"In the name of our mighty God-King,

Who hath graced this world with his presence,

May his will be done, his vision be the future,

May all be content with their lot in life,

As they all worked to realize his visions,

The ungrateful shall be chastised, the unbelieving be purged,

Yet the God-King shall claim and purify their sinful souls,

So that they may start life anew in his everlasting mercy." - Seventhday prayer in the Holy Kingdom of Theodinaz.

The sewers beneath Zefirous was a path well traveled to say the least, as the unsavory criminal elements of the city often made use of them to travel unseen. The revolting stench was a small price to pay for the unhindered passage.

Zefirous itself was a city segregated strictly by social class and wealth. In the center of the city were grand buildings and idyllic parks, mansions belonging to the various minor landed nobles and the richest businessmen, as well as the churches of the God-King.

The Count's own citadel was built in the very center of the noble district, and those who wished to visit his opulent mansion were forced to pass through the strictly guarded gates. As a concession to the God-King, the largest of the city's nine churches, a grand cathedral, was also built within the citadel's walls. That cathedral was exclusively for the use of inhabitants of the noble districts, while the other eight on the outskirts of the district served the rest of the city.

Like spokes radiating from the hub of a wheel, the eight main roads of the city and the region surrounding it were the merchant's district, where many merchants opened shops, based their businesses, or peddled their wares.

Naturally, many establishments like taverns, inns, eateries, and brothels targeting these merchants were also opened in these areas. The highest class of these establishments even boasted of having inhabitants from the noble district as their patrons.

The regions surrounding the roads had more such establishments, aimed towards poorer clientele, and housing for the city's middle class. They were working men and women who made enough to afford a comfortable, if not opulent life.

Between these spokes, were the slums, where the poor and the criminal eked out a living for themselves. These areas easily accounted for nearly three quarters of the city's inhabitants. The riches of the city were often built upon their downtrodden backs.

For many that lived in these areas, food for the next day was their main concern. It was not an uncommon sight to see poor children begging in the outskirts of the merchant's district, or to rummage through the trash there in search of edibles.

Most visitors to the city never saw these people. They were forbidden to traverse deeper into the merchant's district, much less the noble district, on the pain of death. People caught breaking those rules were usually summarily executed on the spot by guards.

It was no real surprise that many of the poor turned to crime, and that the criminal organization in control of the city's underworld thrived.

After some twists and turns in the sewers, Elfriede came out through an open grate by the roadside in the quiet, sparsely populated southwest region of the town. From there to Varsha's old hangout on the eastern side was quite a long trek, through many areas forbidden for people of the slums.

Of course, Elfriede knew the best routes over the rooftops, that also left her hidden out of sight - not that it mattered much, since the local guards never looked up - along the way. The putrid stench in the slums - not much better than the sewers, really - soon gave way to the cleaner air in the merchant district as she ran and leapt across rooftops.

The hardest part was honestly crossing the main roads, which was quite a gap. Fortunately the nightly patrol had grown lax and undermanned - many of them likely conscripted to defend the walls - and some large trees with sturdy branches allowed Elfriede to cross unnoticed.

From the southwestern section she crossed into the southern section, then from there she crossed further to the southeastern one. From there, Elfriede was in her home ground. Varsha's territory before she ruled the entire underworld was in the east and southeast of the city.

Elfriede noticed the difference right away. These areas were far more lively even late at night compared to the areas she crossed. The slums here even smelled better, still mostly of cheap ale and piss, but not as bad as the previous regions.

Walking over the mostly unchanged rooftops, Elfriede quickly crossed the southeastern section, and moved to the eastern one where their old hangout was located. Her memory was plenty to guide her through the darkness as she moved unseen and unheard by those below.

Before an hour had passed since she left the sewers, Elfriede was standing on the rooftop of some old multi-story housing just across from the largest tavern in the area. The tavern was where she lived under Varsha's care after she took over the east, and she knew the place all too well.

After she made sure with her magical senses that there was no traffic passing through the street, Elfriede took a running start, her steps silent even as she ran, and leapt across the road, landing with barely any noise on the roof of the tavern. The guards by the entrance below heard the noise, but had dismissed it as probably just another cat on the roof.

Elfriede carefully, silently pried open the fourth shutter from the right at the top of the sloping roof, and slid into the opening, landing on the floor below with barely any noise.

Even so, in the time between when she pried the shutter open and entered, the room's occupant had awakened, turned the lantern on, and drew a dagger from beneath her pillow as she stared at the descending figure without fear.

Rather than risk a misunderstanding, Elfriede immediately lowered her cowl, at which point she felt the old woman's eyes grow wider as she stared even more. With her hands out in the open and in plain sight, Elfriede finally greeted her aging grandmother.

"Good to see that you haven't lost your edge after all these years… Varsha."