Friend or Foe? (Erech)

[Jotari]

Black Star


The slim female figure walked alone through the various waterfalls. A hood was off the ebony hair to reveal a pretty but tired looking face. Black Star, leader of the Grellon outlaws, had come to Celeste to gather her thoughts. Much had happened in the past few weeks. It had all begun when that stupid youngest princess, Tryphena, had lost control of her horse. The outlaws had managed to stop the creature but Tryphena had gotten her head banged in the process. This meant that they took Tryphena back to their village, where the second-in-command, a minotaur named Asterion, had fallen head-over-heels for those big blue eyes. Unfortunately, Princess Alexa had come hunting down her sister. Alexa had met up with the outlaws and though Alexa left without her sister, Black Star had shown the princess Murate. Alexa had been shown the true fate of Ellsinora if change were not made.

Not long after, within a day or two really, Black Star had been with Kaori, the dragon lord, and Titania, the fairy queen. These two were told of the Grellon queen's true identity and purpose. Though Black Star had declined going with the pair as they went to Ellsinora, she had ended up there the next day anyway. That had resulted in an enmity between the outlaw leader and Princess Abigail. This also entailed making the Queen of Ellsinora an enemy as well. Black Star had been injured, but managed to evade her would-be killers. At the Spring Festival however, she had intended to speak with the King himself, intending to tell him who Black Star really was. This had been interrupted by the appearance of someone calling herself Jahanarwa of Kai. That had infuriated Black Star to the point that the Grellon were holding her back from outright revealing them and herself. Never the less, the King had noticed and had actually spoken to the outlaw queen.

But after that was yet another problem. While leading a large raid right in Ohanzee, the outlaw queen had sacrificed her freedom in order to make sure that all her chosen refugees got out of Murate safely. Black Star had once again gone against Magrej. Though Magrej did not recognize her, Rashok later had. Rashok, the betrayer, had indeed recognized that Black Star was Jahanarwa. Rashok had assisted her escape but had sent five guards after her, to find the Grellon. That had ended in an exhausted two day chase across Pungoi swamp. It had ended when the exhausted outlaw had fled to Kaori's cavern. Kaori had made quick work of the guards. Three days later, Black Star was able to return to her Grellon, to the outlaws' delight as they thought her imprisoned or killed.

But what everyone seemed to forget was that the outlaw leader was young and full of fire. Black Star loved her little band dearly, but now she needed time to think. Should she reveal herself? No, it was not yet time for that. But what was the next move? Obviously just sitting around wasn't an option, not now. Black Star sat on a damp rock and began to take off her clothes. Diving into a churning pool she leaned back and relaxed. The outlaw had simply taken a day off today to think and gather her bearings. With her luck, she would probably get something else done to her. Right now, she didn't give a damn. The outlaw grabbed her clothing and proceeded to give them a washing. This made them several shades lighter. Darting back to shore to lay out her clothing and even allowed her dagger to part from her frame. It made her a little light in the head, but as she chose to move it away it did not instantly hurt her.

With the grime washed off her body, she looked much like the pretty girl that had stolen hearts long ago. Diving down she looked for anything of interest. Spotting something shiny she swam toward it but was forced to breath again. Diving down the second time she found a couple coins. The outlaw in her was delighted as she darted back to the surface and lay the dirt covered things next to her drying clothes. She actually smiled and dove down again, not knowing that someone was nearby.




ooc- just a note, I have no idea what possessed the girl to go skinny-dipping. Rashok and Orion, eat your hearts out LOL

[Erech]

The past few weeks had been very interesting, with the tension of the events building up to the Spring Festival exploding into a night of joy for the villagers, however the same cannot be said about the royal's night. They had been interupted more than just once, and by the said Guardian. Erech was suspicious of the woman claiming to be the Guardian, why would she show herself now, why now? Erech would ask himself as he walked to his favourite spot in all of Ellsinora. The Celeste Falls were untouched by the hand of corruption, peaceful and quiet. Ellesar, Erech's trusted wolf companion jumped around from ledge to ledge, leaping through the falling waters, his fur glistened as the droplets of water dripped from his lush fur. Erech laughed as Ellesar shook his body, drying himself and soaking Erech in the process.

