The Winter kingdom

Version 2.0

The men tore through the throngs of monsters as they closed in around the Heart Tree, its massive gnarled vain roots twisting through the ground. Blood still trickled from the tree where Aloe had drawn it, the crimson staining its bark a deep, unholy red. Aloe stood before it, backlit by the pulsing life of the tree.

The air was filled with screams and the clash of metal on bone as the men hacked their way through the beasts. As they neared, Aloe's mocking laughter grew higher, cracking like the brittle edges of ice under strain. "You're wasting your efforts, you pitiful disappointments!" he shrieked, his voice pitched with disdain. "I am eternal! I am the rage of this land itself! I will never stop hunting you, I will always be waiting, and I will always be your end."

Brandon's gaze burned, his teeth grinding as he continued. The closer he and the kings got, the wilder Aloe's taunts became his words started to twist in panic. "Back up!" he spat, his eyes darting around as if willing more beasts to protect him, but the horde was thinning closest to him, monsters either dead or fleeing. His face twitched with every inch the king advanced, manic laughter bursting forth in jagged bursts.

"You will fail, humans! You are worms, and I am…" he stammered,"…I am your doom!" Through his voice never broke.

One by one, the kings closed in, their faces cut with determination, their weapons slick with blood and grime. They were just a few strides away when Aloe let out a strangled cry, clutching the bleeding Heart Tree, trying to draw more power from it in a last-ditch effort.

The kings could fully see him now, the desperate flicker in his eyes, the subtle tremor of his hand as he clutched the tree's roots. The kings pressed forward through the dwindling remnants of monsters, each step bringing them closer to Aloe. Blood and sweat marked their faces, and their breath came ragged, yet their eyes stayed fixed on him, burning deeply into him. Only a handful of creatures dared to throw themselves at the kings now, desperate and wild-eyed, sensing the shift in the fight.

Aloe's face twisted with panic as the last monster fell whilst the rest of the hoard was kept back by the other men, his defiant sneer never wavered. He stumbled back, clutching at the bleeding Heart Tree "Dirty dogs. The lot of you!" He spat on the Kings.

Brandon led the final approach, blood-soaked and relentless, his sword raised. "Your cruelty has scarred the land for too long, Aloe," he said. The other kings fell into step beside him, weapons ready, their faces shadowed with exhaustion as their eyes lit up.

Aloe's gaze darted from one king to the next, he kicked off from the tree. He let out a strangled laugh, shrill and bitter. "You think this is the end of me?" he hissed, had hand and body stopped twitching. "My monsters and creations will always be around, that you can NEVER remove."

Ignoring his words, the king advanced in unison, tightening the circle around him. Brandon raised his sword, locking eyes with Aloe.

Aloe laughed. With one final, step, Brandon closed the distance, his blades glinting as they sliced through the air. Just a breath before Brandon could bring his sword down a shadow lunged from the side. It reached Aloe first, slashing with precision. Aloe's eyes flexed wide as his head separated from his body, rolling through the air his mouth wide open.

Brandon halted, caught off guard for a moment, watching as a man stole his moment from him. Aloe's body twitched and writhed for a moment before thudding to the ground.