Chapter 423 Doing Someone a Solid

Hermit’s stomach turned as he was grabbed roughly by the shoulder and thrown to the floor. He tried to lift himself up, but a heavy boot pressed between his shoulder blades, pinning him face-down in the dirt.

“No more being gentle,” the guard growled. 

“I’ve got a different job now, runt. Time for some breeding!”

He didn’t fight. Hermit was used to it. He knew better. Fighting only made it worse. He lay there in the cold, feeling the weight on his back, the laughter in the air, the cruel twist of fate that had brought him back to this moment.

Suzuka turned her head slowly toward him, eyes blinking as if trying to pierce through the fog of sleep or shock. She saw the boot. She saw the way Hermit’s arms trembled, not from cold, but from quiet, soul-deep terror.

Her voice was small this time. No mockery. Just confusion.

 “Wait… what’s happening?”

One second, Suzuka’s head was full of wool, her thoughts drifting in and out of a hazy dream—goblins? Cages? Why was everything spinning? —and the next, reality crashed into her with all the grace of a drunken troll.

Hermit was on his knees, his tattered robes hiked up, his face a mask of humiliation and terror as the thick-fingered goblin guard loomed behind him, drooling with anticipation.

"Oh. Oh, no."

Suzuka’s nose wrinkled in disgust. 

"Ugh. Seriously?"

The goblin barely had time to turn before her hand clamped around his throat. His beady eyes bulged, his grin twisting into a choked gurgle as she lifted him off the ground like a misbehaving kitten.

"Just a stinky goblin cave," she muttered, almost disappointed.

  "I thought I was dreaming. Oh well."

A sharp crack cut through the damp air as she twisted her wrist. The goblin’s body crumpled to the floor in a lifeless heap.

Suzuka wiped her hand on her pants, grimacing at the greasy feel of goblin skin. Hermit was still frozen, his pants halfway down, his expression caught between shock, relief, and lingering horror.

She sighed.

  "Put your pants on already, Hermit. That was disgusting. And not in the fun way."

Hermit scrambled to pull up his robes, his face burning.

  "I—you—he—"

"Yeah, yeah," Suzuka waved him off, rolling her stiff shoulders. 

"I definitely didn’t need to see that."

She kicked the dead goblin’s limp arm aside, then glanced around the cell. 

"Now. What did I miss? Where’s the exit before more of these things show up?"

Hermit’s hands trembled as he yanked his robes back into place, his voice a ragged whisper.

"Avalanche—there was an avalanche in the pass. We were buried. Kaka, the hatchlings, me—we dug ourselves out, but then—then the goblins were just there."

 His fingers twitched toward the bruise on his temple.

  "Clubbed us. Dragged us... here. They took the hatchlings first. Then Kaka. They were—laughing. Said I was ‘lucky.’ That I’d be a... a breeding bag for their sows." 

A shudder ripped through him. 

"And Kaka—oh gods, Kaka—they said he will be used for breeding first, then me next. That they’d... use him right."

He swallowed hard, fists clenching.

  "I thought you were dead when they threw you in here. Or just—asleep forever. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t do anything. This camp—it’s dug into the mountains. Nestled between cliffs, like a rat’s den. They chose it, so the snow won’t bury them again. Last storm... it killed most of their slaves. They’re desperate now. Empty hatcheries. No workers. No meat. That’s why they kept me alive. Why they’ll turn every prisoner into a breeder—or food if they’re too weak."

He glanced toward the tunnel entrance, ears twitching at distant screeches. 

"The hatchlings... they’ll be fattened if they’re small, broken in if they’re old enough. The hatchlings... they separated them by size. The smaller ones—the ones still soft, still young—they threw into the fattening pens. They'll be... they'll be fed. Like livestock. But the older ones? The ones who can already walk, all ready for breeding. They'll be taken to the sheds. The evil goblins will breed them for days, then throw them into the dark with grown slaves—broken slaves—who've been ordered to 'teach them their way.' Make them obedient. Submissive. Good slaves."

He suddenly grabbed Suzuka's wrist.

  "And the ones who survive? They'll be collared. Branded. Bred. Just like they wanted to do to me. Just like—" His voice cracked.

  "Just like they're doing to Kaka right now."

A distant scream echoed from deeper in the caves—not human, not goblin. Something in between.

Hermit's face went deathly pale.

