Chapter 29 Turning The Tide

As the orc and the rest of the goblins walked through the gates, what I saw made me gasp in surprise. They dragged in a naked man, an adventurer, almost as tall as the orc and towering over the goblins, nearly twice their size. His body, rippling with muscles, was marred with bruises and cuts, signs of his resistance. He moved slowly, restrained by tight bindings.

The master goblin approached with a sneer, barking orders to lock up the new slave in a cage and to beat him until he was fit to be a submissive slave. The orc, standing to attention, began to report to the master goblin.

"We ran into trouble, boss, group of adventurers," the orc grunted.

 "This one and his pals put up a fight. Took us some time to kill them and even longer to subdue him than we expected. Found them lurking near the hunting grounds. Seems they were a scouting party. Lost by the looks of it."

The master goblin's eyes gleamed with malice. 

"A scouting party, you say? Interesting. Did any survivors escape? Did he mention anything useful?"

The orc shook his head.

 "No survivors, we tracked them down and finished them off. That was the reason it took us so long to return. As for information, nothing yet. But we'll make him talk, boss."

The master goblin's gaze shifted to the adventurer, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

 "Not good, if adventurers scouting so close, that means there will be others soon. Break him. We’ll find out what he knows. And then we'll see what to do with him."

As I watched this exchange, my mind raced. The adventurer's capture added a new layer of danger to our already dire situation. More adventurers might be nearby if he was part of a scouting party. That could mean more attacks, more chaos, and more suffering for us slaves.

The orc and a few goblins dragged the adventurer toward a heavy wooden cage at the edge of the camp. They threw him inside with a thud, locking the door with a loud clang. The adventurer groaned, his body slumping against the wooden bars.

With the adventurer secured, the master goblin turned his attention back to the orc. 

"Ensure he's beaten regularly. I want him broken but alive. We need information."

The orc nodded, his menacing eyes glinting.

 "Yes, boss."

Back in the crop field, I continued working, my body aching with every movement. The other goblin slaves kept their heads down, avoiding eye contact, fearful of drawing any attention. I limped over to Grill, who had witnessed the same scene.

"Grill," I whispered, "Did you see that? An adventurer, here."

Grill nodded, his eyes wide with fear. 

"Yes, little friend. It's bad news. If he has friends nearby, it could mean more trouble for us. We need to stay out of sight and hope the masters don’t decide to take their frustrations out on us. No chatting, little friend, back to work. Don't stop these hands moving or we will be punished. I don't want to be whipped by the punishment pillars ever again. Back to work, quickly."

We both returned to our tasks, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on our shoulders. My hands trembled as I continued to work, not because of the adventurer but knowing that Slasher would soon come looking for us. I had to find a way to protect Kaka, to keep him safe from the sadistic tortures that awaited us.

As the hunting party disbanded and the guards began to settle back into their routines, I saw Slasher heading toward the shed. Panic surged through me, and I dropped my work, my heart racing. I had to reach Kaka before he did. Summoning every ounce of strength, I sprinted toward the shed, my legs weak and unsteady.

I burst through the door, finding Kaka still lying where I had left him.

 “Kaka, we need to hide. Slasher’s back,” I panted, my voice shaking with urgency.

Kaka struggled to sit up, his face pale but with signs of life. 

“Little Hermit, we can’t hide. There is no place to hide.”

Just as I was about to respond, the door slammed open, and there stood Slasher, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight. He took a step forward, his cruel laughter echoing in the small shed.

“Look who’s back! Did you miss me, little shits?” he sneered. 

Without thinking, I positioned myself between Kaka and Slasher, my trembling body moving on itself driven by the instinct to protect Kaka. I stood with my chest puffed out and arms spread apart blocking the way toward Kaka.

 “Leave him alone,” I pathetically whimpered, desperation cracking my voice.

 “He’s still healing. Please, don’t hurt him.”

Slasher’s grin widened, and he raised his hand, ready to deliver a blow so brutal that I peed myself from fright. But before he could land the blow, a voice called out from outside, demanding his presence. Slasher hesitated, his expression darkening with frustration.

“You got lucky this time,” he growled, lowering his hand.

 “But don’t think this is over.”

He turned and stormed out, leaving the door ajar. I collapsed beside Kaka, tears streaming down my face. With Slasher gone from the shed, I carefully helped Kaka settle into a more comfortable position. His breathing was ragged, each breath a struggle. I planted a few comforting kisses on his scarred, wrinkled forehead, whispering words of care and reassurance. 

"Rest, Kaka. I'll be back soon. Rest and get better. Let the pain fly away like tiny flies."

Leaving Kaka to rest, I scuttled back to the fields, my heart pounding with the fear of being caught away from my work. As I ran, I stumbled into a goblin guard. My heart sank to my heels, dread pooling in my stomach. I knew punishment was inevitable. But to my surprise, the guard merely grunted, flicking his head in annoyance to urge me to run off. His mind was somewhere else, he looked panicked.

I quickly scuttled back to the fields, my heart still racing. I resumed my work, pulling weeds and tending to the crops, but my mind was elsewhere. I darted my gaze around the camp, searching for any sign of Slasher. It wasn't long before I spotted him.

