Started writing in the italics and bold style html stuff directly into it, here's chapter two. May need a bit of tweeking, but its pretty good I think.
Edit: Fixed some grammatical errors, as well as a couple of typos, and excessive word useage. ( I could have sworn I missed an incorrect useage of "to" when it should have been "too", but now that I am looking for it, I of course cannot find it -.-)
Chapter 2
Namir kneeled on the wet ground and stay there, frozen on the scene outlying before him.
His eyes were opened wide, unable to shut them from the horrific sight. Impervious to the rain, Namir rose to a slight crouch, unsure if what he was feeling should be fascination, or horror. Before him lie several of the Tenshodo’s members, strewn about from the explosion that followed suit of the brilliant flash of lightning. All of them stared at the blast sight in terror. As the surrounding smoke cleared the area, barely visible was a shadow standing tall, masked nearly invisible by the rain. His eyes were illuminated a brilliant red, a deep, crimson red, that reminded Namir of blood. The man stepped out further into the night air, seeping in the damp environment. He became clearly visible then, a tall Elvaan, with thick, flowing black hair, and a devilish smile. Namir recognized him immediately, he was Kogi, the rebellious monk that had presumably disappeared years ago.
“What on earth is Kogi doing here, alive?” he thought. “He was announced dead years ago by his master, who claimed to have taken Kogi’s life himself! I-” his thoughts were cut short by what he witnessed next. An enormous figure, standing nearly as tall as the canyon itself towered behind Kogi, who’s eyes now were a more brilliant color than before. Namir saw Kogi’s devilish grin, and was afraid. As the huge figure moved forward it shook the earth with each step, nearly knocking Namir off his feet. Still, he kept his focus on towering beast standing behind Kogi, scared, curious, and amazed all at the same time. The massive figure became visible through the storms flare, and began gazing down at the quivering figures of the Tenshodo laying before it.
“Stop!” a powerful voice said, breath ringing into the air.
The giant figure stopped advancing, the earth abruptly stopped shaking.
Namir glanced at Kogi, who hadn’t said a word. A third figure became visible then, sitting on the beasts shoulder! Namir could recognize this one, he had a very large, elegant looking claymore strapped to his shoulder, he looked to be a Hume, from what Namir could tell, and had eyes even more brilliantly glowing than Kogi did. The man lept off of the beasts shoulder, a drop of at least sixty feet at least, and landed squarely.
He advanced forward, Namir terrified of this man’s mere presence. Namir was no longer focused on the great beast behind him, this man… felt like the cold hands of death were reaching from his body. He smiled, and as he did so, a great aura seemed to envelope his body. He raised his arms into the air, and looked skyward. The giant beast’s eyes flared a brilliant white as he did this, and the beast let out a roar so terrifying it sent Namir into quivering shivers. Aware that his movements were no longer his to control, Namir let go, and just watched, the only thing he could possibly do. Kogi began laughing now, a horrific, evil laugh, it sounded almost… mocking, as if it were mocking the very existence of those before him. Kogi looked down, directly at the cowering Tenshodo members, his expression turned serious.
“Aha, so the Tenshodo did arrive. Why were you following my movements?” Kogi demanded.
No one from the Tenshodo spoke, they were to fixated on the seeming bonding between the other man, and the giant towering beast behind, its eyes still lit a brilliant white.
“I will ask again, WHY ARE YOU TRACKING ME?” his voice rang out.
A brief silence followed suit, and Kogi seemed to wait patiently. A man stood up then, gathered himself, and brought his focus to Kogi.
“Kogi, what have you done?” he asked weakly. Namir recognized this man’s voice as the one that commanded the Tenshodo while he was spying that night in Jeuno. He was a tall, solid looking Hume, but looked nothing like Kogi. Kogi was enormous, even by Elvaan standards. Powerful muscles rippled down the Elvaan’s body, from his years training as a monk. He almost seemed unnaturally strong.
Kogi shook his head.
“And who are you?” he inquired.
“I am Teron, second in command to the Tenshodo” he said defiantly, “and I will not let you and your evil…” he paused, and stared briefly at the Hume man, and the giant beast behind them, “Brethren… take hold of this land” he finished.
Kogi closed one fist, and brought it chest level, clearly angered. He opened his mouth to speak, but another roar from the giant beast interrupted him. The giant creature was bipedal, towering over all in the canyon. It had a great, powerful tail that protruded so far that it went in to the entrance to the mines. Its features were strong, so powerful looking that it seemed like the beast could snap any one of them like a toothpick.
The Hume standing next to Kogi lowered his head and arms, staring at the ground. He slowly lifted his head. Namir attempted to see the mans face, but the rain and his fanged skullcap prevented him from getting a clear view, whatever this man was, it frightened him more than anything he had ever encountered in his time being a ranger.
“That is enough Kogi. We are not concerned with the Tenshodo…” his powerful voice echoed. He looked down at the Tenshodo members, still none of them moving. All eyes were on this man, all of them renewed with a fresh sense of terror. “You were foolish to come here” he bellowed “And I’m afraid you will all, each, and every one of you, pay for your trespassing.”