The laughter soon stopped as Erech saw a bundle of ebony hair sink into one of the many deep pools created by the falling waters. Ellesar also caught glimpse and stood on guard, puffing out his chest, Ellesar was not being aggresive, he was simply showing his loyalty to Erech. Whom would await the woman return to the surface of the water. He scanned his eyes across the glorious setting and seeing the damp clothing, and items upon the side of the pool. Erech took a seat upon one of the rocky ledges. Ellesar took up a seat next to him, still holding his chest firmly out and his chin back. A loyal companion, what more could Erech want? The woman was beginning to surface and Erech didn't want to scare her, so he calmly spoke out before she had reached the surface, loud enough however for the woman to hear his voice from below the water.

"Hey, what might you be doing swimming in these pools? Your face is not familiar, your not from Ellsinora are you?"

[Jotari]

Black Star

Black Star heard the voice and noticed the man and wolf. The outlaw silently cursed herself for not keeping better watch, but there was someone here anyway. She moved toward the shore with easy steady strokes and grabbing her clothes darted away back under a waterfall. There was a rocky shelf back there and the cunning girl managed to keep most of her modesty, what little an outlaw had anyway. She remained out of the water as she came from behind the waterfall. Walking toward him, wringing out her long raven black hair, she recognized him. This was the man who had helped little Allaire at the Spring Festival. Black Star had never gotten a chance to thank him.

"I swim in these pools to make sure that every piece of Murate has been scraped of my body. Trust me, Magrej's dungeons get more messy every time I "visit" them. You may not recognize me, but I do recognize you. You helped one of my orphans, Allaire, at the Spring Festival. The little girl that got caught stealing, that is Allaire. I never did get a chance to thank you, but I do appreciate it. Allaire has a special talent for getting into odd circumstances." She sat on a rock near him and proceeded to start arranging her damp hair. The outlaw also made sure her dagger was secured at her waist, it was the most precious thing she owned. Looking back to him she continued answering his inquiries, " I am not from Ellsinora exactly though I did spend a few years of my early life here. I am known as Black Star. But do me a favor and don't attempt to kill me. I have enough problems with Magrej and Rashok fro Murate as well as the Queen and Abbie from Ellsinora. I don't need anymore murderers. If you do intend to kill me, then it is obviously time for me to go." Through this entire thing her tone was cool and calm, like everyone had the highest ranking people in two countries trying to murder them. But Black Star did have the loyalty of two princesses and perhaps the King of Ellsinora. Still, if this man was some sort of bounty hunter, hopefully he would be nice enough to give her a five minute head start.

[Erech]

The woman had surfaced and swiftly gathered her clothes, Erech's eyes stayed away from her in respect. She dressed behind a waterfall, and upon returning to the rocks where Erech sat, she rang her damp hair. Speaking with Erech as if she knew him personally. He mind began to think she was some sort of slave when she mentioned about Magrej's dungeons. Then noting that she recognised Erech. His suspicions were becoming arroused, he didn't like how much this woman knew. However, she then confirmed her reasons to why she knew him. Allaire, her orphan. This woman didn't look like the gypsy garbbed woman that Allaire had shown him when the situation occured at the Festival. She looked different now, somewhat more respectful and clean. "That situation with Allaire was nothing, I was simply protecting a child from an adult, which is the way all people should act."
She then continued on and explained she was the taled Black Star. Erech chuckled a little as she spoke about not trying to kill her. "Even if I wanted to, I could not harm such a pretty face." Erech scanned face with his hawk like eyes, she then went on to mention about Magrej and Rashok of Murate, along with the Queen of Ellsinora and Princess Abbie. It seemed this woman had fair few enemies. "My intentions are not to kill you. In fact i'm interested in your words. You speak of a mutual enemy, Magrej and Rashok. If Murate wanted to imprison you, then your more of an ally than an enemy. You must be doing something in Ellsinora's favor in order for Murate to capture you." Erech was interested in this woman, he wanted to know more about the fable of Black Star, were all the stories really true?

