Chapter 162 Shiny Coins and a Key

As his fingers brushed against the plank, he noticed its loose grip. With a gentle tug, it effortlessly came off the wall, revealing a narrow hole. Despite its seemingly limited space, the hole offered a promise of shelter.

"Ah-ha! You're free now, my dear planky friend! Let's see if you'll make a cozy goblin-nook!"

Without further ado, he squeezed himself into the gap, his body contorting and contending with the tight squeeze.

The space, though modest, offered no warmth to his chilled form. A soft, golden glow caught his eye, emanating from a small pouch that was inside the place. Hermit reached for the pouch, his small hands trembling with anticipation.

"Ah, lookie here! What have we got? Shiny, shiny!" Hermit's eyes gleamed with excitement as he fumbled through the mysterious pouch, his tiny hands working eagerly to uncover its secrets. As he rustled through the pouch, Hermit's gaze wandered around the hidden chamber.

Delicate spiderwebs adorned the corners, shimmering in the gentle light. Dust particles danced in the air, carried by a subtle draft that made him feel even colder. The distant sounds of laughter and muffled conversation reached his ears, reminders of the people living in the next room.

He opened the pouch and saw many shining coins, he didn't know that it was Suzuka's secret stash where she kept her coins from being stolen. Looking at the coins he scratched his head, trying to recall the past events, "Ah, yes! Hermit remembers now! The bandits and the monsters! Scary, they were! But Hermit, a clever goblin, picked up the secret key! Hidden in my safest stash, my belly it is! The key for a majestic chest full of the same coins! Bandits' treasure stash!"

Hermit patted his round belly with pride, "Swallowed it whole, I did! Sneaky goblin, secrets I keep! Now, these shinies are mine, they are! But wait... this might be Master Helen's stash? Oh no, Hermit didn't know!" His face contorted in worry, "I can't steal from Master! Bad goblin, bad!"

But the cold persisted, and Hermit knew he had to find warmth.

"Brrr! Cold, cold! Goblins don't like the cold!" He scurried around, looking for a cozy spot, muttering to himself, "Warm place, warm place! I must find it!"

His scrawny body scuttled across the room, exploring every nook and cranny with meticulous precision. He climbed atop bookshelves, his nimble fingers tracing the spines of forgotten tomes in search of a hidden warmth. The cool touch of the shelves provided no solace, urging him to continue his quest.

Hermit's gaze shifted toward the fireplace at the far end of the room. A spark of hope ignited within him as he rushed towards it, his feet pitter-pattering against the cold wooden floor. However, his excitement soon faded as he discovered that the fireplace had long since grown cold, its embers reduced to lifeless ash.

In a high-pitched voice filled with disappointment, Hermit exclaimed, "Oh, no! Goblin tears! The fireplace is all cold and dead! No warm belly fire!"

Hermit squealed in delight as he saw a treasure; a candle and a single match. 

"Uwuieee! The light! The light!" he chittered excitedly, holding the match tightly between his trembling fingers. With great care, he struck the match against the rough surface, and a tiny flame sprang to life, illuminating the darkness around him.

"Waahhh! Pretty, pretty!" Hermit yelled, gazing in awe at the minuscule flickering flame. He began to dance around the candle, his tiny feet stomping on the ground, creating a chaotic rhythm that only a goblin could appreciate.

"Come closer, my friend. Ohhh! Pretty, pretty flame! Hermit loves you so much, yes, yes! Hermit does! Ahhh, warm, warm fire, come closer to Hermit's hands!" he coaxed the little flame, reaching out with his hands, "I need warmth, warm like fuzzy goblin toes!"

However, the tiny flame seemed unimpressed by his antics, offering little warmth in return. "Aww, not fuzzy enough!" Hermit grumbled playfully, shaking his head.

With a mischievous grin, Hermit decided to use his goblin ingenuity to get closer to the flame. He pulled down his shorts, exposing his round behind.

 "Watch this, pretty flame! Cozy-wosey! Toasty buns!" he declared, squatting over the candle, believing the proximity would provide the warmth he craved.

