Inferno Ascended

The capital was still bustling over with cheerful energy because of the Titaniades Games in the days that followed. 

Glax found that the mirror effect lasted from dawn to dawn, and was happy to see his own face again. He decided to test his appearance without the damn mark on his face. Even if it was temporary, it would be a relief not to have to wear the mask for at least a few hours.

By the way, it worked out fine.

Lais was happy to see him without the mask and made him sit down because she was going to fix his hair. "You've been wearing this thing for so many years that your hair only sits to one side. And you should try wearing the mask on the other side for a while," she chuckled. "So you get a tan on that side of your face too."

If regret could kill a person…

She also beautified Uncle Laerte by trimming his beard and hair. 

And as bossy as always, Lais even made the owner of the house sit down for a beautification and grooming session. She didn't even ask permission and used the mirror on Malko too, so that he could get rid of his slavery mark on his face.

Glax had to admit that she had never seen the vselys' eyes shine as bright as seeing himself in the mirror again. Even though it was temporary, Glax literally felt in his skin what Malko was feeling now.

That wasn't the tear gleam in the runaway slave's eyes, was it?

And that lump in his own chest and his throat clearing were reflux, of course.

It was not enough to make the three idiots her dolls, Glax's teen sister had the audacity to claim that, apart from Uncle Laerte, the other two guys needed new clothes. And she was willing to go to the market to shop for what was needed… Reaching out her hand to receive the coins for that, of course.

"Sheesh… I know you and your type." Glax gave her some coins, grumbling, but got up to follow her. The vselys did the same, a bit too confused by her sassiness to open his mouth. 

The valosian told Malko, "I'm going to buy the things necessary for our own mission, while our stylish personal looks for clothes. This will be good, actually." 

Glax needed to buy a horse for the trip and other accessories. The necromancer they aimed for lived in northern Delpia, a few kilometers from the capital of the Empire. In addition, he wanted to trick Lais into accepting to stay with Captain Laerte in his ship. Not even in a nightmare, Glax thought of taking the girl with them on this mission against a necromancer. But he feared another of her tantrums, actually.

As they walked through Hylan's huge main market, Lais kept a marvelled expression by finally being able to see up close what she only saw in hand-drawn catalogs and third-hand descriptions.

The siblings argued a bit about prices, but she won by claiming Glax couldn't embarrass the clan by being a Kroton wearing grimy and tattered clothes, out of a war situation.

And she wasn't happy to use something generic and plain. Even if they were running away from the wrath of a goddess, they could do it... with style!

She finally convinced him by choosing clothes that made Glax feel like a human and not a voodoo doll again. She herself had the brooch with the symbol of the Kroton cleaned, and pinned it to Glax's shoulder with pride, after he changed clothes to something more 'patrician'. And to top it off... 

"We're going to buy sandals because yours are about to tear. I think you need high-performance sports sandals, to go out fighting cacodemons and mechas…" she explained.

His little sister's beaming smile didn't fool him. Glax knew that for every item she bought for him with his money, she bought one of equivalent value to herself. But he really needed new sandals!

When they arrived at the shoe store, he was soon introduced to the best sandal models. He was trying on another pair of Nike sandals when he looked at the mural painted on the wall. A blond hero was wearing Nike sandals and fighting a giant snake.

"What is it?" He pointed the mural at the store owner. The smiling woman responded promptly.

"Oh that! It's a Nike ad. You know who he is, don't you, Lord Kroton?"

"No... Why should I know?" Glax couldn't explain why he was experiencing an inexplicable pain in his chest. Oh, the betrayal feeling!

"Lord Phaedon of Nikros, Lord Kroton! We're rooting for him in these Titaniades!"

"Can any idiots be sponsored?"

The woman eyed Kroton with her mouth agape. But then Glax took off the sandals he was trying on. "Can you show me those over there? The Iasonics?"

"Hm, of course, Lord Kroton…"

:::::::::::::::

Still indignant at having been passed over as Nike sandals poster boy by some obscure mechanism of the ego, the Valosian stomped on his new Iasonics sandals through the market streets.

Glax and Lais were going to the horse traders when he heard a boy reciting snippets of stories, perched on top of a headless statue.

"…The last episode of 'Reincarnated as a Cyclops' has arrived! You can purchase a copy or listen to the narrative tonight at Linus Bookstore! Only 2 fish per person!"

