Chapter 182 A Story about Squating on a Torch

With trembling legs and aching muscles, Hermit mustered the courage to rise from the ground after a short brake. He approached the barbell rack where Suzuka was.

"Master Helen, Hermit feels unsure about this! Hermit is but a tiny goblin and these metal sticks look bigger than mountains to me! Are you sure I can do this? I mean, my arms are not even as thick as a twig!"

Suzuka scoffed playfully, flexing her biceps for emphasis.

 "Oh, come on, Hermit! It's just a tiny 1 kg weight, not a mountain! If I can lift these massive 50kg barbells, surely you can handle this featherweight one. Trust me, you'll have arms like a goblin warrior in no time!"

Hermit hesitated, his eyes darting between the minuscule barbell in his hands and Suzuka's intimidating display of strength as she curled the biggest barbells in the rack.

 "Okay, Master, Hermit will try, but please don't laugh if I fail miserably! Hermit doesn't want to be squashed like a bug by these metallic monsters!"

Suzuka grinned, "I promise not to laugh, little goblin, but I have a feeling you'll surprise yourself. Now, watch closely as I demonstrate."

With a graceful motion, Suzuka curled the hefty barbells effortlessly, her muscles rippling with power. Hermit's jaw dropped in awe, his heart pounding with excitement.

 "Wow, Master Helen, you're like a goblin goddess of strength! Hermit will do his best to follow your lead!"

He took a deep breath, mustering all the courage he could find within his tiny frame, and tightened his grip on the tiny barbell.

 "Here goes nothing!"

With a loud huff and a slight wobble, Hermit began to curl the barbell. His tiny muscles strained, and beads of sweat formed on his furrowed brow.

 "Master, it's heavy! It feels like I'm lifting an entire mountain on my own!"

Suzuka encouraged him, "You're doing great, Hermit! Keep going! Remember, every journey begins with a single step, and every strong goblin starts with a tiny weight! Now! Give me five curls!"

Emboldened by her words, Hermit pushed through the pain, his resolve unwavering.

 "Rrrgh! I won't give up, Master! Rrrragh! I want strong arms like you! Reegh! I want to be a mighty goblin warrior! Wreee! Muscle burns! Rrrgh!"

The barbell trembled in his hands as he completed the first rep, and he looked at Suzuka with pride.

 "Did you see that, Master? Hermit did it! I lifted the mountain!"

Suzuka clapped her hands in delight, her eyes shining with pride.

 "You did it, Hermit! I knew you could! You're well on your way to becoming a goblin warrior with arms of steel!"

Hermit beamed with joy, his heart brimming with newfound confidence.

 "Thank you, Master! Thank you for believing in me and for showing me the way! Hermit will keep training."

Suzuka chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eye.

 "Good! Now let's see those arms in action, let's see how you handle pull-ups," she said as she positioned him in front of the pull-up bar.

 With his head tilting sideways like a confused puppy, he scratched his wrinkled head and asked, "Hugh? Pullups? What is that, Master Helen?"

 "Oh, little goblin, pull-ups are a delightful exercise that will test your puny, weak arms. You see that metal bar up there?" She pointed at a sturdy metal rod mounted high on the wall.

Hermit followed her gaze, his wide eyes landing on the imposing bar. 

"Hmm... Hermit sees the metal stick, Master, but what does Hermit do with it?" he asked, genuinely confused.

Suzuka's grin widened, enjoying Hermit's innocent confusion. 

"Well, my dear goblin, the challenge is simple. You grab onto that bar with your hands, and then you lift yourself up until your chin is above it. And then, you lower yourself back down. Easy peasy!" she explained with a hint of sarcasm.

Hermit's ears drooped with uncertainty, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

 "Hanging... lifting... why would anyone do such a thing? It sounds like dreadful torment, Master!"

Suzuka's laugh sent chills down Hermit's spine, as she patted his head mockingly.

 "Oh, it's dreadful alright, at first but you'll find out soon enough how fun it can be. Now, grab that bar, and let's get started!"

Hermit's beady eyes gazed up at the pull-up bar, its lofty height appearing to pierce the very heavens. His heart pounded in his scrawny chest, and his knees trembled with fear and uncertainty.

 With a timid and shy expression, he turned his head to Suzuka, his tiny hands outstretched toward her, like a lost child seeking a warm and comforting hug.

"M-M-Master," he stuttered, his voice trembling with vulnerability, "Hermit... H-H-Hermit wants to reach the sky, the pull-up bar, it's so high... Can you help Hermit, please? Carry me to the sky?"

Suzuka lifted the goblin high above her head as if he weighed no more than a feather. She positioned him in front of the pullup bar. The goblin clung desperately to the pipe, his tiny hands white-knuckled from the intense strain.

Left hanging helplessly, he resembled a pitiful creature. His once magnificent ears, once a symbol of his pride, now hung low like tattered, moth-eaten rags, the torment he endured evident in their dejected appearance. His scrawny legs, mere sticks of bone and sinew, dangled limply beneath him. With every passing moment, his trembling arms seemed on the verge of tearing off from the relentless strain, veins bulging and muscles quivering under the tremendous pressure.

Suzuka stepped back, crossing her arms with a grin. 

"Let's see what you've got, little goblin. Pull yourself up!"

"Okay... Hermit will try," he mumbled, his voice quivering.

