Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

Two weeks had come and gone since the end of the demon tide. Most of the critical repairs were done, and all emergencies had been addressed.

With the standard mourning period of eight days having reached completion, the Outpost's mood had turned festive. Cultivators and non-cultivators alike hung white lanterns and wrote prayers that would be burned at the temple on the first night of the lunar cycle.

The Wish Fire Festival—or Festivus, as it was often called—was a tradition that originated shortly after the fall of the ancient gods. It was a ceremony that celebrated Hope's pact with humanity and the successful reclamation of the twelve provincial capitals.

In the bigger cities, Festivus was a somewhat commercialized event. But in the outposts, where the demon tides were especially brutal, it was a solemn event that marked the end of carnage and a strong beginning to the upcoming winter.

"It's going to be a very rewarding Festivus, I'll tell you that much," said Stephan as he led their group down a busy street filled with temporary food stalls serving roast meat and other hot finger food. "Conservative estimates say there were three times more demons than usual. Far more than the previous record holder a hundred or so years back."

"Combined with the losses the outpost suffered, the Mages Guild projects a four-fold increase in rewards," said Daphne.

"Doesn't it all scale according to contribution anyway?" said Gareth.

"I sure hope it does," said Lawrence, rubbing his hands. "Because I am broke. That short sword I just bought was expensive."

"I told you to hold back from impulse purchases," scolded Stephan. "And I'm glad you could finally join us, Sorin. Your breakthrough took much longer than everyone else's."

"Actually, I finished my breakthrough over a week ago," said Sorin. "But a certain rat held me back. And after all that, he's still tiny."

Lorimer crawled out of his coat pocket and let out a few angry squeaks.

"Apparently, it's a genetic trait," translated Sorin. "I suppose that means I should apologize for the insensitive comment."

"I like his small size," said Lawrence. "It makes him extra sneaky. And with a bite like his…"

"Did he develop any additional abilities?" asked Stephan out of curiosity. "I heard it can be hit-and-miss with tamed demons."

"He gained one major ability," said Sorin. "Lorimer, activate your steel fur." The rat's fur turned silver as Lorimer channeled his two-star energy through his bones. "He becomes a lot tougher than normal. Not that he gets hit much, anyway. The only downside is that he can't activate this state at the same time as his stealth or flame states."

"Even a single gained ability is a huge win," said Stephan. "Coincidentally, his transformations somewhat mirror my own."

Sorin raised an eyebrow. "Did you gain a rat transformation?"

Stephan raised three fingers. "I gained three bear transformations, thank you very much. The first is an improved version of my Arctice Rune Bear transformation. As for the second and the third, they're called Pigmy Shadow Bear and Silver Spine Grizzley Bear."

"Why bears," said Lawrence. "There are much better animals out there."

"Because bear transformations are the best transformations," said Stephan. "I need no other reason, Lawrence. Don't even try to convince me."

They continued discussing their gains as they walked to the Temple of Hope, following the large crowd that poured out of the city and trampled the snow-covered fields separating them from the forest.

Lawrence's heroic ability could now see a hundred feet in all directions. He was now able to share his vision in continuous bursts instead of just still images. His movement skill, Three Step Shadow Stalk, had luckily evolved during his breakthrough to become Seven Step Shadow Stalk. Every step he took while hidden from an enemy drastically amplified the damage he dealt, up to a total of seven steps.

Daphne's abilities had grown the least among their group. This was because mages didn't rely much on skills and were very reliant on spells. Fireball was the only two-star spell that she knew. Her other one-star spells could only accommodate so much mana before their structures completely destabilized and became unusable.

"Oh, and my heroic ability improved," said Daphne. "I can now use the spatial effect one spell every thirty seconds now."

"That's a much lower cooldown than Haley's blink," said Stephan.

"That's because teleporting your body is a lot more difficult, a lot riskier, and much more useful," said Daphne. "If I could exchange my ability for hers, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Seems like I got lucky then," said Gareth. "Two of my skills evolved."

