John let out a long, weary exhale, leaning heavily on the hilt of his long sword. It had been ten hours since he left the relative safety of the team's area. Ten hours of navigating a world that wanted to rot his flesh and shatter his mind.
"Tsk... I fought and killed over a thousand of these bastards, and there are still more of them around!" He spat into the dark, his eyes narrowed at the shifting shadows just beyond the light.
The density of the Fog Seeker population was staggering. If he had harboured any doubts before, he was certain now: this black fog was not just an environmental hazard; it was their homeland, and he was the intruder.
"I can't stay here any longer," he muttered, his gaze sweeping the perimeter. He spotted more than thirty shadows flickering at the edge of the expansive safe zone he had carved out with his cores. He knew the drill. If he left them, they would swarm the area the moment he lowered his guard to focus on his work.
