[b]17.[/b]

Jade Fist reached around the back of his neck, past his hood. He swore there was a chunk of Mortis lodged back there, even after he wiped most of it off of his outfit. And lo and behold, he pulled his hand out and there in it was a shred of dark, putrid meat. With some canine teeth lodged inside of it.
 
Guess Mortis had some dog bones in it. Or maybe werewolf.
 
He tossed the shred of meat into the nearby monument carved in the form of a volcano - or something close to it. The chunk of Mortis instantly burned away once it came into contact with the little flames at its basin. Naybe he was lucky the Sage of Fire hadn't arrived yet, he didn't know if they'd take offense to that. Best way to rid oneself of the undead is fire, after all.
 
He turned and looked around the courtyard. Two more Sages had shown up in such a short amount of time. Almost too conveniently, to him. But that was just cautious thinking, something he'd grown into over the last century. There was him, a human, a demon, a nymph, and another elf... all that was left was a were-creature and the hextuple would be complete.

Jade Fist began to accept the possibility that he was the Sage of Earth, whether he wanted to be or not. He had the feeling whoever the "Headmaster" was who had all of them brought here wasn't wrong on a common basis. Still, if it was his role to fulfill, he'd be pulled away from his usual line of work. The slave trade was going to recover from his latest endeavors in... a month, maybe two. Depending on if they decided to go hunting for any more stock.

He thought about Summer. How an elf could be the supposed Sage of Wind. He knew full well the legends regarding the past generations of Sages, born and raised and again and again. Still... the title of Sage, if it were true, would be a boon to a former slave. The public would more easily accept that status being granted to an elf than a criminal still believed to be at large.

One thing he truly hoped for was that this wasn't going to be made into a public display. He trusted that Sicini wouldn't possess that sort of audacity.

Noticing the only other elf was sitting on his own, Summer hesitantly went over to him and sat down. She had no idea what she was going to say, nor was she entirely sure she should talk to him at all, but how else was she to find out more about Tellus?

"Um... hello," Summer said softly as she leaned forward a bit, her legs crossed in front of her at the ankle, "Um... I'm Summer."

"I'm aware of that." Jade Fist replied, preparing himself for some social interaction he wasn't sure he was ready for. Still, only other elf around, he had to say something. "I... apologize for my dealings with Ostel. I wanted to make sure I could trust him."

"You... are an elf... from Tellus I assume? Wouldn't it... be normal for you to be sceptical of a human? I mean... about a third of the original Elf population was enslaved... so... I.... mmm..." Summer fell silent, unsure of what to say.

"Hmph. And a third of that third I'm sure I've freed by now..." He replied, the slightest bit of confidence in his voice. "Believe me. I'm doing my best to make sure Lucerna's slave operations are broken down. I've done well by myself for the last century... give me another and the rest of our kin will be free as well."

"Is that why you hide your face and refuse to share your name with anyone?" Summer asks as she hesitantly touches the Jade on one of his gloves. It was smooth under her finger, which both confused and facinated her, "How did you get the stone so smooth?"

"It was shaped to perfection. By an old friend of mine." He pulled his hand away from Summer's and brought it up to his mask. "All of this was. It's not just armor. It's a symbol, as Ostel put it."

Summer nodded her head before standing up and brushing some dust off of her skirt. "What is it like in Tellus? I've always wanted to go there but... I couldn't for obvious reasons."

"Tellus..." Jade Fist replied, "Believe it or not, I'm not there as often as you would think. I drop off everyone I free so they may flee to the City of Earth. Replenish themselves. Start new lives. But the land itself is... how should I put this... verdant, to be short about it. Mountains, forests, cities made of stone... it's really quite pleasant. Perhaps you'll see it one day. Being a Sage will grant you that freedom to act upon as you see fit."

Summer adopted a thoughtful look before smiling for the first time in a long time, "You know what, I think I shall." Satisfied with the conversation, she turned away and proceeded towards Ostel.

"Wait." Jade Fist called out, standing up.

Summer turned towards the elf once more as he lowered his head, thinking about what to say.

"My name..." He muttered, "Is the same as yours. You should know what that means."

Summer simply put on an expression of surprise. [i]So, he was a slave after all...[/i] She thought to herself. She simply looked at Jade Fist and nodded, indicating she understood. And with that, she turned away and left once more.

The jade-armored elf was starting to feel a bit more at ease, now. He returned to his little stone bench, sat down, and thought.

Just... thought.