Chapter 231 Counting The Profits

"Wreeee! No, no! Bad rats! Leave Hermit alone! Wreeee!" he cried, his voice reaching a new level of desperation. The rats, however, seemed determined to explore the dark recesses of his soiled shorts, finding the repulsive feast within.

In his pitiful state, Hermit rolled and tumbled on the debris-strewn floor, desperately trying to dislodge the invading rodents. Each movement only deepened his humiliation, and the rats, seemingly oblivious to the goblin's plight, continued their feast on whatever remnants clung to the fabric.

The chorus of Hermit's distress reached a new height as the rats, drawn by the scent of filth, scurried into the scene. Ignoring the goblin's pitiful shooing gestures, they darted between his legs and made themselves at home in the confines of the soiled shorts. Their tiny, nimble claws tickled Hermit's sensitive skin, provoking more erratic twitches and spasms from the already tormented goblin.

"Wreeee! No! Bad rats! Master, help Hermit! Rats in shorts, wreeee!"

As Hermit wriggled and contorted in his futile attempts to shoo them away, the rodents took advantage of every opening. The rats navigated through the folds of the soiled fabric, invading every nook and cranny. With each nibble, Hermit's distress heightened, his feeble protests drowned out by the relentless onslaught. The goblin's skin, his goblin jewels, and the straw he used for nesting became the unfortunate targets of the vermin's relentless chewing and scratching.

The atmosphere echoed with the pitiful sounds of Hermit's panicked convulsions. He rolled on the ground, his spindly legs kicking frantically as if trying to dislodge the unwanted invaders. The bites intensified the goblin's anguish, his tiny frame convulsing with each painful nibble. The rodents, however, were unrelenting, scratching and nibbling at his goblin balls and the straw.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of suffering, Hermit managed to slip out from his shorts, tossing the filthy shorts aside to shake off the relentless vermin.

Crawling to a corner, he huddled there, surveying the damage inflicted upon his lower half. His goblin balls and egg-laying straw were now raw and exposed, smeared with a nauseating combination of filth and rat bites.

In a high-pitched and whiny voice, the goblin began to wail, "Wreeeee! It hurts so bad! My poor goblin jewels and egg-laying straw are ruined! Goblin bits are all yucky and bitten! Wreeeee! Those filthy rats had a feast on me! Wreeeee! My poor goblin treasures! Why do bad rat things do this to me? Wreeeee! The balls hurt, straw is all messed up. No good, no good at all!"

He gingerly touched the afflicted area, letting out a series of distressed whines and yelps. His goblin brain struggled to comprehend the pain and discomfort he was experiencing.

"Ouchie-wouchie! Rats and filth, not nice to Hermit! Wreeeee! Goblin bits are all wrong now. What should Hermit do to fix it? Wreeeee! Want happy bits back!"

Hermit squirmed and fidgeted, attempting to inspect the damage more closely. His tiny hands hovered over the affected regions as if trying to cast some feeble goblin magic to heal himself.

"Wreeeee! Maybe mud? Mud good for goblin bits? Wreeeee! Or maybe lick clean to make it better? Hermit not sure, not sure at all. Wreeeee!"

Facing the wretched state of his own body, Hermit winced in disgust and sorrow. The stench of feces clung to him, a constant reminder of the degrading ordeal. In a desperate bid to reclaim a semblance of cleanliness, Hermit tentatively extended his elongated goblin tongue, using it to lick away the repulsive filth that coated his skin. Each stroke of his tongue against the grimy residue was met with a cascade of tears streaming down his cheeks, a poignant manifestation of his misery and humiliation but with a meek cry, Hermit continued his degrading task.

 "Wreee... it's so stinky! Master won't like, no, no. Must be clean for the master. Wreee! Clean, clean, Hermit. No stink, no dirt. Master likes clean, Wreee!" The goblin muttered to himself, his elongated tongue still lapping at his filthy lower half.

Hermit's feeble attempt at self-cleaning ended abruptly as he realized the absence of his master, Suzuka. Jumping on his wobbly feet, Hermit began frantically scanning the room, his head violently shaking from side to side. Panic seized the goblin's heart, his eyes widening with fear. His head jerked in every direction, desperately seeking a glimpse of Suzuka, but she was nowhere to be seen.

In the dimly lit room, Hermit's realization struck like a thunderbolt, leaving him in a state of panic. When he couldn't spot her, fear gripped his tiny heart, and he rushed to the door, his clumsy feet stumbling in a clumsy shuffle of terror to find his master.

With trembling hands, he tugged at the door, but it remained steadfastly shut. Panic intensified, and the room seemed to close in on him. His efforts to open the door proved futile, and a sense of dread overwhelmed him.

