"Master!"
As Hisgard called out to the bulky old man that had entered the room, his excitement was quickly cut short due to the current situation.
"Hisgard, who are these people?"
"I.. I don't know. They broke in this room by the window."
While Hisgard assumed they were part of the Syndicate, he didn't want to hastily judge things.
As the old butcher observed his surroundings, a bloody cadaver entered his vision, reddening the moldy wooden floor, aswell as two still alive men, that had backed off due to his entrance, waiting.
"...Are you part of the Syndicate?"
The old man asks, his blood boiling underneath his skin, gnashing his molars.
The dagger wielding attacker answered provocatively, grinning.
"And what if we are?"
Slowly taking out his personal machete from his belt, he responded.
"..If you are.. You'll both die by my hand."
The dagger user laughed.
"Ha! I'm so~ scared! Mommy help me please!"
He then took a more serious tone, his lips turning down and his eyes frowning.
"Seriously, what do you think you're doing, Joseph?"
His playful attitude turned grim.
"First you take this.. this outsider as an apprentice, and then, all of a sudden, like magic, two of our men are found dead in your butchery, both killed in a gruesome way, and surely you've noticed the body of my comrade on the floor by now, correct?"
The master butcher straitened his eyes.
"...What are you getting at?"
The attacker grinned.
"Oh~ I don't know! Maybe that," He suddenly pointed at Hisgard. "That outsider you took in killed the both of them and this guy on the floor right here!"
Joseph glanced at Hisgard.
"Hisgard, is it true? Is what he's saying the truth?"
Hisgard felt a twitch of nervousness in his heart, he had infact never fully told what happened to the burglars, and hadn't even properly taken care of the bodies, he could damn himself for being so forgetful.
"I.."
Hisgard took a deep breath.
"Yes. He's telling the truth."
Joseph sighed. Disappointment could be felt in his voice, but he wasnt angry nor disheartened, after all, he despised the Syndicate.
"Hisgard.."
Joseph turned his gaze back to the two hooded figures.
"So, what have you come here for? Unless you want to feel your head being separated from your body, I'd suggest you leave."
The dagger user laughed.
"Hah. We just came here to take what's due, we can't just let two of our valuable members die without anything to show for it? Well, three member actually after poor Carl died over here."
Joseph took a combat stance.
"So, you came here to kill Hisgard?"
The opposing party also readied himself.
"Nonono, so wrong! So wrong! We came here to kill you both!"
Joseph suddenly rushed forward towards the larger of the two figures.
"Hisgard! I hope you can fight! Take care of the smaller one! I'll fight the big one!"
As he said that, he launched himself and the broad man thru the window, out in the street.
"Well~ That just leaves the two of us.. Hisgard, was it? Yes.. Hisgard, pretty name for a soon to be dead man."
Hisgard prepared himself, readying his knife. His gaze sharpened, he didn't know if he could take care of him, after all, his earlier onslaught wasn't something he could defend indefinitely.
'No, I have to! Otherwise both my master and myself are going to die! I don't even know what happens if I die in this game!
The first thing that came to mind to Hisgard if he experienced death was like it implied, his death, on the proper sense, meaning he wouldn't wake up. Indeed, he was already stuck in that virtual world, unable to log off, if he died what would happen to his consciousness?
'Let's not think about that. I have to fight!"
As he finished that thought, a dagger was suddenly thrown towards his face, mere centimeters away from his face.
As the enemy threw that dagger, he shouted:
"Hah! What are you spacing out for ?!"
Hisgard barely managed to deflect it before, his opponent quickly went in from under and sent a right hook straight to Hisgard's nose, sending him flying thru the door and into the corridor, leaving him on the floor stunned.
'Urgh.. That hurts bad.. Damn it.. I think my nose is broken.. I have a hard time breathing.'
"Oh~ Poor puppy! Do you need your mommy~? Is it broken? Does it hurt? Please tell me it hurts!
Hisgard sent a middle finger towards his way as he slowly stood up.
"You hit like a little girl."
"Hah. Don't act so high and mighty, I can see the blood streaming down your face y'know?"
Hisgard, with no other choice, decided to stall for time, he had to recover, and find his way to the living room or outside, as the small corridor space provided an advantage to his opponent.
"Hey bastard.. What's your name?"
His opponent looked a bit surprised, but answered.
"You must be stalling for time. Hah. Whatever. You'll die anyways."
He grinned ferociously, with black teeth showing.
"My name is Frantz. Well, some do call me 'Gutter' though!"
'What an ominous nickname.' Hisgard thought, 'As I guessed, this psycho likes to play with his prey. I'm glad he didn't hit me with that dagger from earlier, I imagine it's some sort of neurotoxin paralysing the body.'
Hisgard bought enough time for the blood in his nose to slightly clear up, enabling him to breath just enough as to not stumble, thus, he decided to distract his opponent to find a more open area.
Hisgard used 'Chop' as he swung his knife towards his opponent neck, then, as his attack was deflected and countered by another hook straight into the liver, he positioned himself towards the end of the corridor, leading to the main area of the house.
'I don't know how many more of these I can take, I already want to throw up, walking is a pain as is.'
"Oh~! So that was your idea! Well, it's not the worst idea.. but what will you even do? Just after a punch or two youre already limping considerably! Hah! So weak.. so weak.. so weak!"
'Gutter' exhaled with a loud 'Ah~' practically a moan.
"I love this so much! I can torment you in so many ways! Do I cut you to pieces? Nonono that would be too fast! Right? Right?! Oh I know!"
'What is wrong with this guy..?' Hisgard thought, then a look of disgust appeared on his face. Or was it fear? No, it was both.
"That's right! That's how it should be done! I'll cut your tendons! Leaving you helpless as I torture you watching the light leave your eyes! Ah~.. I'm so excited just thinking about it!"
He said, as he licked his dagger once more, slightly cutting his own tongue.