Senvae gave him was a fiery red lotus. The guard returned the courteous salute and stepped away from the vehicle.
“They're good! Open the gate.” He shouted back to his colleagues.
The illustrious black grill slid open and the black sedan rolled through. It was a long driveway lined with beautifully trimmed trees on each sides, barely visible by moonshine. Through the sedan's windshield, Senvae noticed the astonishing lights of his favorite club, bringing solace to his otherwise restless heart. The mansion was a beautiful and visibly prosperous residence used as secretive party club. Few men knew of its existence and purpose. Within Axium, Gun Priests with left sided ideas were oft pushed into these kinds of demure brotherhoods to ensure their safety. These clubs brought them together for the connoisseurs of political and theological discussions. Doctor Hyde had been well known as founder of such a club, perhaps the most important one within Axium walls. The former Cardinal Berackening had meticulously planned the downfall of Doctor Hyde for this very reason. Although his club's location remained a mystery to most, it had become too famous and the Cardinal was displeased with the imbalance of power it created within the Chamber of Councils. After Athyanas had rescued him from his execution, he had used the club's mansion as is own personal refuge as well.

The party life continued nonetheless, Senvae could see the line of automobiles awaiting service from the valet. Still a few yards away from the entrance, Senvae paid his taxi and stepped out of the vehicle, suddenly overcome with the need to walk in the soothing night air. The cool breeze always cheered him, no matter how rotten the situation. Their last strike had been less than fruitful, and it bothered Senvae immensely. If Doctor Hyde and his' assumptions were correct, someone else was pulling the strings in Axium.

After a satisfying walk, Senvae arrived at the entrance plaza, where the valet boys were rushing to clear the mob of cars waiting patiently. There was a short and pretty cobblestone pavement leading towards a tall, wide stairway illuminated by oil lamps. He climbed the stairway besides the formally dressed individuals and started to feel uneasy about his own attire. He had taken care of cleaning his navy coat and his father's military hat. Underneath he wore a white blouse with black dress pants and polished shoes, but next to the formal wear of the Gun Priests and Cardinals he might as well have been wearing a used garbage bag. Nonetheless, Senvae was becoming a known face amongst the club's elitist members. Even the bouncer had recognized him right away, opening the tall oak door for him.

Unusually set for a salient mansion, the doors revealed a resplendent lounge, decorated with chandeliers hanging from tall ceilings. Besides an ornamented bar, dinning tables were scattered between florid chesterfields, framing the gargantuan hall. Just beneath a grand window, reflecting the yellow and orange hew of the lounge, Senvae saw Doctor Hyde drinking with a man. He had never seen the stranger, but given the discreet nature of their appointment, Senvae approached the set of divans nonetheless, trusting his new colleague.
“Welcome back my friend!” Doctore Hyde exclaimed to Senvae as he joined them. “Help yourself to some fine wine, Athyanas has also been delayed. She will be here shortly.”

Senvae grabbed the wine bottle from the coffee table and read the label. It was five years old at least, and from the Issimal province of Axium. The former Travian soldier's memories of Issimal were stained in blood, of his enemies' and comrades'. Vineyards had been the least of his concerns during those clan raids. He wondered for a brief moment if the drink would taste like rust and blood, so much had been splattered across those fields.
“Try it!” Hyde implored jovially, “You'll find even the most cantankerous Travian will enjoy its sweet taste.” While Senvae pored himself a glass, the Doc introduced the man sitting to his right, adorned in a long, tattered leather coat and a brown fedora hat. His eyes were lost in the shadow of his hat, below those eyes a broad jaw and shoulders accentuated his tall stature. “I would like you to meet Vescott, a good friend of mine, very trustworthy. His specialty has been information gathering, scouting. Always comes through, no matter how difficult the info may be to unearth.”
“Jaluos.” Senvae said to the scout. Words were unnecessary, just a name.
“Indeed,” Vescott casually replied. He was obviously a quiet man, keeping secrets was his job.
“I've been pondering about it through the last few days,” Senvae continued, “ever since the assassination. I don't care about the cardinals anymore. I want to find that man and beat the truth out of his ****ing grin, and then strangle him with his entrails.”

