Chapter 39 Sinister Melody of Torment

As I ventured forth, my heart pounding like a war drum, a seemingly harmless mound ahead began to shift and morph into a colossal form. The earth quivered as the massive figure rose, unveiling its true identity - a Pigwolf, peacefully slumbering on the grass. A guttural convulsion wracked my tiny frame, and terror took hold as I turned on my heels, scuttling back toward the safety of my slimy abode. 

I gasped in terror, "Wreeeee! Oh no, big thing! Pigwolf! Scary! Gobbie does not like scary things. Run away! Fast feet, go! Tiny feet go tap-tap!" The wet mud echoed with the rapid tap of my tiny feet, a panicked rhythm of escape.

Pigwolf, awakened by my frantic retreat, pursued me with a ferocious growl, its giant claws trampling everything in its path. The once-pristine veggie garden became a chaotic scene of destruction, with vegetables crushed and smeared under the relentless onslaught of the monstrous creature. My pumpkin shelter, a beacon of hope, seemed impossibly distant as the thunderous pursuit closed in, the Pigwolf's ominous presence casting a shadow over my desperate scuttle.

In a whirlwind of chaos, I sprinted and dove head-first through the hole inside my pumpkin shelter, the giant orange vegetable promising a momentary haven.

"Gobbie not give up! Slimy shelter, here I come! Pigwolf, you no catch gobbie!"

 With a thunderous roar, the monstrous creature charged, ramming the pumpkin with its massive body. The impact sent the pumpkin soaring into the air, and I found myself trapped inside, tumbling and rattling like a goblin bouncing ball in a chaotic centrifuge.

I screamed while tumbling inside the airborne pumpkin, "Wreeeee! Ouchie, goblin spin too much! What happening? Pumpkin fly? Goblin not bird! Bad bird! Oof! Head hurt! Ow, ow, ow! Pumpkin, why do you do this? Goblin dizzy tumble! Ahhhh! Pumpkin ride! Goblin does not like this ride! Too spinny! Too crashy! Where ground? Goblin confused. The air tumble is not fun. Make it stop! Goblin dizzy. Pumpkin, bad pumpkin! Goblin needs a nap! Too much spinny! Ouchie everywhere!"

Inside the airborne pumpkin, the world spun in a dizzying frenzy. My goblin body bounced and careened within the vegetable confines until, with a resounding crash, I was unceremoniously ejected as the pumpkin exploded into a pulpy mess crashing into the ground. Despite the tumultuous ride, luck favored me, as the Pigwolf's unwitting intervention had launched me in the general direction of the goblin camp.

While lying on the ground, sprawled like a dead frog, I checked my goblin body, "Ouchy! Gobbie okay? No squishy bits squished? Pumpkin go splat! Goblin tumble, go splat! Messy mess! Oooof! Dizzy goblin! Slimy goblin, icky goo! Pumpkin hug too tight, nearly crushing!"

Dazed and disoriented, I recognized familiar landmarks and stumbled toward the meager tunnel that served as our shelter. Pigwolf, perhaps satisfied with the chaos it had caused, retreated back into the depths of the forest, leaving me to collect my wits.

Panting and out of breath, in a state of panic, I stumbled over my words, "Where tunnel? Where friends? Pigwolf go away? Goblin confused! The bad day gets worse! Ahhhh! Tunnel there, I see! Tiny feet hurry, no more worry! Safe inside, away from big Pigwolf! Pigwolf loud, ground shook! Goblin scared, in tunnel tucked! Tunnel cozy, goblin safe! Friends hug, safe snug!"

Tumbling and weaving through the terrain, I reached the safety of our tiny sanctuary, the tunnel providing a haven from wild events. With a mixture of relief and lingering fear, I collapsed inside, my goblin heart pounding with the echoes of the encounter. 

In the dim light of the tunnel, a happy sight greeted me - my fellow gobbies, curled up in a pile of meaty ears, cocooned in an embrace. The air was thick with the musky scent of goblin stench as they snuggled into a cozy nest of tangled limbs and filthy naked skin.

 The commotion of my entrance stirred them from their slumber, and one by one, they rose from the mound of tangled limbs. Rubbing their big bulbous eyes, they yawned with an exaggerated stretch, their jaws extending impossibly wide, as if defying the limits of goblin anatomy.

While panting and panicking, I shouted, "Bad Pigwolf! Big and scary! Smash veggies! Smash everything! Gobbies, hide!"

Tinker, half-asleep and in a stupor, rubbed his eyes and said, "What? Smash? Scary Pigwolf? Goblins talk fast. Slow down! Goblin heads not working well after a nap."

Squeak, rubbing his face mumbled, "Hermit is back! We worry that bad Pigwolf got Hermit! We hide in the tunnel. Safe here."

Scratchy, yawning so wide that his jaw popped, said, "Hermit noisy. Gobbies sleepy. What happened?"

I tried to catch my breath, "Pigwolf chase! Smash veggies. Tunnel safe. No veggies now."

Squabble grumbled, "Veggies gone? Pigwolf bad! Gobbies sad. Sleep now, Hermit. Dream of veggies, we safe in a tiny tunnel."

Squeak, curling up into a tiny ball, said, "Hermit, it is still early. No more Pigwolf. It is still a sleepy time. Come and let's sleep, worm gobbie huddle!"