"Oh no, hot! Hot! Yeowch! Hot-hotsy! Blazing buns! Owie-wowie! My tushy-hushy! No more dancing fire!" Hermit wailed as he felt the fiery pain searing his sensitive goblin skin. In a panicked frenzy, he knocked over the candle, and the once-vibrant flame extinguished in an instant.

"Wreeeee! My bottom is burnt like a charred toadstool! Fire-biter! Naughty flame!" he cried, frantically hopping around and holding his injured behind. 

"Why, pretty flame? Why burn Hermit so? But fear not, little flame! Hermit shall find another way to warm up!" he muttered, rubbing his singed bottom and plotting his next move.

As he scoured the room, his goblin instincts guided him toward a cozy-looking armchair tucked in a corner. The fabric beckoned to him, promising a glimmer of solace from the relentless cold. He leaped onto it with a burst of excitement, burrowing into its cushions and wrapping himself tightly within the folds. However, even the armchair failed to provide the warmth he desired. The chill persisted, seeping through the fabric and chilling his bones. Disappointment threatened to overwhelm him, his spirit dampened by the unforgiving cold that permeated the room.

"Ghraaa! Why so cold, chair?! Hermit thought you'd be warm! Stupid, deceiving chair!" he grumbled, his voice tinged with frustration.

Hermit's scrawny and hunched form moved with a labored shuffle, his limbs trembling under the weight of exhaustion. Every step he took seemed to sap his already waning energy, his old and sickly body unable to withstand the harshness of the cold that enveloped the room. The chilling air gnawed at his frail frame, causing him to shiver uncontrollably as he fought against the bitter cold.

"Ghraa... it's s-so cold!" Hermit's voice quivered, his teeth chattering as he tried to form coherent words.

"Hermit... Hermit can't take it anymore! The cold is gnawing at Hermit's bones, like a hundred feral squirrels biting!"

His sunken eyes, weary and bloodshot, darted across the room, desperately seeking respite from the icy grip of the environment. The dimly lit living room provided little solace, its barren corners offering no immediate relief.

As Hermit's gaze roved across the room, it fell upon Suzuka's bed, where she lay in slumber. The covers draped next to her formed enticed warmth that beckoned to the shivering goblin. A surge of longing coursed through his frail body, and for a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to entertain the possibility of finding refuge within the folds of the bed.

"Oh, Master Helen's bed looks sooo cozy and warm! Like a nest of feathery dreams! Hermit's poor body is trembling like a leaf in the wind, and that bed... it's like a sanctuary for my aching bones! Maybe just a tiny peek won't hurt?"

Hermit tiptoed closer to the bed, his eyes shining with desire.

"It's so big, so fluffy, so inviting! Oh, what a luxury it would be to rest in such splendor! Just for a moment, no one would know, right?"

With a pathetic leap, Hermit's small form barely left the ground, his fingertips desperately grasping the bedsheet at the edge of the bed. His feeble hands strained and trembled, but their efforts proved futile, unable to lift himself even an inch. His wimpy legs flailed in a frenzy, propelled by a surge of desperate energy, as he strained and pulled with all his might. His scrawny limbs straining under the weight of his own feeble form. His joints creaked with every movement, a symphony of exhaustion and pain.

"Uwiee! Come on, you pathetic legs! Jump! Jump! C'mon, hands! Don't fail me now! Pull!" he screeched, his high-pitched voice echoing in the room.

In a desperate bid for success, he swung his body from side to side, summoning every ounce of strength within him. Miraculously, his efforts paid off as one of his scrawny legs found purchase on the edge of the bed, teetering precariously on the brink of victory.

With painstaking care, he ascended the side of the bed, his bony fingers clutching at the sheets for support. The ascent was treacherous, each movement a monumental hurdle for his frail body. But the allure of the faint warmth drew him closer, igniting a spark of hope within his weary heart.

Summoning the last remnants of his feeble strength, he pushed himself upward, a surge of adrenaline fueling his ascent, until he rolled over the edge of the bed and onto its surface. Sprawled and panting, his tiny body heaved with exhaustion, his huffs and puffs echoing through the room.

"Huff... huff... Hermit... huff... made it... huff..."

Hermit, the weary and feeble goblin, had finally managed to navigate his way onto the comforting expanse of the bed. Every step he took was cautious and deliberate, his scrawny body trembling with fatigue and the weight of his frail existence. His sunken eyes scanned the surroundings, seeking solace in the peaceful sight of Suzuka, slumbering serenely on the bed.

