Destiny Bond

Floor Four: Beaters

Hiro's POV

The day had come it was early morning and the sun had just begun to rise above the forest's trees,

Zero Two: "So it's today isn't it," Zero Two acknowledged, checking her equipment.

Hiro: "Yeah, it is," I agreed, looking at my sword.

Everyone was stressed, it was a case of do or die for many of us; Duval and Kibaou were discussing the boss's attacks and how to defeat them, while Kirito and his concealed friend how to keep the minions off of the main attack force. The only sounds that I heard were the quiet murmuring of the players and the breaking of twigs and leaves as we trudged over them.

Hiro: This will be it, our first boss battle if we die here we won't ever escape this game. I thought, walking through the entrance of the dungeon.

We took a quick break before we entered the boss room. Standing before the ornate doors of the boss room, I couldn't help but feel small when compared to the doors. I grimaced a little as I imagined being sliced by the beast inside. Placing a hand on my shoulder, Zero Two smiled as the boss room doors began to open. The room was dark at first, but it soon filled with light as we entered. It was massive, with pillars lining the white walls, and a decorative carpet across the way. From the back of the room, the Demon-Kobold Lord soon appeared, along with his Sentinels.

Hiro: "Here we go," I whispered, taking a deep breath.

Duval: "All troops, attack!" Duval commanded, raising his sword forward and urging the players into battle.

At his beckoning, we charged headlong into the fray clashing instantly with the kobold sentinels. In the back of the room, different parties were cycling through to drain the boss's health. From the corner of my eye, I could see Kirito and his cloaked friend hacking away at the sentinels. Turning around to see two sentinels attacking Zero Two, I charged and impaled one of them.

Hiro: "HYAAH, go on Zero Two! I'll hold them off while you heal up," I barked, blocking an attack from another sentinel.

Zero Two: "Darling watch out!" Zero Two warned, clashing with another sentinel, who was about to impale me with his lance.

Breaking free of the sentinel's grip and slashing below the waist, it faded into nothing as the boss's health reached red. From nowhere, it roared and dropped its sword. From behind him, he drew a,

Hiro: That's not a talwar, that's a nodachi! I thought, watching it dive in and out around Duval; who had raced forward to meet the boss.

It weaved around Duval, cutting him and throwing him off of his feet. It wasn't long before Duval faded from existence, to which Kirito and his now uncloaked female friend both attacked the monster. Agil soon came to Kirito's rescue, holding off an attack meant to cleave him in two. Turning around, I saw Zero Two blocking against three sentinels.

Zero Two: "I can't...hold them...!" Zero Two grimaced, as she flinched from the pain.

Her guard soon broke, but I reached her in time before the sentinels could injure her. Slicing all three by sliding across the floor, I soon felt a pierce against my stomach. Wincing from pain, I opened my eyes to see a sentinel planting his pike into my stomach. The pain was almost unbearable, almost like someone was digging around in my insides with sandpaper.

Zero Two: "Darling!" Zero Two gasped, rushing to the sentinel and hacking its head off.

I laid there on the ground, health dropping, conscious fading until I could see my health bar increasing and Zero Two holding off a sentinel with one hand.

Hiro: Am I...going to die here? It was nice to be here with here while it lasted...I thought before something clicked. No...I can't die yet, not from a monster like that...! I swore, as Zero Two began to pour a health crystal in my mouth.

My conscious peaked, adrenaline pumped, and my heart rate skyrocketed as Zero Two began to buckle. I moved faster than I ever had before, breaking the sentinel's grip and thrusting it back into the abyss from whence it came. From behind me, Kirito screamed louder than I had ever heard. Turning around, I witnessed Kirito deal the final blow against the boss. Soon, the lights faded and all the other players cheered.

Player: "We did it! We beat the boss!" one player cheered, hugging another.

Kibaou: "Stop cheering!" Kibaou barked, kneeling on the ground with his face to the floor, "Why did you do it? Why did you let Duval die!" Kibaou demanded, pointing his finger at Kirito, who seemed petrified.

The very same distrust of the Beta Testers that Agil had tried to calm had now embedded itself in the hearts of the other players. In every direction, whispers about the rumours regarding the Beta Testers began to spread. From the discord, Kirito began to laugh madly.

Kirito: "So you think I'm a Beta Tester?" He asked, strutting towards Kibaou, "Don't lump me with those losers, they were so green, they didn't even know how to open a menu," Kirito explained, "I knew about the boss and his attack patterns because I reached higher floors than anyone in the Beta Test." Kirito then revealed,

Kibaou: "You're not just a Beta Tester, you're a God Damn cheater that's what you are!" Kibaou retorted, pointing his index finger at Kirito.

Player: "He's a Beta Tester and a cheater, he's a Beater!" one player declared, pointing his finger at Kirito.

Kirito: "Beater huh, I like that," Kirito agreed, summoning the final kill boss item he had earned, "At least you won't lump us skilled Beta Testers with the green ones," Kirito then said, walking away from the raid group.

Zero Two and I followed Kirito and his female friend after him. Reaching the top of the stairs, I called out to him,

Hiro: "That was some swordsmanship, beater," I called out, to which he stopped and turned. "Don't worry I was from the Beta with you I also reached a lot of higher floors, so I know the feeling," I explained, walking up to him,

Kirito smiled a little as his hooded friend spoke,

???: "During the battle, you called out my name, how did you know," His friend asked, looking suspicious of Kirito.

Kirito: "If you look to the top left of the interface, you'll see my name." Kirito explained, pointing above his left eye.

Kirito then took on a serious tone,

Kirito: "Listen Asuna, if you're ever asked to join a guild by a trusted friend, heed their advice." Kirito began, "There's a limit to what we solo players can do," Kirito then continued, turning around and walking away.

The strawberry blond girl then took a moment to understand what he was saying, turning around and leaving afterwards. Looking at her name, I whispered to myself,

Hiro: "Asuna huh,"

Zero Two then grabbed my hand and raced after Kirito. On the floor above, we activated the teleport gate and headed for the next town. After a while, we parted ways with Kirito and headed for an inn to rest for the night. We would get the quests and such later because we thought no one would come up here after what Kirito pulled. The first-floor boss battle provided us with a glimmer of hope in the endless black, and it provided us with the steam to carry on the march to the one-hundredth floor.