The city was built on twelve levels, each built into the mountain itself. The highest floor was the smallest and each beneath almost doubled in size. Enormous walls of gray color protected the elevations. In fact the whole city was gray and it blended with the mountains quite nicely. At the bottom levels one would find houses, markets and manufacturers. The middle ones were occupied with temples, theaters, spas and sport arenas. And the highest with barracks, eagle’s nests, the senate building and the consul’s palace. A single, but quite large aqueduct supplied the city with fresh water.

But that was only half of the city. The rest was inside the mountain: large caverns, long passageways, halls, chambers and air shafts. Almost one third of the population resided inside the mountains.

We landed on the highest level, where the consul and a few emissaries were already waiting. On their left side was an infantry unit, standing still like statues. On their right was a choir of young women, dressed in light, see-through white gowns. They must have been very cold! With stiffness and awkwardness we dismounted the eagles. The women started singing a song of Megalopolis’s glory, while Megalopolis’s flag, a black eagle on a yellow background, danced with the wind.

The consul, a middle-aged woman, approached us with a grin stretched across her face. She was of short stature. Her eyes were blue, a feature very common in Dwarves. Her nose was crooked, her lips big. Her hair was long, black, wild and curly. She wore a very plain, white, thick tunic and ugly brown pants. She moved with grace, despite the cold wind. Her emissaries walked close behind her, as if they were creepy shadow creatures, eager to strike her down.

“I hope you had a pleasant flight!” she laughed with joy.

“We most certainly did,” Tiberius answered with a grin on his face.

“I’m Lyra Alania, consul of the Megalopolis Republic.” She bowed her head.

“I am Tiberius Decimus, Lord of Vetulonia. This is Julia Janos, our Vicelord and these are pledges of the Cohort. One day you’ll be dealing with them,” Tiberius smirked and winked at the consul. She gave us a glance or two, smiled and continued with the pleasantries. She introduced her emissaries. After that we all went inside the consul’s palace which was right next to the mountain. She showed us around, while the emissaries, one by one, excused themselves and went about their business.

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The palace was a wondrous building! The interior was decorated with countless fountains. Colossal statues of grim-looking consuls of the past lurked at us from every corner. What stroke me the most was how tall the ceilings were. Mosaic walls depicting the history of their republic were quite impressive as well. She then led us away from the outside layer of the building, into a wide dark hallway lit with torches. We progressed deeper until the hallway became more rigid and natural looking.

“We’re now under the mountain,” she said almost whispering. The hallway split into three and we took the left passage. The hallway then expanded, becoming broader and taller. On our left ten door appeared. She stepped in front of the first door and opened it.

“These will be your accommodations. All rooms look alike. I hope you’ll find them comfortable.”

I looked around and was happy by what I saw. There were no sharp corners and it didn’t appear to me as a man-made cavity. It was lit with torches and the flames that came from a small fireplace.

“Is there a danger of suffocation?” Julia asked with grim face.

“Not at all. You see those,” consul pointed to the holes in the ceiling and walls, “Air shafts. So nothing to worry about,” she reassured us. Faint voices came traveling through the shafts, coming from gods know where. A fair system, but it somewhat reduced the level of one’s privacy.

The hardness of the cave floor was countered by a thick, colorful carpet, made of fabric I did not recognize. The bed seemed luxurious and pompously large. Next to the bed was a desk with a chair and next to the desk was a large chest.

“In the chest you’ll find fresh clothes, paper, ink, hygiene items – everything you need. If the clothes are ill-fitted or if you need anything, anything at all, let the guard down the hall know. Oh, and the last door in the hallway leads to the hygiene facilities where you can freshen up.”

“Thank you, consul,” said Tiberius, nodding with his head.

The consul left and we each chose our room. The tiredness of the flight pushed me towards the enormous bed. I slept until I was awakened by loud knocking.