The False Hero Volume 5 Read online

  Social Media

  For early access, extra content, and updates, follow me at:

  Website: https://www.thefalsehero.com/

  YouTube: https://YouTube/TheFalseHero

  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MichaelPlymel

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.plymel.79

  Twitter: @PlymelJames

  Discord: https://discord.gg/Wc2cYpPMt3

  Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheFalseHero/

  Special Announcement!

  I started a YouTube channel!

  So, what’s on this YouTube channel? First, there's an audiobook series I’m releasing for free. It’s a complete retelling and reimagining of the original Phantasy Star IV video game, voiced by professional narrator, Mason Born. He’s the same guy who does The False Hero audiobook.

  It’s not just an audiobook. I hired an editor (my brother, actually) to add visuals. So you’ll get to see the characters moving through the world and interacting with it in line with the script! It's like watching a let's play combined with an audiobook. Really cool stuff.

  I'm also dipping my toes into some videogame reviews. But rather than gameplay, I'm focusing on story and characters, with the video series being labeled [Narrative Review]. The first video is already out, and it's focused on Valkyrie Profile.

  Lastly, I voice the review video myself. So if you're looking for a voice reveal, then there you go. Just prepare yourself for my "southern drawl" as one discord member put it. Born and raised in rural Georgia.

  Anyway, I’d be happy if you would check them out!

  Phantasy Star IV: Retold, Chapter 1

  Valkyrie Profile: Heavy Themes in Games

  Contents

  Chapter 1: The Twisted Spire

  Chapter 2: Dungeons

  Chapter 3: The Lucid World

  Chapter 4: Mark of the Past

  Chapter 5: A Dark Shadow

  Chapter 6: Bathed in Blood

  Chapter 7: Barriers

  Chapter 8: Her Burden

  Chapter 9: The 20th Floor

  Chapter 10: The Final Boss

  Chapter 11: The Apex

  Chapter 12: In Search of Power

  Chapter 13: A Vampire’s Nature

  Chapter 14: Resta

  Chapter 15: Hot Spring Vacation

  Chapter 16: Doubt

  Chapter 17: Hot Spring Resort

  Chapter 18: Future Memories

  Chapter 19: Grand Opening

  Chapter 20: Master of the Spear

  Chapter 21: A Mountain to Climb

  Chapter 22: Welcome Back

  Chapter 23: Vacation’s End

  Chapter 24: High Priest Melina

  Chapter 25: The Oracle’s Chamber

  Chapter 26: Vampire Princess Tylith

  Chapter 27: Boon

  Chapter 28: Remembrance

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Social Media

  The Story So Far

  Volume 1

  After being summoned to a new world, Lutz was quickly labeled as the prophesized False Hero and sentenced to death. By some miracle, he escapes his fate and flees.

  After quickly adapting to the game-like mechanics, he begins to hunt the strength he needs to survive in this unforgiving world. He’s a big of a jack-of-all-trades but has powerful Wind Magic and excellent spearmanship.

  His first stop is a city just north of the kingdom’s capital, Silvia. There, he meets his first true companion in his new world, Laya. Lutz rescues her from slavery and begins to train her in magic.

  The 19-year-old elf girl doesn’t look any older than ten, but her small frame is contrasted by her killer instincts. She specializes in Wind Magic and uses her mid-ranged chain sickle to hound her enemies.

  Together, they cross paths with Marquis Adel and get pulled into his scheme to save the city of Silvia from its fate at the hands of its corrupt ruler. They manage to slay him, avenging Laya’s destroyed village in the process.

  Volume 2

  After fleeing north from Silvia, Lutz and Laya eventually need to restock their bags, so they stop at the city of Reim. It’s no better off than Silvia, and he ends up getting dragged even deeper into its mess.

  It’s at this city that he meets his next two companions, Alisha and Belle.

  Belle was a slave alongside Alisha, and together, they killed their old mistress and fled, trying to survive on the streets. She has powerful Fire and Water Magic, plus various support spells. But she lacks confidence in close combat, so she has to rely on her teammates to defend her.

  Alisha is a beastkin, with cat-like ears and tail. She’s incredibly protective of innocent people but also a fierce predator on the battlefield. The only thing that’s holding her back is the [Curse of the Forsaken], which drains her stats and lowers her skill points.

  Now a party of four, they hatch a plan to bring down Reim’s mayor and put an end to the rebellion that had taken over the city. Things don’t quite go as planned, but in the end, the worst-case scenario of an all-out bloodbath was avoided.

  Volume 3

  Lutz’s ultimate destination is the elven lands. So after leaving Reim, he travels east, beginning the long journey across the vast Orakian Kingdom.

  While Lutz maintained his single-minded focus on surviving, there was someone else with an equally powerful goal. Princess Lumina de Eldridge left the castle in search of Lutz, determined to find out if he is truly the hero she’s looking for.

  She deduces his ultimate destination and matches his pace eastward, heading toward the elven lands.

