Soul biter was a hellhound bent on destroying anyone that got in it's way. Vicious, bold, fast, and strong, all appropriate qualifiers for this black creature of the underworld. It was surrounded by a blighting aura which increased the already gloomy atmosphere of the moors. Day or night it prowled, unlike zombies and skeletons that only came out at night. To add insult to injury, it would spawn minions to fight with it. Vicious Dogs, three at a time, would spring from Soul Biter's back, slamming those that didn't get out of the way fast enough. This was not a creature to be trifled with.

Every fiber of my mind told me this was a bad idea. I could hear my mom, my teachers, my grandparents, even Karla, in my mind telling me to stay out of trouble, to stay safe. Nothing in this game was worth putting our lives on the line. Many players had given up trying to fight this game and had accepted their fate and were trying to make the most of it. So why couldn't we just do that?

Of course I knew the answer: we were prisoners, trapped in a virtual world, whose life was managed by one's ability to protect the green bar floating above our heads. Whose fate was determined by the collective ability of the players to fight and destroy a hundred monsters, each more powerful than the next, simply to unlock our ability to exit the game alive.

So there we were, facing a formidable foe, with the hope that it would make us stronger, give us some advantage, possibly unlock a new skill. Twelve players trying to coordinate their attack, to get the upper hand in a battle, that we had chosen to initiate. Ironfist strategy could be summed up in two words: brute force. Six of us in pairs would attack the Vicious Dogs, while the remaining half dozen players, including Ironfist, would fight the hound head on, dealing as much damage as possible.

Karla and I were part of the pairs assigned to handle the Vicious dogs. We were certainly capable of fighting them but we took hits and had to regularly regenerate our health, and we had a limited number of potions with us. It was a frustrating task, each time we killed the three of them, another set appeared, repeating a cycle that would only end if we defeated Soul Biter.

The main group weren't doing that well either. Their damage output wasn't sufficient to get the upper hand. Soul Biter had a natural healing ability which compensated, to a large extent, the damage it received. At this rate we would be here all day and night. And with the damage it was doing on the team, they would also run out of healing items before defeating it.

But the logic of it and the safety considerations didn't seem to register. I was fixated on the task at hand and I felt obliged to complete it. I was driven by the tought that I had to show that I was capable of defeating this creature, to show that I had courage and strength to do it. "I'm going to show you what I'm made of." had become my battle cry. It's not as if the hound would care, so who was I trying to convince?

"It's not working. We can't keep this up forever." Karla complained as another set of Vicious Dogs spawned. "I can take this dog, just like before. I won't back down." I said as I swung my battle axe and brought it down to stun it. Karla switched in and handed it a couple of stab attacks before it managed to get a bite in, taking yet again some of Karla's health. "We're in danger Wolf. None of this will matter if we're dead. What are you trying to prove?" Karla yelled.

My mind raced wildly, I only had a moment to reflect. Karla's words cleared the fog in my mind. "You're trying to prove yourself to her. None of this will matter if she doesn't come back with you." I thought to myself. Last night's words were affecting me, controlling me. Was I really willing to die to show that I wasn't a wimp? I was letting my emotions cloud my judgment. Now was not the time to let my pride take control.

I blocked the next attack from the Vicious Dog with my battle axe. "Ironfist! We can't beat it like this! We have to retreat!" I yelled at the group fighting the hound. Two players reacted to my cry and fell to more defensive positions. "No! We need to continue to hit it!" Ironfist said as he hit the hound hard. "Don't be foolish, we can't keep this up. We have to retreat before someone gets seriously hurt." I replied. "No! No! No! Nothing will prevent me from getting my prize." Ironfist yelled in anger.

These words surprised Thunder: the biggest members of the Brutal Knights. He looked at Ironfist then quickly looked at me with worry in his face. "Grab Ironfist and run to the farmhouse on the edge of the moor. I'll warn the others." I shouted to him. Without anymore prompting, he put his greatsword on his back, and wrapped both arms around Ironfist's waist. He jumped up just before Soul Biter closed it's jaw on the spot where they had been standing. He landed on the hound's nose and launched himself away from danger. Slinging Ironfist on his shoulder he made a break for the farmhouse.

"Time to go people. We'll seek shelter in the farmhouse." I shouted. Two men were still fighting one of the Vicious Dogs. "Leave it. Make a run for it." I shouted. They looked at each other then slammed their shields into the dog which caused it to stumble. That gave us the time we needed to get a head start as we ran for our lives. Leading the retreat was Thunder, this giant of a man with Ironfist over his shoulder who was yelling "Put me down you fool!". Followed by Karla, most of the team with me and two shield bearers bringing up the rear. Soul Biter and the Vicious Dog were catching up quickly.

"We won't make it at this rate!" one of the shield bearers shouted. We had to come up with something to slow it down. "Slam the hound with your shields at the same time, I'll deal with the dog!" I shouted. I cut in front of the Vicious Dog to attract it's attention, then I attacked it with a stumbling blow. It didn't cause a lot of damage but it did cause it to trip, giving us precious seconds in our run for the farmhouse.

The shield bearers were not as lucky, though they had managed to block Soul Biter and cause him to stop, they were knocked on their backs by the blow. They were now exposed to Soul Biter's attacks in a bad position to defend themselves. I took off in their direction, maybe I could help the nearest one safety at least. I was sure I would not be able to save both.

Thankfully I didn't have to. Three other player of our group had turned around and each in turn delivered one blow to the hound then retreated. It gave the downed players just enough time to get up and take off running. At this I shifted my energies to my running and took off for the farmhouse. Myself and the other five players burst through the small door of the farmhouse just as Soul Biter came crashing into it. A purple hexagon appeared near the doorway.

"Immortal object"