The five new recruits were beaten and battered by the time I saw Lilith and the rest of the Combat Team coming back into the hideout.

I still need to think of what I should actually call this place. Base, hideout, hole in the wall, piece of shit that barely qualifies for a barracks? I need something that sticks.

Sorting through the four bodies they'd brought in, I tossed their bags to the E.P.T. We found a whetstone, a few unlit torches, some rope, three utility knives, some sandwiches which I assumed were their rations for the delve, a tinderbox, and a few coin pouches. One of them even had coins in it.

I had a few ideas about what the coins could be used for, but for now, I set the coin pouch aside. We'd have to gather more for any of the plans I had. A lot more.

For now, I planned on joining the Combat Team as they headed out once again, leaving the new recruits in the hands of the Sentinels. Rivena and a few others tried to convince me to stay, but I shut them down with a few words of victory and strength. It wasn't a total lie, at least. I definitely wanted and needed to get stronger. After all, I didn't need anyone breaking my skull with a hammer while I wasn't looking, and for the moment at least, I was still the strongest skeleton among our band of walking horrors.

Instead of heading for the second floor, we remained on the third, after I decided it would keep anyone from realizing the death toll was spiking too much on a single floor. I didn't know how they'd find that out, but I didn't want anyone sniffing around too early. Not until we expanded down to the fifth floor, at least.

Thinking about it wouldn't help anything, though. So, I fell into step next to Lilith, and we went hunting for dungeoneers, the rest of the Combat Team behind us.

"I still think you should stay back, in case something goes wrong." Lilith spoke her mind rather casually as we travelled through the dark halls. I shrugged in response, my sword finally sheathed at my side instead of in my chest. I'd picked up a sheath from one of the dead dungeoneers, and it worked well enough for what I needed.

"If I stay back, I'll never get stronger. If I can't become stronger, I'll be long dead before we ever get anywhere near the victory most of us are dreaming of. I don't plan on letting others have all the fun." I tapped the pommel of my sword absentmindedly as I spoke, the words flowing easily.

Granted, I didn't really want to fight for my life all the time, but the notion that I might lose the next time I fight anyone even remotely strong did wonders for my hesitation about killing everything that stood in my way. Much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, I felt the need to actively seek out and murder any human I could find, since so far, all of them had given some measure of experience, while other monsters gave nothing at all.

Come to think of it, why do I feel like this? Was I alive before? Why do I have any conflictions at all about this? I can't remember a damn thing before being here. I've got so many questions, and no answers.

I shook it off, and kept walking. Those were questions for another day. I could start looking for answers once I got free of the dungeon, and all of the nightmares that come with being a part of it. Dungeoneers wouldn't be any help since most of the ones I'd seen so far were so obviously new that they wouldn't even be able to begin helping me.

At least they could serve as walking experience points. We actually ended up finding a group of five wandering around the halls, their torch serving as a beacon to all who wished to either avoid or harm them. It was rather sad how they so willingly offered their lives to anything lurking within the dark.

Naturally, we began our preparations to surround them, attack them, and ultimately, murder them. After getting a good look at them, it looked like a group of newer dungeoneers being led by two more experienced looking people, a man and a woman. The man was wielding a rather impressive looking handaxe, and the chain shirt he was wearing didn't look half bad either, while the woman walked in the middle of the group, her staff ringing ever so slightly with each footstep, a small bell attached to a circular end. I personally couldn't tell if she was some sort of healer, or a special type of mage. Either way, she would have to die first, in order to deal with any possible complications before things got out of hand.

Taking command of five other skeletons, I sent Lilith with a group to follow them, while the rest of us went ahead to cut them off. If we were lucky, we'd be able to deal with them before anyone even spoke a word to warn their fellows.

No fancy intimidation this time. Just surround, rush, and kill... I really hope this works.

I wasn't feeling the most confident in my own abilities, but considering the fact that we outnumbered them all by at least two to one, I figured the odds were in our favor, if ever so slightly.

Finally managing to get ahead of them, we collectively readied our weapons, waiting for them to get close enough for us to leap forward and strike at them.