Slasher was scampering towards the master goblin's cave, accompanied by an orc. He looked nervous and jumpy, his eyes darting around as if he expected trouble at any moment. The orc leading him didn't look pleased; in fact, he seemed downright angry.

I watched as they approached the cave entrance. The orc barked something at Slasher, shoving him forward. Slasher hesitated, glancing around nervously before disappearing into the darkness of the cave. The orc followed, his heavy footsteps echoing in the quiet.

I couldn't hear their conversation from a distance. Slasher's nervousness made me think that he had done something to anger the orc, and he was likely facing a reprimand from the master goblin.

My mind raced with possibilities. What could Slasher have done to warrant such treatment? And how could I use this situation to my advantage? Slasher's discomfort might be an opportunity for me and Kaka, but it was also a dangerous game to play. Because Slasher now will vent all of his frustration on us, slaves.

“N-no… no good come of this… not for us… not for Kaka, not for me… Slasher’s gonna tear us apart, he will… he’ll take out all his anger on us poor slaves… he always does! Always… What did he do? What did Slasher do to make ‘em mad? Doesn’t matter… no, doesn’t matter… we’re the ones who’ll pay for it. We always pay… we’re just worms to ‘em… just bugs for squishing…” I whimpered, my voice shaky and laced with despair. 

I squeezed my eyes shut, wringing my hands together anxiously. 

“We’re done for… no hope, no escape. Slasher’s in a foul mood, and when he gets like this… no mercy, no stopping him… M-maybe if we hide… but where? Nowhere’s safe… nowhere… he’ll find us, and when he does, he’ll make us wish we were dead…” I let out a pitiful whine, curling into myself, my scrawny limbs shaking. 

“J-just need to survive… just need to stay quiet… don’t draw attention… b-but it won’t work… it never works…”

Hours passed, and the sun climbed down the sky. My muscles ached from the relentless labor, but I kept working, trying to stay out of trouble. The memory of Kaka's battered body and the thought of Slasher's fate gnawed at me. The camp was a place of constant peril, where survival meant navigating a web of cruelty and deception.

Eventually, the orc and Slasher emerged from the cave. Slasher looked even more shaken than before, his face pale and sweaty. The orc gave him one last shove before turning away, clearly disgusted. Slasher stumbled, then quickly scurried off, his eyes darting around like a cornered animal.

With a heavy heart, I continued my work, glancing occasionally at the shed where Kaka lay. Our situation was dire, and the future was uncertain. But for now, all I could do was endure and hope for a chance to turn the tide in our favor.

As the day came to an end, the orc returned to give me another grueling task. This time, I was ordered to carry rocks and dirt from the cave that other slaves had freshly dug out. The pile of debris was massive, and the orc gave me a short, menacing explanation of the job before walking away, warning me that I better finish or face the consequences. My body was running on fumes, utterly spent, but I pushed myself to scuttle and haul the debris out of the cave.

The place where I was supposed to toss the rocks and dirt was near the adventurer. As I walked past him, he crouched and started to whistle quietly, calling to me as if I were some house pet.

 "Tsk tsk, hey little freak, yeah, yeah you, tsk tsk, come close little ugly. Do you understand what I say?" Though I couldn't fully understand the human tongue, curiosity got the better of me. I tossed aside the small rocks I was carrying and, while slouching and hunched over, I cautiously limped closer.

I stood a few steps away from the cage as the man sat on the ground, mumbling some gibberish. Only a few words sounded familiar from Kaka's lessons when he read to us hatchlings from human books. The man extended a hand toward me, holding a few nuts. He offered me food, and I hesitantly reached for them. I yanked them quickly and took a step back, hissing and clicking like a wild animal. But the man only smiled, flashing his toothy grin which caught my attention, one of his teeth was made out of crystal, shiny and green. Then he leaned back against the wooden bars, humming a soft tune.

I quickly chomped on the nuts, my hunger overpowering my caution. The gentle humming was music to my ears, calming my frazzled nerves. Tentatively, I stepped closer again. The man looked kind, and he had given me food. After thinking hard, I remembered one word from Kaka's teachings. I asked the man in his language while extending my trembling hand and pointing my finger at him, "Friend? You friend?"

The man turned to me with surprise on his face and a warm smile, his green tooth shining bright among his white teeth. 

"Yes, yes, friend, I'm a friend. Little freak, you do understand me," He reached out and gave me a gentle rub on my wrinkled head. Startled by the sudden touch, I stumbled backward and scuttled away, back to my work.

As I continued to haul the rocks and dirt, I couldn't stop thinking about the adventurer's kindness. In this hellish place, a small act of compassion was almost unimaginable. The interaction gave me a flicker of hope, a tiny light in the overwhelming darkness. I worked tirelessly, my frail body aching with every movement, but the thought of a potential ally kept me going.

I kept glancing back at the adventurer as I worked, watching him sit calmly in his cage, humming softly. The gentle melody was a strange comfort, a reminder that not all beings were filled with malice. And maybe, just maybe, adventurers are not all bad.

 I finished my task, exhausted I collapsed into the soft dirt where I stood, the cold of the night biting into my sensitive goblin skin.