Chapter 279 Haunting Whispers

As Suzuka prepared to continue the conversation with Silvia, a sudden bang echoed through the room, causing her to startle in surprise. She made her way to the door and reached for the handle. With a swift motion, she swung the door open, revealing Larry standing in the hallway.

Larry's eyes immediately swept over Suzuka's form, lingering for a moment on the delicate lace of her lingerie.

"Well, hello there, Helen, I see you're once again leaving very little to the imagination with your choice of lingerie. What if some unsuspecting pervert happened to stumble upon you, hmm?"

His words were delivered with a wink and a smirk, his tone teasing yet tinged with genuine concern. Larry was never one to miss an opportunity to poke fun at Suzuka's penchant for daring fashion choices, but beneath his playful banter lay a deep-rooted affection for his friend and a desire to keep her safe from harm.

As Suzuka met his gaze with a playful roll of her eyes, a warm smile spread across her lips. Larry's antics never failed to bring a spark of levity to even the most dire of situations, and for that, she was grateful.

Just as Suzuka was about to conjure up a witty retort to Larry's jest, the scene took an unexpected turn as Hermit burst forth from behind Larry with all the subtlety of a goblin on a rampage.

With a sense of urgency that bordered on desperation, the goblin's hands trembled as he reached into the depths of his meaty ears cocoon, pulling forth two tiny, horribly injured goblin hatchlings. Their delicate bodies were mangled and twisted, their tiny limbs contorted in unnatural angles as they lay limp in his grasp.

With a guttural cry that bordered on unintelligible, Hermit extended tiny creatures toward Suzuka, his eyes wide with fear and pleading for mercy.

 "P-please," he begged, his voice trembling with emotion, "Oh, great and mighty Helen! Goddess! I beg of you, in the name of all that is holy and good, save these poor, defenseless hatchlings from the brink of death! Please, Master Helen, save them! They're... they're dying. You're their only hope!"

His voice cracked with emotion, tears streaming down his mangled face as he thrust the injured hatchlings toward Suzuka with trembling hands, their pitiful cries of pain ringing out like haunting whispers.

 "You are our only hope, Master! In your hands lies the power to heal and restore life! Please, I beseech you, do not let these innocent hatchlings perish!" 

 In that moment, he saw her not as a mere mortal, but as a divine being, a goddess of mercy and compassion capable of performing miracles beyond the realm of mortal understanding.

"Hermit, what in the world happened to those hatchlings? The last time I laid eyes on you lot, everyone looked relatively fine. Did you not listen to Larry's warnings and step outside the shed?"

Hermit's response came in a flurry of nervous stammers and fumbling gestures, his words tumbling out in a jumbled mess as he struggled to explain himself.

 "N-now, Master Helen, don't be mad," he began, his voice trembling with anxiety.

 "It was all just... an unfortunate accident. It was!"

He glanced around nervously as if expecting a horde of angry goblins to descend upon him at any moment. 

"Late at night, we heard this scratching and banging on the door. And, well, when no one answered, we... we thought it might be someone in trouble. So, we opened the door, and before we knew it, we were under attack by this wild fox! It came out of nowhere, all teeth and claws, snarling and snapping at us like a beast! We did our best to fend it off, but... but it was so fast, and..."

He trailed off, his words faltering as he struggled to find the right way to explain what had happened next.

 "It... it injured some of us. And... and it... it killed a few hatchlings and snatched them away before we could do anything to stop it. I-I'm so sorry, Master, I swear it was all just a terrible accident!"

The silence that followed filled with the weight of his guilt and shame. But even as he awaited Suzuka's response, Hermit knew deep down that no amount of excuses could erase the pain and loss that had been inflicted upon their tiny community. 

Meanwhile, as the scene unfolded, Silvia found herself caught off guard by the unexpected presence of a goblin pleading for Suzuka's assistance. But it wasn't the plea itself that left her stunned; rather, it was the goblin's surprising fluency in the common tongue of humans. She had only ever encountered goblins in real life a few times and most of her knowledge of them came from the pages of textbooks. To see one standing before her, mere meters away, was a surreal experience that left her momentarily speechless.

Larry's sharp gaze flickered toward Suzuka's bed, his eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Silvia seated there in her nightwear. A playful smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he interrupted the conversation between Hermit and Suzuka, his tone dripping with playful insinuation.

"Well, well, well," he quipped, his voice laced with humor, "what do we have here? Looks like you got yourself a lovely guest waiting for you on your bed. Did we interrupt something important, or are you two just catching up on old times?" His eyebrows waggled suggestively as he exchanged knowing glances, a playful twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, Larry, don't worry," Suzuka quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

"You and Hermit aren't interrupting anything important. Just a casual hangout with my new roommate. She'll be crashing with me for a little while."

