Arash opened his eyes to see the stone wall in front of him. Despite his hours of rest he was still exhausted and sore.
He sat up with a groan and prepared for the long day ahead. It was going to be his first going out into the city proper.
It had been a few days since he first arrived at the city and his battle with Hetzen. He was excited to see more of the city, but at the same time, he was terrified.
He threw on his garbs, which fit almost perfectly, before going out the door. Zara was waiting on the other side and smiled when she saw how nervous Arash was.
"Don't worry." She said, "everything will be fine."
Arash nodded in response before they began to walk through the streets. It wasn't as crowded as the market, though he couldn't tell if it was due to it being such an early hour or the poverty that permeated the city.
There were a few hurried people rushing to and fro though. Some leaned up against buildings as they waited for a mark to pass by. Arash was glad he had grabbed his blade before leaving and made sure it was well enough displayed to fend off any pickpockets.
They strode through the streets at a hurried pace and Arash looked up to see the steel ceiling that was illuminated by floating magic lights. Arash's knowledge of magic was limited but he knew this as a common spell that the village elders used during night rituals to keep any drunk villagers from hurting themselves.
They continued on for a while longer, passing by rundown buildings and dark alleyways until they reached the other side of the wall where the stairs were.
They began to ascend the stairs and with each level, he could see the difference in wealth between the citizens. After a long climb, they reached the 5th level.
As they entered there was a notable difference between it and the 2nd. The lights were brighter, there were more people, some with small familiars. they were all well clothed and washed.
The smell was much different as he could smell the food being cooked by street vendors that advertised to hungry passersby.
Zara tugged Arash, yet again, into the busy street. He still wasn't used to being around so many people and didn't think he would be at any point soon.
They bobbed and weaved through the small crowds that squeezed into the busy streets. The sandstone buildings were taller than those in the second level. They also had glass windows.
There was a very clear line between the poor and the commoners in this city. The idea of people living above others in both literal and physical terms made Arash's skin crawl.
They eventually came upon a small section of the 5th level that, rather than being made of sandstone, had its buildings constructed of wood and some strange paper.
"This is the Westland district." Zara said as they entered, "a while back the lands of the west had a huge war that left thousands as refugees and with a Lord that, despite his claims, was no different from the previous one. So the refugees went on a pilgrimage east and found themselves following this river. Rumors say there were originally 50,000 refugees that headed south. Only around 6,000 made it to the city, only 600 were permitted entrance."
Arash reeled at the drastic numbers, "why were so few admitted?"
Zara sighed in frustration at the royalty of the city, "those were the few that promised to remain silent about the water, and that was all the city could fit with its limited supplies. But those 600 that entered have been growing and this is where our rebellion we based."
Arash cocked his eyebrow in confusion, "why would they rebel? Didn't they already lose one home?"
"Because they know what their last mistake was with the last one." Zara said, "they all rallied behind one person so instead of trying to rework the system they just switched one piece of it for another. Now we are trying to replace this monarchy with something else."
"What else is there but a monarch or dictator?" Arash questioned as he avoided several people rushing by.
"Well, there's a republic." She replied.
"What's that?"
"It's where the people vote on either multiple people to represent them or they vote on the i-" Zara stopped.
Hetzen stirred inside Arash's subconscious and his own instincts were telling him something was wrong. Then he saw it.
A great Wall of flame was tearing its way through the Westside. The flames weren't natural either, it felt unnaturally hot.
It was a mana-fire.