With a loud squeak, Hermit exerted all his strength, his tiny body shaking as he attempted the pull-up. But his feeble arms couldn't bear the weight, and he dangled there like a pathetic rag doll.

"Ughhh! Master, it's impossible! Hermit can't do it!" he cried, his voice filled with frustration.

Suzuka chuckled, taunting him, "Come on now, don't give up so easily! You're a goblin, aren't you? Show me some strength!"

With a burst of determination, Hermit tried again, his arms trembling with the effort. But the pull-up remained out of reach, and he let out a defeated whimper.

"Master, Hermit's arms are like soggy noodles. They can't lift anything!" he protested, his confidence shattered.

Hermit timidly glanced downward, his heart pounding like the drumbeat of a death march. The height seemed to stretch impossibly far below, and to him, it appeared as if he was hanging by a mere thread over the terrifying abyss.

Suzuka, with an unsettling grin, said, "Hold on a minute, little goblin. I've got just the thing that will give you the strength to pull yourself up." She reached for the fly swatter from the nearby table and mischievously tugged down Hermit's shorts, baring his little behind.

Hermit's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, and before he could comprehend what was happening, the fly swatter came down with a resounding whack, delivering a stinging blow to his bottom. The clap echoed through the air, so loud that even raging thunder would hide in shame. Hermit let out a heart-wrenching scream as he felt the sharp sting

"Yowwweeeee! It stings!" Hermit screeched, his little legs kicking in the air. With a burst of goblin energy, he lifted himself up, his little feet dangling in the air. 

"One! Two! Three!" she counted, a mix of excitement and strain in her voice.

Hermit's relentless grunting continued each pullup an arduous battle against his own physical limitations.

 "Hnnnnn... grunt... grrrghh... Can't... Grraaaa!"

His body trembled with exertion, and his breath came in labored gasps, "Grrraaawwwwrrr! Must... get... stronger!" he growled, his voice strained and guttural.

The sweat poured down his contorted face, mingling with the tears of pain, his body shook with each repetition.

But as Hermit's energy waned, his grip finally gave way, and he plummeted toward the unforgiving ground below. Suzuka swiftly caught him by the leg just inches from disaster. She gently placed him on the ground.

"Grahh! Master, you caught Hermit! Thank you! Hermit's bum hurts, but Hermit won't give up!" His goblin voice is raspy and guttural.

Suzuka laughed, "I have no doubt about that, Hermit. Now, let's move on to some squats to work on those tiny legs!"

Hermit eagerly followed her lead, mimicking her movements with enthusiasm. 

"Squats! Yes, Master! Hermit's a squatting expert! Once Hermit squatted on a blazing torch! Ouchies! Toasted me bumcheek," he blurted with a twisted expression.

"And how did that happen exactly? Hmm?" Suzuka asked. 

Hermit's face twisted in anguish as he told his grim tale, "The first time I got burned on me bumcheek was when I was but a wee hatchling, not bigger than a juicy apple. It was no fun, no fun at all. Them nasty adult goblins, they treated me like a squishy ball, they did. Kicking me puny, frail body over a fire pit, all for the thrill of a wicked bet. They wagered their precious grub, they did, betting on who could drop me, the hatchling, into the roaring flames. The one who missed, he was the wretched loser and lost his meager morsels for the day. They flung me through that searing smoke and fire, cackling with glee as I sizzled and smoked like a bit of roast, until one clumsy oaf let me slip off his foul foot, and my scorched, smoked little body thudded to the ground, smoking and charred."

Suzuka, in the midst of her squats, said with a hint of sarcasm, "Wow, that must have been real fun, huh? But I asked about you sitting on a torch, not your life story." She couldn't help but inject a touch of irony and sarcasm into her response, ignoring the horrors of Hermit's past.

Hermit's goblin-like eyes welled up with a mixture of sadness and tears as he continued, "Fun? No, Master, it was torture. I screamed and cried as my tender skin sizzled, and the scent of burning flesh that filled the air burned my sniffer. It's a memory that haunts me to this very day."

"Yes, yes... sob story... bla bla bla. How about that torch, hmm?" 

Hermit entertained Suzuka with the harrowing tale of his ill-fated encounter with a torch, his voice growing even more mournful as he recounted his misfortunes, "Yes, I'll tell Master about the time I squatted on a torch, but it's a tale of pain and misery, it is."

Hermit took a deep quivering breath and continued, "One of the goblin breeding farms fell to monsters and I was wanderin' about on a dark and stormy night, just like them spine-tinglin' stories tell. I noticed some light flickering and thought I might stumble upon some of my own kind, but what I found... well, it wasn't any kin of mine, that's for sure. It was a foul pack of bandits, they were, as vile as they come. They set eyes on me, and the wicked thoughts brewed in their nasty skulls, like, 'Here's a prime morsel o' misery for our twisted amusement!'"

Hermit's eyes glistened with the distant horrors of that night, his goblin-like form trembling with the memory or maybe his legs got tired from all the squats.

"They beat me somethin' fierce, they did, with clubs and sticks, all the while laughin' like hyenas. And then, they made me do the nastiest and most painful things you could ever imagine, all just for their twisted fun. They'd roar with laughter as they watched me dance on hot coals and juggle fiery sticks. It felt like the world was on fire, and I was just a puppet in their sick show."

Suzuka's chuckle echoed through the room as she resumed her squats, "Well, Hermit, you sure know how to pick 'em when it comes to sob stories! What happened next, pray tell?"