Ten seconds... Five... Three... Two... One...

"Now!" I mentally commanded, and we all surged forward just as the light of their torch began to illuminate us. The axe wielder in the front stumbled a little, but regained his composure a second before we reached them. The newer dungeoneers almost collapsed, however, and were struggling to their feet as we reached them.

"I've got the axe wielder! Quickly, kill the woman!" I swung my blade upward, hearing a loud clang is it struck the axe handle, which had been moved low to block. Without missing a beat, I sent my left fist forward, clutching a knife that sailed straight for his throat. The other skeletons moved quickly, engaging the other four dungeoneers, just as Lilith's group began to arrive. The axe wielder moved further to my left, the tip of the knife just barely scraping his chin, cutting off small bits of his beard in the process. As I tried to pull my sword past the axe, I found it being twisted out of my grip, before it skittered off into the darkness, leaving me with just the knife. Reversing the grip on the handle, I turned toward him as he swung the axe back and around at me, ducking under the weighty weapon, the air hissing as it sailed past my head.

I had to admit, I didn't really want to fight the axe wielder myself, but it had been the best chance at experience out of this group, and I now realized, it was also probably a better choice, as most who had joined our ranks still didn't dodge all the time, and when they did, it was just a little bit clumsier than mine, which admittedly, was still pretty clumsy.

I lunged forward, aiming my knife at his gut, but I didn't expect him to recover as quickly as he did, turning the momentum of his swing around to strike upwards towards me. It was too late to dodge or try using [Shield], and I knew it long before the axe slammed into my chest, breaking off several ribs, and sending me crashing against the stone wall. Fortunately, I'd managed to keep my head from hitting the stone as well, and I wasn't dead yet.

Too bad I can't check my status to figure out how hurt I am.

I recovered faster than I would have if I had been living, and moved back into the fight. I was much more wary this time, having seen just how fast the axe wielder could move. He was either moving faster than me, or he was just more skilled. I couldn't tell, and I didn't have the time to wonder about it, so for the moment, we circled each other, as Lilith and the others fought the four dungeoneers. Surprisingly, they were having almost as hard a time as I was, with Lilith and two other skeletons being engaged with the woman, while the other nine were having to rotate with each other to fight the three newer dungeoneers, who were using the more narrow hallway to their advantage.

Seems they've all found their rhythm. Damn it.

Neither I nor the axe wielder could go to the aid of our companions, for while he was fast, I was watching him like a hawk, waiting for any opening to mortally wound him, via his armpits, legs, neck, or other less protected areas. I on the other hand, had to worry about his speed, so I could neither retrieve my sword, or help Lilith kill off the damned woman, who I confirmed was a mage, as she summoned a small cat which was harrassing one of the skeletons while she battled Lilith and another, holding them off with her staff.

The axe wielder leaped forward, his axe raised high. Just as it began to swing down, I stepped left, switching the knife to my right hand, and managing to cut his wrist, which wasn't nearly as protected as the rest of his body, although I knew it wasn't a deep cut, considering he could still hold onto the axe, which he proceeded to swing backward at me. Instinctively, I leaned as far away as I could, but the metal still caught the edge of my ribs, sending a real jolt of pain through my body.

The fuck...? Pain? No time!

I stomped my foot on the ground to regain my balance, just as he was starting to swing again. I put my hand in the way of the axe, stepping into his range this time, and managed to grab his right arm, which held the still swinging axe. Its momentum was slowed quite a bit, and it stopped before it reached me, just as I pulled myself closer, and stabbed right up and into his armpit, which he had very politely left exposed, just for me. Granted, he was raising his arm to smash my skull, but still. It was the perfect gift, from the bastard who had shattered my chest. He gasped for air, which didn't sound quite like the sound a living human should make, the wheezing and gurgling intermingled with each other, before I kindly twisted my knife, digging it deeper and deeper, until it entered his heart, which stopped soon after I shoved him off of me.

Lilith and the others were still having a rough time, so I grabbed the axe from his dead body, and went to work.