The First Legendary Beast Master

The group split, with Rae following the ladies, on the off chance that someone would attack them, and she would get to play within the city. She had been carefully observing, and as far as she could tell, the aggressor was always in the wrong.

It was never some misguided soul playing hero. At least, not here.

Karl led Lotus across the bridge, and found that the front row of buildings was actually well maintained, but immediately behind it were crude earth magic built apartments with poorly fitted wooden doors and bars over windows with no glass in them.

There were people everywhere, crowded into the available space. Multiple children lounged on nearly every balcony, which made Karl wonder if this was an off day, or whether there was no mandatory schooling here.

But they were staying on the main street, which was busy, but moving smoothly.

The crowd gave them a fairly wide berth. Or, they gave Karl a fairly wide berth, while many people shouted out attempts to lure Lotus off into alleys or particularly dilapidated apartments.

Lotus rolled her eyes and sighed at Karl. "You know, I think that they don't understand about Nature Clerics. We're not just the greatest appreciators of fluffy things and cake. We also understand the dark side of human nature.

Do they really think that I would follow them alone into a basement to 'help their friend'? Morons."

Karl chuckled. "You know, cake is also a fluffy thing."

Lotus laughed, the musical tone drawing the attention of everyone nearby. All of the adults eyes here looked either exhausted from long hours at work or malicious.

They might normally prey on locals to a smaller extent, but a pair of moderately powerful obvious outsiders was a payday in the making for the local criminals.

Then they stepped across a line of red paint on the street, and the whole vibe of the Sprawl changed.

The streets were still full of the same exhausted workers, but the ones in the shadows were less slender and sinister, and more muscular. Plus, they were better dressed.

Not well-dressed, but Karl saw an Orc in a cheap suit guarding the door to a brothel, and a three-metre tall winged demon in a partially buttoned silk shirt at the door to what sounded like a casino.

They must have moved between the territories of two gangs, and Karl could already see the outer wall from where he was standing.

The whole sprawl was only maybe five hundred metres long, merely a short walk in the Golden Dragon Capital, but with the people packed so tightly, he guessed that close to a third of the city's two hundred thousand official residents were crammed in here.

They got to the gate to the Black Shade, which was open, but guarded by a pair of Royal Rank Orcs in full armour. Given that this whole area was Awakened and Ascended Rank, that was an impressive show of force.

Karl nodded to the guards. "The Priestess' deity calls her to the Shade for the good of the people."

The Orc frowned at Karl.

"It's a silver piece each to come back in." He insisted.

Karl nodded. "We will see you soon."

Lotus led the way into the slums, and wrinkled her nose at the smell of rot and filth.

Then she pointed at an open spot where an old stone building had crumbled, and whatever was built there afterwards had burned, leaving only some charcoal and ash on the pile of stone in a roughly square pattern.

Lotus walked carefully, keeping her feet dry. Eternal Lightning would protect them, but it was a force of habit for the Priestesses, who spent much of their time in the woods.

"Can you get people for me?" She asked.

Karl nodded. In this form, he could roar, and his voice would carry quite a distance through the slums, which were built in rows around the standing water.

Karl raised his voice. "Royal High Priestess Lotus, Servant of the Green Dragon God, has arrived to provide free healing. Those with the ability, bring those in need to the shade of her branches for treatment."

The deep feline voice rumbled through the slums, and Karl saw a few heads poke out through the door into the city.

It might cost them a couple of silvers for the trip, but even in the sprawl, there were those in need of healers. The city likely had free clinics, but even in the Golden Dragon Nation's Capital they were always packed, and the truly ill couldn't wait in line for hours to get treatment.

Here, it was certainly worse, as he had still yet to see a cleric that was not part of his group, and even the Shamans were uncommon.

Lotus transformed into the Tree of Life, and a rich green glow began to emanate from her trunk, mingling with the golden dust of her healing spell.

Quickly, the slum residents began to run, walk or stumble over, pox marks and various small injuries visibly fading from their bodies under the effect of a Royal Rank Epic Healing spell.

From one of the hovels, an old demon woman was carried out on a litter by two younger lizardfolk women who hadn't bothered to even put on clothes to cover their scaled bodies, as they were so covered in filth.

As they approached, the demon on the litter became visibly younger. The wrinkles on her face faded, and vitality returned to her body. She was still filthy and exhausted, but no longer dying of whatever curse or disease had been afflicting her.
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{Put out a large cloth.} Lotus insisted in a message to Karl.

Karl used a large piece of Ascended Rank silk, one of Rae's oldest blankets, as the ground cloth. It was immediately covered by a mountain of dry rice and beans, which Karl motioned to.

"The gift of sustenance from the Dragon Gods. Take enough for your family." He told the desperate crowd.

Many fell to their knees, bowing down to worship the Tree of Life and the Nature Goddess.

In return, Lotus shook her branches, sending a shower of golden dust down over them, and making the illusionary birds circle in the air.

From the city gates, a massively injured and dying Orc stumbled out. He held a bandage around himself to hold his insides in, and he was visibly bleeding from every limb, with only one eye remaining.

The guards didn't stop him, but they did sneer at the stumbling man, who was struggling to cross the ground to Lotus.

Karl was about to move, but Lotus stopped him. {Don't. If the Goddess wills it, he will make it to me. If she doesn't, he will die on the way.}

That was surprisingly brutal for the softhearted Cleric, but the Orc's soul was nearly as black as Karl's aura when viewed through Soul Sight.

It might be a chance at redemption if he could make it under his own power. Karl knew it was better not to question the will of the Gods. The questions without answers would just make his head hurt.

The Orc collapsed with a smile as he reached the golden dust, and one of the blue illusionary birds dove into his body, giving him a burst of extra healing.

The Orc lay there on the ground for a few more minutes, absorbing the healing, while the locals walked around his body.

Then, he pulled a small bag from his inventory and crawled over to fill it with rice and beans.

But when he got to his feet, he didn't turn back to the city, he simply walked away, north out of the slums.

That was the Orcish way. He would accept food and healing, but he wouldn't go back to the city and beg for charity, even if they would let him back in. He would go find his own way to rebuild his life.