[Jotari]

Black Star


Black Star drew out her dagger and began to carefully dry it. Running the hem of her shirt slowly and carefully over the strange silvery metal the outlaw paid particular attention to the blue gem that was set into the blade. The woman listened thoughtfully to his words. Well, at least she wouldn't be running for her life. Not yet anyway, by the looks of things though he could probably give her a good run for her life though. The outlaw listened and then decided to answer him. He had earned a bit of what the Grellon was doing, he had after all assisted Allaire. Black Star was fiercely protective of the Grellon and anyone who helped the outlaw band was well-rewarded.

" I have a habit of making myself pretty annoying to Magrej and Rashok. My band and I were conducting a large raid on Ohanzee, we managed to get out about thirty refugee but there was a glitch. I tried to draw the guards away from the band. I succeeded but paid for it by getting caught. Magrej and I had a charming chat and eventually I was in the dungeons. Rashok and I go way back and he got me outside the castle. Albeit, he sent people after me to find where the heck I've been hiding. But that's another part of the story. But what about you? You seem to help others for good, yet you still do not harm a thieving child or murder a "blood thirsty" outlaw leader." He intrigued her, interested her. There was quite a bit of sarcasm when she spoke the words "blood thirsty" though. Black Star was many things, even violent and unpredictable, but she was not a random serial killer. True, she had quite a few people she would enjoy killing, Rashok was a prime example, but that was not yet a reality.

[Erech]

The woman drew his dagger and Ellesar reacted even before Erech. The large wolf stood tall as it stepped forwards showing the piercing fangs that filled it's jaws. Erech reached out quickly, grappling Ellesar playfully around the neck. Ruffling the fur on the top of the wolfs head, Erech laughed a little befor eapologising.

"Sorry about that, Ellesar is a little over-protective of me." Erech spoke as he calmed the wolf, eyes then caught glimpse of a sky gem. It was just like the one that woman had from the parade at the Festival, but this gem seemed to hold more secrets. It had an eerie feel about it, Erech gazed upon the gem's beauty. He then snapped out of his glare and listened to the woman. The story of rescue had Erech listening attentively on every word. Erech was interested in the story and as it came to its end, the woman asked about him. calling herself a 'Blood-thirsty outlaw leader' somewhat surprised Erech, but he had a feeling she was not such a being.

"Well, your story is very interesting. Its good to know Ellsinora is not Magrej's only enemy. Pardon my manners, my names Erech Edoras. Sometimes known as The Ranger. This is Ellesar, my Mountain Wolf and loyal companion since our early days. I help those who need helping, I understand the struggle of Outlaw life so I do not judge you. I respect you for taking on the burden of others and not only your own problems. I would be happy to help you and what you called your band. Im assuming theres a few of you dotted around the mountains or the forests?"

[Jotari]

Black Star


Black Star watched the wolf with great interest. It was a pretty animal, well made. The outlaw queen did not draw back from the brute but she did however sheath her pretty dagger. Erech then? Interesting name but had a nice woodland ring to it. The woman's eyes were a dark blue with interest, flickers of orange through the blue were signs of caution though. Black Star liked him but she wasn't going to utterly and simply trust him. " To be honest, we are no small group. I have survivors from Kai's destruction as well as many people who have escaped Murate. The Grellon runs the Black Market in both Murate and Ellsinora. If anything big happens, I know about it thanks to a series of spies. I guess we aren't exactly your typical outlaw band." She laughed and then yawned a bit. Leaning back she tipped her head back to allow the sunlight to kiss her tanned skin. Her face still had a fresh slash mark from her Muratian adventures but even that was fading.

Reaching into her side bag the outlaw pulled out a piece of dried meat. She politely offered some to Erech but refrained from feeding the wolf. Black Star was smart enough to figure that the cur probably didn't accept food from complete strangers. If Erech wanted to feed his pet, then that was his job. Swimming had made her hungry and the outlaw enjoyed the quiet. With her luck though, guards would appear, some princess would be in trouble, perhaps a Grellon member would come running with bad news. Lady Fortuna certainly had her favorites, but Black Star was not one of them.

ooc- I have no idea what to do with this thread now

[Erech]

The woman sheathed her dagger at Ellesar's response, he didn't dislike the woman, he just acted out in the protection of Erech. Black Star then began talking again, this time about Grellon. Erech had heard about them too, but he thought they were just rumor. Survivors of Kai, Murate slaves, Black Market. The Grellon seemed real interesting. She then went onto talking about spies. Erech was a great spy, he was agile, light-footed, silent and had the best eyesight in all of Ellsinora. He watched as teh woman leaned back, absorbing the sunlight, Erech scanned her body with his eyes.