There was a sullen rage in his words, though he maintained composure as he sipped the sweet wine. The other men exchanged a glance, and Vescott spoke.
“I've been telling the Doc about him too. Jaluos is connected to many horrid events which were reported to me by associates, even some that I have witnessed myself. This man is no cardinal, he's a Gun Priest by title, and he takes care of business himself, often. He doesn't mind the exposure or the danger. Quite an adversary you are undertaking.”
“I've seen him slaughter the entire clan!” Senvae replied frigidly. “I know what he is capable of and I don't care. We are all just human, frail little pieces of flesh.” He said looking into his cup of wine. That thought reminded him of those words he had said back in the mansion's garden. The freak had gazed into his eyes and claimed to be the devil, and somehow Senvae had believed that. Every passing thought Jaluos had inspired within Senvae had been completely unreasonable, which was unbecoming for such a calm and calculating man.

His thoughts were broken by Athyanas' approaching footsteps. Senvae turned his head to glance, she was wearing her favorite accoutrement, the ceremonial jacket and the mauve top hat.
“Doc!” she said right away, not giving him a chance to greet her into his home. “I think we need to get something straight here. Cardinal Berackening is not leading Oderix's operations, he's a mere pawn!”
“Welcome to the conversation.” Senvae said sarcastically.
“Take a seat my angel, please.” Hyde insisted. He continued after the damsel reluctantly settled down into a chair to his left. “We've run into the same dead end, Senvae and I. Although, Berackening's black book still contained many important phone numbers and addresses. It would be less than courteous to ourselves to declare this twin strike fruitless. I do remember hearing about the Maxwell employees returning home with no casualties, or any weapons. Seems like the trade was successful, and the black book will become an important tool for us. We can bait the Cardinal's informers to step out of the shadows.”
“Sounds like a prudent course of action,” Athyanas replied. “Given enough time we could build a powerful web, catching all the other...”
“Prudent!?” Senvae interrupted brutishly. “Am I the only one here who learned anything about the slaughter of our clan? Time is not on our side, it never was!”
“Time will give us the resources we need to fight this war.” the Doc replied coolly, but Senvae was still flustered.
“Our enemies' resources are recycling much faster than our own, I guarantee that much. We need to kill that man, cut the tree from its root. Up to this point, the only clue we have is Jaluos. Either he knows who leads these underground clans, or he's the culprit himself.”
“It wouldn't be out of kilter to assume as much.” Vescott retorted. “He's always, to the least indirectly, involved with some of the most atrocious assaults. That includes inside and outside of Axium. Quite a few rebellious clans have been squelched by his hands. However, I must warn you that all have failed to return from similar assassination endeavors.”

Senvae shared an accomplice nod with the scout, but Athyanas' visage lacked the same ardency.
“That man single-handedly killed half our clan,” she said opprobriously, “what makes you think you can kill this man alone all of a sudden? Have you lost your mind!?”

[Senvae]

The Travian gave her a cold stare, though it lacked a certain solidity. He was not accustomed to being unreasonable, and the feeling of ambivalence pierced into his otherwise resolute confidence. He rose from his seat.
“Excuse me, I need to get some fresh air.” He expressed grimly to Doctor Hyde.
The Doc silently let the man walk away.

Senvae had opened a pair of doors from one of the lounge's many tall windows, overlooking a beautiful garden from its stone balcony. The night's cool air felt great, but it could not lift his troubles away in the breeze. He had thought about the consequences of his desired actions, however the rage within his heart could not be chased away. Brandon had been on his mind, his little brother that he had left in the battlefield. Assured of his brother's talents, he had let him choose his own clan and fight his own war. But the world had failed him somehow, and his beloved sibling had found an answer to the doubt of his soul within the Axium religion. Perhaps those thoughts were enough to inspire exacerbation, however Senvae's blood boiled at the thought of men like Berackening and Jaluos, taking advantage of those young naive men. When those ruminations overwhelmed his conscience, all that mattered was personal justice. Just another piece of flesh, Senvae kept reminding himself every time fear took control. He realized the mission would be suicide, but all men were born mortals, and the Travian's desires required only death. Life was fragile and meant to be broken.