I made my way to my friends, collapsing into the pile of gobbies. With a hushed tone, I reassured them, "Safe in the tunnel. Sleepy, dream of veggies. Goblin nap is the best; we sleep some more. But we return to Kaka after sleep is done. Zzzz..."

The morning sun morphed into the glare of the afternoon as we gathered the meager scraps of sustenance we could scrape together. Carrying the leaves on our backs for disguises, we ventured out of the safety of our tunnel, toward Kaka's tent.

As we crawled through the damp, muddy ground, a sudden, gut-wrenching shout tore through the air. The source was a tent we were skulking by, and in an instant, the guards emerged, violently dragging a goblin slave into the open. The poor soul was smashed to the ground, his back brutally lashed with long, thin branches makeshift fashioned into whips.

Terrified, we hastened our slow crawl, eyes wide with horror as the guards indulged in the sadistic beating of the goblin slave. The scene unfolded before us like a nightmare, and our hearts pounded with a mix of fear and helplessness.

A group of hatchlings, assigned to the unfortunate goblin slave, tumbled out of the tent in a desperate attempt to shield their caretaker from the onslaught. Like us, they were a pitiful sight - tiny, starved, and pathetic. The little gobbies scuttled to the guards' filthy feet, kissing and licking in a plea for mercy.

The first hatchling begged while quivering, "Reee! No hurt Dada! Bad guards, bad! We lick feet! We kiss feet! Leave Dada alone! We beg! We do!"

The second hatchling whimpered, "Pwease, no hurt Dada. We good gobbies, we good! We be good! We lick and kiss feet, pwease! No hurt Dada!"

The third hatchling wailed, "Reeeee! Save Dada! Hugs, hugs for Dada! Not kicks, not kicks!"

The fourth hatchling desperately licked and kissed goblin guards' filthy feet while begging, "We be good gobbies, promise! No hurt Dada, we promise! We do! We do!"

The fifth Hatchling pleaded, "Hugs and kisses, pwease! Spare Dada! Pwease! We lick filthy feet clean! Pwease! Mercy to Dada!"

The sixth hatchling sobbed, "Reeeeee! Dada, we wuv you! Bad guards, go away! No hurt Dada! Away with you!"

 However, the heartless goblin guards showed no compassion. With a swift kick, one of the guards sent the hatchlings flying like a pile of discarded leaves, their tiny bodies somersaulting through the air and raining down upon the goblin camp.

The guard hysterically laughed while watching the tiny hatchlings rain down all over the camp, "Look at 'em beg! Ain't they a sorry bunch? Kicking 'em's more fun than listening to their whining!"

The goblin grounds resounded with pained chirps and sorrowful clicks as broken and smushed gobbies wailed in agony from the sustained injuries. Scared and powerless, the goblin hatchlings painfully crawled back toward their rickety tent, the only semblance of safety left in their wretched existence. 

As the goblin hatchlings sought refuge, the malevolent guards redirected their attention back to a goblin slave on the ground. Desperation fueled the slave's futile attempt to crawl away, dragging his beaten body across the damp mud. But his futile escape attempt failed and the guards resumed their fun.

 They mercilessly whipped his back until their makeshift whips snapped under the strain. One of the guards cackled maniacally, "Ghegehegegeghee! The whipping branches ain't as sturdy as they used to be! They break before the worthless slave! They don't make them like they used to! Ghehehehe!" The guards erupted into hysterical laughter, reveling in the torture of the hapless goblin slave, kicking and beating his already mangled body.

As the guards reveled in their sadistic amusement, we, the tiny hatchlings, seized the opportunity to crawl to Kaka's tent. Cowering in the shadows, we watched from the safety of cover, our eyes wide with terror as the brutal spectacle unfolded before us.

 To further degrade the wretched goblin slave, one guard seized him by one leg while another did the same on the opposite side. With malicious laughter, they sprinted toward a wooden log pole embedded in the ground, spreading the goblin slave's legs and mercilessly smashing his crotch against the unyielding wood. A blood-curdling scream, "WRAAAAAAAHHHH!" echoed as the goblin's ballsack collided with the immovable object, and got crushed with a sickening, squelching pop. 

Writhing in agony, the slave goblin wrapped around the wooden pole, his mouth biting into the wood, teeth sinking in as he screamed in pain, "WHREEEEE! EEEEEK! EEEEEEEK!"

The goblin guards, devoid of any empathy, reveled in sadistic delight, their laughter a grotesque symphony as they pointed fingers at the pitiful creature now ensnared around the wooden pole. They mocked and jeered at his suffering, relishing in the torment they had inflicted upon the defenseless goblin.

The first guard said with a scornful laugh, "Look at 'im! Writhin' around that pole like a worm. Can't even take a hit properly! Pathetic slave. A little wooden pole breaks 'im. Ha! What a joke!"

The second goblin guard cackled, pointing and laughing, "Hey, you see his face? Priceless! Maybe we should make this a daily show, entertain ourselves a bit!"

The first guard mocked while cruelly grinning, "Bet he's regretting bein' born a shity, stinking goblin slave right about now. Ain't that right, you stinking green pile of misery?"

The third guard ridiculed the goblin's cries, "Let him scream. It's music to my ears. Ain't nothing like a slave in pain to make the day brighter! WRAAAAAAAHHHH! Look at me, I'm a stupid goblin who can't even protect his own balls! Brahahahha!"

The goblin guards continued their heartless banter, reveling in the suffering they had caused, their cruel words echoing through the goblin camp like a sinister melody of torment.