Pandora Unchained - a Cultivation Progression Fantasy

Astley mumbled an incantation under her breath as she placed Sorin's divine crystal onto the portable yet fully functional altar to Lord Hope. White flames consumed the crystal and pulsed in affirmation.

"The offer has been accepted, but be warned that while a Time Shadow is accurate, it might not show you all the details," Astley explained. "In general, the greater the offering, the more detailed the time shadow. Given my strength and the potency of your offering, it should be possible for us to perceive most entities at Flesh-Sanctification or below."

A shadow spread out from the altar and override itself with their surroundings. Gold-plated ants came to life after adventurers slew them and patrolled the dungeon dutifully until it was time to return to the hive for their hatching.

It was strange watching time flow backward, watching the slaughter that occurred in the dungeon every few weeks every time it recharged was even stranger.

Eventually, the cycle slowed to reveal a corpse-riddled battlefield. Five human corpses were at the center, and thousands of demon corpses were around them.

"This doesn't make sense," said Sorin as he saw a group of Kepler Clansmen inspect the corpse. They disappeared, and a short while later, a blurry figure appeared and inspected their corpses as well. Unlike the group from the Kepler Clan, it wasn't possible to tell anything from the shadow other than the fact that it was too powerful for the Time Shadow to project.

"What doesn't make sense?" asked Astley. "Didn't you tell us that the Grand Elder personally investigated the death of your parents? That he was the one who found your parents before the advance team did? The blurry figure is how one might expect a demigod to appear in a weaker time shadow."

"It's not that part that confuses me," said Sorin. "I mean, look at this battlefield. What do you see?"

It was Stephan who answered. "Demons. Demons that don't belong."

"Now that you mention it, it certainly is odd to see fur in this dungeon," Daphne remarked. "Maybe you can search further back?"

"Unfortunately, the appearance of a demigod seems to have consumed the entire offering," said Astley apologetically. She motioned over to the altar. "That said, nothing is impossible as long as a sufficient price is paid."

"Fine," said Sorin, flicking his second crystal. The image continued to flow backward in time and slowed down to reveal two fighting figures. Sorin's mother and father were powerful mages, though Sorin was somewhat happy to see that his father also used melee weapons in battle like he did.

The battle was long, lasting a good hour before their three dead companions rose and the familiar scene of betrayal played out. "There," said Sorin, pointing at a swordsman. He just shattered a vial," he said. Before this point in time, there were no demons in the vicinity."

"That looks like a beast-luring potion," Gareth commented. "That said, it's a little odd for him to use a beast-luring potion when there are so many demons nearby."

"Maybe he wasn't aware of the horde?" suggested Daphne.

"If so, that's awfully coincidental," said Sorin. "Keep going, Astley." The Myth Binder coughed lightly in her sleeve. " Really? Is there a way for you to send a message with the offering and tell Lord Hope he's being a miser?"

"I wouldn't suggest it," said Astley. "Lord Hope is nothing if not vindictive."

Frustrated at what was effectively remote extortion, Sorin flicked another divine crystal onto the altar. Time continued flowing backward until a figure flickered across the screen. "Stop," said Sorin. "Who's that, and what's he doing? Focus on him. Go forward in time." The time shadow expanded to reveal a lone cultivator exploring the dungeon on his own.

The man had a strange ability that allowed him to bypass any creature he encountered. Despite his close proximity to the ants in the cave, he was invisible to them.

"What's he doing?" muttered Gareth. "Why is he ignoring all the ants and exploring the blank spots in the dungeon?"

"Blind spots?" asked Sorin.

"There are some spots in dungeons that never spawn demons," said Gareth. "That's where he's standing right now. Wait, is that a beast bag?" Dozens of demons emerged in the center of a formation. They struggled to escape but failed due to the grade of the formation.

This happened several more times, making it obvious what had transpired. "He seeded the dungeon and set up the situation. I'd bet money that those formations are timed or remotely activated."

"It's too bad we can't see who it is," said Astley. "Not that it's going to matter."

"What do you mean it won't matter?" said Sorin. "This man is clearly a huge contributor to the murder of my parents!"

"Maybe if you'd spend a bit more time watching what's going on instead of speculating, you'd see what I mean," said Astley.

