Patrick Laplante

PU Book 3 - Chapter 10: Fleet Street

As a core outpost and logistical hub, Mildred had a large population that exceeded a million souls. This number only got larger when the fertile farmlands around the city were included, as well as the adventurers and soldiers not stationed inside the city. The large population of traveling merchants also couldn't be discounted.

Due to its central location, the outpost was self-governed and had much laxer rules than Delphi and Olympia. As such, it was the perfect place for crimina...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 9: Good Fortune Soup

Between the North Parnassus Forest and Nightmare Forest, there lay a fifty-mile strip of fertile plains bisected by a stone road wide enough to accommodate two carriages. This road formed the inner rim of the Olympian Wheel Road, connecting the twelve provincial capitals to Olympia. These roads were considered critical supply routes and enjoyed regular patrols and fortified outposts that served as rest stations and trading stations.

Mildred Outpost was the station co...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 8: Sowing Strife

If one were to rank influential events on Pandora, the Cataclysmic Emergence would easily take first place, even when compared to the Twilight of the Gods or the Grand Bargain struck by the Nameless Hero and the Eighth Evil, Hope.

The reason for this was simple: the emergence of the Evils had shattered the protection of divinity and immediately corrupted the environment. Humanity had never recovered from the blow, and the fall of the gods had only worsened their position.<...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 7: The Lady in the Water

Painting the Mists Volume 2 is now available in eBook and Audiobook formats! The audiobook is a real chonker and clocks in at 42 hrs and 32 minutes!

 https://geni.us/PtM_V2_eBook

 https://geni.us/oi0cQ 

Note: This is the second of five bundles. Volume 3 will be out in a month or so. Stay tuned!

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PU book 3 - Chapter 6: Strange Situation

Elder Calvin's map was incomplete and only included major geographical features, the locations of notable treasures, and a summary of the demonic forces stationed in the area. Of these three, only geographical features were of practical use; the natural treasures were too low level considering the risks involved, and demonic forces could grow, shrink, or be replaced after the three decades that had elapsed since the map was recorded.

Sorin, Fenrig, and Astley weren't well-suited ...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 5: Creeping Hydra Vine  

Twigs cracked and disintegrated as Sorin made his way through the ancient trees of the North Parnassus Forest. Vines twisted out of the way, and plants that should have been immobile uprooted themselves and relocated upwind of their location.

All but the most potent poisonous creatures scattered, and those that remained stood by obediently. This deference, Sorin now realized, was a hidden benefit of the Ten Thousand Poison Canon. He wasn't just an apothecary—he was the ruler ov...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 4: Growth

The North Parnassus Forest was a long stretch of wilderness that hugged the Parnassus Mountain Range as it faded into foothills. It started just past Mount Parnassus, where Delphi was built, and ended in a stretch of grasslands that separated it from Nightmare Forest.

It took three days to cross Mount Parnassus with Sorin's current cultivation base—not for his own safety but for the safety of Delphi, which would be disturbed if he killed too many of the powerful demons stabiliz...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 3: Memories

Houses in New Castle seldom changed hands, in part due to the cost of these residences but mostly due to the gargantuan task involved in moving. It wasn't just about the furniture—the small necessities required to live in such mansions took months to fully organize to a point where one could have the neighbors over, let alone host impressive parties.

Food and cooking implements were but the simplest examples. When you added in enchanted wood for fireplaces, mana lamp maintenanc...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 2: Aim Higher

"Decisions," said Sorin as he looked over the fifty or so hopeful physicians who had made it through nearly five years of intense medical study. "Physicians make decisions every day.

"Most decisions are trivial, but occasionally, critical decisions must be made. Should we try to fix the mangled leg or amputate it? Should we try to purge the disease working its way through the patient's gut or remove an afflicted section of the bowel, permanently reducing their ability to d...

PU Book 3 - Chapter 1: Agents of Corruption

Torchlight flickered in the dimly lit halls of the Holsted Manor. The air was chill, and the mood was dour. Rumors abounded, and all it would take was a single push to escalate the Holsted Clan's longstanding conflict with the Warnack Clan into a blood feud.

A graying man with an unhealthy hunch led Sorin through a crowd of worried clan members and through a pair of guarded double doors. Screams greeted them as soon as they entered the luxurious bedroom where a young...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 106: A New Spring

Winter was a frightening season, more so for the people of Delphi than anywhere else. Due to its peculiar situation, winter madness hit the city especially hard, and this winter was no exception.