"Two?" Lawrence exclaimed. "Unfair."

"Skills are what he does, Lawrence," said Stephan. "Don't complain. What did you get out of curiosity?"

"Arrow Rain and Rushing Wind Steps," said Gareth. "The movement skill upgrade is welcome because this variant is actually good at dodging at point-blank range. It means I can be more aggressive in battle. As for Arrow Rain, it's replaced Triple Shot. I can shoot a shower of up to twenty degraded arrows at point-blank range in a spray pattern or up to a hundred if the distance is over 100 meters away. Oh, and my heroic ability now has a much bigger range. And I can issue verbal commands to you guys if you're within range."

"The heroic ability change is welcome, but the Arrow Rain evolution is questionable," said Stephan. "Isn't it a lot less accurate than Triple Shot? And less powerful to boot?"

"It is," admitted Gareth. "But I can always dial it back. Besides, Triple Shot was never that accurate to begin with. Overall, I count it as a win."

Finally, it was Sorin's turn to share. "Let's see… better poison manipulation abilities. It should work for spells now. Hm, Python Coil evolved as well. I can manifest a solid serpent, up to fifty feet long, to tangle up my enemies and deliver poison. Oh, I have armor-like scales now. That should help with the tight finances for a while. Speaking of which, my blood drinker armor seems to have evolved as well, probably due to my much more acidic blood. It also seems to be a lot less picky about the blood it drinks. Do you think it gained a vampiric ability? And what are you all looking at me strangely for?"

"Usually, changes aren't that drastic," said Stephan. "Ruby bones, I assume?"

"Bronze, actually," said Sorin. Stephan stumbled when he heard this.

"Seriously?" said Stephan. "Bronze bones right off the get-go? And here I thought getting ruby bones straight away was amazing."

"Um, what are you guys talking about?" asked Lawrence.

"Bone quality, you dimwit," said Gareth. "Do you remember what color your bones glowed during your breakthrough? Mine glowed sapphire."

"Oh," said Lawrence. "Saphire."

"Ruby here," said Daphne, raising her hand. "I don't suppose any of you could give us a primer on this whole bone business?"

Stephan looked to Sorin, who shrugged and shared what he knew. "Basically, Daphne and Stephan are about fifty percent stronger than either of you two," said Sorin to Gareth and Lawrence. "As for me, I'm about twice as strong. But don't worry; you're also twice as strong as the run-of-the-mill bone-forging cultivators you see everywhere. Bone grade makes a huge difference."

"Seriously? I'm the weakest?" said Lawrence. "No, wait, I'm tied with Gareth."

"But you've both got a long way to go," said Stephan. "And unfortunately, you don't come form major clans, so you don't have any ways to improve your bone quality, short of exchanging for rewards at the Hero Association."

"Don't worry about it," assured Sorin. "I've can everyone to bronze grade, assuming I'm given enough time."

"Of course, you have your family's unsealing tinctures and methods," said Stephan, massaging his brow. "Why would I expect anything else?"

"I still can't get us silver bones," said Sorin. "We'll have to unseal them the old-fashioned way: heroic empowerment."

"We are currently one-star heroes," confirmed Stephan. "The next step for our entire party is to become two-star heroes."

It took two hours of pushing and shoving through the dense crowd to reach the temple outside the city. The land was still torn up from the demon tide, and large gashes could be seen in the temple's stone walls. Still, it glowed with a light that the naked eye couldn't see. All those who gazed upon the temple would find their worries lessened. The right offering and the right wish could solve anything.

As was customary, the Governor participated in the ceremony alongside Bishop Harold. All the priests in the temple were present, and all bone-forging cultivators that had participated in the defense were standing not far away from the Governor.

Heroes came next. Sorin and his team members were assigned spots on the steps of the temple as opposed to the frozen ground outside. And at the center burned a bright bonfire of white wish fire that contained the cumulative wishes the outpost had earned during the demon tide.

