As the woman started to stir, I wondered about how I would speak with her. I figured the thought transmission method of talking wouldn't work, as none of the adventurers had reacted during the fight, even at the end where it was obvious we were going to attack the swordsman from multiple angles.

Status.

Name: N/A 9:37 AM Race: Undead Sub-race: Skeleton Class: N/A Sub-class: N/A Level: 2 Available Skill Points: 2

Hp: 30/30

Mp: 6/6

Stamina: N/A

Head: Healthy

Torso: Healthy

Left Arm: Healthy

Right Arm: Healthy

Left Leg: Healthy

Right Leg: Healthy

Buffs:

Debuffs:

Skill points? That wasn't there before. How could I even use them?

I tried to think fast, considering the woman was showing signs of waking up. I thought about a way for me to vocalize my thoughts to those around me, including non-monsters.

Skill menu?

Skills points available: 2

Skills available for acquisition, within desired parameters:

Necrotic Speech: Speak through the essence of decay, and all those who hear it shall wither and die. (Skill points required: 20)

Telepathy: Speak by pulling the invisible strings of the mind, and let your will be heard. (Skill points required: 10)

Whispers of the Void: Channel the antithesis of creation itself, and let all within your presence cease to be. (Skill points required: 400)

Dark Speech: Channel the energies of death to be your words. (Skill points required: 2)

Leaf on the Wind: Let the air carry your voice wherever it must go. (Skill points required: 2)

Whispers of the Void sounded interesting, but I figured destroying everything in existence would be counterproductive, as I was simply trying to stay alive. Dark Speech and Leaf on the Wind seemed to suit my needs, but Dark Speech seemed the more intimidating of the two, and fear was a necessity at the moment. Too bad it required two skill points, as I'd have loved to gain something related to combat, or healing.

With a heavy heart, I obtained Dark Speech.

Dark Speech Lvl. 1 acquired!

I attempted to use the skill right away, and it was like I could feel the skill wriggling around in my mouth. It was a disturbing experience, knowing what shadows felt like as they writhed in your mouth, but I was able to talk at least.

Realizing there also wasn't much light in the chamber, I grabbed a torch from one of their packs, along with some flint and steel, and lit it, before leaving it near her, but not anywhere near close enough that she could attempt to grab it.

A few seconds later, the woman opened her eyes, and they began to widen as the first thing she saw was my face. I put my hand over her mouth before she could scream.

I'm not that bad looking, am I?

My voice came out like the last breath of a dead man, and was a bit stilted, to say the least.

"Do not... Scream... Answer my... Questions... And you might live..." It was a bit weird to hear myself speak like that, and to be honest, a bit creepy. I pressed onward. "Do you... Understand... Human?"

After about a minute passed, as her body was tensed with fear, she very slowly, shakily, nodded. She was trembling. "What... What do you wish t- to know?" Her voice was a bit high pitched, probably because of the other seven extremely hostile skeletons staring at her while seperating out anything we could use in the future. One of them was even using a dagger to dig into the corpses of the other two adventurers, trying to get at their femurs. More clubs would always be useful.

"How many groups... Of your kind... Come into this place... Every day?" We needed any and all tactical information we could get, and if she couldn't give it to me, I'd damn well find an adventurer who could. All we'd have to do is be careful while recruiting, and avoid any groups that got too close. We couldn't afford to go back to the original tactic the skeletons used, of attacking on sight. Without any strategy, it would always be a slaughter.

"I-I'm not s-sure. M-maybe ten to twenty on this floor?" She didn't ask any questions of me. Good. It would be best to keep it that way. I didn't dare look away from her chocolate brown eyes. I didn't want her thinking she had a chance to escape, or to take my new spear from me. The dried blood on the tip helped to keep her afraid, although I knew I'd have to clean it at some point, otherwise it might rust or something.

"How experienced... Is the average... Group? What are... Their numbers?" I didn't actually want to hurt her, mostly because people would say anything to make the pain stop, so it was better to dangle a little hope in front of them. That worked best, especially when that hope was the only thing standing between them and a murderous skeleton with a spear.

