Chapter 44 Guiding Light of the Torch

The hatchlings squealed in fright and quickly formed a shabby line, pushing one another to the front to be first in line. The terror and fear gripped them so hard that some of the hatchlings developed fear ticks - one scratched his arm until it bled, another gnawed on his knuckles until they were raw, and a third rocked back and forth, muttering to himself under his breath.

Slasher, with a satisfied grin, dropped his torch on the ground and sat cross-legged, looking at the terrified hatchlings shaking on their feet. His eyes gleamed with sadistic delight as he watched their pathetic attempts to control their fear.

Kaka, meanwhile, was a heartbreaking sight. With a pitiful whimper, he shrunk into himself. Kaka's voice quivered as he tried to form words, his breath coming in short, sobbing gasps.

 "P-please, master... no more... please... I beg you... I can't take it... not again..." His words were barely audible, his voice cracking under the weight of his terror. 

He looked up at Slasher with wide, pleading eyes, tears welling up and spilling down his gaunt cheeks. His lips trembled as he continued, his speech broken by sobs.

 "I’ll be good... I-I promise... I’ll work harder... I-I’ll do whatever you want, just... no more... please... no more pain..."

His frail arms shook violently as he raised them in a desperate attempt to shield his face, but the effort was pitiful, his limbs too weak to offer any real protection. His whole body seemed to collapse in on itself, curling up as if trying to disappear from the torment that was coming.

"Mercy... mercy, master... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry... j-just let us live... p-please..." His voice wavered as he pressed his forehead to the dirt, trembling uncontrollably.

 "I'll be better... I swear it... j-just don’t hurt us... please don’t hurt the hatchlings... I'll do anything... anything you ask... j-just spare us..."

Kaka's words broke off into pitiful, gasping sobs, his face twisted in anguish. He clutched at the ground, his fingers digging into the dirt as if he could find some refuge there, some escape from the cruelty towering above him. His body quaked as he lay there, broken, awaiting the inevitable blow.

"I’m nothing... I know that... I’m worthless... j-just a weak, useless slave... b-but please... don’t make them suffer for me... not the little ones... they didn’t do anything... please... I beg you..." Kaka’s voice was ragged, each word soaked in desperation as his entire frame shook violently, his tears mixing with the dirt beneath him.

But his pleas fell on deaf ears. 

"Oh Kaka, haven't you learned by now? Pleading will get you nowhere." 

His emaciated form cowered, each whimper and tremble was a sign of his helplessness. His eyes, wide with terror, darted around as if searching for an escape that didn’t exist.

The hatchlings, seeing their caretaker in such a miserable state, were even more stricken with fear. One of them developed a nervous twitch in his eye, blinking rapidly as if trying to ward off the horrors he was witnessing. Another started to hyperventilate, his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps, while yet another gnawed frantically at his fingernails until they were ragged and bleeding.

Slasher’s grin widened as he observed the fear he had instilled. He picked at his teeth with a dirty fingernail, savoring the sight of the trembling goblins before him.

"That’s right, you little worms," he sneered.

"You’d better stay in line, or I’ll make sure you regret it."

Kaka, unable to maintain his composure, let out a sob. His body convulsed with the effort of holding back his tears, but they came anyway, streaming down his gaunt cheeks. His whimpers turned into full-blown cries, his shoulders shaking with each sob. He looked more pitiful than ever, a broken goblin completely at the mercy of his tormentor.

But his dread and tears were not out of fear for his well-being, Kaka was in emotional turmoil because his precious hatchling would be brutally tormented by Slasher and that was the ultimate torture for Kaka, to see his loved ones in pain.

The hatchlings mirrored Kaka’s distress. One of them began to scrape at his head, clawing at his skin in a frantic attempt to cope with his fear. Another started to bang his head against the ground, desperate for an outlet for his anxiety. The line they formed was shaky and disjointed, each goblin trying to push himself to the back in a desperate bid to avoid upcoming punishment.

Slasher leaned back, his cruel laughter echoing through the dimly lit room.

"Now, isn’t this a pretty sight?" he jeered.

"A bunch of worthless goblins scared out of their wits. You should be thanking me for teaching you some discipline."

Kaka’s sobs intensified at Slasher’s words. His body seemed to shrink further, his spirit crushed under the weight of his fear and despair. He looked at me with tear-filled eyes, silently begging for some form of comfort or reassurance. But I was just as helpless, my heart breaking at the sight of us being reduced to such a miserable state.

