Chapter 233: Sabotage

As the boys entered further downward, the boys would be met with pitch black. With their spells to give light, much brighter than normal, they would be met with a sight that made them widen in fear.

Bodies.

Bodies upon Bodies, all lined up in a crucified fashion, all nailed into the wall, their skin as white and pale as snow, their eyes as black as coal, their veins being visible, yet such color was drained away. The corpses lined themselves almost perfectly, as if they were a collection rather than a morgue. The boys wandered further and further across the room, their eyes unable to be taken away from the deceased, before seeing human-sized holes to transport the bodies through, as if they were crops, being tended to until harvest. Harvard would be quick on using the maces as a hook to climb up, while Stolas investigated the room further, finding a couple of cabinets that had a lock, using a star to break said lock and snoop in further. When he did, he would see lots and lots of files and folders, all neatly sorted and with given names. Such names didn't really click towards the Avian's head, so he placed them on the floor and opened their contents to get a better view, seeing their names and profiles, their pictures and details, essentially the very body that they lost.

"Scrimblo"

"Swablo"

"Swadi"

"Voldio"

"Gangli"

"Gabagool"

"Goolgaban"

The more that Stolas looked at such names, the more he wondered what kind of naming convention did these guys had. Meanwhile, Harvard would be able to see through the gaping hole what the Boiler's purpose was for. A small chamber, with a singular cylinder, and pipes that traced back to a set of engines. Such an engine began to activate again once the pipe was fixed, dragging an empty husk into its containment. Such a corpse would be inserted directly into the cylinder, a chemical being filled, the pumps and whirrs going overtime, shockingly bringing back the body's natural color. As a cost, however, the very eyes began to melt, any organs and veins that were once visible became infused into the skin, serving as their new respective color, as well as processing a cloak from the excess. Such a cloak began to draw out a specific pattern, one of spears clashing against one another, as well as a nametag attached to such a cloak: Gabagool. Harvard would back himself away and notice the documents Stolas laid out, taking notice of a specific name. He'd rip off his own head and let it fall over, rolling across the ground so that he can read the same papers, keeping his blood off of the documents, whilst growing new eyes from the stump in order to inspect the procedures. He was quick in recognizing the name, as well as his supposed role.

A Soldier.

"Oh.....That's what's happening." Harvard would mumble, with Stolas giving a confused look, prompting the Magician to explain further. "The goblins are basically being created INTO the Staff members. What makes them different was what role they played before being harvested. Here, Look at this for a second." Harvard would snag a different document and showcase Stolas the information: Swadi, a Goblin Guard that was mostly on observation duty, and Daganda, another that served to repair any structures that were damaged. Stolas would take a few moments to piece things together, looking on and seeing another of the husks being taken and transformed, using Harvard's body to climb up, carrying his head so it can be reattached. The two boys see the body being formed, with the cloak being given a pattern of a hammer and nails. These were indeed the Goblins, and such manufacturing must've came to be because of the Contract, taking away what made them unique, being replaced by what they once were.

"Ok...so we know the how. We just need to know the Why.....and also probably a way to just stop this entire thing altogether. Any ideas?" Stolas would ask. Harvard would think for a minute as to how to stop such a production. He'd first start by seeing if such bodies can come back to life, breaking apart his mace into a proper hand, casting a spell to create a potion and pour it on one of the bodies. Despite the process working, their natural, green skin coming back, their eyes returning, their veins slowly going away, and most importantly, their heart beating, they didn't wake up. Harvard grew sad when he recognized that they were already gone, making it somewhat harder to break down to Gabriel what happened. He'd distract himself away from such a fact, leaving it for later, focusing back towards the machine.

He then came up with an idea. A Horrible idea. An idea that Stolas immediately caught on, and both began to smile once more, after such a prolong series of insufferable events. They were going to have fun again, with what little they had left.

The two immediately snuck in to the chamber, with Harvard utilizing the mace and chains to barricade and lock up the metal beams that tried to carry over the next husk. He'd pass Stolas the explosive spell and allowed his Avian friend to lace the entire area with it, from the machine, to the pipes, letting it traverse across the lowest floor, to the walls, allowing the hole in the wall to infect the bodies as well, to even the very floor, watching the stardust leak out and spill from the bottom of the doorframe across the basement. Once he was finished, he'd pass the spell back towards Harvard, as the latter switched cards, casting Two spells in the process, the first being a barrier, quickly enveloping the both of them so they won't sustain any damages, and the second being Lemegeton. Harvard would also be setting up a third spell in the form of Fusion, which Stolas stopped him, giving him a new set of ammunition in the form of Orion, slipping such stars within the barrel, said stars beginning to glow and give heat. Harvard took aim, a devilish smirk on his face, as he aimed for one of the bombs. "Solomon's gonna be so angry once he hears this, hehehe!" He'd joke, before taking a deep breath and pulling the trigger.

BANG!!