Moving with caution, Hermit prowled across the bed like a cat in search of affection and warmth. His worn-out form longed for the soothing embrace of another being, a respite from the harshness of his solitary existence. With each careful movement, he approached Suzuka, drawn to the gentle rise and fall of her sleeping form.

In a low, raspy voice, Hermit murmured to himself, "Master... warm... must find warmth... maybe... maybe she won't notice... Master so big... so... so tall... If she wakes... she'll be angry... but... but Hermit's so cold...  must... must get close..."

Finding a spot beside her, Hermit began to walk in circles, an old habit etched into his weary bones. This was his way of preparing a makeshift bed, a ritual he had adopted during countless nights spent alone in the frigid depths of the forest. Each step softened the ground beneath him, making it more forgiving and welcoming for his exhausted body.

Hermit, muttering to himself in a hushed, goblin-like tone, "Circles, circles, make a bed, cozy for me, cozy for Hermit. Soft, softer, make it soft, like leaves in the forest, like fellow goblin's embrace."

With each step, Hermit's soft feet shuffled through the imaginary forest floor, and he continued his murmured incantation, "Not too cold, not too hard, a perfect nest for Hermit's rest. Ahh, yes, the ground yields, it knows Hermit's touch, it remembers."

In those desolate woods of his slave days, his only solace had been the warmth of freshly plucked and cut grass. In the absence of a warm sheet or blanket, he would gather the soft grass, its vibrant green emitting a comforting warmth. It was a makeshift cover, a humble attempt to shield himself from the biting cold and embrace a semblance of comfort in the darkness.

Now, as Hermit settled into his chosen spot on the bed, his small body resembled that of a fragile and aged creature. Nestling against Suzuka like a cat seeking warmth, he curled into a tight ball, tucking his limbs close to his scrawny body. With a gentle wriggle, he tucked his ears inward, embracing himself into a makeshift cocoon of sorts, as he pressed himself against Suzuka's comforting belly, craving the heat she emitted.

"Mmmm... Master Helen..." his words a delicate blend of fear and comfort, "Your belly is so warm... Hermit feels safe here..."

His body, tired and exhausted, found temporary relief in this embrace. A pleased sigh escaped his lips, a soft sound of comfort rolling through the air.

Hermit's eyes began to spasm, fluttering with the weight of his exhaustion. A massive yawn stretched his mouth impossibly wide, revealing the depths of his throat all the way to the bottom of his stomach. He chomped and smacked his lips together. His tongue danced along his gums, a rhythmic motion that accompanied the yawn. Finally, his eyes closed, succumbing to the embrace of slumber, their tiredness evident in the gentle fluttering of his eyelids. His head was comfy resting under Suzuka's bosoms and his back against her belly. His bottom was pressed against her well-toned thighs.

"Ughhh, Hermit so sleepy... Yawns big like... like goblin cave! Tiredness gnaws at Hermit's bones like hungry rats... Zzzz... Mmmm... Master Helen, your bosoms like... like fluffy clouds. Hermit's head feels like... like it's floating on a pillow... Mmm... cozy..."

But little did he know, Suzuka was a turbulent sleeper.

Hermit, a wretched goblin burdened by the weight of old age, sickness, and exhaustion, found himself in an unsettling predicament. As he closed his weary eyes, seeking solace in the realm of dreams, his rest was disrupted by Suzuka's restless slumber. Resting beside her, he was nestled in the cocoon-like embrace of his ears, attempting to shield himself from the cold and find a semblance of comfort.

However, Suzuka's turbulent movements shattered the tranquility of the night. In her sleep, she shifted position, turning to lie face down, her muscular abdomen now bearing down upon Hermit with an oppressive force. Panic surged through his frail form as he felt the crushing weight pressing against him, threatening to snuff out his feeble existence.

Amidst the suffocating darkness, Hermit's tiny voice quivered, "Master... Master, please! Too heavy... can't breathe... help me! Wreeeee! Hermit's bones... cracking... please, roll off... wreeee! " he squeaked, his words barely audible beneath the immense pressure.