20 THUNDERSTRUCK

That's how, after having dinner and bathing, Glax found himself again in the dark streets of Stapolis, being guided by Hikesias, the funny little man in front of him.

"So from what I understand, the boss is in the mood for strong emotions tonight, but because he is newly married, he doesn't want to incur his wife's fury ..." said the native, whose shoulders moved as if he was going up and down a bump in the street at each step. It was also funny to look at the hairless halo on the top of his head.

"How do you know that I'm newlywed?"

"Boss uses a Krios blazon, but he doesn't look like one of them. Your hair is long and you are not that tall... besides you speak softly. So you may have joined the family only a short time ago, since you haven't changed much. Also, the boss is coming from the direction of Armorion..."

"Well well, we have a Sherlock Holmes here..."

"What?" Of course, Hikesias didn't understand the meme, and Glax just shrugged. "I just wanted to say that you are very good with deductions. Despite being a little nosy. Was that never a problem?"

"Ah yes! Unfortunately, it must be my Delpian blood, I can't help myself. But on the other hand, it could be my Pharysian blood and my knack for puzzles... Although they say I definitely look like the Steam People. I'm not on the pretty side, you know..."

Although definitely chatty, Hikesias had charisma, and Glax was interested.

"Aren't you looking good enough for...? What do you need to look good for?"

"Unless you want to be scary, you must have the right looks. But you do, boss, so you don't know how sad this is…"

In fact, Glax had never stopped to think about it, but until then he hadn't seen many 'ordinary' people. The bar was high regarding appearance, and even idiots like Proctius, who filed their teeth to look scary, looked more like actors with excellent looks trying to get ugly.

Or maybe Proctius didn't want to be 'that ugly'.

Then, as it wasn't the first time they said he had a good appearance, Glax started to think he really must fit in some standard of beauty they had around here. And it was clear from the number of half-naked statues that the Stygian were obsessed with perfect bodies.

"You know, they say that if you go to the gym, you can get in shape ... You should try that," he suggested.

"So listen, boss, my problem is my love for beer, ha! Besides, if I didn't have the flat feet of a Rhytosian..."

"Easy, Hikesias. You should make up your mind about your ancestors."

"I couldn't even if I want to, boss. My mother was a prostitute at the Beer Gate. May the Old Invisible God have mercy on her soul!"

Glax blinked, astonished.

"As I was saying, boss… When did you discover that the old gods were jealous of you? Or don't you want to talk about it?" Hikesias asked casually, looking back for a moment to see if Glax was still following him through the narrow streets of a Stapolis neighborhood.

"Envy?"

"Yes." the guide made a circular sign to his face, mentioning Glax's mask. "Isn't that why you hide your face? So as not to offend the jealous gods that lurk in the darkness?"

In the face of Glax's confused look, Hikesias continued,

"It happened to a girl here in Stapolis. The gods got envious of her, and bad luck struck her. Even a statue that had been made out of her looks cracked in half, once! The Augurer told her not to compete with the gods, or to tempt the Invisible God! Only when she covered her face with a veil did she have any peace. That was a long time ago, but they still tell Himena's story."

"In fact, only people like you who like to fill the silence," Glax grunted. The story was so absurd that he couldn't believe it. On the other hand...

"Ah, well. I will not deny the truth. When I was younger, a very talented sculptor made a statue of me... But a lightning struck it, too. A blind psychic who was passing by told this to my family… And that's how it ended," Glax lied hard, just for fun, doubting that Hikesias would really believe it.

"Ah, we should all be afraid of hubris… Well, not everyone, certainly not people like me, yes, yes. But you, boss... it's better not to play with the evil forces!" Hikesias was pleased to have yet another unusual story added to his repertoire.

"Why are they evil? Sometimes I don't understand why I should fear the nameless gods if they are of little importance nowadays..."

"Boss... Why take the risk, uh? We in Stapolis do not turn our backs on the Invisible God, even though many find it strange."

"Well, we are not going to discuss religion. Where I come from, everyone is free to pick their favorite god."

"Uh, it would be better this way, boss... But that's also hubris."

"Hmmm ... And what's not hubris?"

"Ahhhh ... let me see." Hikesias stopped in the middle of the alley, and Glax regretted asking, as the man was scratching his leg while thinking. Glax was in a hurry and would try to cover as many places as possible in one night, because he had only one chance to get the precious smuggled material.

But now he had stoked the philosophical questions for which these people had become known in ancient times.

"If you don't have a quick answer to that, forget it. I think trying to define the hubris is in itself, hubris."

"You are right, Boss!" The guide started walking, and then stopped. "I think another hour has passed. Sorry, but I have to charge you."

Glax sighed. Hikesias charged one fish per hour... Literally. He was reaching for his purse when he stopped. "How do you know an hour has passed? I don't see any watch you can rely on." Glax had a way of knowing exactly how much time had passed, but the ghuide didn't. Anyway, they walked about 40 minutes while Hikesias chattered.

Hikesias was thoughtful and looked at the moon in the sky. "Right. Maybe it hasn't been an hour, now that I look at the moon. There was a big clock in the middle of the city before, a gift from the Steam People to Stapolis. But it was all destroyed after the Sanction."

Glax shrugged his sympathy for the poor technological object.

"You said that some people didn't support the sanction. And that there is still some fun from that time available."

"That's not what I said, but as I promised, I'm taking the Boss as far as he can bet some money ... Does Boss mind paying my hour in advance?"

"Yes, I do care, Hikesias. Why don't you just take me there instead of standing here all night?"

Hikesias continued his monologue all the way until they reached a cleared hill, and passed by plainclothes sentinels whom the guide greeted effusively.

"My client, the boss, wants to have fun at The Rust," he told them. One of them spoke directly to Glax,

"Know, boss, that the rules of the empire stay down the hill. Here at the top of the hill, the rules are different."

"Okay, and what are these rules?" he asked, knowing that was expected.

"It doesn't matter who you are down there. At The Rust, everyone is equal. Don't talk about the Sanction. If you are hunting a fugitive, you cannot arrest him here. We are not responsible for your safety, and finally… Nobody talks about The Rust."

"Gee, it's an organized place ..." he recognized the Golden Rule. He didn't even know what The Rust was, because from the point of the road where he was, he couldn't see anything, and just heard loud party noises. And I could smell the unmistakable smell of gunpowder and saltpeter in the air.

Although the first rules did not impress him, the last two raised a red flag in his mind. He, a nerd who had avoided tough places during his life.

But who was looking for prohibited material?

'Well, whatever. I got into it myself,' he smiled at the sentries.

"If I have as much fun as you promise, I'll buy you guys a drink later."