Chapter 247 Scrutinizing Gaze

Hermit took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do. With fear in his eyes, he turned to Larry and the rest of the team.

"I need a few minutes to prepare. I can't go into the goblin farm looking this clean. The evil goblins will know something is wrong. Clean and uninjured goblin slaves are an unheard thing in goblin farms."

He glanced around, his eyes landing on a nearby pile of muck. Without hesitation, he undressed and darted towards it, plunging in headfirst, swimming and smearing the filth all over his body until he was covered from head to toe.

Emerging from the muck, Hermit stood before Larry, his appearance now drastically altered. His once clean skin was now caked in grime, his naked body reeking of filth. But something was missing, something that would sell his disguise to the evil goblins.

"I-I need t-to be... h-hurt," Hermit whimpered, his voice cracking in fear.

 "S-someone must h-hit me... to make it look like I've been tortured in my previous goblin farm. It's the only way to fool them."

Hermit's request shocked Larry. They exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to respond to such a brutal request. 

"Hermit, little buddy. I... I can't hurt you, I don't want to even if it's for the better good."

Jake stepped in and said, "Larry, don't worry. I will do it if you can't. Leave it to me. I have seen many goblin slaves in these cursed goblin farms, I know how they need to look." 

Larry turned his gaze away and said, "Okay, Jake. I leave it in your hands." 

Hermit nodded, grateful for Jake's willingness to help. 

With a heavy heart, Jake lunged at the goblin, his massive hand connecting with a thunderous crack against Hermit's defenseless face. His head whipped back, blood spraying from his busted lip as he soared through the air like some ragdoll tossed aside.

Larry's heart twisted in his chest as he watched the scene before him. He wanted to intervene, to put an end to the brutality, but he knew that they needed to make Hermit's appearance convincing if they were to have any chance of infiltrating the goblin farm undetected.

Suzuka watched impressed, feeling a bit of respect for the goblin. She had never imagined the extent to which Hermit was willing to sacrifice himself for his kin.

As Hermit crashed into the dirt, Jake's heavy boot descended upon Hermit's fragile leg with a sickening crunch. Hermit's agonized scream pierced the air, a scream of pain echoing through the desolate landscape.

"WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

But Jake's assault did not end there. With a cruel swing, he delivered a savage blow to Hermit's already beaten face, the force of the impact left Hermit's eyelids and brow swollen and grotesque, resembling dark potatoes dangling from his bruised face.

Hermit convulsed on the ground, his body writhing in torment like a worm squirming in the dirt, each movement eliciting fresh waves of agony. Yet, Jake showed no mercy.

Another brutal stomp from Jake's colossal boot crushed Hermit's outstretched arm, shattering bone and eliciting anguished cries for mercy. Hermit reduced to a whimpering wreck, clawed desperately at the dirt, his tears mingling with the blood and grime coating his broken form.

But just as Jake prepared to deliver another devastating blow, Larry, unable to bear witness to such savagery, intervened. With a trembling hand, he grabbed Jake's arm, halting the onslaught and momentarily stopping the hand of violence. He couldn't bear to see the goblin suffer any longer. 

"That's enough, Jake!" Larry's voice was strained, his hands trembling with emotion.

 "You'll kill him if you keep going."

But Jake was resolute, his eyes cold and unwavering.

 "Larry, this isn't enough to convince the evil goblins. They'll see right through it. Goblin slaves look much worse than this."

Larry stepped forward and forcefully pulled Jake away from Hermit. His voice was firm, and commanding as he ordered Jake to stop.

"I said that's enough, Jake!" Larry's words cut through the tense atmosphere like a knife. 

Jake hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting between Hermit's broken form and Larry's stern expression. He knew that Larry was right, but he also knew that they needed to make Hermit's injuries look convincing.

Reluctantly, Jake backed away, his fists clenched in frustration. He cast a regretful glance at Hermit's mangled form lying in the dirt, his eyes filled with apology. 

"I'm sorry, little buddy, I just hope this will be enough to fool the evil goblins. Good luck to you," he murmured, his voice heavy with guilt.

A tiny creature, not bigger than a human child, now lay in the dirt, brutally beaten. He lay on the ground, crushed and bloody, tears mingling with the dirt on his face as he struggled to catch his breath. Despite the pain and fear coursing through his body, he knew that he had to push through. For the sake of his fellow goblins.

Larry knelt beside Hermit, his expression filled with sorrow and regret.