Sorin turned to the man's time shadow and saw that Astley was correct. The man had been successful thus far in bringing out high-level beasts and trapping them in formations. In fact, he'd completed the process over fifty times.

Releasing beasts into a formation was a tricky procedure. The slightest mistake could destabilize the formation, which was exactly what had happened.

"That wasn't just a fumble," said Gareth.

"I agree," said Stephan. "I think that formation had a flaw. Either that or it was disabled remotely."

"What makes you say that?" asked Sorin.

"Formations don't just fizzle out like that," said Daphne. "There are usually indications that one will fail. In this case, there weren't any."

Astley rewound the time shadow and replayed the scene. The mysterious figure seemed just as surprised as they were and didn't react until the demons he'd released were upon him.

"It's too bad the time shadow wouldn't show us any details about his attire or affiliation."

"If you want to make another donation, then by all means," said Astley, holding out her hand.

Unfortunately, Sorin was fresh out of divine crystals. A few of the ants they'd killed so far had contained crystal fragments, but they were far from enough to make a whole crystal. "Maybe we can find his remains?" he suggested. "I think he died in that spot over there."

"Hey guys, I found something!" shouted Lawrence. "There's a partial skeleton down there and some decent gear. And is that a beast bag?"

Sorin and the rest rushed over to find Lawrence digging with his bare hands. As a Flesh-Sanctification cultivator, his body was naturally powerful, and he was able to dig several feet in a matter of seconds.

"I should really take up treasure hunting as a profession," said Lawrence, dusting off what appeared to be a femur and a rib bone. "This guy got chewed up pretty good, and there's not much left of his robes. It was definitely a beast that did it."

"How can you tell?" asked Astley. "Couldn't he have been killed and eaten later?"

"Naw," said Lawrence. "If it was a person that killed him, they probably wouldn't leave behind that beast bag or his other bag of holding. Oooh, that's a lot of gold." Lawrence pulled out several cards worth ten thousand cold apiece. "And what's this? An identity plate? A profession badge?"

Sorin snatched the identity plate and badge out of Lawrence's hands. "I don't recognize the sigil."

"That's because it's the Arma Clan's insignia," said Astley. "Their clan was destroyed a few years back. Rumor has it that they were heavily involved with organized crime.

"As for the profession badge, that's a three-star Beast Tamer Medallion. It's not surprising since the Arma Clan was a clan of beast tamers. It's clear that this individual was hired to place those beats. As for who hired him, I'm afraid I have no idea."

Astley looked disappointed by the discoveries so far, but Sorin was thrilled. He'd held onto the information Elder Marik had gathered for five whole years and was finally making some headway.

"It's a lead and a good one, too," said Sorin. "If the Arma Clan was hired to perform criminal activities, it's quite possible that the employer is still at large. What's more, the services they performed likely haven't disappeared. Another clan or organization is bound to have replaced them in some capacity. That's not even mentioning the possibility of an intermediary organization. Given how diverse our group is, we're sure to find something with enough digging."

"I'm sorry, but I thought I just heard you say 'we,'" said Daphne. "I don't recall volunteering to investigate."

"You don't have to do anything," said Sorin. "Just remember that my services are in high demand, and I'm very willing to pay a high price for this information."

"Daphne shrugged. "I don't often deal with criminals, but they're an important part of the economy. I'll see what I can do."

"I'll keep an ear out as well," said Stephan. "Not because I want to help or anything. I just happen to be aware of some underground beast arenas that a few of my cousins frequent. I wonder what would happen if they were exposed or raided?"

Gareth and Lawrence also agreed to do some investigating. The only person not to volunteer was Astley. "I've got too much on my plate already," said the myth binder. "And it will only get worse if we discover a valuable historical remnant."

"Thanks everyone for the effort," said Sorin. "I found what I was looking for. Let's pull out of this dungeon and move on to our unexplored dungeon."

"The rewards here can't compare to an unexplored dungeon," Stephan agreed. "Did anyone think to bring an escape crystal?"

"Of course," said Sorin, holding out a small golden chit. "Be warned—It's specific to Kepler Clan dungeons. We won't be able to pull out of the basic dungeon if things go bad."

Sorin proceeded to pour divine energy into the chit for a full minute until a blue light engulfed their entire group. They appeared just outside the dungeon's blue gate, which now marked the dungeon as 45 percent charged down from the original 70 percent.