Delphi's casualties this year were in excess of ten percent. The streets were in shambles, and entire sections of the city were being repaired. Still, the people were in high spirits and looking forward to the future. All of Delphi was filled with the spirit of cooperation.

This wa...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 105: Tears of Achlys

Energy roiled in the catacombs as Sorin and Melinoë rose in the air and distanced themselves from the others. This was an admission of weakness on both their parts; Sorin didn't want his friends caught up in their aftershocks, while Melinoë was clearly wary of external interference.

A golden python measuring a thousand feet in length emerged from Sorin's body and plunged towards Melinoë, who didn't dodge as Sorin expected but shattered into nine mirror fragments. Each one tran...

Book 2 - Chapter 104: Initiation

Painting the Mists Volume 2 is now available in eBook and Audiobook formats! The audiobook is a real chonker and clocks in at 42 hrs and 32 minutes!

 https://geni.us/PtM_V2_eBook

 https://geni.us/oi0cQ 

Note: This is the second of five bundles. Volume 3 will be out in a month or so. Stay tuned!

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PU Book 2 - Chapter 103: Pulling the Fangs from the Tiger

Sorin's words about eating the source corruption were naturally exaggerated. For one, the sheer amount of energy inside it would cause him to explode. For another, even if he did survive, he would likely succumb to its superior corruption.

That said, there were ways around this problem. If he couldn't kill the tiger itself, he could always pull its teeth out. As long as the Core of Corruption lost its means to harm Delphi and the Parnassus Region, other issues lik...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 102: Plans within Plans

The corruption in the chasm was intense, and climbing became taxing on the entire party despite the added protection of the divinity-infused staircase.

It wasn't long before the five heroes elevated from bronze to silver tired out. Only eleven silver-grade heroes, including Sorin's companions, remained.

"Silver flames are the strongest, and my words about proximity weren't empty," said Michael as their pace slowed down. "I believe it might even be possible for some of y...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 101: A Bridge of White Flames

A heavy darkness spread out from the center of the temple, eroding blessed marble wherever it passed. Walls crumbled. Staircases cracked. The temple's pillars, which were still in perfect condition despite the passing centuries, lost their luster. Little by little, the temple's holy aura was suppressed by the growing cloud of corruption.  

A direct result of this conflict was a sharp decrease in the Temple's protection. Weaker heroes fell to their knees screaming, while othe...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 100: The Death of a Myth

For everyone who's been waiting, the last chapter of Book 2 is now available for Bone-Forging Patrons ^^.

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As Sorin was on the cusp of breaking through, Sorin had no choice but to enact his plan here and now. He gave up on chasing away the bone rot and instead chased it into his silver bones.

The confused Divine Bone Rot attacked his silver runes without hesitation, and Sorin, a little worried about the final result of his experiment, watched on as his strength approached...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 99: A Deeper Darkness  

Python's appearance had thrown their defensive lines into disarray, but thanks to Stephan's timely support, they were able to muster up a proper response and redraw their formations.

Having a giant serpent cut through your defensive lines wasn't helpful, but it wasn't the cataclysmic event Sorin had expected. Michael and Fenrig's appearance immediately curtailed Python's influence, while Astley, now mimicking Daphne, brought the situation under control by raining acidic fire to c...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 98: Flaw

Painting the Mists Volume 2 is now available in eBook and Audiobook formats! The audiobook is a real chonker and clocks in at 42 hrs and 32 minutes!

 https://geni.us/PtM_V2_eBook

 https://geni.us/oi0cQ 

Note: This is the second of five bundles. Volume 3 will be out in a month or so. Stay tuned!

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PU Book 2 - Chapter 97: Rematch

"Python is confirmed to be under control for the time being," Gareth spoke through the wind as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop, picking off stray demons he traveled. "For the most part, the giant snake seems to be more interested in guarding the barrier and stalling for time. The real problem is that a clock is ticking—upward of a thousand demons are trying to push past the remaining heroes from the other direction.

"We'll first have to push into their formation to join the d...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 96: Secrets of Divinity

Sorin knew they had arrived the moment he crossed the temple's threshold. How did he know it was a temple? Sorin had no idea. It was instinctual, something imprinted onto his flesh and his bones.

