Chapter 179 Spooky Awakening

 As the hours ticked by, Hermit remained crumpled under the table, lost in a deep slumber. His body lay contorted and twisted, his limbs curled tightly against his puny body. The pain from his earlier ordeal still lingered, but his injuries had healed.

With every passing minute, Hermit's consciousness began to stir, slowly pulling him back from the abyss of unconsciousness. But it was a harrowing struggle. His eyelids felt like lead, resisting any attempt to lift them as if they were glued shut by some unseen force.

His mind seemed to wade through murky waters, each thought sluggish and foggy, making it an arduous effort to piece together even the simplest of notions. His senses, once sharp and keen, now felt dulled and distant, as if they were echoes from another realm.

In his half-conscious state, Hermit attempted to call out for help, but his voice emerged as a mere whisper, barely audible even to his own ears. The words seemed to dissipate into the air, lost in the oppressive silence of the room.

"W-Wree... ughhh... Mmm... Ungh... Hermit... so tired... Grrraaa... Uwiee... So... tired..." Hermit whimpered, his voice barely a raspy murmur.

Finally, after what felt like an endless struggle, Hermit managed to summon the strength to open his eyes, but the world around him appeared blurry and distorted as if seen through a fogged-up mirror. His surroundings were a chaotic mess of shapes and colors, each one merging with the next in a surreal dance.

"Oww... eyes hurt..." he moaned, squinting against the intrusive light.

With a tremendous effort, Hermit attempted to sit up, but his body rebelled against the movement. Every muscle protested, threatening to give out under the weight of his dizziness.

"Can't... move... too dizzy..." Hermit gasped, his breath shallow and uneven.

Summoning the strength to sit up, he cradled his aching head in his hands, fingers gingerly touching the bruises and knots on his once magnificent ears.

"Hurts... ears hurt... Master Lisanna... please, fix ears..." he whispered, his voice tinged with a sense of longing for comfort.

As Hermit took in his surroundings, he felt a profound sense of helplessness wash over him. The room seemed to spin, and his vision swam with dizziness. He attempted to rise to his feet, but his body trembled like a leaf caught in a storm.

"Legs... shaky... no strength... so dizzy," he muttered, his limbs quivering with exhaustion.

The goblin's eyes fluttered open, but they struggled to focus, blurring the world around him into a dizzying swirl of colors and shapes. He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision, but it seemed as if his eyelids weighed a ton, reluctant to obey his will.

The slightest movement sent a jolt of pain through his body, and Hermit winced with each touch.

"Ouch... hurts... everywhere..." he whined, his voice breaking with vulnerability.

"N-Need... water..." Hermit's parched lips parted slightly as he managed to voice his desperate plea. His throat felt raw and dry, like sandpaper rubbing against sandpaper, each swallowing a painful struggle. He longed for the soothing touch of water to quench the fire within.

Finally managing to stand, he hunched over, clutching his churning belly.

"Ughhh... My tummy... hurts... owieee... Please... water... Ghrr... stomach... churns... hungry..." he croaked, his hunger intensifying the agony.

But every attempt to move proved to be an agonizing task. His body quivered and trembled with weakness, the pain in his ears reverberating through his entire being. With each attempt to push himself forward, he slumped back down, his frail form unable to bear the weight of his own suffering.

"Ughh... Master... help... Hermit hurt... so much..."

His head throbbed with pain, and he felt an unrelenting pressure on his bruised and battered body. The rope marks on his ears still stung, and his stomach churned with discomfort from the earlier ordeal. Each breath felt like a struggle as if his lungs were filled with leaden air.

"H-Hungry... no, no, not food... pain... hurts... Goblins... fear... ropes... ropes... tight... so tight... ears... screaming... Wreeeee... make it stop... make it stop..."

His hands instinctively reached for his ears, feeling the phantom pain from the rope's brutal grip.

 "Ughhh... M-my ears... twinging like twigs... so much pain... Wreeeee... Oh, the horror... my poor, poor ears... agony. Nnngh... Hell and back... ropes... ears... so tight... hanging... cruel, cruel David..."

As Hermit slowly regained his marbles, his entire body trembled with the aftereffects of the torment. His eyes fluttered but gradually, the haze lifted, and his vision sharpened, allowing him to see the guild hall clearly once more.

"Head... spinning... swirling like a tornado... thoughts tangled like a web... Calm down... calm down... breathe, breathe..."

With each passing moment, the strength started to trickle back into his body, and he mustered the will to rise from the cold, hard floor. But even as he stood, his limbs felt like wobbly jelly, threatening to give way at any moment. He steadied himself, trying to regain his composure, but his hands still shook uncontrollably, and his body swayed unsteadily, like a frail reed swaying in the wind.

"Ughhh... wobbly legs... sh-shaky... like leaves... no, no, no! Steady... gotta stay steady!" Hermit mumbled while clenching his tiny fists, "Come on, body! Don't fail me now! I-I can do this... just need to find my balance..."

