I didn't know when we'd be under intense scrutiny from the dungeoneers, but I figured it would be wise to wait them out, and to periodically send out scouts in order to ascertain the situation. However, that would require potentially spending the lives of everyone else around me.

Even if I'm going to lead them, and try to have some sort of detachment... I can't just see them as numbers, otherwise their courage will fail when it's needed most. If I want to stay alive, I'll need that bravery.

Thus, I gathered everyone over to me, and I stood on top of the bed, so that I could see them all. After counting them, in this room alone, my forces numbered thirty one, not including myself. Of that number, twenty seven were fully equipped with weapons and armor ranging from poor to decent quality. To be honest, I was a bit nervous. I found that I didn't actually like speaking to so many, not that it made me feel all that uncomfortable. In fact, it felt somewhat natural at this point.

"Much as I don't like thinking about it, those staying on the second floor will be dead soon enough. I share the same concerns as the rest of you, but I do not think there is anything we can do for our brothers and sisters at this time. It would take too long to get them all down here." I noticed a few of them look down at the ground, and I could almost sense a feeling of frustration, and resignation.

Seems I'm not the only one angry about losing people.

"With some new information, in case you didn't already notice the scout reporting earlier," I scanned the crowd, staring into several eyesockets. I continued. "We've learned that the dungeoneers discovered the remnants of the group that I previously attempted to gather together. You already know that they exist, and that they outnumber us. Because of that, I imagine the second floor will soon see an influx of incredibly powerful dungeoneers, who will most likely wipe out everything on that floor, in an attempt to find, and kill me, as they would deem me a 'unique monster.' Too bad we're not based solely on the second floor anymore." The last few words managed to elicit a light chuckle from a few of us.

"In the coming days, several risks will have to be taken. Thus, in order to make sure that nobody's sacrifice is forgotten, we are going to spend time naming each, and every one of us. We will also be forming seperate teams to deal with different tasks, such as scouting, guarding, equipment procurement, and much more. For now, we will begin with the basics after everyone has been given a name. Today, we become more."

I began to will my name into being. I had thought about it for a few days, every time I had browsed through my stats. From this day forth, I would no longer be one of the nameless.

Attempting to name Skeleton, Lvl. 4... Mp required: 20... Insufficient Mp. Substitute Health at ratio of 3:1? Y/N

Mentally grimacing, I accepted the prompt, and the first thing that happened, was an intense pain flowing through my entire body, all at once. For the first time since I woke up, I felt searing pain ripping through every single one of my bones. I kept my teeth firmly closed, not daring to let any thoughts or words escape me. If this was the price I paid in order to survive, I would damn well pay it. Finally, it passed, fading as quickly as it had come.

Requirements met. Naming successful. Congratulations, you have been named Broken Skull. Physical upgrades applied.

Wait, what? I don't get to choose? Damn it, I can't tell if that name is edgy, or just there to mock me. Also, what is this about physical upgrades?

I didn't look different, but my bones did feel slightly tougher, and my sword was just a bit lighter than it had been before.

I guess the upgrades don't change too much about me. Oh well, whatever. Status.

Name: Broken Skull 1:32 AM Race: Undead Sub-race: Skeleton Class: N/A Sub-class: N/A Level: 4

Hp: 14/50

Mp: 0/8

Stamina: N/A

Head: Healthy

Torso: Healthy

Left Arm: Healthy

Right Arm: Healthy

Left Leg: Healthy

Right Leg: Healthy

Buffs:

Debuffs:

If I had to name the rest of them, I would need time, or help, or both.

"Healer, step forward. The toll for naming is high, and I must ask for your aid." I realized that I had dropped to one knee at this point, and so I stood as tall as I was able. The healer stepped through the crowd, two of her sentinels following, before using her mana to replenish my health.

Slowly, I raised my shortsword over her, the edges of the blade pointing away from her. Keeping the sentinels in my periphery in case they tried something, I laid the sword on her left shoulder, then the right. "By my authority as Broken Skull, I name you."