Bishop Harold waved his hand and silenced the crowd before grabbing a torch and collecting white fire from the center.

"In the darkest of days, when the gods were no more, and the Seven Evils preyed upon humanity, a hero rose to defend humanity and contribute in the greatest of ways: the bargain. He slaughtered a herald belonging to each of the Seven lesser Evils and delivered them to a small cave, where Lord Hope had been chained by his cunning brethren."

The bishop nodded to the Governor, who walked up to seven blood-stained altars where sedated demons had been chained. The Governor decapitated each one with a stroke of his sword, spilling corrupted black blood upon the temple's gray stones.

"Desperate and unable to find a way for his people, the hero begged Lord Hope for assistance. 'We are sorry people,' said the hero. Our lands have fallen, and our most potent bloodlines are running dry.

"'We have naught to offer you but our despair, Trickster. That, and our pitiful and bloodied limbs with which to accomplish the many tasks a chained Evil might wish to accomplish.

"To which the evil said. 'You think me powerless due to my bindings? You think me weak to my supposed imprisonment? I was not defeated by my seven siblings, Wretched Hero; I simply grew bored of their meaningless games.'

"'Then all the better that I've come here!' said the hero. 'For what better way to appease your boredom? We are but dregs of a lost empire, descendants of those not strong enough to fall in battle. Defeating your siblings is a tedious and pointless endeavor; wouldn't gambling on the future of humanity be much more fulfilling?'

"His words struck a chord with Lord Hope, who had indeed been looking for a new hobby. Unfortunately, saving humanity was a trivial task, one that Lord Hope could accomplish with a flick of his great paw.

"'Speak no more of this, human,' said Lord Hope to the hero. 'I care not one whit for exiles and lost ones. You once burned as bright candles, beautiful in the night sky. Yet now, only faint sparks remain. Pretty as they are, they are nothing compared to the stars of the vast cosmos.'

"The hero was desperate, however, and could not return empty-handed. He, therefore, put his sword to his own throat and spilled blood to mingle with those of the demons he'd slaughtered. 'Please. Lord Hope. I offer my pitiful life. All that I ask in return is for a small favor. A boon. A wish.

"'I ask that you let us worship you in all your splendor. I ask that each and every one of us be given the opportunity to spark your interest. If we as people cannot attract your attention, then surely, a few of the countless individuals born of our weak flesh might prove entertaining to nurture.

"'You need not answer this lowly hero. My mind is made up. I would rather die than return empty-handed, so I might as well perish with these seven heralds that I painstakingly slew.

"'Should you deign to grant this one his wish, I only ask that you send your fire upon the people that they might see its splendor and find answers in the boundless night.'"

The Governor, the bishop's assistant, drew his dagger and dragged it across his throat, drawing a thin rivulet of blood that trickled down his clothes and onto the stone altar. His red blood mingled with the black demon blood, forming the final offering to Hope, which the bishop set afire using the white flame torch.

"Thanks to the wretched hero's sacrifice, Hope saw the wisdom of his words and accepted his offering. He sent his white fire into the land and blessed priests to erect temples in his name throughout Pandora.

"And now, we of the Bloodwood Outpost celebrate the wretched hero's offering by delivering this offering of demons of Violence, freshly killed and purified with white fire.

"We ask Lord Hope for Guidance.

"We ask Lord Hope for Good Fortune.

"We ask Lord Hope to fulfill our wishes."

"We ask Lord Hope for Guidance," echoed Sorin, his companions, and every soul in attendance. "We ask Lord Hope for Good Fortune. We ask Lord Hope to fulfill our wishes."

"The offering has been made," said Bishop Harold. "Our wishes have been sent. May the blessings of Lord Hope descend upon this outpost."

At the bishop's urging, the bonfire of white wish fire containing the accumulated essence of demon cores and demon corpses cremated in battle shot into the night sky.

Fire rained down from the heavens, washing away the last of the demon tide's filth and corruption.