Ezro was walking east from the Guild Tower towards the Eastern District of Augus. A part of the city that he hadn't visited yet. He was passing through a wider street with smaller buildings than he was used to in the more central region. Most of the places were closed at that time of night and the people walking on the streets were going back and forth between the two districts and just passing by.
This was the sign that his walk was over. It wasn't a good idea to move forward and explore another district for now. So he decided to turn around and start looking for an inn to spend the night near the docks.
Another day he would get to know the other parts of Augus at a more leisurely pace.
As he made this decision and turned west, something caught his attention. A cloud of smoke hovering over part of the city together with an orange light that took over the sky in the same direction.
Ezro knew very well what it was.
"I know, I know," he said to Sphyr who was watching him with a different look than usual. "It's a terrible idea, but if it's a fire, I need to go. You know."
Sphyr didn't respond. She just kept watching him with that knowing look. Ezro ignored her and quickly moved in the direction of the smoke.
After some time crossing streets with people alarmed by the fire signal, he finally reached an alley where a group of buildings was surrounded by a crowd. Flames were jumping from the windows of one of the buildings, which had four floors. Above it, a dense layer of smoke covered the sky, and the flames illuminated the last two floors. Fortunately, it had been built with stone and fire wasn't spreading to the other buildings around it. For now.
In addition to the alarmed people, a group of city guards was surrounding the area and preventing others from approaching the building. However, he noticed that something was happening outside too, so Ezro approached them to hear what was being said.
" ... they're coming to put out the fire. We just have to wait a little longer."
Said one of the guards as he pushed away a man and a woman who were screaming in desperation.
"Our daughter is in there! He was working late!" The woman screamed desperately. She kept looking around as if she were asking for help.
"Let me through!" The man yelled as he tried to make his way through the guards. "My daughter is upstairs!"
"No one will pass until the brigade arrives to control the flames," the guard placed himself in front of the father.
The man continued to insist and had to be restrained by three guards who joined forces to hold him.
"You can't do this to me," the mother fell to her knees in tears. "Liliana, my daughter, get out of there!"
She shouted in the direction of the building while Ezro watched everything. More people approached, and the confusion increased. The guards focused on that part while he moved away from them.
While the guards were occupied with the couple, Ezro put Sphyr in an alley nearby and took off his cloak.
"You know what to do," he whispered to her and then turned to the burning building.
The fire was stronger on the upper floors. Ezro watched the place carefully. Maybe he had a chance if he entered through the ground floor and didn't have to go up too much. The problem would be the smoke. So he removed the band that covered his right arm and placed it in front of his face while the design that covered his skin glowed with the light of the flames.
Ezro then jumped in the direction of the building.
The guards saw his move and shouted for him to stop, but he didn't obey and advanced to the door and kicked it. The hinges gave way, and it fell inside with a dull thud.
A gust of wind accompanied the movement and made the flames gain strength. Ezro felt the infernal heat brush against his skin as he entered the room. It was as he had imagined. For now, there was only heat, smoke and some flaming parts falling from above.
He didn't waste time and advanced through the environment, taken by barrels and boxes. That place should be a storage room.
"Is anyone there?" He shouted, and no answer came.
Ezro continued to search and call until he heard someone respond.
"Here! Cough, cough. Here!"
The voice came from above, from the second floor. He searched for the stairs and saw them near the wall. Smoke rose from them incessantly. It was only a matter of time before they turned into balls of fire. Ezro didn't hesitate and climbed anyway, even when some steps gave way under the pressure of his feet.
Upon reaching the second floor, he called out again, "Where are you?"
"Here! Cough, cough. Hurry."
The voice came from his right, down a hallway. He followed the direction and saw a young woman lying on the floor. A beam had fallen and trapped her leg.
Ezro approached and assessed the wooden beam that had fallen on the girl's ankle.
"I'll lift this beam and you pull your foot," he said.
"Yes, cough, cough. Hurry, please."
Her eyes were filled with tears from both fear and smoke.
Ezro wasted no time and placed his hands on the wood. He knew he couldn't hold back and used all his strength and the hidden power that flowed through his body. Even so, he felt his entire body shake from the burst of strength.
A roar escaped his lips and, with one swift movement, he lifted the beam enough for the young woman to remove her leg. She then crawled forward, and he fell back onto his back. Ezro was exhausted from the effort and power used.
But he didn't have time to lie there. He grimaced and forced himself to stand up, then looked at the young woman lying next to him.
Ezro extended his hand to her and asked,
"Can you walk?"
The girl was coughing non-stop and couldn't speak. She just shook her head. So he picked her up in his arms and headed towards the staircase.
But as soon as she realized what was happening, she hugged his neck and, with a panicked look on her face, she said,
"Not that way. No! That's a nitrate deposit!"
Ezro didn't know what nitrate was, but as he approached the steps, the upper part of the staircase collapsed in front of him, taking the flames down to the ground floor.
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM
The explosion echoed across Augus as the blast shook the city, and the flames reached the sky.