The orange rays of light painted the sky, as another day came to an end, accompanied by yet another failed strike by the village against the terrors crawling from the shadows. Dismas, Reynauld, Paracelsus, and Junia had been defeated in a battle to destroy the evil hiding in the darkness of the old mansion, with the crusader and the highwayman staying behind in a valiant last stand.

Few were the attacks that reached the village, the latest being an invasion by the swine that inhabited the old labyrinth, defeated by a militia formed by the locals with the support of Tardiff, Alhazred, Barristan, and William alongside Fergus. However, on the horizon, the trumpets could be heard announcing the imminent end, a testament to our failure.

Only one man stood on the Old Road that connected the Mansion to the village, his skin hidden behind cloths, bronze plates, and a mask along with a crown that had not been worn for a long time. His only companion was his loyal ally, his Executioner's Blade, unphased by his aspect. Every breath burned through his entire body; he shouldn't be alive, but there he was, ready to make his final decree.

The king cursed the ground with each step, running towards the occultists surrounded by creatures formed of unrecognizable flesh: Some looked like worms, with various appendages all over their bodies and a number of mouths scattered across them. Others had a more humanoid shape, shrouded in cloaks that hid the horrors of their bodies. They all advanced together against the leper king, who shouted as he raised his blade.

The first to be destroyed was sliced in half by a precise cut from the Executioner, connecting in a spin around its entire body, decapitating three occultists who tried to stab him. A wave of dark energy launched by the staff of a witch flew in his direction, with the leper turning towards her and trying to dodge, but it was too late. Intrusive thoughts took over his mind: "Give up. There is no hope. You are just a useless leper."

Baldwin paused for a moment, but quickly was knocked to the ground by a large flesh worm that lunged at his chest. The shock snapped him out of the trance the witch had put him in, with the king raising his right hand and slamming it down against one of the creature's mouths, shattering all its teeth before grabbing one of its appendages and throwing it aside. He stood up, took his sword, and finished off the monster, instantly sprinting towards the witch who had struck him. The occultist summoned a portal from which a large tentacle appeared to try to push him away, with it being sliced in half by a single blow from the king before he jumped and struck from above, splitting her vertically.

As he tried to retrieve the sword stuck in the ground, one of the creatures hidden behind robes revealed a gigantic thorn of bones, ligaments, and muscles piercing the right side of his ribs. The king immediately spat blood on the ground, his entire body faltering with such a devastating attack, falling to his knees.

After a second, the thorn retracted as disgustingly as it had been launched. Dozens of thoughts flooded the leper's mind as blood flowed from his wound like a river.
"Is this the end? Have I failed? What could I have done better? If I hadn't made such a reckless attack..."

His vision blurred, everything fading when a bright light appeared before him. It was comforting to look at, unlike the feeling of looking at a lit lantern, and it approached. A sweet voice could be heard in his mind.
"Oh, Your Majesty, your reign is not yet at its end. Persevere through this crisis, for all depend on you."

The light vanished, with footsteps heard nearby. Miraculously, his wound began to close, and his vision returned to normal. The hideous noise of the thorn being launched again, now clearly audible due to proximity, was interrupted by a massive clang of metal hitting flesh, followed by tearing and broken bones.

The creature fell to the ground completely destroyed, with Baldwin gasping as he stood up. His voice could be heard admist the creatures shrieks and the occultists screams:
"Mountains defy the consuming sea."

A skillful blow tore the arm off another occultist who had run towards him, with another worm being split in half with a vertical strike. In sequence, each enemy fell, with the leper king's wounds closing before their eyes, as they all looked incredulous at the deeds of the old man. The invasion had been halted, defeated, with only Baldwin remaining standing on the Old Road, just as the way the battle had begun. Filled with determination, he marched towards his final destination: The Mansion. He would end all this evil, once and for all.
"Spare the others, I am ready."