Silence was also fragile, and Athyanas' footsteps reminded the foolish Travian how brittle the heart could be as well. He still admired the woman, and desired to embrace her, however duty had built a wall between them.
“I apologize Senvae,” She spoke to him while stepping onto the balcony's cool stones. “You should know that I am also resolute to end this war, but we can't take any shortcuts now.” Her voice was compassionate now as the woman tried to reach out to him.
“That bastard deserves to die, that is all that matters now.” He replied to her. It was difficult for Senvae to comprehend the reason of his lust for Jaluos' death, since he was caught in an ambivalent resolution. A part of him desired vengeance, while another was famished for answers. He had never believed in God, not even after joining the ranks of the Fiery Lotus, but the reminiscence of the battle disturbed him. Jaluos had called himself the devil, and Senvae saw it in his lunatic eyes, burning flames. He would never forget those blazing orbs, they haunted his reveries.
“But I can't afford to lose you!” There was a slight tremor in her voice, and she approached him, embraced him and rested her head on his chest, clutching tightly. Senvae caught her hat before it fell, and cradled her head in his hands. She looked up at him, their lips so close he could smell her sweet breath. There were tears welling up in her eyes, and still Senvae could not bring himself to obey his desires. He feared to lose his convictions for the love of this woman. She could have become his weakness in this cold hard world, one of war and faith.
“There are few things that draw the line between men and boys.” He spoke to her gently as she gazed into his dark green eyes. “A man is not defined by his stature nor his belongings, or power. He must seek answers and acquire wisdom, enlightenment for a better self. That is the true key, one that brings salvation. Yet some of those answers may have betrayed me, and I can't go on living without them. I must encounter Jaluos, face to face once more, or I may never feel solace again.”

She had said it so eloquently herself once. No one can prove God's absence, not more than anyone can prove his existence. If Senvae had been wrong all those years, choosing atheism out of his repulsion for the Axium clans, Jaluos could possibly resolve the bemusement dwelling in his mind. After all, if the Devil existed, one could assume God did. It was Homeostasis, as Athyanas had explained. The darkness existed because of light, wrong because of right, they all walked hand in hand. One could not exist without the other.

Athyanas looked up at him, but no words came to her lips. Senvae released himself from her embrace and walked away. She simply stood alone on the balcony, unable to say anything more to stop him. Senvae walked over to the other men still drinking their wine, gave Vescott a card with a contact number, receiving a gestural acknowledgment from the scout. Doctor Hyde caught Senvae's gaze before his departure and wished him well with a silent nod.


*************************


Those last sweet memories of Athyanas kept him awake during the long midnight walk into the sewers of Adwight City. The three men, Senvae and two Phantom Breed scouts from Vescott's own clan, walked through the moist underground with flashlights as their only source of light. Vescott had given Senvae all the infiltration plans necessary to cross the wall of the Tower of Faith. The tall structure had been standing like a castle for centuries in this small city, and its stone walls were completely sealed. There were no doors, no nook or crannies, too tall to climb, too thick to demolish. The place was a fortress, and its only weakness were the underground waterways built by the modernized city, long after the construction of that ancient tower. Still, the tall arching stones of the waterway described a different story to the strangers. Spacious and illustrious, the ancient-like construction patterns foretold the Tower had always bore the secret passages. The wide sidewalks framed the walls on each sides, leaving a shallow stream of dark water between them.

