Chapter 51 Creature Unleashed from the Depths of Madness

As I cowered there, gripped by terror, the chatter of the human folk surrounded me like a storm, their words a jumbled mess that I struggled to understand. My puny mind strained to catch their meaning, it was like trying to grab a slippery fish in a rushing river. Their towering figures loomed over me, casting shadows that stretched across the forest floor, making me feel like a mere smear of filth on the ground.

Frightened out of my wits, I stood frozen, my body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Fear held me in its grip, freezing me in a place like a statue carved from stone. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to flee, to vanish into the underbrush and escape the gaze of these towering giants. But my body refused to obey, rooted to the spot by an overwhelming sense of dread. My mouth hung open in a silent plea for help, but no words came out, only a feeble whimper that was lost in the wind.

With bated breath, I watched as the adventurers continued their conversation, oblivious to the tiny goblin cowering in the bushes. I strained to catch every word, my ears pricked with anticipation as I hung onto their every syllable.

"We'll need to approach from the east. That way, we can avoid the main entrance and catch them off guard." said the burly warrior, his voice gruff. 

"I'll scout ahead and see if I can find a way in without alerting the guards," said a pretty woman in fine-looking leather armor.

The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully, his brow furrowed in concentration as he spoke, "Once we're out in the opening, we'll need to move quickly. The longer we linger in tall grass, the greater the chance of being discovered."

Another tough-looking man nodded in agreement, his keen eyes scanning the surrounding landscape for any sign of danger as he spoke, "We'll need to be cautious. Goblins are cunning creatures and won't hesitate to sound the alarm if they catch wind of our presence."

The fifth group member, a man with a silver tongue and a quick wit, chuckled softly.

 "Well, if all else fails, we can always rely on my charm to get us out of trouble. I will sing a song to these goblins as a distraction," he said jesting.

As the adventurers continued to discuss their plan, I listened intently from my hiding spot in the bushes, my heart pounding with excitement and fear. Though my goblin ears could only decipher a few words of the human tongue, the urgency and intensity in their voices were unmistakable, sending shivers down my spine.

For a brief moment, a daring thought flitted through my tiny goblin mind like a fleeting shadow. What if these strangers could be our salvation, our deliverance from the relentless torment inflicted upon us by our cruel goblin overlords? What if I were to step forward and plead for their aid, to beseech them to help us break free from the chains of oppression that bound us?

But even as the thought took root in my mind, a chorus of doubts and fears arose to drown out its hopeful melody. What if these humans were no better than the goblins who enslaved us, their intentions as dark and malevolent as those of our captors? What if they viewed us not as fellow beings deserving of compassion and empathy, but as nothing more than mere vermin to be crushed beneath their boots?

And yet, despite the overwhelming odds stacked against me, a stubborn resolve began to take root in my heart, a resolve to seize whatever slim chance at freedom fate had deigned to bestow upon me.

With a trembling hand, I reached out from my hiding place, my fingers brushing against the rough bark of the bush as I prepared to step forward into the unknown. I stepped forward from the safety of the bushes, my voice trembling as I called out to the strangers.

"Please," I pleaded in the only language I knew, my goblin tongue, "help us. We are but humble goblins, enslaved and tormented by our cruel masters. If you possess the kindness to aid us in our plight, we would be forever in your debt."

As I stepped out from the bushes and began speaking in the only language I knew, a racket of clicks and chirps that echoed through the clearing, the strangers' faces twisted in confusion and alarm. Their brows furrowed in bewilderment as they exchanged wary glances, their hands instinctively reaching for the weapons at their sides. To them, my plea was nothing more than gibberish coming from a goblin, they did not understand a single word I said. 

A moment of tense silence hung in the air, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. And then, as if a switch had been flipped, the strangers' demeanor shifted from confusion to alarm. With lightning speed, they drew their weapons and formed a defensive circle, their backs pressed tightly together as their eyes scanned the surrounding forest with a mixture of caution and worry.

