Chapter 27 Bottomless Kindness

I lay there for a moment, struggling to breathe through the pain. My vision swam, but I forced myself to move, to crawl over to Kaka. He was sprawled on the ground like a wrinkled floor rag, his body barely moving. I could see the life ebbing out of him, and it tore at my heart. 

I nestled against him, wrapping my arms around his battered form. My body ached with every movement, but I ignored it, focusing instead on offering what little comfort I could.

"Kaka," I whispered, my voice choked with tears.

"I'm here. I'm with you. We need to be strong, we need to endure. We can do it, yes we can. Don't give up, not now, not when there is hope."

His eyes fluttered open, and he looked at me, his gaze filled with pain and gratitude. He tried to speak, but no words came out, only a weak, pained breath.

I pressed my forehead against his, feeling his warmth seep into me.

"Rest, Kaka. Just rest. You need to rest, not speak. Save strength. You need to rest and recover."

As I held him, I could feel his body trembling with each shallow breath. I knew that our time was running out, that his strength was failing. But I refused to let go, refused to give up hope. I would stay with him, no matter what, offering what little comfort I could in this hellish place.

As I lay on the ground next to Kaka, hours melted away, and the small rays of light filtering through the cracked walls of our shed faded. The night came, bringing with it a bone-chilling cold. I snuggled closer to Kaka, pressing against his battered body for warmth. Without our belongings and a warm pelt blanket, we lay naked and dirty, our bodies shivering uncontrollably.

But soon my worries about freezing faded when the door creaked open and laughter pierced my soul. Slasher had returned. I managed to turn my head to look at him and saw he was holding two bowls full of food and a leather pouch with a quencher. The sight of the food made my stomach clench painfully with hunger, but I knew better than to hope. Desperation welled up inside me as I begged for mercy, for a moment to heal, to rest, to recover.

"Please, no more. No more beating. You will kill us. We will die if you beat us more. I beg, I beg. No more," I pleaded, my voice trembling.

 "Master goblin promised, and a promise is not to be broken. It's sacred. Please, Kaka is barely alive. We can't take it anymore. Too much, too much! Please, no more."

Slasher's response was a cruel laugh. He delivered a backhand so strong that my frail body somersaulted off the ground into the air and crashed against the wall. Pain exploded through me as I slid down the wall and flopped onto the cold floor. But Slasher wasn't done. He grabbed me by the loose skin on my neck and tossed me back beside Kaka. Then he slapped Kaka across the face until he woke from his coma-like slumber, his eyes filled with terror and pain.

With both of us awake, Slasher sat in front of us, holding the food tantalizingly close. He taunted, waving his hand over the bowls to waft the aroma towards us. Our stomachs growled in response, mouths watering with hunger.

 "Look at this food, you shitty slaves," he mocked, blowing the delicious smell of the meal towards us making our hungry bellies rumble.

"This food here is what the boss promised you," he continued, "And even a quencher to ease that parched throat of yours. Mmm, delicious food and drink. But such nice food would be wasted on the likes of you two, you shitty, useless shits."

With that, he began eating the food with exaggerated delight, chomping loudly, making every bite seem like the most delicious thing in the world. He took a big, exaggerated bite, moaning in fake ecstasy as he chewed. 

Slasher continued to eat, savoring each bite, making a show of licking his fingers clean and slurping the last drops from the bowls, savoring every last morsel. The sight and sound of him enjoying the food that should have been ours tore at our already broken spirits. Our empty stomachs twisted in agony, and the emotional pain of such cruelty tore at our already scarred souls. Our tiny hearts, already scarred by torment, bore yet another wound.

Done eating, Slasher tossed the bowls aside and turned to leave. 

 "Well, I'm full," he said with a satisfied smirk. 

But before he did, he was kind enough to deliver another serving of beatings. 

 "But before I leave, I will enjoy my dessert."

With that, he delivered another round of brutal kicks and punches, each blow a testament to his sadistic delight. I could barely muster a whimper as his boot connected with my ribs, cracking them further. Kaka, already beyond his limits, could only groan weakly as Slasher's blows rained down on him.

