Chapter 02 Road to Recovery

As Kaka lay in a fragile state of recovery, his breathing shallow and his body wracked with pain, I knew that our suffering was far from over. Despite the exhaustion that gnawed at my bones and the pain of my feeble muscles, I forced myself to press on, driven by a singular thought to save my beloved Kaka from the brink of death.

 I crawled from the safety of our makeshift shelter ignoring the protests of my aching muscles and the relentless storm outside. I scuttled through the wet underbrush with single-minded purpose, my eyes scanning the forest floor for any sign of the precious herbs that could save Kaka's life, my fingers quivering as I plucked them from the dirt with trembling hands. The showering rain beat my sensitive skin but I persisted.

It took me a while, but at last, I managed to gather enough of the precious plants, each leaf and stem a lifeline in the battle against death's cold embrace. Back in the dim confines of our makeshift shelter, I crushed the herbs into a thick paste, a strong aroma filling the air with its potent scent. With careful touch, I smeared the mixture onto Kaka's injuries with the hope of easing his pain.

Moments later, the painful gasps that had wracked Kaka's body began to ease, and his ragged breaths became more steady and controlled.

But my work was far from over.

Kaka lay pale and lifeless, his emaciated form trembling with the effort of each shallow breath. The loss of blood had taken its toll, draining the life from his weary body and leaving him on the brink of death. But I knew that if he was to have any hope of recovery, he needed nourishment and fast.

 The sight of his pallid form spurred me into action once more. For I knew that to truly heal, Kaka needed more than just stitches and bandages - he needed a belly full of food to fuel his body's desperate struggle for survival. We, the goblin slaves, had resilient bodies and possessed the ability to heal in the face of even the most grievous injuries. But such rapid regeneration required fuel - a hearty meal to replenish our depleted reserves and fuel the recovery.

And so, I crawled out of the safety of the cave once more, a giant leaf held aloft as a makeshift umbrella against the relentless downpour. With each step, I scanned the forest floor for signs of sustenance, my tiny eyes darting from shadow to shadow in search of anything that might provide solace to my ailing friend. And then, like a beacon within the darkness, I spotted a bush of giant red berries, their plump forms glistening in the dim light.

With a joyous cry of triumph, I set to work, shaking the branches of the bush with all my feeble strength, the berries raining down around me in a cascade of crimson splendor. Gathering them up in a pile on my makeshift umbrella, I dragged them back to the cave, my spindly legs slipping and sliding in the mud as I toiled against the weight of my bounty.

Returning to the cave I wasted no time in attending to Kaka's dire needs. His eyes, once bright with a flicker of hope, were now dull and glazed over with exhaustion and pain. Desperation clawed at my heart as I realized how close to death he was. I knew I had to do something, anything, to keep him alive.

 Gently, yet forcefully, I pried open Kaka's slack jaw, his unconscious form lay still unresponsive. With trembling hands, I crushed the gathered berries between my tiny fingers, their sweet juices splashing inside Kaka's open mouth. But Kaka was too weak, too far gone to even swallow the nourishment that I offered, his body betraying him in his hour of need.

Berries just pooled in his mouth, unmoving, as if his body had already given up. I had no choice. With tears streaming down my face, I pushed my tiny hand into his mouth, feeling the wet, slimy interior of his throat as I forced the food down.

My hand went deeper, and I felt his throat weakly squeezing around my fingers, a feeble attempt to gag. But even that reflex was almost gone. That's how weakened he was. His body barely resisted, his muscles slack and unresponsive. I pushed further, feeling the berries squish under the pressure of my hand as they traveled down to his stomach.

Kaka's eyes fluttered, his breaths shallow and erratic but I didn't stop until every last berry was pushed down his throat. His belly was bloated, unnaturally distended, from the force-feeding. His body twitched slightly, a weak reaction to the intrusion and the sudden intake of food.

The sight of him in such a pitiful state broke my heart. His once strong and protective form was now a shell, barely clinging to life. I pulled my hand out, covered in saliva and berry juice, and wiped it on the ground. Kaka's mouth hung open, a thin line of drool mixed with berry pulp dribbling down his chin.

I cradled his head in my arms, whispering words of encouragement and love, even though I knew he could barely hear me. His skin was clammy and cold, his breaths coming in weak, shuddering gasps. I could feel the life slipping away from him with every passing moment.

"Kaka, you have to stay with me," I pleaded, my voice choked with sobs. 

"I need you. Please don't leave me."