The hatchlings, sensing the hopelessness of their situation, continued to exhibit their fear-induced ticks. One scratched at his arms until they were covered in bleeding welts, another chewed on his lips until they bled, and a third shivered uncontrollably, his teeth chattering with fear so hard that they shattered.

Slasher, satisfied with the level of terror he had inflicted, finally barked orders to the hatchlings, his voice dripping with sadistic glee.

"Listen up, you shitty runts, I will tell you this only once, so you better listen good," he snarled, his eyes gleaming with a cruel light. He pointed his finger at the torch lying on the ground, the flame flickering menacingly.

"See this torch? See the flame?" His words cut through the air, causing the hatchlings to frantically nod their tiny heads, their big, meaty ears flapping with each terrified movement.

"You will be running at this flame and jumping over it," Slasher continued, his grin widening as he saw the fear in their eyes.

"You better be jumping over it, or if even one of you fails, you'll all be repeating the process until you either jump over or get burned to a crisp!" He slammed his fist into the ground, the loud thud echoing ominously in the silence that followed his words. The hatchlings convulsed in fright, their tiny bodies shaking uncontrollably.

"Where is your answer?! Did you get it?!" Slasher's demand.

The hatchlings immediately leaped into action, their tiny bodies flailing as they scrambled to obey. One squealed, his hands raised in panicked surrender, frantically smacking his lips in a pitiful attempt to signal obedience. His wide, terrified eyes were glistening with tears, darting between Slasher and the torch, as if the flame itself was a living, breathing monster ready to devour him.

Another hatchling cowered, his spindly arms shaking so violently that he could barely keep his balance. He let out a series of high-pitched whimpers, his breathing quick and shallow, his little chest heaving in sheer terror. His feet shuffled nervously in place as if unsure whether to run or stay rooted in fear, his tiny toes curling against the dirt.

A third hatchling fell to his knees, groveling on the ground, his face twisted in a mix of panic and pleading. He clasped his hands together, shaking them above his head in a desperate show of submission, his lips quivering as he babbled incoherently in the hopes it would pacify Slasher's wrath.

Each hatchling, one after another, followed suit. Some were so scared that they stumbled over each other, their frantic limbs entangled in their blind rush to comply. Their pitiful cries filled the air, chirping like distressed baby monkeys, their voices high-pitched and trembling. Their faces contorted with fear, brows furrowed, mouths drawn into tight, trembling lines as they gasped for breath. They pressed closer to one another, seeking safety in numbers, their small bodies huddling like frightened animals bracing for an impending storm.

Their tiny fingers clung desperately to the ground, scratching at the dirt as if they could somehow dig their way out of the nightmare. Every twitch, every movement they made was driven by raw terror, their eyes wide, showing too much white as they glanced fearfully at Slasher’s every movement. Some of them tried to hide behind each other, pushing forward the smallest and weakest of their group in a futile attempt to shield themselves.

The sight of their hopeless, terrified compliance only made Slasher grin wider, his laughter booming as he watched their pitiful, frantic gestures. His cruel eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure as the hatchlings squirmed and quivered, their feeble attempts to please him only deepened his twisted amusement.

They lined up, their tiny bodies quivering, each one hoping that they would be able to jump over the flame and avoid the searing pain of failure. The first hatchling, barely more than a skeletal frame, not bigger than my fist, launched in a desperate scuttle toward the flame. His eyes were wide with terror, his squeals piercing the oppressive silence. His tiny, scrawny legs pumping furiously as he scuttled. Tears streamed from his eyes, mingling with the soot on his cheeks as he leaped with all of his meager strength.

He soared through the air, a pitiful figure suspended momentarily above the flaming torch. The heat licked at his delicate skin, the flames singeing his naked body. He landed on the other side with a heavy thud, his smoking body tumbling onto the ground. He gasped for air, his tiny chest heaving, smoke billowing from his mouth and sniffer. He was charred and blistered, his once-green skin now marred by angry burns and blisters, but he had made it.

One by one, the hatchlings followed. Each one ran toward the flame with the same desperate hope in their eyes. They leaped into the air, their tiny limbs flailing, their faces contorted with fear and pain. Each time, the result was the same: they tumbled to the ground on the other side, their delicate skin blistered and smoking. The air was filled with the scent of burnt flesh and the sound of their pained whimpers.