"I-I don't know how experienced they are, b-because every group is different." Her voice was beginning to tremble as she answered that question. It wasn't very satisfactory, but it was good enough. "Th-There can be anywhere from two to five people together in a normal group. Anything more is for something specific. Monster hunting, treasure gathering, that sort of t-thing." She was visibly shaking at this point, and I realized she was looking behind me.

"Step away, before I shove this spear through your eye socket. The more we learn, the better prepared we'll be." I mentally transmitted my thoughts to the rest of the skeletons, believing there was at least one behind me.

I stood up, turning around, only to see the blade of a sword coming at me. I ducked under it at the last possible second, an intense feeling of fear jolting through me like lightning, before I came back up, swinging the spear with everything I had, completely breaking the joint connecting the left shoulder and arm together, of a skeleton standing in front of me. I didn't know who it was. I no longer cared. The sword clanged against the ground, and I subconsciously channeled [Dark Speech], and I roared, too furious to speak. It came out as if it was the last roar of a dying beast. Without a weapon, the skeleton was easy prey. I brought the spear up and around, to slam into their left side.

Performing the same maneuver I did, only without a weapon, they moved forward, attempting to uppercut me, but not before I sent a knee into their jaw, cracking it, and sending them sprawling backward. I took two steps forward and stomped on their ribcage, the sound of breaking bone like music to my ears. It was almost cathartic at that point, to hear them snap and break under the pressure of my bony foot. I ended it with a golf swing, taking off their head, and sending it against a wall, where it shattered like a plastic toy.

I turned to the rest of the skeletons. Some of them had moved nearer to the woman. "Anyone else feel like adding to the death toll today? Want to take command? I'm right here. Come on, then." My voice was a low growl, like an angry, lethargic zombie. I took a single step forward, holding the spear tight.

None of them moved, all staring no longer at the adventurer, but at me. The woman, to her credit, was looking at me with a mix of shock, relief, and fear.

After staring them down for roughly ten seconds, they backed away, not even bothering to retrieve the sword, which was only a few meters away from the woman. She didn't even glance toward it as I stalked back over to her, picked it up, and sheathed it within my ribcage. I didn't want to take any chances anymore, so I moved positions, making sure I could keep an eye on the rest, while also still looking at the woman. Kneeling down, I went back to my questioning, this time, speaking a little quieter, as I was fairly certain if I tried talking normally, my anger would boil over into my tone.

"You mentioned... Treasure... Weapons...? Armor...?" At this point, the fact that someone had betrayed me, and even attempted to kill me, was making it a little hard for me to focus on asking relevant questions.

She didn't speak for a moment, still staring at me with that same expression. "... Y-yes, sometimes, although from what I've heard it's not normally very valuable items, so not everyone looks for them on this floor, unless someone f-finds something valuable." The stuttering was getting annoying at this point, but the possibility of looting useful items for myself was intriguing.

I know I sound like a horrible monster, and I just had to kill a worthless piece of shit traitor, but come on.

"The treasure... How difficult... Is it to... Find it...?" The other skeletons had stopped glaring at the woman, but every now and then I noticed one or two of them directing a glance my way. It seemed I'd be leaving one way or another, otherwise they'd either fear me, hate me, love me, or a mixture of all three. I didn't really want to find out. It would be too much of a hassle.

"N-not too hard, although you might have to compete with other adventuring groups for it."

"How active... Are most groups... At night...?" This was the question that would decide my next course of action, and I now desperately needed a new path to tread, as my old one was shattered, right along with the skull fragments across the room.

"Not very... I wouldn't think they are?" She paused for a moment in her speaking, looking like she had to think for a moment.

Good enough for me.

I slowly nodded, before grabbing her wrist, and standing up. She panicked for a moment, and tried to get away, although she didn't start screaming immediately.

"You answered... My questions... Time to... Go..." I watched the other skeletons as I hauled her to her feet. Either I killed her here and now, and then cemented my place among them, or I left with her, and took my chances with whatever came next.

I decided to take my chances, dragging her out of the chamber, but not without also grabbing the single torch. Humans couldn't see in the dark.

"You won't... Make it... Alone... I'll get you... Back around... Nightfall..." I spoke, as we trudged down the dimly light halls, the sword still sheathed within my chest. I wasn't totally evil, after all. Just determined not to get myself killed right away.

The woman stopped for a moment, before continuing on. I elected to ignore her next two words. "Thank you..."