Chapter 137 Some Bad News

David swung his stick at the goblin's elongated ear, blowing a hole in it. Hermit collapsed to the ground, his tiny fingers grasping his throbbing, destroyed ear, writhing in agony and pleading for mercy. 

"Krhaaa! Reeeee! Please, stop! Hermit will do anything, please! I'll be your slave! I'll do anything you ask, just spare my ears! Master!" 

But David cared little for Hermit's pleas; all he desired was to torment the defenseless goblin. He took hold of his dangling ear, griped the remains of it, and slowly lifted the goblin up in the air. The Goblin squirmed in pain until his ear completely ripped off his skull and his body slammed to the ground again.

He then picked up the stick that the goblin had dropped and approached him. He shoved his ripped-off ear into Hermit's mouth and pushed it down his throat with a stick as he was screeching in pain, causing him to gag and gurgle, while cruelly lifting him to his feet with that same stick. With a disgusting gulp, he swallowed his own ear.

With a sadistic grin, David extended Hermit's rod toward him, saying, "Take the stick and continue the fight! You pathetic creature! Don't think your suffering will end so soon! Oh no! They just began, I will pummel you until nothing is left of you, you damn freak!" But the goblin, struggling to breathe and disoriented, weakly slapped at the extended stick, signaling that he did not want to fight.

David's discontent grew, and he responded by impaling one of the goblin's palms with the stick. He then forcefully pulled his stick out of the goblin's throat and assumed his battle stance, leaving Hermit to vomit blood with the stick still impaled in his palm. Screeching and vomiting his blood the goblin tried to cry for help but his airway was in unimaginable pain.

Hermit clenched the stick, desperately attempting to pull it out, but his weakened state proved his effort futile. Instead, he resorted to biting down on the stick with his rotten teeth, gripping his palm with his remaining good hand. With a painful screech, he forcefully tore it free. Holding the stick in his good hand, he covered his face with his mangled hand, standing tall as a weak and immobilized goblin. Despite his inability to walk, he assumed a defiant battle stance and patiently awaited his adversary, his gaze fixated on David through a partially guarded arm.

David, reveling in his sadistic pleasure, taunted and insulted the goblin, yet Hermit remained resolute, refusing to yield an inch. Closing the distance, David began ruthlessly whipping Hermit with the stick, relishing in the torment as he sought to break the goblin's spirit. Hermit, standing tall, absorbed every blow with a screeching pain. Each whip tore his skin leaving a gaping wound splashing his blood on the ground. His invalid body trembled with each hit he took accompanied by his painful screeching.

In a brief pause, as David laughed at Hermit's suffering, the goblin seized the opportunity. As David blinked, Hermit swung the stick, landing a weak strike on David's arm. At that moment, Hermit emerged as the victor by the rules set by David, and with the last whiffs of his strength, he spoke with a gaging voice dripping with blood, "Hermit struck you! Hermit has won! You promised I can now go free! Hermit is free!"

The crowd remained frozen in a state of both excitement and horror, their emotions still reeling from the relentless cruelty exhibited by David. The eerie silence hung heavy in the air, engulfing them in a tense atmosphere. From amidst the hushed murmurs, a voice emerged, barely audible, whispering, "The little guy actually did it... unbelievable. He actually won."

Suddenly, as if awakened from a trance, the crowd burst back to life, erupting into cheers and jubilation. But David, consumed by his own bitterness, couldn't find ease in their celebration.

 "Shut your damn traps, you fools!" he howled at the crowd, his voice polluted with anger and hate.

 In a display of further aggression, he delivered a forceful front kick to the goblin's chest, causing him to fall backward landing on his stomach. Hermit gasped for air as he suffocated, his elongated mouth gaping open wide trying to inhale but in a failed effort. His eyes are wide open on the verge of exploding, looking desperately for safety. His lanky arms moved him forward, desperately crawling through the cold stone pavement.

But David walked to him and started to whip his back with the stick while the goblin crawled toward the crowd screaming in pain and begging for mercy.

 "Kheeee! Rheeee! M-m-mercy! P-p-please! N-no more! Hermit won! Hermit won! You promised! Hreee!" 

But David was relentless and didn't let up, he whipped the goblin while presenting him with another chance. 

"Disgusting freak! I see you like to crawl in the dirt, how about your master gives you another chance? If you reach the crowd as you crawl I will leave you be, this time I am serious, I promise you that."