In an instant, the atmosphere shifted from one of hope to one of looming danger. Weapons were drawn with practiced ease, the glint of steel reflecting the fading light of the setting sun. I stood frozen in place, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched the strangers ready themselves for battle. Despite my frantic attempts to explain our plight, my words lost in translation, they remained resolute in their assumption that I was a threat to be neutralized.

As the leader of the group slowly pulled his sword from the sheath, his eyes narrowed with suspicion as he slowly scanned the surroundings and finally trained his gaze on me. His lips pressed into a thin line, his grip tightening on the hilt of his weapon as he prepared to defend himself against the perceived threat.

At that moment, I realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that my hopes of finding allies in these strangers had been dashed. Despite my desperate pleas for help, they saw only an enemy to be vanquished, a creature of darkness and danger lurking in the shadows of the forest.

As the leader of the adventurers barked out orders to his team, his voice resonated with authority, cutting through the tension like a knife through butter. 

"Stay on guard! Be ready for an ambush at any moment. We can't afford to let our guard down in these woods. That's only a pathetic hatchling but where's one goblin there's always more!"

The leader raised his sword and took a step forward, his voice ringing out orders, "I'll deal with the goblin in front! We can't risk letting it escape and alerting the goblin camp to our presence. Stay alert and be ready to move at a moment's notice."

My heart pounded in my chest as I watched the giant man approach, his sword gleaming in the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. My feeble goblin mind could not comprehend what he was saying, I was merely a goblin hatchling a few weeks old, not larger than his boot. With each step he took, the underbrush seemed to part before him, as if clearing a path to my demise.

"Come here you little shit! I will gut you like a piggy and feed you to your goblin friends!" The man shouted.

Startled by his shouting, I stumbled backward in a blind panic, my mind racing with fear and confusion. The man's booming voice reverberated in my ears, sending shivers down my spine as I scrambled to put as much distance between us as possible.

I turned to flee and with a final burst of adrenaline-fueled energy, I threw myself into the bushes, hoping against hope that I could somehow evade being cleaved in half. The man was relentless in his pursuit, hacking through the thick vegetation with his sword as he closed in on me with each passing moment. But as the man's footsteps drew closer and closer, I knew that my fate was sealed.

As I fled through the dense undergrowth of the forest, my heart pounded like a relentless drumbeat in my chest, each thud echoing in my ears like a death knell. Fear surged through my veins like wildfire, fueling my desperate scramble for survival as I pushed my minuscule legs to their limits, my tiny legs pumping furiously beneath me. Each breath came in ragged gasps as I fought to keep pace with my racing thoughts, the adrenaline coursing through my veins heightening my senses to a fever madness. But still, I pressed on, driven by a primal instinct for survival that burned bright within me.

The branches and vines of the forest vegetation clawed at my skin, leaving angry welts and scratches in their wake as I tore through the underbrush. The grass whipped against my skin like a thousand tiny lashes, but I ignored the pain, my sole focus on escaping the looming threat behind me. With each frantic step, I could feel the pursuing terror at my heels, driving me ever onward in a desperate bid to escape its grasp.

My lungs burned with exertion, gasping for air as I fought to keep pace with my racing heart. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, threatening to give out beneath me at any moment, but still, I pressed on, to flee from the looming threat behind me.

And then, just as I felt my legs threatening to give out beneath me, I burst forth from the dense foliage of the forest into a vast field of tall grass of our goblin breeding farm. The sight of the open expanse before me filled me with a fleeting sense of hope, a glimmer of safety from the chaos and terror that chased after me.

But my relief was short-lived, for as I turned to glance back over my shoulder, my heart sank like a stone in my chest. There, looming on the edge of the treeline, was the giant man, his sword held high above his head, ready to strike me down with a single fatal blow.

Panic seized hold of me like a vice, paralyzing me with terror as I realized that my time had come. With no time to spare, I threw myself to the ground, curling into a tight ball and bracing for the inevitable impact of the giant's sword. With a primal scream of terror, I froze in place, my lungs burning from exertion.

As the man loomed over me, his weapon raised high in the air, I braced myself for the inevitable blow. But just as the deadly blade was about to descend upon me, Kaka burst forth from the thick undergrowth of tall grass like a wild creature unleashed from the depths of madness.