But as her attention shifted back to Hermit, a shadow of concern crossed Suzuka's features, her gaze lingering on the trembling form of the goblin before her. She watched as he whimpered while cradling the hatchlings in his hands, his expression one of both eagerness and desperation.

"I'm sorry, Hermit, I can't help them like I healed you. That's... exclusive only to you, remember? Why not use your goblin medicine to help them recover? You've got skills of your own, Hermit. Maybe it's time to put them to good use."

In a flurry of frantic movement, Hermit clumsily fumbled in the depths of his tattered shorts pocket, his scrawny fingers emerging victorious as they clasped a handful of wilted herbs. With a sense of desperation, he thrust the herbs towards Suzuka, his wide eyes brimming with despair.

"Master Helen!" he cried, his voice quivering with fear.

 "These herbs, yes, yes, goblin medicine they are! But mere smearing of the paste did nothing! The hatchlings, Master, they're too broken, too hurt! Need fixing! Please, oh please, you must save them! You must!"

Silvia cast a glance at the assortment of medical herbs cradled in Hermit's grubby palm.

"Um, excuse me, little goblin, but those herbs you're clutching so tightly... well, they're not exactly meant for squishing into a paste. You see, they're intended for consumption or potion brewing, and by squashing them in such a manner, you're essentially negating their healing properties."

Silvia's knowledge of medicinal plants was vast and profound, honed through years of study and practical experience.

As she took a tentative step closer to Hermit, her heart clenched with sympathy at the sight of the goblin's ravaged form. Countless scars marred his emaciated body, each one a reminder of the unspeakable horrors he had endured. His once vibrant green skin had long lost its healthy hue, now mottled with blemishes and bruises that spoke of a lifetime of suffering.

Silvia hesitated, her hand hovering mid-air as she reached out to take the herbs from Hermit's grasp. But as she drew closer, the full extent of the goblin's suffering became painfully clear, causing her to falter in her movements. His face captured Silvia's attention, its wrinkled contours a roadmap of pain and suffering etched into flesh. These were not the gentle lines of old age, but rather the cruel scars of a life lived on the brink of oblivion, a lifetime of horrors and tortures too terrible to imagine.

Silvia took a hesitant step with a heavy heart, her fingers curling into fists at her sides as she struggled to compose herself. This was no ordinary goblin before her; this was a creature who had endured unimaginable horrors, a survivor of a lifetime of torment and abuse. 

With a soft sigh, she reached out a delicate hand, her slender fingers brushing against the rough surface of Hermit's palm as she gently encouraged him to relinquish his grip on the herbs.

 "Here, let me show you the proper way to prepare these herbs," she offered kindly, her voice laced with warmth and reassurance.

 "With a little guidance, I'm sure you'll be brewing healing potions like a seasoned apothecary in no time."

Turning back to Suzuka, Larry said, "Helen, I need to go. We're running low on supplies for the goblins, and I can't afford to wait any longer. I'll gather everything they need and stay the night to keep watch. We can't risk any more attacks from those blasted foxes or any other wild animals."

Larry's expression softened, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice as he made his request. 

"But before I go, I need to ask you something. Is it alright if Hermit and his two hatchlings stay the night here? I know it's asking a lot, but please... please make it happen. They need a safe place to rest, away from the dangers, and can't take them with me where I'm going. I promise I'll be back before you know it."

"Sure, Larry, It's not like it's the first time he's been loitering around my place. He's practically made himself at home, with his little goblin lair tucked away under my bed. He can crash for the night, I suppose."

"Thanks, Helen. You're a lifesaver."

With a smile, she bid Larry farewell, "Good luck with the goblins, Larry. Stay safe out there."

As she watched Larry depart, Suzuka couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance at the thought of spending the night with Hermit and his hatchlings.

As Suzuka and Larry exchanged their final farewells, Silvia unclasped her suitcase and flung it open revealing the contents within. The once mundane luggage now transformed into a veritable treasure trove of potion-brewing paraphernalia, each gleaming instrument and vial laid out with meticulous care upon Suzuka's table.

Hermit's eyes widened with wonder as he beheld the array of beautiful instruments and vials before him, each one glistening more than the other.

With a gentle smile, Silvia turned to the goblin, "Little Hermit, I will teach you how to brew a potion. So get ready because you will be the one to brew these potions. With your own hands, you'll learn the secrets of potion making, so that you'll always be prepared for whenever you need one."