 "Master? Master! Wreee! Master? Master! Where are you, master? Master gone! Master left Hermit all alone! Wreee! Open, open! Wreee! Don't leave Hermit! Scared, scared!" Hermit wailed, pounding on the door with his tiny fists. But the unyielding door offered no response.

"Wreee! Master... gone? Left Hermit alone? Wreee! Door not open! Master locked Hermit in! Master left Hermit to die! Wreee!" he whimpered between sobs, his goblin voice wavering in distress. The realization that the door wouldn't budge only intensified his panic. 

"Wreee! Stuck! Can't follow Master. Left behind, forgotten..." His pale face turned even paler as despair settled in.

The grim realization that Suzuka might have abandoned him sank in, and Hermit's world crumbled. 

"Wreee! Master gone! No coming back! Hermit alone! Wreee!"

With a pitiful gaze, he looked around the room, mumbling, "No way out. Trapped! Wreee! Master, why leave? Hermit good goblin. Wreee."

His goblin mind couldn't fathom the idea that his master, the one he trusted, had left him behind. Tears streamed down his filthy face as he sank to the ground, defeated.

In the corner of the room, Hermit huddled into himself, his sobs echoing through the small space. His thumb found its way into his mouth, a pitiful attempt at seeking solace. He rocked back and forth, his spindly legs drawn up to his chest, as he lamented the perceived betrayal. 

"Master gone. Left Hermit alone. Wreee! No more Master. No more."

Hermit remained curled up in despair, convinced that he had been forsaken by the person he thought he could trust.

After successfully clearing the area and collecting the necessary proof of her kills, Suzuka returned to the room where she had left Hermit. The barricade remained intact, and she pushed aside the collapsed wall to find Hermit huddled in a corner.

With an amused grin, she commented, "Hermit, what in the world are you doing? Why are you half-naked, where are your shorts?"

Hermit looked up with a mixture of embarrassment and unbridled joy.

"Wreee! Master is back! Is back! No leave Hermit behind after all! Hermit so happy master returned!"

Suzuka said, "Don't change the subject. Why are you not wearing your shorts?"

Hermit pointed at his feces-soaked shorts and said, "Shorts bad! No like Hermit! Sticky slime shorts! Stink bad, smeared with goblin poop. I don't want to stink the place."

The goblin, overwhelmed with bizarre happiness, leaped to his feet, his disgusting grin stretching wider than his face could handle. With a twisted grin, he scampered toward Suzuka, his limbs flailing awkwardly and his goblin balls bouncing uncontrollably between his spindly legs. He squealed with childlike delight as he extended his filthy arms, "Master! Hermit happy! Hug! Hug! Please, master, hug Hermit! I'm scared, thought master leave! Hug! A warm hug I implore!"

Before the goblin could latch onto her, Suzuka weakly slapped him across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

 "Ew! Get dressed before you come at me, you little pervert. What's the big idea, running at me half-naked? You little creep."

Slowly getting up and rubbing his cheek, Hermit pleaded, "I deserved that slap for ever doubting you, master. Slap me again, please. I doubted you, the goddess of us goblins who promised us salvation. I am sorry. I will accept punishment."

"Ew! Ew! Pervert! I knew it! You enjoy punishment, don't you? All those tales about goblin farms and all of the tortures you endured were just your sick fantasies! I feel dirty just looking at you," Suzuka said, visibly disgusted.

Hermit convulsed as if struck by a spear, trying to explain, "No! No! Hermit does not like punishment! Nu-uh! Nu-uh! No, I don't! I don't! I-"

But Suzuka interrupted him, "Ew! Hermit! Stop talking. Your breath stinks horribly. What were you doing here? Wait! Hold on! Wait a minute! Were you eating your poop again? I see poop smeared on your lips. I see smudges on your lips, don't bother denying it. I know you were about to die, but at least choose a better last meal instead of munching on your poop."

Hermit, with his contorted smile quickly fading, whimpered in embarrassment and began to justify himself, "Wreee! No, no, Master! Not eating poop! Wreee. Hermit was just happy to see Master and wanted a hug. Not eating poop, promise. Just... just tried to clean myself a little... not to... not to stink."

Suzuka, still grappling with the repulsive scene before her, shook her head in disbelief. She pulled a new pair of shorts for the goblin out of her item storage and tossed it at him.

 "Ugh, Hermit, you know how to make a bad situation worse. Just... clean yourself up and cover yourself with these. We have things to do, and I don't want to spend more time than necessary around your filth."

Hermit, with a mix of shame and eagerness to please, nodded vigorously.

 "Yes, master! Hermit will clean up. Make master proud!"

Suzuka sighed, realizing the goblin's enthusiasm was more of an annoyance than anything else. 

"Just don't get any ideas about hugs, okay? We're not doing that. Now, let's focus on finding a way out of here. We need to get back to town and count the profits."