Attempting to name Skeleton, Lvl. 2... Mp required: 10... Insufficient Mp. Substitute Health at ratio of 3:1? Y/N

Getting a look at my health again, and finding that I was at fourty out of fifty, I grit my teeth, and accepted. The pain returned, worse than before. It felt like my entire being was being set on fire. My teeth grinded together as I bore the pain. Again, the pain fled as it had arrived, almost instantly.

Requirements met. Naming successful. Congratulations, you have named Skeleton, Lvl. 2, Rivena.

This time, I had managed to stay upright, although I was trembling from the aftereffects of the pain. If I had to pay my own lifeforce in order to name others, this would be much, much harder than I thought. It would have to be done slowly. That was the only way I'd truly earn their loyalty, and I would need it desperately.

"As the naming process is difficult, and painful, I will take the burden of that pain on my shoulders. As I recover, we will organize ourselves into a more effective force. First..." I looked at the two skeletons standing guard over the newly named Rivena, and then glanced at the other six sentinels, who all managed to stand out amongst the crowd, even though most of them looked the same.

"For each of our healers, we will need guards. You eight will be Rivena's Sentinels, and will instruct new Sentinels in their duties, when the time comes. I will name the eight of you once I have recovered enough to do so. You are dismissed." I waved my left hand to emphasize the point, and Rivena, along with her now official Sentinels, moved away from the gathering, heading to the back of the room, where Rivena began recovering her mana.

I'll definitely need her services for this to go somewhat smoothly.

I then turned my attention back to the others. "Next, I will need those who are brave enough, to form a new team of scouts. These few will act as our eyes and ears, telling us of potential threats, allies, and situations that we may be able to exploit in the future. Without them, we will be blind, and the blind cannot secure the victory we seek. I will not lie, it will be dangerous. There will be times where you will have to decide what you are willing to risk in order to succeed. I will not force this duty upon anyone. If you believe yourself capable of bringing us victory through information, step forward."

My voice had once again picked up a bit of momentum, and my confidence had built up a bit. However, I pushed down the speech that was coming to me, unbidden.

After half a minute, five skeletons stepped forward.

Less than I would have liked, more than I hoped.

Three of them were fully equipped men and a she-skeleton, and the other two, both men, had almost nothing in the way of gear. I gestured for them to stand to the side, a little bit away from the rest. "You five will be the brave heroes that deliver to us the information that will lead to the enemy's destruction. For now, you are dismissed."

The five new scouts gathered near the door, and started distributing what they could spare to the other two, who accepted the various items gratefully. It was nice to see them bonding already, but I couldn't get distracted just yet.

"Next, we will be forming two teams. One for combat, the other for procuring equipment once the dungeoneers have pulled back, thinking themselves safe. The combat team will have to fight the dungeoneers on multiple floors in order to not alert those on the surface, or those too powerful for us to handle. It will not be easy, but that team must succeed virtually every single time, so as to not have our existence discovered again so easily. Those who will fight for our future, to my right. Those who will arm our future brothers and sisters, to my left. The work of everyone will be remembered, and honored, so long as we achieve victory." As I spoke, some eventually moved to my right side, while others moved to my left. I ended up with eleven skeletons in the combat team, and six in the equipment procurement team.

This will have to work for now. We'll need to build up our numbers again after this fiasco on the second floor is over. Hopefully it doesn't last too long, otherwise we'll end up losing all our scouts.

"We are one people. Together, we will achieve victory. Dismissed." With one final wave of my hand, the skeletons all dispersed. The four teams had all grouped in seperate areas, already discussing how they should operate once they could head back to the second floor. Listening in, I found that Rivena and her Sentinels would be staying in this base for now, as she was our only healer, and couldn't afford to be running around outside until we had more skeletons like her.

The scouts were talking about what their priorities would be while out scouting, and whether they would work as a single unit, or in pairs, or alone. The equipment procurement team had actually migrated near the scouts, and were trying to work out how they could use the scout's routes to safely gather equipment from the treasure chests that dotted the floor's landscape.

The combat team, on the other hand, had begun devising how they would deal with various dungeoneering groups, and what they were capable of at this very moment, using previous experiences where I had been leading the team as a whole.

I could almost feel myself grinning, at seeing all of them showing some initiative.

Damn, it's good to see I'm no longer the only one around here with intelligence. Now to recover, and get back to naming.