The Exploiter (A Sword Art Online Fanfic)

Chapter 23:Guild

I woke up in a shabby bed in a tent that was outside the dungeon. Through the flaps of the tent, I could see several players waiting outside the tent. Some were leaning in to get a peak, and others were arguing with the guard outside my tent. I tried to get up, but I felt something heavy on both my legs.

I would feel my anxiety building up, thinking that they had tied me up to prevent me from escaping. Not wanting to wait around until they executed me, I tried moving my legs before I looked down at the foot of the bed.

What I had mistaken to be weight were actually my friends, sleeping on both my legs. After a bit of shaking, all of them woke up. Kirito was the first to see me wake up, and offered to me a blinding smile. Asuna, who had been leaning on his shoulder, got up and hugged me, followed by Agil and Klein.

"I was worried you would run away without us here. Guess I was right. "Kirito said, still smiling.

Asuna helped me get up, while filling me in about what happened. "After you passed out, most people didn't know what to do with you. Some want you executed."

After I gave her a worried glance, she continued. "Don't worry, no matter what happens, I-we won't let them kill you. After what you did, you are a hero."

"Heathcliff told us to bring you to him as soon as you woke up. He wants to offer you a deal."

I weakly nodded as asuna carried me over to Heathcliff's tent with guards surrounding us. As I walked forward, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach that had nothing to do with my injuries.

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Sunlight streamed out of the window behind Heathcliff, making his already intimidating figure even more imposing. With a casual wave of his hand of his hand, he dismissed everyone in the room, and only asuna and kirito were left to stand next to me.

Heathcliff took his time before beginning to talk in a slow, methodical voice. "Many players want to have you executed, not because they hate you, but because they are afraid of you. What do you think I should do?" 

Before I could open my mouth to reply, kirito jumped to my defense. "He saved the players from what would have been one of the bloodiest battles in the game. And he did it by alone."

Asuna seamlessly continued after him, as if they could read each other's minds. "There are also just as many players who want to see him free. The guild leader of one of the best clearer guilds, Klein, the information broker,  and the shopkeeper Agil all want him to return to the front lines."

She pulled out a piece of paper out of her inventory." Over a thousand people have signed this petition to forgive him of his crimes."

Heathcliff leaned back on his chair, and just as the silence was going to become awkward, he spoke. "I find myself at a crossroads here. I can have you executed, and I can finally remove a dangerous and unpredictable piece off the board. Or I can pardon you and have a powerful but unreliable fighter on the front lines."

He looked at me and stared into my eyes. Just as before, he was giving me a chance to change my own fate. "What do you think?"

"I could join your guild.", I stammered out. 

Heathcliff smiled, as if I had finally done something right. 

"Welcome to the knights of the blood."

As my friends cheered and patted me on the back, Heathcliff held out his hand.And as I shook it, I couldn't help but feel like I had been tricked.