  At the same time that Lutz and Lumina began their trek east, the Orakian army made its move, invading the lands of Chaos. Led by Lumina’s eldest brother, Crown Prince Rhys, the fifty-thousand strong army seeks to end the conflict once and for all, using the strength of the other three summoned heroes: Cedric, Rolf, and Collette.

  If all of that weren’t enough, trouble is brewing back at the castle. The kingdom’s most powerful noble has his eyes set on the throne, and he’ll use anything at his disposal to get it, even if it ends up causing a civil war.

  It’s during this time of turmoil and uncertainty that Lutz and Lumina finally meet once again. But their reunion is cut short and the two of them are teleported away.

  Though there were points of danger, Lutz manages to protect Lumina. During their journey to reunite with Laya and the others, the two of them come to terms with their turbulent past, forming a deep bond in the process.

  After quite of a bit of fighting, they meet up safely and foil the plan of a group of vampires who had been terrorizing the region.

  In the end, Lumina decides to go back to the castle, claiming that she has important business.

  So, it’s just the four of them once again: Lutz, Laya, Alisha, and Belle. They continue east, down the final highway that separates them from the elven lands.

  Volume 4

  The party travels to the eastern edge of the Orakian Kingdom. As usual, they’re completing a batch of guild requests with no reward to help those who have been abandoned by their own country.

  One of these quests puts them close to a dungeon, The Twisted Spire. Desperate to grow stronger, Lutz leads the girls inside, where they face monsters and challenges befitting the dungeon’s reputation.

  While climbing the tower, they run across four slaves: Kalyn, Geralt, Ina, and Devin. Lutz frees them from their battle-hungry master and gives them the strength they need to survive on their way out of the dungeon.

  The party continues to climb, finally reaching the final floor. The wyvern they find there is a rather disappointing final boss, but to their surprise, a hidden path leads toward a hidden floor above. Inside, they find a secret boss that guards the dungeon’s final door.

  After defeating the construct, they step into the hidden room and find a powerful orb. That orb seems to control the flow of mana within the dungeon, as if it were acting as a heart to keep the energy moving to where it needs to go.

  However, even more surprising is the vampire they find in that very room. Tylith von Phyress, sister to Vampire Lord Ashton, had been trapped there after the party she followed through the dungeon leaves without her.

  After a brief confrontation, the vampire princess joins Lutz and the others as the group levels up by defeating the tough bosses near the top of the dungeon.

  When their grinding is complete, all five of them leave The Twisted Spire, heading back to the town of Resta to the south.

  Once there, the group decides to take a small vacation at a nearby hotspring. Although it was meant to be a relaxing experience, Lutz takes it upon himself to transform the natural spring into a resort to give the economically depressed town a landmark to attract travelers.

  During their stay, High Priest Melina begins terrorizing the region, gathering Forsaken and executing them. One of her victims is Resta’s mayor, Wilhelm. The biggest problem is that Melina herself is unknowingly creating the Forsaken with her Unique Skill, [Touch of Chaos].

  Unwilling to let her ravage the countryside, Lutz and the girls step up to challenge her. During the fight, High Priest Melina absorbs power from a mysterious orb within the Great Cathedra’s Oracle Chamber.

  The power is corrupting her, even changing her very appearance to that of a demon. With no other recourse, Lutz destroys the orb, then slays the High Priest within the Oracle Chamber. Unfortunately, the Great Cathedral’s connection to the Goddess is broken at the same time.

  Although the threat
posed by Melina has been dealt with, the long-term consequences of destroying the Great Cathedral is still unknown. Lutz and the girls have no choice but to move on before the weight of the Orakian Empire falls on them.

  And so, they close the last of the distance between them and the elven lands, eventually arriving within a stone’s throw of the forest that marks the beginning of the elven territories.

  Turns out, the elves weren’t very happy to see them.

  Prologue

  ----- Rhys -----

  “The scouts still have not managed to find their army?” I ask, my eyes scanning the map laid out atop the command table that dominates the room.

  “No, Prince Rhys. We’ve received detailed reports from each of the teams sent to scout ahead, save for the group tasked with scouring the northern hills.”

  “When was the last report received from the north?”

  “Three days ago. Their latest report was due last night, but so far there has been no sign of them.”

  North, huh?

  Over the past several weeks, our army of 50,000 has marched through the lands of Chaos unchallenged. In a time of war, allowing the enemy free reign within your own borders would lead to disaster for a human country. But the same can’t be said for our current opponents.

  They do not congregate in cities, they have no nobles or powerful merchants for us to capture, and they have no fear. The only way for us to emerge victorious in this war is to defeat their army and slay the Lord of Chaos himself. Only then will the fiends scatter—hopefully.

  “We’ll be changing course,” I say after a bit if consideration. “Send men out to notify the scouts of our new path, along with an extra scouting party north in search of fiends.”

  “Again!?” Cedric yells. “How many times must we delay our invasion because of your groundless fears!? If we had simply marched onto the western peninsula without delay, the war would already be over!”

  The commanders gathered for this meeting hold their tongues at the Great Hero’s outburst, though some of their faces give away their inner thoughts.