He laughed then, a terrible, terrible howl against the rain and wind. His expression became very grim. He began chanting, a low, awkward grumble from deep within himself, his eyes burned blue.
“Great God Kirin! KILL THEM ALL!” he yelled.
Namir couldn’t believe it, this entity, this terrible Hume looking man, had command of a god itself? His entire life rumor’s the of the gods’ very existence spread through the lands, but never had any sort of evidence to them being something physically real ever shown up! And Kirin himself! The greatest god of all, at the command of this powerful man.
Namir could not move, he stared, still fixated. The great god bellowed then, and took a step forward. Its eyes were burning an evil red as it raised its fists into the air, and hammered them down onto the quivering bodies of the Tenshodo. As its fists exploded into the ground, Namir heard shrieks of pain and death follow, and the earth and grass sprayed into the air. The god took one step forward, and plucked man from the ground, he was terrified, and cried and pleaded. Un-phased by the mans pleas, Kirin slammed its hands together, crushing him; the impact from the two giant sized fists slamming together hid the noise of the crushing bones and mass. A bloodied corpse dropped from the opening as it spread its arms again. A few of the Tenshodo members had gotten up, and were scrambling, retreating in the opposite direction of the crate Namir was hiding behind. The god raised one arm, and let loose a powerful tornado after them, hailing from the skies like a giant blood thirsty demon. It caught every one of them in its wake, tearing them to peices as it did so. The beast roared in the frenzy, content with its kill. It froze then, motionless, eyes turning back to the brilliant yet complacent white they had been before the attack. Namir couldn’t believe it, three swift moves from this creature and it had killed all of the Tenshodo, they were no more. His mind ached from the enormous amount of pressure he had endured from the night’s course. He didn’t know how long he had until they would find him there, he certainly could make a run for it, he would be caught and torn to shreds in seconds. He waited silently.
“Kogi, let us go now. Let that be a lesson to you. Those who cross me, face death” the man said aloud.
“Yes master” Kogi said, bowing down on one knee.
“Scour the grounds for survivors, and kill all who may have escaped into the night.”
Kogi nodded, and the great god Kirin began to look hazy, shimmering in the air.
“Rest now Great God Kirin, there is more work to be done in the future” the mysterious voice assured.
Kirin began to fade away then, small tracings of light escaping from its massive body as it withered into the air itself. It let out a slight groan as it withered away, until it could be seen no longer.
“Kogi, you know what to do next. Do not fail me” he said. And with that, the terrifying man vanished himself, in a quick flash of lightning, and the skies began to clear. Namir realized he was in trouble now, if the weather cleared up, he was totally exposed, especially with Kogi standing no more than fifty feet away. Afraid and still cowering, Namir shifted back behind the crate, completely out of view, and slung his bow over his back, unsure of what to do next. He put his hands on his face, moving his head back and forth in frustration.
“What on earth have I just become a part of? What were the Tenshodo doing here? What in the name of Altana was that man? A man that can summon the gods? This cannot… this cannot be!” he thought. Namir froze when a firm, unseen hand gripped his forearm. Nearly panicking, he attempted to scoot away as fast as possible, and stopped as the person gripping it, slowly became visible. A sleek, slender form of a Mithran ninja appeared before him, black dressings clearly visible in the moonlight spewing from the sky, courtesy of the retreating clouds. She looked halfway at the ground, while pressing a finger to her lips, indicating to him not to speak. He calmed, realizing a member of the Tenshodo must have escaped the carnage from earlier, typical of a ninja to be able to escape such medium. He wasn’t sure who this person was, or of her intentions, but he wasn’t about to question it with Kogi standing nearby. She drew closer to Namir, coming very close to his ear.
“Listen to me misterrr rangerrr, if you want to get out of this alive, then pay attention, and follow me, I’m going to get us out of herrre” she whispered. Namir nodded intently, still terrified. The ninja squat in front of him, and motioned for him to come to her. Namir obediently scooted closer, as she put her hands out in front of her.
“Tonko no jutsu” she whispered again. A veil seemed to flow over both herself and Namir then, he looked at her, amazed, and saw her fading into the canyon. He looked down at his own hands, and saw them disappearing too! He felt her come close to him again.
“Listen to me misterrr rangerrr, you follow me now. My jutsu will keep you and me safe, but not forrr long” she assured. Namir brought her hand to his face, and nodded. She understood, stood up, took his hand in hers, and fled, speed and grace making it difficult for Namir to keep up. He didn’t care. He followed the woman into the fields, towards the crag, mind numb. He just didn’t care. What he had witnessed was a burden he wished he had never endured on his mind, because now, like it or not, he was a part of whatever it was that happened back there. Once they reached the Crag of Dem, the Mithra propped Namir’s nearly lifelessly moving body up against the cold marble-like stone. She began to appear in front of him, but he didn’t care to focus on her features. He felt so tired then, that it was nearly impossible then for him to keep his eyes open.
The ninja stared at him, curious, and placed one hand on his shoulder.
“Stay with me misterrr rangerrr, stay with me” she purred. Those last moments were all he could handle. His head slumped, and his breathing slowed as his eyelids slammed shut with the mental exhaustion he had endured.
“Altana, may my dreams save me” he thought, as he drifted into a deep, black, slumber.