The First Legendary Beast Master

As they walked down the boardwalk, Karl analyzed the changes in Dana's aura.

As a Mage, it was easier to guess her power level than anyone else just by touch, and there was a noticeable change from this morning.

The trip to the dungeon had done them all a lot of good, and if that sort of progress kept up, it might only be a few weeks or a month of regular visits for her to level up.

Their trip down the boardwalk brought them to a small restaurant operated by Gnolls, a form of beastkin that looked like hyenas, and tended to bark at each other to accentuate their shouted orders.

This one was closer to the docks, and seemed more popular with sailors than locals.

But the smell of fried seafood had drawn Lotus in, and even if the wine was cheap, the food was excellent.

Likely, they should have ordered a bottle of rum, as it was likely to be drinkable. At the other tables, the smell of the Ale was somewhere between stagnant seawater and pickle juice. The wine had seemed like a better option at the time.

They had a whole platter of fried food and a bowl of peeled prawns on the table, along with the bowl of spicy mixed pretzels and nuts that was on every table.

Maybe they were the secret to making that ale drinkable?

As they were deciding whether to switch to Rum or go looking for better beverages, a whole ship full of sailors stumbled through the door, still getting their land legs and cracking jokes with pouches of coin in their hands.

"Drink up lads, we've got two days, and then we're out again before the Kopji fleet gets here." One of the men shouted to his fellows.

Karl turned to one of the sailors. "There's a Kopji fleet coming?"

The sailor picked up someone else's drink and drained it.

"Better believe it. After the beating that the Ghol Regiment put on their Sharakzah Port, they're out for blood. Had it coming to them, they did. What sort of fools try to blockade a Demon Fleet in port for ransom? But that doesn't matter one way or another if they show up here." The sailor replied.

Karl threw a silver coin to the waitress and motioned to the man and his friends.

She brought them a whole tray full of Rum bottles, and the Sailors raised a toast to Karl.

One of the other sailors in the restaurant laughed. "It's just a Kopji Fleet. The lizards will put on a good show out in the bay, then go away after they have proven to whoever hired them that they made some effort to attack the city.

They're both the best and worst mercenaries in the world. Great fighters, but the laziest bunch of louts you'll ever meet."

One of the men in the back spat on the floor and gave a bitter laugh. "Perhaps they'll do us a favour and burn down the slums in the Black Shade. The captain put us at the north dock, and I can smell their filth from the mast watch."

The man beside him gave him a disgusted look. "And where do you think we'd get deck hands from if it wasn't for the Black Shade? Half the bloody crew comes from the slums."

The sailor shrugged, clearly drunk and not noticing the other man's anger. "At least get them from the sprawl. Closer to the river, they will at least know about bathing."

The waitress laughed. "Didn't you get the undead rot from the ladies of the Sprawl last time you were in?"

The drunken sailor threw his mug at her.

The other sailors burst into laughter, and started to tease him about his poor judgment.
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"Come now, you've got to tell us. How did you not notice it was a zombie? Or did you go for a plague demon?"

Karl was worried that there was going to be a fight, but the sailor at the next table shook his head when Karl tensed.

"Don't worry. Even drunk, he knows that he won't be let back in next trip if he starts a fight inside. They're just having a bit of fun with him. Most of these lads are from the worst slums of their hometowns. Wouldn't have ended up as deck hands on a trade vessel if they had any other choices at all."

Sure enough, the drunk staggered outside, swearing at everyone and everything, including the sun in the sky.

Lotus looked over at the sailor, then poked him in the side when she realized he was still looking at Karl over her head.

"How bad is it on the other side of the river? Redwood Sprawl, they called it, right? Then the Black Shade?"

The sailor gave her a sad look. "The Sprawl isn't too bad, all things considered. It's just the poor side of town. You know how that goes, even cheaper taverns, brothels that the Succubi won't accredit, and countless crowded apartments.

The Shade, outside the north wall, is one of the worst sorts of slums anywhere in the Dragon Isles. You see, the west side of the river is on a hill, and they seal the wall when the river floods to keep the city dry. So the Shade is always a swampy mass of clapboard shacks that survives mostly by day labour and scrounging the scraps that fall from the docks."

That question felt a lot like a mission question from her Goddess, Karl thought. The determined look on the Green Dragon Cleric's usually carefree face said the same.

Lotus looked up at Karl. "I think we should take a trip there this afternoon. Maybe not all of us, but me and you for sure."

Ophelia smiled. "How about the three of us head to the Inn after a bit of shopping? We will meet you there later."

Bringing four young women to the slums was practically begging for trouble. But bringing one Nature Cleric with a strong bodyguard shouldn't make anyone feel too brave.

The Sailor seemed to understand what Lotus was planning, and he patted her gently on the shoulder. "I recommend that you go back toward the ocean, then take Daggerwind Bridge across the river. That road leads straight to the only gate into the Shade.

You don't want to get lost in the maze of the sprawl. It wasn't planned when it was built, so there are many dead ends, and no guarantee that even the guard patrols are safe from ambush if they've angered someone."