Glax became alert. He had almost forgotten about it, but he remembered his promise to Antaeus, the merman of Athios. If he could get the volumes of 'Assassins of Thebes' the triton hadn't read yet, he could certainly trade for the remains of the divine Golden Boat this Perses man used.

I turned Lais into compulsive shopper mode, and she exclaimed, "Shall we go visit the bookstore? I remember when you bought the Mighty Pleiades Girls collection for me… and even read it to me! So cute of you!" The memory made her suddenly affectionate and Lais gave him a hug. "And your favorite was Merope!"

"Just stop embarrassing me, Lais!" He shivered at the thought of it, and they headed for the bookstore.

:::::::::::

When they arrived at the bookstore crammed with scrolls and other written media, an assistant came to meet them, but upon hearing Glax's request for the Theban Assassins episodes, the boy directed him to speak to the owner of the place.

Before Glax could reason out why, he and his sister were pushed through the aisles of shelves to the back of the store. It was a much calmer place. Glax saw copyists working to make copies, and at a higher table, distracted by his own work, a bearded old man wearing glasses.

"Apart from Zotikos, this is the first person I've seen wearing glasses," he commented to no one in particular.

"Bookseller, I'm looking for the volumes of Assassins of Thebes."

"Hmmm. Sure. Nobody cares about the classics these days. They just want to know about shallow literature." The man grunted without looking up from his writing.

"Does this mean it will be cheaper than a classic?" Glax snapped.

"Ahh!" The old man snorted. He looked up slowly, then up to Glax's face.

"Why do you wear a mask?" he questioned as bluntly as only an old man can.

"I don't know about other places, but back in my clan's lands we use it when we don't want to offend the gods." He replied.

"Hmm. That's not the reason, don't take me for a fool." The old man dismissed Glax's reply with a gesture, got up, and motioned for them to follow. They took a few more turns through the labyrinthine building with walls and shelves filled with scrolls. Even though the old man continued to be sullen and rude, Glax had seen the surprise and recognition in his eyes. He regretted using his own face today.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can brag about a few things in life, boy. Two of them are my excellent memory for what I read, and my ability to remember people's faces."

"It's the first time I've come to the capital."

"I was an assistant in the palace library for almost 20 years, before opening this bookshop. And they awarded me retirement when Prince Achmeron was crowned emperor… So don't feed me with this shit."

"Uh, okay." Glax at first thought he should change the subject for his own good, but changed his mind at the last moment. "What is the emperor like?"

"Hm. I didn't know the emperor, Lord Kroton. Only Princes Caius and Achmeron."

'Why are some people so meticulous?' Glax wondered inwardly, as the old man peered at a shelf and its contents. "Yes? Must have been a significant experience! What were they like?"

"Ah. How can I put this? Different in many ways. The Presumed Heir has always been more assertive and traditionalist. Quite shrewd and determined. And our current Emperor… Paradoxical, I would say." The old man pointed to the latter and told Glax to climb and get the volumes he pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"Prince Achmeron had a huge curiosity for machines and mechanisms. I never understood why he was sent to the land of the scary Vselys when he certainly should have gone to the land of the Prometheans. The Steam People, as people call them now. But at the same time, he was mystic and believed in prophecies." 

Glax heard the old man say as he grabbed the Assassins of Thebes scrolls. "There are strange rumors about the Emperor these days," He ventured to comment, as he descended.

"Yes, but as my wife says, look at the contradictions..." The old man chuckled as if he knew something very interesting, and ended up coughing. Glax couldn't let this information pass.

"What contradictions?"

The old man stared at him for a moment and spoke with bright eyes, sharing the conspiracy theory so Glax would do whatever he wanted with this piece of information.

"The emperor's mistress is a Promethean… Is what the gossips say. She lives as if she were the Queen in the palace. According to a much older rumor, the only Promethean woman who arrived in Stygia was seen at the time of the Sanction... At the same time as the attacks on the Emperor and his bride."

Really, this information didn't seem to make any sense to Glax. "Anything else I should know?"

"Yes. These volumes cost 3 silver coins each."

"...!" Glax gasped.

:::::::

Glax had to go back to Malko's house to drop off Lais, the scroll cases and shopping bags, and get more money. He didn't think he'd end up spending so much in one morning. 

On returning in the late afternoon, with two extra horses and much poorer than he started the day, he felt defeated. "Ah, today I made poor decisions…"

Upon reaching the woods around Malko's house, Glax noticed the road was trampled by a large number of horses.

And that was not good.