  "...That's him. That's Kaka. Kaka… poor, Kaka. He didn’t deserve this. None of us do. I know… I know exactly what they’re doing to him right now. The way they hold you down. The way they laugh. The—the pain when their eggs take root inside you. It’s disgusting. It’s humiliating. And it hurts—every time. Your body isn’t made for it, but they don’t care. They just… use you. Again and again."

His hands trembled as he wiped at his face, smearing dirt and tears together. 

"But then… then the eggs hatch. And suddenly, there they are—tiny, perfect little things. Mine. Not theirs. Mine. They didn’t ask for this either. They’re just… innocent."

A broken, wet laugh escaped him.

  "I hate this place. I hate what they’ve done to me. But… my hatchlings? They’re the only good thing that’s ever come from this hell. And now… now they’re going to do the same to Kaka. And he’ll have to live with it. Just like I did. I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect him. I failed again."

Suzuka let out an exaggerated groan, rolling her eyes so hard it looked painful.

  "Ugh! Disgusting. Look, Hermit, I know I asked what was up, but holy hell, I didn’t need the tragic backstory edition. ‘We’re in a goblin camp’—boom, done. Could’ve saved us both the trauma."

She cracked her knuckles, glancing around the cell with a lazy smirk.

  "But fine. Since we’re stuck in this nasty little fanfic of yours—how do you wanna play this? We go hard—" Her fingers twitched, dark energy flickering around them. 

"—or we sneak out like losers?"

A slow, dangerous grin spread across her face. 

"Actually, scratch that. I hope you pick the hard way. I’ve been dying to turn this whole disgusting rat nest into a crater. One spell. Poof. No more goblins. No more breeding drama. Just… ash."

She tilted her head. 

"Sound good? Or you wanna cry about it some more first?"

Hermit’s entire body jerked like he’d been stabbed, arms flailing wildly as if invisible goblins were already gnawing on him.

  "NO—WAIT—MASTER, STOP—" His voice cracked into a shriek. 

"You can’t just ‘poof’ the whole camp yet!! WHAT ABOUT KAKA?? WHAT ABOUT THE HATCHLINGS?? We have to save them FIRST—and the other slaves! The survivors! There could be dozens still alive in the pens!! Then you can—you can turn the whole mountain into a smoking hole, I swear, just—PLEASE DON’T KILL THEM BEFORE WE SAVE THEM—"

A distant goblin shout echoed down the tunnel. Hermit froze mid-flail, ears twitching, then spun back to Suzuka with wide, pleading eyes. 

"...So. Uh. Sneak first. Then… then murder. Deal?"

Suzuka clicked her tongue loudly, shaking her head like a teacher dealing with the one student who ruined the curve.

  "Tch. Fine."

She dragged the word out like it physically pained her. 

"We’ll do it your way—sneak, rescue, blah blah blah. But the second those hatchlings are safe, I’m reducing this dung heap to a stain. No negotiations."

She cracked her neck, shooting him a look that could curdle milk.

  "And if one of those goblins so much as breathes funny in my direction, I’m skipping straight to the ‘fire and screaming’ part. Understood?"

Hermit's entire body sagged like a deflated sack, his claws clutching at his chest in exaggerated relief.

  "YES—yes, okay, good! Thank you. I promise, once the hatchlings are safe, you can—you can melt the entire mountain for all I care!"

His ear twitched at another distant goblin shout, and he immediately scrambled closer to Suzuka, whispering, "Just—maybe quiet murder at first? Like, stealthy murder? Until we find Kaka? Because if they hear screaming, they might— oh no."

 His eyes widened.

  "What if they’re not breeding him, what if they killed him?! What if we’re too late and he’s already— guh!"

 He made a visceral gagging noise, shaking his head like he could physically dislodge the mental image.

Then, with sudden, desperate seriousness, he grabbed Suzuka’s sleeve. 

"...If we do find him soon..."

"AAAAAAH—SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Suzuka threw her hands up, looking like she was two seconds away from either strangling him or setting him on fire out of sheer irritation.

  "Gods, you never stop yapping, do you? 'Oh, save Kaka! Oh, the hatchlings! Oh, help—' SHUT IT! This whole 'adventure' of yours has gone straight into the shitter, and I am this close to revoking my 'generous favor' and just walking the hell out!"

She jabbed a finger into his chest, her eye twitching.

  "Next time I feel like doing someone a solid, remind me to PUNCH MYSELF IN THE THROAT INSTEAD. This is way overboard. Now MOVE. Before I decide you're the one who needs 'helping.'"