Destiny Bond

Floor Three: Dungeon Planning

Hiro's POV

December 2, 2022. It had been a month since this death game started, and over two thousand players had already died. Zero Two and I had been growing stronger with every passing day, but there was a limit to how strong we could get,

Zero Two: "Hey Darling, I heard that many of the top players in SAO are having a meeting to discuss the boss," Zero Two revealed, sheathing her sword away.

I looked shocked for a second,

Hiro: "They found it?" I asked, clicking through my menu and looking at the dungeon map.

Looking through the dungeon map, I tried to imagine where the boss room would be though to no avail.

Zero Two: "It's later on today if you want to attend," she then declared, walking along the dungeon path.

Hiro: "We definitely should go, we did promise Kirito we'd be there." I suggested, opening the dungeon door,

Zero Two grinned as she clung to my arm. It had been a month and I still wasn't used to anything she did to me. Pulling her off, she laughed as she kept clinging on. We decided to spend the rest of the day gearing up for a gruelling battle with the first-floor boss, the Demon Kobold Lord. Before long, the time of the meeting had come around,

Hiro: "There aren't that many players here, are we sure that we can win?" I asked, leaning closer to Zero Two.

The atmosphere was tense most players had grave looks on their faces, and most of them looked like they'd rather be anywhere else but here. From the stage, a man clad in bronze armour began to speak,

???: "Greetings all! My name is Duval, and in this death game, my job is a knight," The man introduced, to which the other players laughed, "Well, let's cut to the chase. Yesterday, a scouting party found the Boss Room." Duval revealed, to which the previously laughing crowd died down instantly.

Zero Two: "Told you," Zero Two whispered, circling my leg in boredom.

Duval: "To beat the boss, we'll need a raid group. We need to be in parties of six or more I mean." Duval explained, to which most players began to speak to each other and join parties.

Looking to my left, I could see Kirito talking to a hooded figure. He seemed nervous like he didn't have a party. Remembering that he was a solo player, I laughed as I pointed him out to Zero Two. With the party, making decided for Zero Two and I, we leaned closer to here Duval speak again.

Duval: "Now that we've got that sorted, let's talk about the boss-"

???: "Hold up a second!" A gruff voice boomed, to which we turned to see a shadow figure.

Hopping down from the top of the amphitheatre in which we were meeting. A small man appeared to be voicing his frustrations.

???: "My name's Kibaou, got that," The man barked, pointing to Duval. "Before we even think about doing this boss raid, I want to point out that two thousand players have died already." Kibaou explained, "But you know who isn't dead? The Beta Testers." Kibaou pointed out, "They knew about all the best hunting grounds and easy quests. They didn't tell us a damn thing." Kibaou then explained, to which many players began murmuring to themselves.

Hiro: "This doesn't look good," I whispered, grimacing with his every word.

Kibaou: "Why should we fight in this raid when they don't trust us? Hell I know some of them are here!" Kibaou angrily declared, pointing across the crowd. "These Beta Testers should give up all their items and money before we can even begin to trust them!" Kibaou then barked, glaring at everyone.

Discord began to spread like a disease across the theatre, with some players shifting awkwardly around.

???: "May I say somethin'." A deep voice asked, standing up to reveal a gigantic man wielding an axe. "My name's Agil, you were saying that it's the Beta Tester's fault for those two thousand deaths, am I right," Agil confirmed, pulling out a book. "This book has all the beginners tips and tricks for new players." He explained, waving it to the crowd.

Kibaou: "Okay, so what?" Kibaou snarled, holding his arms to his waist.

Agil: "This book was being handed out by the ex-Beta Testers," Agil then revealed, turning to the crowd, "Everyone had equal access to this information yet, two thousand players still died." Agil explained, turning back to Kibaou, who was looking smaller by the second. "I'm here to learn from their deaths, and to clear this boss so we can all go home to our families and kids," Agil declared, to which the crowd clapped.

Kibaou, unable to bring forth a solid argument, sat down and sulked as Duval carried on his speech. Looking at Kirito, I could see that he was also quite disturbed by the prospect. The meeting then dragged on for another thirty minutes, by which Zero Two had already fallen asleep on my lap. Many players gave me jealous looks as the fawned over the sleeping Zero Two.

Duval: "We'll meet here at zero seven hundred hours tomorrow, so get ready. Meeting adjourned!" Duval announced, to which I took the chance to wake Zero Two.

Zero Two: "Oh, is it over already?" Zero Two yawned, rubbing her eyes,

Hiro: "Yes it's over, c'mon let me get you something to eat before we head out for the field again," I offered, to which her drowsy face brightened up.

Zero Two: "You're the best Darling," She mumbled as I picked her up on my back.

It would be a while before the raid, but I could still feel the butterflies in my stomach fluttering away. It would be a crawl, and everyone knew it.