Hermit had no other option but to endure David's whipping as he desperately crawled toward the crowd. With each pull of his lanky little arms, he inched closer to the crowd while grunting with each strike he took from David. before he could even reach the crowd his back was sprinkled with wounds, almost no skin left on his back. Hermit crawled to the crowd and extended his trembling hand at them but David didn't let him reach it. He kicked Hermit to the side and toppled him over on his back. 

Hermit screamed in agony as his wounded back touched the dirty ground. Enjoying the torment he delivered, David mercilessly stomped on his stomach with all his weight. As Hermit opened his mouth to utter a plea, David shoved a stick down his throat, causing the goblin to puke and choke on his crushed insides.

Suddenly, a small pebble struck David's back. A young child had picked it up and hurled it at him while shouting, "Leave the little guy alone!" 

In an instant, several more children joined in, echoing the sentiment, "That's right! Stop bothering him, you bully! Stop bullying him, you coward!"

 The momentum of the situation gathered strength as the crowd redirected their anger toward David, demanding that he leave the goblin alone.

"The kid is right, you sore loser! Let him be!" A random man's voice rang out, accusingly declaring.

 "You appear pathetic, tormenting someone weaker than you, you loser!" A woman joined in, adding to the chorus.

 "Loser! Loser! Loser!" The unified voices of a few men resonated, expressing their solidarity. 

Gradually, the entire crowd shifted, aligning themselves with the goblin and harboring a growing disgust for David.

Suzuka seized the moment and said to Larry, "Now is the chance to save Hermit while the crowd is on our side. I never thought I would say this, but it's a good thing David excels at messing up everything he does. He even managed to screw up killing Hermit in such an ideal situation."

But before anyone could react, the guards burst through the crowd and demanded an explanation for the commotion. Larry wasted no time and swiftly diverted the guards' attention towards himself. With a subtle signal, he caught the eye of a familiar guard who understood the situation at hand. 

Seizing the moment, the guard took charge and issued authoritative orders, commanding the crowd to disperse.

"People of Rockmine, disperse immediately! There is nothing to see here," the guard bellowed. "Rest assured, these individuals will face punishment and discipline for their violent actions and disregard for the rules. As for the creature, it will be placed under custody for further investigation! Now, go about your business!"

The crowd, now under the authoritative sway of the guard, began to disperse, reassured by the promise of action and justice being taken.

The guards gathered Larry's group and restrained them. Arin understood the situation but remained silent, surrendering without uttering a single word. Larry, too, complied without resistance. Suzuka attempted to argue, but Larry calmed her down, saying, "Stay quiet, Helen. Everything is alright, trust me."

 Consumed by anger, David continued to resist, but the guard, aware of Larry's urgency, wasted no time and struck him across the face with his buckler, rendering him unconscious. David was then handed over to other guards for further handling.

With a hurried step, the guard hastily scooped up what remained of the goblin from the ground and placed it back into the barrel. Once the area was clear, they were all escorted into the town's prison hold and locked within the prison cells.

Sitting on her prison bed, Suzuka turned to Larry, who occupied the neighboring cell and asked, "Alright, Larry. What exactly is happening here? Spill the beans, don't hold back, tell me everything."

Without any hesitation, Larry confessed, "Okay, Helen, I will tell you."

"That guard is one of my friends. We were supposed to meet when I returned and hand over the goblin to him. He would then take it to a safe location, treat any injuries if present, or deliver it to the client if it was in good condition. Since we were heading into unknown territory to confront the bandits, we anticipated the goblin would be in a dire state. Hence, we took precautions. Fortunately, my friend happened to be patrolling nearby and came to our rescue. The commotion and the large crowd must have caught his attention. Now all we have to do is wait for a few hours and hope that poor Hermit survived."

Showing no concern for Hermit, Suzuka replied, "He better be alive, Larry. I want that coin you promised me. This entire expedition turned into a disaster, and I put a great deal of effort into it. Besides the promised payment, you owe me a favor for undertaking this quest."

Larry sighed and said, "I am a man of my word. If I promised payment, you will receive the coin. You escorted us back safely, and when we last saw him, Hermit was still breathing. Currently, he is under the care of the best doctor I know in this town, Dr. Jenkins. Although he may be somewhat shady, he is highly skilled in his profession. I am confident that he will be able to patch up Hermit."

  "Jenkins?" Suzuka exclaimed, surprise evident in her voice. "Yeah, I know the doc. He sure is a colorful fellow!"

The prison doors creaked open, and the guard entered the room, Larry's friend. He approached Larry and whispered, "Are we safe to talk with her present?"

Larry nodded and replied, "Yes, Samuel. She is trustworthy, you don't need to worry. Now, hurry up and tell me, did the goblin survive?"

"I'm afraid Larry, I have bad news."