Finally, Slasher left, his laughter echoing in the cold night. He left the shed door wide open, allowing the freezing air to pour in. It was another layer of cruelty, another way to ensure our suffering.

Kaka lay beside me, way past his limits, alive by some miracle but unable to move even a finger. I was brutally beaten as well, so much so that I could barely move. The cold night air bit into our exposed flesh, adding another layer of agony to our suffering. My mind raced, searching for any glimmer of hope, any way to save Kaka and myself from this relentless torment.

"Stay with me, Kaka," I whispered through bloodied lips, my voice weak and trembling.

"Do not lose hope, you told me that. We will survive."

But there was nothing. Only the pain, the cold, and the lingering taste of hopelessness. As the night dragged on, I tried to stay awake, to keep Kaka warm with my body, to find some way to protect him. But my strength was fading, and the darkness seemed to close in around us.

In the silence, I could hear Kaka's ragged breathing, each breath a struggle against the overwhelming pain. I whispered to him, my voice choked with tears, "Hold on, Kaka. We'll get through this. I promise you, we'll get through this. We endure... we will... we... endure..."

But my words felt hollow, and the night dragged on, each moment a fresh torture. We were left to shiver and suffer, knowing that the promise of rest and food was just another cruel trick, another way to break us further. Yet, even in the darkest moments, a flicker of hope remained. It was fragile, but it was there.

As we lay barely alive in the darkness of the shed, a miracle happened. Through the open door, a goblin head sheepishly peeked inside. I recognized the beaten face - it was Grub. Mustering my final strength, I let out a weak whimper to catch his attention.

Grub's eyes widened in shock as he saw the mangled forms of Kaka and me. We looked more like a trampled pile of goblin meat than living beings. With a panicked yelp, Grub tumbled inside, followed by a few other goblin slaves - his friends. They rushed to our side, their faces etched with horror and concern.

"Oh no, no, no," Grub yelped as he knelt beside us. 

"What do they do? Why beat so much, way too much? Why do you two so?"

His voice was a mix of panic and sorrow as he took in our brutalized bodies. Kaka lay limp and unresponsive, while I whimpered in pain, every breath a struggle. Grub and his friends did all they could in their meager power to treat our wounds. They worked with trembling hands, realigning broken bones and dislocated joints as best they could, their efforts hampered by their limited knowledge and lack of proper tools.

Despite their inexperience, their efforts brought a flicker of relief. They smeared makeshift herbal paste on our wounds, whispered words of comfort, and did everything within their power to ease our suffering. It was far from perfect, but even the smallest kindness felt like a lifeline in our desperate situation.

Grub's eyes were filled with tears as he worked.

 "We try to help, friend, we will, we will," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

 "We try to ease the pain. They hurt you too much. Too much I say."

He and his friends were risking their lives just to give us a sliver of hope. The pain was still excruciating, but knowing that someone cared enough to help, brought a tiny spark of warmth to my heart.

After doing all they could, Grub looked at me with sadness.

 "You must stay strong. We find ways to help more. Promise, we do not leave you like this. Now try to rest, every moment counts. The next day will be hard, very hard. Evil goblins will make you work, they will not care if you hurt or not, they will work you till you drop and move no more. Rest, friend, rest."

The other goblin slaves nodded, their expressions resolute. They slipped out as quietly as they had come, closing the doors behind us, and leaving us with a little more hope than before. The shed was still cold and dark, but now there was a sense that we were not completely alone in our suffering.

The night was bitterly cold, and we shivered through it, our skin's green shade turning dark blue. Despite the agony and the freezing temperatures, we survived until morning light filtered through the cracks in the shed walls, pouring some warmth on our broken bodies.

With the sun high in the sky, the shed doors slammed open. One of the orcs stood there, his imposing figure casting a long shadow. He barked an order for me to step outside. Mustering what little strength I had, I limped out, my legs shaking with each painful step.

The towering orc noticed my beat-up body but didn't care.

 "Follow me," he growled. 

"I'll show you to your work."

I limped after him with all my meager might. The orc walked quickly, his strides enormous compared to my tiny steps. For him, it was a casual pace, but for me, it was an exhausting sprint. By the time we reached the crop field, I collapsed on the ground, gasping and sputtering in exhaustion.