Nice Byx

"Preparation"

Captain Kroy stopped shyning onto the scroll and placed it back into the sack in the corner. He bent over, this time digging much deeper into the sack, rummaging around blindly through its contents. He pulled a folded white robe from the sack and as he unfolded it my mouth dropped open. He was holding an Akylyte battle robe! I'd never imagined that I would see one in person.

"Don't worry, Kya has already given us everything we need to take on the Dravons," Captain Kroy said. His back was to me as he discarded the robe he'd been wearing. He turned around and looked at me. "We'll make quick work of them." He whipped the robe around him, fluidly slipping both of his arms into it. He grabbed the bright yellow belt around his waist and began tying the robe closed. Before he tied it, I caught a quick glimpse of all the Mark on his chest. It was the same as the other Marks that were scattered randomly across his robe; The Mark of the Akylyte.

He cleared his throat. "Enjoying the view?"

"Yeah. Wait!" I exclaimed as I realized that I had just basically watched him get undressed. "No! I mean, it's not every day you get to see an Akylyte's battle robe, you know? Just trying to take it all in."

"Right. Well, enough with the creepy stare. Don't you have somewhere more important to be."

Sage Syn is dead, the Dravons are possibly on their way to attack, and I'm pretty much our only chance at being ready for it. Of course I had somewhere more important to be. I just didn't know where that was, not that I wanted to tell Captain Kroy that. My first impression was already going pretty horrible; I didn't need him thinking I was incompetent on top of a voyeur.

"Yeah, you're right. May Kya's light be with you." I said as I walked towards the door, still unsure of just where I was headed. Just before I stepped out the room, I turned around and asked the question I'd been dreading.

"So, ummm, Captain Kroy, where exactly is this more important place that I need to be?"

"The Council, of course. They usually like to know when big things happen--and I think I'd classify a swarm of vamped up Dravons en route to the conservatory as 'big', wouldn't you? You already told me, so now you just have to inform Teros and Atria. Knowing Teros he's probably still at the Conservatory lounging around from this morning's illumination. Atria will be a little harder. She's probably at The Soaring Bluff meeting her new Nymbus recruits. I don't have to draw you a map, do I?"

Right. The Council! Of course, I can't believe I hadn't thought of that myself. Situations like this were practically the whole reason they group had been formed.

I shook my head, "No, I can find my way," and just before I walked out the room, Captain Kroy called after me.

"Leks!" I turned around and he was already behind me. "I know you're knew to this Sage stuff and everything, and I know it's a lot to take on. But you've gotta start thinking for yourself. Actually, you have to start thinking for all the Byx, and if they see you're not even able to handle something as simple as informing The Council of an impending attack, they're not going to trust you as a leader. So, you have to get it together, and unfortunately, you don't get the luxury of time. Oh, and stop calling me Captain Kroy. You're the Sage now, it's just Kroy to you." When he was done, he turned around and walked back down the path. I walked the opposite way, out of the mouth of Mt. Akylyte and into the safe embrace of level ground.

By the time I reached the path leading up to the Conservatory I felt pounds lighter. My lungs were burning, I had shed my robe and left it somewhere in the forest--it wasn't like I'd need it anymore. The entire time my body was running on its own accord, my mind consumed with the words Kroy had said to me. They'd angered me at first; it wasn't fair to expect me to get all this Sage stuff right on the first try. But as I ran, I began to understand. There was no room for failure or mistakes. I was either going to save my people or lead them to their destruction. There was no 'almost' getting it right with this.