She then offered Erech a piece of dried meat. He saw that he actions had intent to avoid Ellesar and she was right to, feeding him was a risky job if you wasn't Erech. He took the meat and smiled. "Thank you. You and the Grellon seem very interesting. I'd love to talk more, but we currently have unwanted guests." Erech kept a smile upon his face, he didnt want Black Star to act out right now. "Keep still, I count 3 guards, one directly behind you, one slightly to your right and one behind the waterfall to your left. Keep calm for now, we will act when they do." Erech's eyes scanned the area, it seems there was only 3 within the 180 degree of vision he could see. There may have been more behind him, but that was highly unlikely. Erech looked down to Ellesar, looking into his eyes the wolf could smell them too. However, quickly calmed for the moment, Erech held out a piece of the dried meat which Ellesar quickly wolfed down. The wolf then lay down next to Erech, it lay in a position where it could leap straight from the floor if needed. Erech waited for them to make movements, and for Black Star's reaction.

[Jotari]

Black Star nodded and calmly finished her lunch. Glancing around she spotted a fourth man behind Erech. Sighing she shook her head. Stretching out the outlaw flicked her dagger out of it's sheath and tested the blade. Sharp as always of course, but it didn't hurt to check. Black Star was acting like this happened every day to her. But she had been expecting something to happen, she wasn't allowed to simply have a quiet afternoon. " There is a fourth directly behind you in the brush." Standing she went to the water and knelt to drink. An arrow was shot and leaping to the side she narrowly missed the sharp pointy object. " No fair boys, you can't hit a girl until after she's had a drink, don't you know anything?" The guards came out of their hiding places but Black Star knelt to finish bringing the water to her lips in cupped hands.

Turning she stretched again, " There's four of them and two of us. Bad odds, I mean there are only four of them after all. Anyway, I'm going to take these two. Give a shout if you need it." The outlaw turned and cheerfully went after two of them men. Black Star laughed as one drew a bow and notched an arrow, " Haven't we done this before?" This time she managed to grab the arrow mid-air. Once, long ago, this outlaw queen had been subject to very serious training in the art of war. Now she was using her skills to fight guards. Leaping forward, Black Star flicked her dagger out and managed to cut the bow string. Black Star then proceeded to give the archer a few nasty stabs in the legs and kicked him out of the way as the other guard attacked. "You stupid wench!" This man had a sword and knew how to use it so Black Star was forced to be more careful, but that did not stop her from throwing insults. " Hey, do I know you? Oh yes! I stabbed you in the shoulder when I brought back Alexa. How has that healed up? How are you doing Erech?" The outlaw queen was clearly enjoying this entire thing but she still managed to throw a question to Erech. It would be a pity if the nice fellow was killed after all.

[Erech]

Erech smiled as Black Star immediately gave away that they had caught on by unsheathing his dagger after eating her meal. It seemed there was a fourth behind him, that one was sneaky. He had managed to escape Erech's radar eyes and sneak up behind him. An arrow was shot towards Black Star as she knelt for a drink.

The men revealed themselves and it was time to show Black Star what Erech was really made of. He loved the battle and was known for ending the lives of those who attack him quickly. He leapt up from his seat, retrieving his bow from his back. He lifted his arm back, grasping the feathers of two arrows, he whipped them around, leaning his body in an agile movement. He loaded the two arrows onto the bow. He then proceeded to pull the string back with a great force. The compound bow didn;t need much force but it gave out a hell of a shot. Erech had taken out one guard in one swift movement, with an arrow penetrating his neck and his left shoulder the guard fell to the ground.

It was time for the next one. However, he was interupted by Black Star who seemed to be enjoying herself. "One down. One to go. You?" Erech spoke quickly as he dipped down snapping the bow over his shoulder and onto his back. The other guard approached, and Erech sheathed his Dual Blades, they were sharp. Real sharp. Erech slid his foot back and with Ellesar crouching below a rock beneath the incoming man, he was ready to pouch if he got too close to Erech. "Never send boy's to do a mans job." Erech said as he laughed in the face of danger. He and Black Star must have been thinking the same thing. It would have been a shame for such a beauty to be killed now.

