Chapter 138 One Last Time

"I'm sorry, Larry," Samuel began, his tone heavy with regret. "We did everything we could. We even called in that shady doctor, Jenkins, the one you told us about. But even with his exceptional knowledge, it wasn't enough to save him. The goblin had endured too much abuse and torment. The doctor tried every potion, herb, and crystal at his disposal, but none of them had any effect. Eventually, the doctor resorted to a final desperate measure, a field surgery. He cut the goblin open, much like a butcher does to a pig, and skillfully reconstructed his crushed insides. He stitched him up piece by piece back into his former self, but unfortunately, the goblin was simply too weak and battered. The doctor informed us that the chances of survival were nearly nonexistent, giving him at most half a day but that's generously speaking."

Larry slammed his fist against the iron bars of the cell in a fit of rage. "God damn it! All of this for nothing!? Is this some sick joke? For God's sake, I lost a dear friend on this journey. And what do we have to show for it? Nothing!"

As Larry vented his frustration, Suzuka sat and listened with an emotionless expression. "Well, you can blame David for this. He kept killing him, and I had to keep saving this damn goblin's sorry ass every time he was crushed into a pulp of minced meat."

Larry caught a glimmer of hope as he realized that Suzuka had kept Hermit alive, somehow. He knew she hadn't used a potion as she had claimed earlier. Looking at her with intense eyes, he pleaded, "Helen, please! Save Hermit!"

However, Suzuka refused, seeing no reason to save the goblin now that Larry had agreed to pay the coins. "I don't know what you're talking about. The doctor can't save him, and there's no way I can either. I'm not a doctor."

Larry's frustration grew, and he yelled, "Oh, for Melwyn's beard! Helen, there's no time to play dumb! I know you didn't use any potion as you said, and frankly, I don't care how you did it. That is your secret to bear. I understand, I have secrets of my own that I'll carry to my grave. Please, I beg you to consider helping Hermit one last time. Everyone will turn a blind eye, and no one will question you. So I ask you, give Hermit that 'red potion' you said you used to save his life one last time, please."

Suzuka sighed. "For fuck's sake, Larry! Are you really going to this extent for a filthy, disgusting old goblin covered in his own shit that you only met a few days ago? You even got hurt because of him. I don't mean to sound like David, but just find another pet. Jeez."

"My well-being doesn't matter, jest, or insult me as much as you like, but please, save the goblin," Larry said as he lowered his head in a deep bow. "Please."

Suzuka grunted in displeasure but succumbed to Larry's plea, "Well, I may or may not have one more high-quality red potion lying around in my pocket, but I need to administer it personally, without prying eyes. If that's a possibility, I might find it in my pocket. But you will owe me big time, Larry."

With heartfelt gratitude, Larry replied, "Thank you! I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life. Saving Hermit means more than you can imagine."

"Yes, yes, let's get going before he really kicks the bucket and keels over. Just so you know, I can't bring someone back from the dead," she jested.

Samuel released them from their prison cells and led them to a small building in the remote part of the town where Hermit had been hidden. He guided Suzuka to the designated room and departed with a parting remark, "He is inside this room. I hope you succeed." With that, Samuel left, leaving Suzuka alone to confront the dire sight that awaited her.

Upon entering the room, Suzuka was confronted with the ghastly image of Hermit's naked, mangled body lying on the bed. It appeared as if he had been crudely stitched together from various parts. His breathing, erratic and uneven, grew increasingly shallow with each passing breath. One of his large bulging eyes twitched through a ripped-off eyelid, while his ear, blown away, was completely torn off his skull. His throat was swollen, almost as thick as his head, and a pipe inserted into it prevented him from suffocating.

She gazed at the goblin, frustration etched across her face. The goblin was in a pitiful state. "Damn it, I'll need a significant amount of my blood to fix this wretched goblin. It better be worth the effort," she thought to herself.

Activating her full body transformation, she tapped into the complete potential of her blood's healing properties. With a cut on her hand, she allowed her blood to flow and then rubbed it onto the goblin's body.

The goblin's body, upon receiving the fourth dose of her half-monster blood, absorbed it like a sponge. With each subsequent dose, Hermit's body underwent a gradual transformation. By the time he received the fourth dose, his body seemed to thirst for her blood, absorbing it as if it were water.

Tremors coursed through the goblin's frame, reminiscent of a drug addict longing for their next fix. His eyes shot open, his stitches tore apart, and his flesh realigned itself flawlessly. His skin regained a healthy shade of green, and wounds healed and were replaced by scars. His eyelid and ear, previously blown off, regrew although with discoloration and adorned with scars.

His withered and wrinkled body swelled, returning to the proportions of a normal goblin, yet still bearing the scars of his past injuries. Within a matter of minutes, he appeared twenty years younger, and she removed the pipe from his mouth, dropping it to the ground. Hermit could now breathe normally.

However, his body absorbed too much of her blood too quickly, causing him to undergo a rapid and uncontrollable mutation, triggering the transformation. His frail form expanded rapidly, reaching almost the size of a Gobliman. Now, he stood at half the height of Suzuka, with elongated nails, teeth, and a face that resembled a bird's beak, his eyes rolling back into his skull. As he squirmed and lost balance, he tumbled from the bed. Struggling to regain his footing he stood up then turned towards Suzuka. He let out a piercing shriek, his mouth wide open, expelling the contents of his insides.

