Everything was smothered in a dark, acrid fog. Vision was obscured beyond reason, and the swirling, shifting nature of the mist confused the senses of any unfortunate enough to be trapped within it.
Just then, a small speck of light appeared in the darkness, faintly illuminating the gloom. Soon another speck appeared, followed by another, their numbers growing rapidly until the air itself seemed to glitter.
Before anyone knew it, a brilliant starlight erupted, pushing back the shadows and dispelling the oppressive darkness.
Standing at the center of the starlight was a heavily panting Kate. Various minor bruises and cuts covered her body, with one particularly nasty gash weeping blood on her left shoulder. Her left arm hung limp and useless at her side as she held her sword steady with her right.
Just then, she sensed a subtle shift in the air behind her. Her pulse raced as she forced her broken body to throw itself sideways.
Whoosh!
"Urgh!"