[Jotari]

Black Star and her opponant circled each other. Black Star clenched her dagger and kept it at her hip, ready to spring and destroy her foolish enemy. Her charming opponant kept his sword pointed at her chest, ready to thrust. The guard heard a cry of one of his friends and glanced away. He looked back just in time to have his hand stabbed and see Black Star jumping away. Dropping the sword in surprise and pain, the guard quickly flicked a dagger out of its sheath. "Be careful wood nymph, there's poison on the blade." He lunged to stab her but missed.

Black Star backed away a bit, having no intentions of being poisoned. This gave the guard a bit of courage and boldness to his movements. He again moved to stab her. Black Star shifted to the right and once again avoided his dagger. The outlaw was looking for any chance to move in and make it so there was no more danger to her person. But, what the guard lacked in focus he made up for in speed. Again, his attentions were caught away to the other battle. Black Star darted forward, but the guard recovered and aimed for her stomach. Black Star knocked away the blow but both dagger went flying into the brush. A line of blood appeared on Black Star's right forearm.

The poison wasn't the real problem though. This guard had fought Black Star a few weeks before and he remembered that when the outlaw queen had lost that pretty dagger, she had weakened. The guard didn't understand it but anything to get this woman under control. He was correct in his thought for when the dagger left her hands Black Star suddenly got extremely dizzy and was forced to kneel on the ground or risk tumbling to the forest floor. Her eyes dulled, losing all of their fire and spark, turning a dull light grey. The guard snatched up his sword and raised it over his head, aiming for her neck, "It was fun while it lasted wench!"

[Erech]

Erech had watched carefully from his eyes on how Black Star was doing. She seemed on equal terms with the guard. However, Erech had already dispatched one guard with one strike and was about to do it again. He had amazing combat prowess and he many dark days of training have granted him the power to return from a situation such as this unharmed. Erech took a deep breath and as the guard lunged forwards, Ellesar leapt from the side, snagged the guards arm in his jaws, Ellesar did enough to grab his attention from the shifting Erech. Whom appeared at the side of the guard, the illusion of him floating along the ground as he moved beneath the now airbourne guard. Erech sliced his blade down the guards torso. It was not enough to kill him, but Ellesar would finish the rest.

Erech's here quickly shifted towards Black Star. She was struggling with this guard, they battled and a mention of Poison was brought up. Something Erech detested, he hated the cheap ways to kill the target. He believes in honour and pride in ones combat abilities, they should not cheat the victory with poison. He continued to shift his vision from Ellesar and Black Star. The young woman contested with the guard as they were both left unarmed, Black Star gripped her arm as it began to trickle with blood. The dagger out of her hands seemed to weaken her. Snapping his bow from his back, he arced over and collected an arrow. Loading it quickly into the bow he pulled the compound bow string back to his jaw. The guard had retrieved his blade and was about to hack into Black Star' neck. "It certainly was." Erech spoke out as he released the arrow on it's path. Penetrating the guards back and with enough power to expose through the front of his armor, he coughed blood and proceeded to fall forwards into Black Star's path. There was nothing he could do about the collison of bodies but he knew Black Star would come out from the collison alive, which is more than what can be said for the guard with an arrow through his torso.

Erech's eyes quickly scanned back to Ellesar who sat obediently next to the mauled body of teh guard. Erech gave a sigh of relief as he wasn't sure how much damage his slice would have done. He quickly ran over to Black Star and pulled away the body, tipping it off the rocks and into one of the fast flowing pools which lead straight down to the sea. Erech knelt down beside Black Star. "You okay Black Star?"

[Jotari]

The guard gasped and got a look of surprise on his face, grasping at the arrow in his torso. The man fell forward and was quickly shoved off by Black Star. The outlaw winced and looked at her arm through glazed eyes. Bring a hand to her forehead she attempted to clear her thoughts. Her arm began to burn with the poison but her number one concern was her dagger. The gem in its blade and hilt were more precious to her then her own arm. Standing shakily she managed to move back toward the pool slowly and immerse her arm. It wasn't a fatal poison, but it was making her sick and her arm ached like it was on fire. The woman shook her head again, attempting to clear her mind. "My dagger, where is it? I must have it." Her tone was edged with a bit of desperation. Black Star was kneeling and washing her arm, but she simply had to find that dagger.