 "I'm so sorry, Hermit. I wish there was another way."

Hermit managed a weak, bloody smile, despite the pain.

 "It's okay... Larry. This... this is for... the greater good. For... my fellow goblins. I must do this, I must."

Summoning the last shreds of his pitiful strength, Hermit struggled to lift himself from the ground, his feeble limbs trembling with exertion. With each painful step, he dragged his crushed feet behind him, his mangled arm clutching tightly to his chest where the bones were mending. The goblin's brused and bloody face contorted in agony as he limped toward the goblin breeding farm.

Entering the forest clearing, Hermit disappeared into the tall grass, using it as cover to shield himself from the prying eyes of the evil goblins. His spindly leg dragged heavily behind him, leaving a trail of crushed vegetation in his wake as he made his agonizing journey toward the ramshackle gates of the breeding farm.

Emerging from the concealment of the tall grass, Hermit approached the worn gates, his voice quivering with fear and desperation as he called out in his goblin tongue, begging for passage.

"Mighty masters of the goblin farm," he started, his voice squeaky and scared as he struggled to find the right words.

"I come in need of refuge, as a feeble goblin needin' a safe place. The farm where I was staying got banged up by big scary humans, and I barely ran away without trippin', managed to escape with my life."

Tears welled in Hermit's eyes as he recounted his harrowing tale, his voice cracking with emotion.

 "I stumbled upon this farm in my flight, seeking sanctuary from the dangers that lurk in the shadows of the forest. I beg of you, mighty masters, grant me passage within your walls! Please, oh big masters, let me in your farm so I can hide from all the scary things out there."

Tears welled in Hermit's eyes as he recounted his tale of woe, his voice cracking with emotion.

 "I am but a lowly goblin, powerless and defenseless against the perils of the wilderness. Please, mighty masters, grant me passage into your sanctuary, where I may find safety from the terrors that haunt me."

Hermit's plea echoed off the walls of the breeding farm, the sound carrying through the still air like a mournful lament. He cast a fearful glance at the towering gates, half-expecting them to remain closed.

With a creak, the spiked wooden log that acted as a gate to the breeding farm lifted, and a few goblin guards emerged, their eyes narrowed with suspicion as they circled Hermit. Their movements were jerky and aggressive, their gnarled hands clutching crude wooden spears tightly.

One of the guards, his nostrils flaring in disgust, lunged at Hermit and took a deep sniff, his bulbous nose contorting in revulsion at the foul odor emanating from the trembling goblin.

 "Bhehhh! Stinks! He's a goblin slave, alright! He stinks of shit, just like a shit slave should!" The guard sneered, his voice dripping with hate. 

Meanwhile, another guard circled Hermit, squinting his eyes as he inspected the injuries that marred the goblin's frail form. Suddenly, without warning, he grabbed Hermit by the ear and hoisted him off the ground, holding him aloft like a rag doll. Hermit cried out in pain, his pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears as the guard delivered a sharp backhand across his face.

"Shut up, you disgusting slave!" the guard growled, his grip tightening on Hermit's ear as he glared into the goblin's tear-filled eyes. 

"You dare to run like a coward and come here reeking of filth and weakness, begging for shelter like a pathetic worm! You're lucky we're not impaling you on a spike! Now, behave yourself, or you'll regret it."

With a disdainful shove, the guard released Hermit, causing him to stumble backward and fall to the ground in a heap. Gasping for breath and clutching his throbbing ear, Hermit trembled with fear and shame, his heart heavy with the knowledge that he was at the mercy of these cruel and merciless guards.

The goblin guard, his eyes glinting with malicious delight, cackled wickedly as he scrutinized Hermit's meager injuries. With a snarl of suspicion, he barked out that something wasn't right, the goblin slave appeared too clean and too well-fed for his liking.

"Something is not right with this shit slave!" he roared, his voice echoing through the clearing. 

"This shitty worm ain't been through enough pain to call himself a proper slave! He's too pampered, too soft!"

Turning to his fellow guards, he issued a command with a vicious gleam in his eyes. 

"Seize him! Punish him for his insolence! Tie him against the wooden log and lash him until the whips break, until his pathetic cries fill the air and his flesh hangs in ribbons! And when he goes limp, leave him to hang!"

Hermit's heart pounded in his chest like a drum as sheer terror gripped him in its icy claws. His breath came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving with each panicked inhalation. The moment the goblin guards mentioned their cruel intentions, a cold wave of fear washed over him, paralyzing him with dread.