The trio walked through the stone maze, trying to keep their heading east, as Vescott had indicated. They swept the tunnels with their heavy duty flashlights, mounted on shotguns and rifles. Senvae had brought over his Cruzelion, while the male scout wielded a Nico R7, and the female Phantom carried the giant Walcom Warrior. The Travian had left his usual navy coat at home this time, opting for a Kevlar enhanced Fimbul Winter coat, and his lucky hat as usual. The soldiers advanced rapidly but cautiously through the stony ways, but the woman spotted a shadow swiftly escaping her light beam.
“Halt!” she called to them.
The men stood still, keeping their heavy equipment to a minimum rattle. They could hear some strange noises coming from the depths of the tunnels ahead, like grunts or cackles.
“It came from over there,” Sasha whispered to them, her rifle still pointing towards a branch of the waterway, heading to their left. “A small shadow crossed my lights. I don't know what it was.”
“What do you mean, what -it- was?” Trent replied to her incredulously.
“Too small to be human.” Sasha suggested with a pensive tone.
“What? Are you ****ing with me or something?” he replied appalled.
“Quiet!” Senvae interrupted, his own gun pointing in the tunnel ahead. “I hear some of those noises coming from that direction.”

The trio walked carefully, weapons up and ready, with Sasha covering the rear. But their caution was in vain, for waves of enemies charged upon them from the dark tunnels. A horde of little green goblins, wielding rusted weapons, came towards them in a frenzy.

To Be Continued...

[Sarcor]

Just one question. Is "Oft" a word?


Just wondering..


Awesome! The questing begins =D

(At the end) im sure you know what im talking about.

[Scuba]

yay~ the next installment ^^

good **** as always :3

[Senvae]

That's right, I said a while ago that I was going to bring in some
"Quest Mode" elements to it. This is what I had in mind from day 1. I could have done it without the Quest mode elements, but I think this further conveys the answer to the "Question".

PS: Yeah, oft is a shortened way of saying often. It is considered an adverb.

[Naruto8foxkid]

nice, lol

[Senvae]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it guys.

[Senvae]

Is my story going "necro" already? Wow, I must of lost a lot of readers in between the time it took me to write this...

[Nosedagger]

I think your plot needs to be tied together tighter. It's quite a problem for me to easily 'get' everything happening here, though admittedly everyone should have the general idea. For example you're introducing maybe too many characters and sides? The Fiery Lotus, Brandon, The Cardinals, Berackening, Vescott, Hyde, Jaluos, Athy, Senvae, Maxwell, Travia, Axium. Big spiderwebs are fine, but usually only when you're writing a thriller or something.

Furthermore, if I were you (which I am not, lol) I would've left Vescott speaking only out of need and shortened most of his lines, he's supposed to be quiet anyway; then I would develop Hyde some more, or maybe Athyanas.

Your descriptions would also have done well to have been more evenly sprinkled, instead of being clumped at the introduction of a particular venue or person.

Dialogue also needed more 'real' in it, though I'm at a loss to elaborate. =(

Overall it was good, just that it can be improved significantly. gj Senvae! And I was hoping for pampoas instead of gobbies, but firearms > ice magic so FUX YEAH GOBLINZ

[Senvae]

Well I find the plot is as tight as it could be, but I could agree I have many characters. I did want to leave some openings for sequels, or side stories. Just in case I get bored and want to write some more after the main plot is done. But so far all the characters had their reasons for being present. I did skip a bit on the character developpement by accident, Doctor Hyde is based on an old friend of mine, and I write like everyone knew who he was...

The only idea people need to get in this plot is the fact that the Cardinal himself was being played by an even more dangerous man, and Senvae wants a piece of him to settle his internal dispute about faith.

As for realness in dialog, I try to make it decently real but at the same time it is meant to be literary. I want a certain class and feel to it.

As for the description comment, I have to agree it was a bit clumpy this time around. Aw well... I'll pay more attention next time.

Thanks for continuing to read my series Nose, always a pleasure to read your comments here.

[Sarcor]

Things have actually picked up a bit Lots of new stories coming up =D.

[Senvae]

Lots of new stories...? Like new threads you mean? Yeah I have noticed how most of the badest writing mofos have released something new lately, including Wixern, Nosedigger, and Guobin. All we need is a short by Sigh,... and maybe one of yours Sarcor?

[Senvae]

I began writing the Fiery Lotus 8 now, I don't know how long it will be before its final stage. I thank you all for reading.

[Nosedagger]

Bump da bump bump

[Senvae]

Damn, people have really lost interest in my Fiery Lotus. This is a record low number of views, and it's already going necro...