Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

The ever-expanding Nightmare Forest made for high-risk travel and uncertain travel times, which was why merchants and those in a hurry favored the heavily patrolled Olympian Wheel Road.

While Sorin had already decided to cut their journey short, he did not wish to alert his competitors ahead of time. To hide their tracks, their group spent the next month speeding through the wilderness, only stopping to slay worthwhile opponents and collect expensive loot.

"Are those walls I'm seeing up ahead, or am I dreaming?" said Lawrence as their group left the forest and found themselves on a rocky incline.

Olympia's impressive walls and lightning-filled clouds overhead could not be imitated. "The walls are real, and so is the city," Sorin confirmed. So don't worry. Any cake you see will be real."

"That's good because my teeth still hurt from the last time I bit into a rock," Lawrence said.

"It's your own fault for being such a glutton, Lawrence," said Astley. "I mean, who tries to eat a cake that appears out of nowhere? And aren't you supposed to be able to see through all illusions?"

"I can see through most illusions," corrected Lawrence. "And it gets harder when the illusion is something I really want to see."

"You should have packed more cake," said Gareth

"Yes, I should definitely have packed more cake just in case Mildred got hit by a plague or something. Really, it's my fault for not seeing it coming and, therefore, my fault that Lorimer is practically skin and bones and Fenrig is on his last legs."

"You are disparaging me, and I won't stand for it," said Fenrig. "Moreover, it is your fault for feeding me so much cake to begin with. Life just isn't the same without cake anymore."

"Right?" said Lawrence. "You get it. At least someone gets it."

"Ree!" said Lorimer to add that he got it too.

"I think we've beaten the topic to death," interrupted Gareth. "Now that we've arrived at our destination, we need to make a decision on how to proceed. What's your plan, Sorin?"

"Time is money," said Sorin. "And first impressions are important. It would be a waste to arrive unexpectedly and not make a big splash, don't you think?"

"And how exactly are we meant to make a big splash?" asked Gareth. "Out of all of us, you're the only one who's been to Olympia before."

"There's one thing we can do that comes to mind," answered Sorin. "Assuming, of course, that attention isn't something you are all averse to."

Olympia was the largest human-inhabited city on Pandora and had a population that was over ten times larger than Delphi's. The traffic in and out of the city was so great that inspections as people came in and out were impossible. Fortunately, the Pandoran Government had seen this problem coming and had implemented a defensive measure called the Lighting Gate when the city was first built.

The lightning gate was a crackling dome that tied into the city's powerful outer walls. Both the walls and the lightning gate were powered by dark, lightning-filled clouds that hid the broken peak of Mount Olympus.

The Lightning Gate served multiple purposes. For starters, it was extremely sensitive towards corruption; agents of corruption who tried to enter the city in disguise were very likely to be struck down.

The gate was also sensitive to commercial and non-commercial goods and could identify individuals trying to enter the city with restricted substances. It wouldn't outright kill these people but would isolate and detain them for further inspection. As for those bearing commercial goods, it would use karmic inference to calculate an appropriate tax bill. There was no arguing against said tax bill, and any who refused to pay would be hunted down with extreme prejudice.

Sorin was more than a little worried about crossing the Lightning Gate but took comfort in the fact that Lord Hope's fox-head amulet had yet to fail him. Even demigods couldn't see through his Tarnished God Seed status, and it was unlikely that an automated device would do any better.

Still, it was good to be cautious. "You guys head in first," Sorin said as their group arrived at the gate reserved for Flesh-Sanctification cultivators. "There are a few poisons in my possession that might catch the gate's attention."

Gareth naturally understood Sorin's concerns and flew through the Lighting Gate first. He paused when a bolt of lightning entered his body and inspected it. After confirming nothing was amiss, the lightning traveled to Sorin's outstretched hand and produced a sheet of golden paper. "You weren't kidding when you said the Lightning Gate's tax calculations were accurate. But 25 percent… isn't that a bit much?"

"You know what they say," said Astley, who flew through next. "There are two certainties in life, Death and Taxes." The lighting scanned her but did not produce a tax bill. "Fortunately, historical artifacts are tax-exempt. You all thought I was losing out, but actually, the deal was just a fair one."

Fenrig and Lawrence flew through in quick succession. Since Gareth held onto the loot, neither of them received a tax bill.

Sorin and Lorimer passed through next. To Sorin's surprise, their bodies began emanating a golden glow as the lighting approached them. The lightning, seeming almost overjoyed at their arrival, did not infiltrate either of their bodies but inspected them from the outside. Maybe it won't tax me since it seems to like me?

Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed when a hefty tax bill was issued on the alchemical ingredients and demon cores he'd collected. Even the fox head medallion, which seemed to be covering up his identity now, did not protect him from this function.

At least we're still alive and didn't get destroyed by the gate. He was about to step forward when several more bolts of lightning fell from the sky and solidified around Lorimer's neck in the form of a collar. At the same time, another sheet of golden paper appeared in Sorin's hands.

Olympian Law F37 Section C – All familiars and tamed companions of demonic origin shall be bound during their stay in the city.

Olympian Law F37 Section E— Humans bound to familiars and tamed companions of demonic origin, herein known as 'the contractor,' shall be responsible for any damages caused by their familiars and shall be liable for any laws broken by said companions.

Olympian Law F37 Section G— It is prohibited for familiars and tamed companions of demonic origin to slay a human, even in cases where said slaying would be legally justified for their contractor (examples include self-defense and legal death matches). Should such an event occur, and the familiar or tamed companion of demonic origin is judged by the Lightning Shield as being the proximate cause of death, the familiar shall be executed via detonation of their binding collar. All subsequent legal and financial consequences shall be borne by their contractor as per F37 Section E.

"Ree?!" said Lorimer, uncertain of what was going on. He tried clawing at his collar but stopped when the collar gave him a jolt.

"I know you and I haven't been seeing eye to eye lately, but from now on, I need to keep you on a tight leash," Sorin said to Lorimer. "No matter how hungry you are or how much someone offends you, you can't kill them. Otherwise, the collar goes boom."

Lorimer expressed his indignance and once again tried to claw off the collar but stopped after a few seconds when he realized that attempting to pry off a collar that could execute him might not be the wisest of choices.

"Everything alright?" asked Gareth as Sorin picked up the sulking rat and exited the Lightning Gate.

"Just a tax bill and a collar for Lorimer to stop him from committing murder," said Sorin. "Now that everything's sorted, are you all certain you want to go through with this?"

"I mean, I've heard that Olympia is a competitive place," said Fenrig. "It wouldn't be bad to secure a reputation early on."

"I agree," said Gareth. "Getting recognition early on will be especially beneficial to Lawrence and I, who don't have big clans to rely on."

"Aren't you some hotshot Nighthawk?" said Lawrence. "Can't you just go looking around for bounties?"

"Things work a little differently around here, or so I've been told," said Gareth drily. "Only famous Nighthawks are allowed to hunt for high-level agents. They say it's for safety, but in reality, it's just a power grab."

"Since we've all agreed, let's get this party started," said Sorin. They proceeded to fly up the main street towards the gate located at the base of the mountain and pretended not to notice that over a dozen individuals in non-descript clothes were following them.

Each of these individuals had one thing in common: they bore high-level communication jades that money alone couldn't buy.

Sorin's arrival had been noted. Just as predicted.