Feeling vulnerable and apprehensive, Hermit timidly peeked his head out from under the table where he had sought refuge, his large eyes darting around like a frightened mouse seeking shelter from predators. His body slouched and hunched in on itself as if trying to disappear into the shadows. His entire being screamed of passive submission, like a beaten and bruised dog too fearful to raise its voice.

"Ughhh... Me not like this place. Not like it at all," Hermit mumbled in a pained, demented tone.

 "Scary, scary... big people, scary people... must hide, must hide... Uhh... n-no one here, right? Hermit is safe... Hermit is safe... Uhh... big guild, lots of noises... Hermit scared... scared... need to hide... uhh... hide from the big, scary world..." 

Hermit shivered, his breaths shaky and uneven, as he mustered the courage to take a hesitant step forward. Every movement felt like an ordeal as if he were dragging the weight of the world on his tiny shoulders.

Whispers escaped Hermit's quivering lips as he timidly surveyed the guild hall.

"M-M-Master Helen... Where are you? W-What happened to me?" His voice wavered like a scared child goblin seeking reassurance.

"I-I didn't mean to upset anyone... Please, don't hurt Hermit..." His words trailed off, barely audible, as if afraid of his own voice.

He tried to gather his courage, straightening his posture, but his knees shook like jelly as he managed to mutter, "G-Getting stronger... Hermit needs to be stronger... No more pain... Please, no more pain..."

His eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of danger.

"Where is everyone? Is it safe to come out?" he mumbled, his voice laced with fear.

With a trembling hand, he touched his bruised ears, a reminder of the torment.

"Ears... h-hurting... Must be careful... Master Helen said I must be careful..."

He felt like a lost soul, yearning for the comfort of his hiding place.

"Under the table... safe... Maybe... Can I go back... under the table...?" he mumbled, his body swaying with uncertainty.

As he peered around, Hermit spotted a small puddle of water nearby, someone must have spilled their drink. He hesitated for a moment before daring to take a cautious sip.

"T-Thirsty... Must drink... Need to stay strong... water good!"

He brought his trembling hands to the small puddle of water, his eyes wide with desperation.

 "H-Hermit needs... needs strength... water... precious... precious water..."

With every sip, he winced in pain, the liquid searing his parched throat.

"Ahh... hurts... but... but must... survive... must... be strong... must drink."

His body shook with each swallow, but he couldn't stop, his thirst overwhelming any pain. "Goblins... strong... survive... I... I am strong..."

Hermit's voice cracked, and he whimpered, "Why... why is life so cruel? Why... why am I... this way?"

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he forced them back, refusing to show weakness.

"No... no more tears... must be... strong... from today not a single tear will be shed!"

He took another gulp, his voice hoarse, "Survive... goblins... survive... must... survive..."

Hermit clutched his stomach, his body in agony, "Please... please... make it stop... the pain... the thirst..."

But he knew deep down that no one would answer his plea. In this world of darkness and torment, he was alone, a small goblin struggling to survive against overwhelming odds.

The pain in his throat intensified, and he gasped for breath between sips.

"I... I can't... I can't go on like this... but I must... I must keep going... must drink water."

In the midst of his torment, he whispered with a trembling voice, "Goblins... not weak... not weak... Hermit... strong..."

Hermit crouched low to the ground, sipping the precious water with trembling hands. Suddenly, a creaking noise reached his sensitive ears, and he whipped around with great caution, his eyes wide with fear.

"Oh no, no, no, oh, the shadows, they're closing in! I-I-I can't b-breathe... S-someone, anyone, please h-h-h-h-help!" he whimpered, his voice shaking with terror.

"W-what was that? Who's there? Show yourself! P-please, I-I'm just a little g-goblin, I-I don't mean any harm, I-I'm just scared... S-someone, p-p-please s-s-save me!"

His ears, now erect like towering sails, strained to catch any hint of movement. He gulped nervously, the water forgotten for a moment as he focused on the source of the sound.

"Is someone watching Hermit?" he squeaked, his eyes darting around the room, searching for any sign of danger.

"Please, please, just leave me alone. Hermit doesn't want any trouble."

A weak chuckle echoed through the air, "Chi-chi-chi chu-chu-chu," sending shivers down Hermit's spine. The sound was low and sinister, like a haunting whisper from the darkest depths of the underworld.

Hermit's eyes brimmed with tears of desperation.

"P-Please," he choked, his voice barely audible, "I'm just a goblin, a nobody. Why torment me like this?"

A floor creaked and startled the goblin, "W-What was that? Oh, it's just the floor... I hope. Ugh, why did I come out? Should've stayed hidden, safe under the table..."

Hermit's fear had grown into an all-consuming beast, swallowing him whole, and leaving him a trembling and pitiful creature. He cowered in a hunched posture, his frail body wobbling slowly toward the reception desk, seeking a meager semblance of safety from the lurking threats that haunted his every move. He remembered all the drawers in the desk and hoped to seek shelter in them from the lurking threats.

 "W-what to do? W-where to hide? The shadows are watching, they are coming for me! G-goblins know, g-goblins always know. N-need to find shelter. The reception desk, yes, the drawers, they are my refuge. M-maybe I can squeeze in, hide from the lurking threats. But oh, the shadows, the shadows are laughing at me!"