  “We’ve been over this before, Sir Cedric. We are deep in enemy territory with no reliable intel on the location of the army of Chaos. Caution is the wiser choice.”

  “Isn’t it obvious that their army is to the north? How many scouting parties have gone missing up there now? To think you consider yourself a strategic genius—how laughable!”

  “I consider myself nothing of the sort, but that’s not the issue here. None of the scouts have returned with a visual on their army. Without solid information, we can only make guesses, and I’d rather not risk our fates on a roll of the dice.”

  “That’s why you’re—”

  “Let it go, Cedric,” Collette says. “Arguing will only delay us further.”

  Cedric slams his fist onto the table as he stands, then leaves without a word.

  “If we’re done here, then I’ll be taking my leave as well.” Collette follows her fellow hero, exiting the command tent.

  The final hero, Rolf, never arrived to the meeting, so with Collette’s departure, I find myself alone with my commanders.

  “Make the preparations to march southwest, away from the hills that stretch north,” I say to the commanders.

  They begin to file out, but I motion to one of them to stay behind. After the rest leave, I turn to Helvia, the only female commander within our ranks.

  “I’ve got a special task for you.”

  “It would be my honor to assist you, General Rhys.”

  I place my finger onto the map stretching across the table. “We are here, a half-day’s march from the peninsula where the Lord of Chaos resides.”

  “Yes. We’re closer to him than any of the recent invasions have managed.”

  “Yet despite that, the armies of Chaos have not converged to defend their lord. Why do you think that is?”

  Helvia lowers her face as she considers my words.

  The fiends have two more armies, other than the one we’ve been facing at our border. One of those armies is engaged with the human kingdom of Vastela to the north, while the other is facing the beastkin country of Belfast in the south.

  Since the lands of Chaos have spread so far, other countries were forced to enter the war to defend their borders. Although detailed information on their battles is scarce, we know for certain that it’s not going much better than our own.

  With a total of three armies, it wouldn’t be strange for at least one to disengage the kingdom it’s facing and return to defend their Lord.

  But no such strategic movement has happened, despite being a half-day’s march from the seat of their power.

  “Confidence,” Helvia says after a short delay. “No, not just confidence. Certainty. The armies of Chaos are certain that we will be defeated.”

  “But how? And why have their armies performed so poorly in battle since the heroes arrival?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’ve got a bad feeling about our near future.”

  I return my eyes to the map and trace my fingers along the stretch of land that separates us from the peninsula where the heart of Chaos lies. We’re currently camped at the edge of a large river that cuts through the region, and we’ve constructed several large bridges during our short rest, giving us an easy path across.

  “After we cross this river, we’ll be pincered between the northern hills and the southern swamps. If we’re defeated, our only retreat will be back across the river.”

  I eye the marshes that stretch to the south and the hills that cover the north. The land between is flat, giving us a direct path to the peninsula.

  “What are you suggesting, General Rhys?”

  “I’m suggesting that we need to protect these bridges as if our lives depended on it—because they may. Which is why I need you and some of your men to stay behind and defend them.”

  Helvia immediately frowns in disapproval. “General Rhys, with all due respect, I believe that I would be a greater asset on the front lines with the main force.”

  “I agree, which is why I plan to set up a summoning circle here at the river. Once we make it to the peninsula, I will summon you to the front lines for the confrontation with the Lord of Chaos.”

  “I see. I suppose that is acceptable, though I worry for your safety in the meantime.”

  “That’s precisely why I’m leaving you and not one of the other commanders—your loyalty.”

  “Do you mean…” Helvia trails off.

  So she noticed as well, did she? As expected of her.

  “It’s only speculation, but yes—I believe there’s a rat among us.”

  Helvia nods, and I see conflict on her face. No doubt she doesn’t want to believe that one of the commanders tasked with fighting for the four races survival would turn traitor on the eve of the final battle.

  “Well,” I continue, “perhaps we’re simply overthinking it, but I can’t take that chance. That’s why I’ll need to keep your mission a secret. Tell no one.”

  “Yes, Your Highness!”

  Helvia leaves the tent ahead of me, and I walk out shortly after. The morning sun has only recently risen above the horizon, and the men have already prepared themselves to begin the march down the final stretch of land standing between us and victory.

  After we cross the bridges, two commanders come to my side with curious looks in their eyes.

  “General, I can’t help but notice that Commander Helvia and her best men haven’t broken camp.”

  “She and her men have an important task. They will be following after us shortly.” I make up a simple, vague lie.

  “Is that so?” the second commander says. “Here I was thinking she’d turned tail.”

  “Commander Helvia, cowering in fear? Surely she’d never sully her reputation to such a degree!” the first commander says, the sarcasm evident in his voice.

  Sorry Helvia. I have no choice but to allow them to disparage you to keep your mission secret…

  It can’t be easy being the only female commander, especially with the reputation she’s gained. The fact that she rose up the ranks so quickly made some of the more experienced commanders skeptical, sure that there’s some political intrigue at play.