"It feels like home," muttered Sorin as they left a dark tunnel and arrived in an open courtyard eliminated by soft, golden light. "Not the Ancestral Manor, but the home my mother and father raised me in on the upper levels of Olympia.

"Ree ree ree?" said Lorimer in a confused tone...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 95: Catalyst

Paving stones erupted beneath Sorin's feet, revealing rows of razor-sharp spikes that kissed the side of his left leg and ripped open his armor. Life force poured into the wound and stitched together muscles, restoring the limb just in time for Sorin to avoid Python's massive, coiled body.

The aftershocks of the sudden movement swept Sorin off his feet and hurtled him through a ruined building's wall. The ceiling collapsed atop Sorin as he cradled Lorimer's unstable body a...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 94: Lorimer's Plight

I don't usually make announcements, but since many of you are likely only readers of Pandora Unchained, I thought I'd let you know if today's release ^^.

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I'm happy to announce that Painting the Mists Volume 1 (Books 1-3) is now available in eBook and Audiobook formats! This bundle is the first of five that will be released in the near future and features over 32 hours of audio—that's 320k words of culti...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 93: Obligatory Banter

Sorin's joints creaked as an unfortunate spatial current ripped at his body and attempted to separate him from his companions. Though it failed to achieve its goal thanks to its group's spatial cohesion medallions, it did a number on Sorin's vitality stores and would have proved fatal had the transmission not lasted longer than three seconds.  

They landed on a paved street with a loud thud. Corruption immediately assaulted them but halted just shy of a silver halo ea...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 92: Expected Betrayal

A dreadful wind whipped through Delphi's streets, tearing up signs and throwing down clay roofing shingles. Corruption-filled rain fell from the sky, infecting man and beast alike. Mutations were rampant, and irrational violence was the new norm.

New groups were forming. Old alliances were crumbling. A revolution was underway. Delphi's major powers hunkered down and watched on with fear as the city they once lorded over became an inescapable and deadly prison.

"I for...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 91: Under-the-Table Transaction

The first thing Elder Marik did after exchanging opening blows was cut a hole right through the Hargrave Clan's council chamber and into the adjacent corridor.

"I can't both protect you and keep this fogey busy," called out Elder Marik. "You're on your own. Failing everything else, use the talisman Elder Adrian gave you before we left.

A flick of the sword cultivator's sleeve was all it took to send Sorin flying through the opening and tumbling into a group of ...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 90: The Web Tightens

"That was awesome," said Lawrence as they left Administrator Pollen's manor. "That was a demigod, Sorin. A demigod, and you basically stared him down. Even the old sword guy here couldn't look at him straight, but you did it! And it paid off!"

Elder Marik cleared his throat. "I'm not sure being respectful to a demigod that could crush me in three strikes flat counts as 'not being able to look at him straight.'"

"Reee!" agreed Lorimer, w...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 89: Ransom

The Administrator's Manor was in the heart of Delphi and surrounded by a stretch of greenery called Serpentine Park. Legends spoke of a mighty creature whose corpse sat below the park and nourished its greenery, though this was only hearsay, a legend perpetuated with nursery rhymes by children who knew nothing of consequence.

Nine arrow-like bridges pierced through the public park towards a sprawling complex. Despite consisting of dozens of buildings and occupying a full three sq...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 88: The Bigger Picture

The South Delphi Military Complex was one of the oldest places in Delphi. In terms of age, it ranked alongside The Kepler Clan's Ancestral Manor and the residences of other major cultivation organizations.

Though the general style hadn't changed in over two hundred years, the place carried a faint aura of time that was unmistakable. It was also filled with antiques, such as the enchanted mahogany Allan Marsh occupied and the grandfather clock that loudly ticked away the mi...

PU Book 2 - Chapter 87: Bone Cracking Poison

In Sorin's memory, Delphi had never been the cleanest of cities. The docks were a mess of salt and fish guts, and the industrial district with smoke and dust. The resulting diseases resulted in a life expectancy that was lower by 5-10 years compared to other parts of the city.

Sorin was therefore unsurprised by the excess rubbish on the streets and the rubble of broken buildings that had yet to be cleaned. The smoke lingering in the air from the many recent arson cas...