After a few hours, I repeated the feeding process once more. I cradled his head in my hands, my touch gentle yet firm as I forced him to swallow small sips of water and tender morsels of food. 

But even as I pushed the sticky morsels past his lips, I knew that it would take more than mere sustenance to revive him from the depths of unconsciousness. With each berry I forced down his throat, I felt a pang of sorrow for the shell of the goblin that lay before me, his once-hopeful spirit reduced to little more than a flickering ember.

With Kaka's belly finally sated and his parched throat quenched, I turned my attention to the task of providing him with some semblance of comfort within the bleakness of our surroundings. Rising unsteadily to my feet, I decided to search for large leaves to cover his injured body, to shield him from the biting chill that lingered in the cave.

But as I took a single step forward, a wave of dizziness washed over me, my vision blurred and swirled like a tempestuous whirlpool. With a strangled cry of anguish, I stumbled forward, my limbs betraying me as exhaustion claimed its final victory.

And then, with a sickening thud, I fell face-first into the cold, unforgiving dirt, my body wracked with pain and exhaustion. I reached out with a trembling arm towards the cave exit, my tiny fingers grasping thin air, a silent plea for salvation within the suffering that threatened to consume me whole.

But it was futile.

With a final, agonized yelp, I felt the tendrils of unconsciousness wrap around me like a suffocating shroud, dragging me down into the depths of oblivion. My world faded to black, the echo of a familiar female laugh ringing in my ears as I succumbed to the relentless embrace of slumber.

And then, just when I thought all hope was lost, a sudden flash of blinding light pierced the darkness, jolting me from my stupor. With a gasp, I blinked my eyes open to find myself in a familiar yet unknown place - an empty room shrouded in an oppressive darkness.

 But as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings, a sight both terrifying and mesmerizing materialized before me - a throne wreathed in raging black flames, its sinister glow casting eerie shadows across the void of the room. And upon the throne, seated with queenly poise and an aura of power, was a figure of indescribable beauty - a goddess adorned in robes that left little to the imagination.

She was a goddess of lust, Lusseria, the embodiment of desire and temptation, a being of boundless allure and insatiable hunger for pleasure. As her mocking, high, and mighty gaze fell upon me, I felt a shiver run down my spine, my heart pounding in my chest like a trapped animal. 

And as Lusseria spoke, her voice a seductive whisper that sent goose bumps down my skin, I knew that my fate was sealed. For in the presence of such unearthly beauty and power, resistance was futile, and I could do nothing but surrender to the all-consuming darkness that awaited me.

"Well, well, what do we have here," she mused, her words laced with a cruel amusement. 

"Hermit is back yet again, or rather should I call you Shota. Well, considering you completely lost your memories by now, Hermit will suffice."

"Just so you know," she continued, "you have died yet again. But I must admit, you lasted much longer this time. Almost praiseworthy... almost." Her words hung in the air like a death sentence in the face of her boundless power.

"But here's the dilemma I have now," she mused, her voice tinged with a hint of intrigue.

 "Should I grant mercy to you and raise you from the dead once more, or should I extinguish your worthless soul once and for all, sparing the world from the stain of your existence?"

With trembling limbs and a voice quivering with fear, I fell to my knees before the imposing figure of Lusseria. I dared to address the goddess before me, my words a desperate plea for mercy in the face of her overwhelming power.

"Please, oh mighty goddess," I pleaded, my words trembling.

 "Oh, great master! Oh, all-powerful mistress! I am but a pitiful goblin hatchling, unworthy of your divine gaze. I am gracing the lands only a few weeks and have done nothing wrong to deserve such cruelty, nothing to earn the punishment you would inflict upon me."

My voice cracked with emotion as I spoke, tears welling in my eyes, blurring my vision as I gazed up at the goddess before me, her form illuminated by the flickering flames of her throne.

"I was but good and caring for my fellow goblins," I continued, "Why must you do me so, oh great goddess? What crime have I committed to merit such a fate? I am not like the evil goblins, I am good and gentle, caring and loving. Please, oh beautiful goddess, grant this goblin mercy!"

Lusseria's laughter echoed through the chamber, a mocking symphony that reverberated off the walls and pierced my very soul. I felt as insignificant as an insect beneath the heel of a giant, my pitiful existence laid bare before the gaze of a being beyond mortal comprehension.

As her mocking laughter subsided, she spoke.

"Oh, little one, I was not speaking of your present self, but of the useless, trash human you once were - a mortal named Shota."