Unfazed, Suzuka didn't even flinch. She swiftly delivered a powerful blow to his face with her battle glove, causing his face to cave in, and sending him crashing to the ground. As the impact struck, his transformation abruptly halted, and he reverted back to his normal state, his crushed-in face slowly healing itself. 

Suzuka tossed him back on the bed, leaving the room, allowing Hermit to finally find solace in his rest while saying, "Ungrateful prick, I saved his life and he threatens me? That is the last time I do anything for this freak."

She walked into the next room where Larry and Samuel were and said, "The goblin should survive. He looks like shit that someone stepped on, crushed, then put back together and sprinkled some garbage on top, and then stepped on him again. But he should live. He might even be able to talk and walk."

 Larry rejoiced at the news and replied, "The description you gave was awful, but if you say he'll live, that is all I needed to hear. Thank you, Helen. I am in your debt."

Suzuka had lost some blood, and the strain of travel was taking its toll on her. With her mana nearly depleted, she asked, "Say, Larry, do you have a spare bedroom where I can lie down for a few minutes of rest? It has been a couple of action-packed and exhausting days. I just need five minutes of rest."

 Larry happily pointed to the couch in the corner of the room and said, "This is the only furniture we have that remotely resembles a bed. Feel free to use it." Suzuka dropped onto the couch and quickly dozed off.

Several hours passed, and suddenly the loud crash of a door woke Suzuka from her sleep. Dr. Jenkins burst into the room, shouting, "Larry! Larry! The goblin! He's alive and fine! What did you do while I was gone? How did he survive? I don't understand! He was beyond any hope of recovery, and now he's almost good as new! Well, not new, but he's fine now."

Before Larry could calm him down, the doctor's gaze locked onto Suzuka. After a few seconds, a realization dawned on him, and he said, "Oh, it's you, Helen. Now I understand how the goblin survived. Never mind me, Larry. Forget I asked."

His tone shifted as he continued, "But anyway, I think the goblin should wake up soon. If you want to be there when he wakes up, you should go to him. It's better to have a friendly face... Oh, sorry, Larry. With that scar, you don't seem so friendly anymore. But as I was saying, a familiar face will help him calm down when he wakes up. Nobody wants a crazed and disoriented monster freaking out and running outside, or something worse happening to him."

Larry stood up and made his way toward Hermit's room. "That's a good idea, Dr. Jenkins. I should be there. When he wakes up, he'll be scared and disoriented, not knowing where he is, and feeling lonely without any familiar faces," he explained. 

He turned to Suzuka and asked, "Helen, are you coming? You saved his life after all. A thank you is in order." 

Well-rested and with a sense of curiosity, she decided to join in. "Oh, well, why not? I've come this far, so I might as well go and see him too," she replied.

All three of them, Larry, Doc, and Suzuka, went to see the goblin. When they entered the room they saw Hermit squirming naked on the bed. Dr. Jenkins hurried over and gently restrained the goblin to prevent him from falling and hurting himself. After a few moments, Hermit began to calm down, and Doc reassured everyone, saying, "Don't worry, it was just a bad dream he had. Physically, he appears to be almost fine, aside from the scars, of course. Also, by the looks of it, it would seem that he will wake up soon."

Larry grabbed a chair and sat beside the bed, taking Hermit's cold, flimsy hand in his own. He spoke softly while remaining by the goblin's side, "You two can leave if you want. I'll stay here and wait until he wakes up. It might take a while, so you don't have to sit around idly. I'll let you know when he wakes up."

 Suzuka felt a twinge of annoyance at the tender treatment the goblin was receiving and remarked, "Jeez, just give him a good slap across the face, and he'll wake up. He's not a baby; he can handle it."

But Larry responded, "Don't be so rude and cruel to him. He's a living being, capable of feeling pain and being hurt emotionally, just like us. We can't treat him so harshly."

 Dr. Jenkins chimed in, "I'll be outside. If anything happens, call me immediately." 

With that, Doc exited the room, and Suzuka took a seat in the corner on a chair. Amidst the commotion, Hermit stirred, and his eyelids began to twitch. With great effort, he forced his eyes open, his gaze slowly finding Larry's face. Still dazed, confused, and disoriented, his vision obscured by shadows, he reached out his thin arm and touched Larry's face. "L-L-Larry... Is... is that you? Larry, please, don't let go of me. H-h-help me, L-Larry."

Larry leaned closer and spoke in a caring, whispering voice, "Don't worry, buddy. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you. You can rest now. We've treated your wounds, and you're going to be okay. Just hang in there, buddy."

 The goblin mustered all his strength to turn his head towards Larry, his long tongue slipped out of his elongated mouth, forming a somewhat grotesque smile of gratefulness and pleasure. He let out a weak chuckle and said, "Thank you, Larry, for saving me, for letting me live, for holding me. For being so warm and gentle with me, calling me your buddy. Thank you."