But the affects of separation were already there. Black Star's own spirit was tied to that blue gem, her untamed fire was part of that gem. When separated from the dagger the affects could be destructive, even fatal. The blue eyes were dulled grey, the skin paled, the frame shaking slightly as if cold, Black Star had not chosen to have the dagger leave her person and so the affects were more severe. This was her greatest weakness but in a strange way it was also the only reason she was still alive. The gem also faded and lost color when separated from the outlaw queen. " Please Erech, find my dagger but be careful. It's not a typical weapon. You must give it back to me, no matter what."

It was a dangerous move for the outlaw to risk this. The gem in the hilt would often offer the heart's desire to anyone that touched it. If the holder wished for treasure, then the gem would offer them riches beyond their wildest imagination. If they wished someone to return from the grave, then it would be offered. The gem could possibly even do those things, but the only one immune from these desires was the guardian of the dagger. It would be a way to test Erech, see his true colors. But it would also tell her what he desired most. As her spirit was connected to the gem she knew what it knew. It was in a way a life force of its own.

[Erech]

Black Star was in a tremendous amount of pain and Erech could tell this. Her skin whitened, her body became limp and her soul removed from her body. This was more than just the poison, although that wreched substance didn't help her situation. The woman had lost her dagger, but luckily for her Erech's eyesight had watched the dagger land in one of the many small bushes, small yet large enough to discretely hide the small dagger. She asked for her dagger immediately after being free from dangers grasp. She had moved to the edge of the pool, the water was bloodstained a few meters down from the edge as the body of teh guard plunged beneath the rushing waters surface. Erech then listened to Black Stars request, he quickly rushed over to the bush. Collecting the dagger, he gripped it in his hands as the power surged through him. His eyes brightened and his chest protruded out with power.

Erech saw a in this state, he stood over the bodies of Magrej and Rashok. Ellsinora was in cheer and joy as Murate's reign of destruction was ended. Erech wanted peace for not just Ellsinora but for the world. His vision quickly gazed over to an extremely long, single-file line of orphans, slaves and outlaws. All walking into Ellsinora's gates. Erech wanted unity under peace. He wanted to become a savior of Ellsinora and the World. However, his eyes quickly flashed back into this world as he rushed over to aid Black Star. Placing her dagger back into her hand, gripping her other hand, he tightly gripped her hands around the dagger. "Black Star, your the owner of this dagger. What is it's power... I saw a vision, my eyes are great but they cannot see thing that have yet to happen. So how did that Dagger provide such vision?" Erech was in shock from his vision. Black Star would quickly recooperate as the dagger was clenched tightly in her graps. Erech released Black Star's hands and fell back onto his backside, resting. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, giving a sigh of relief.

[Jotari]

The dagger slipped into her hand and the outlaw gripped it, running her finger over the precious gem. For a moment she said nothing, allowing her arm to rest in the water and gathering strength from the gem. She knew what he had seen and in a way she was pleased. He wished for peace. The outlaw queen relaxed and color slowly came back into her face. The arm was stiff and painful, but it would heal. Her eyes opened again, dark blue which was a very drastic change from the pale dull grey they had been just second before. The gem also turned dark blue as she continued to run her fingers over the gem.

" You have a good heart Erech, most people have visions of personal gain while your was for all living souls. Her breathing was steady now and pulling her arm from the water she tore off the bottom hem of her shirt. Sheathing the dagger the began to carefully wrap the arm. Her tone was calm and collected, " You saved my life, something I will not forget. As for the dagger, I suppose in a way it started this entire mess. At least my side of this screwed up world. But I saw what your vision was and I also felt quite a but of your personality. You can keep a secret. In all honestly, it is the sky gem." Black Star had strangely opened up to Erech as she had opened up to no one before. But she trusted him and rather liked this charming fellow. If she was betrayed though, Erech would be a dead man. Still she was interested to see how he would react. After all, only a handful of people knew that Black Star was the Guardian and Kaian lady, Jahanarwa.