"He wants us to what?" Lilith couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Broken Skull wanted her to kill goblins for experience? That went against everything they were fighting for. She could understand fighting against those that were openly hostile against them, if the few reports about the fourth floor were to be believed, but the goblins hadn't bothered them at all.

To attack them unprovoked made Lilith somewhat hesitant. While Broken Skull hadn't led them astray before, this just felt wrong to her. it was worse since he wasn't here to discuss this with her, to explain his reasoning. All his message really said was that the expedition was difficult, that they needed reinforcements, and to try using goblins as a source of experience.

Granted, they couldn't use dungeoneers forever. Lilith knew that, but at the same time, having to switch from their true enemy to a group that could technically have been considered potential allies... It left a bad impression in her mind. Thus, she ordered Kellor to take two of his scouts, and to make contact with the goblins, to see if they'd join up with them instead. If they did that, she could try sending them down to help Broken Skull with the expedition. That way she wouldn't feel like she was betraying her own nature.

Furthermore, Broken Skull ordering that made her wonder about his mental state. He had seemed a bit cold before in some instances, but being able to order something like that made her think. He had never really taken part in training the skills of the others, so Lilith was left to do so, trying to help the ones that leveled learn decent skills that would help them survive. Most of them had been simply body enhancement skills, meant to toughen them up a bit. It was hard to learn specialized skills when you didn't have many chances to stand out.

Lilith had also asked Rivena what [Stealth] was about. No other skills had shown up for anyone, not even Broken Skull himself. As it turned out, Rivena had been thinking about this, and testing out a few theories with her Sentinels. What little she found out didn't make much sense. While the skill could be taught, it couldn't be learned on its own without a teacher. Since Broken Skull was the first to get it, Rivena pondered about how he would have acquired it. The one answer she could reasonably come up with was that something had given it to him. The thought of that was crazy, but it was the only one Rivena had, and thus, it was the only answer Lilith had to that particular question.

While she waited for Kellor and his scouts to come back, she worked with the few remaining skeletons who hadn't managed to get a skill for themselves. She helped them learn more defensive techniques, as they didn't have any actual skill points they could use. So long as they could defend themselves, an opportunity to strike back would always present itself. At least, that's what she kept telling herself. While Broken Skull prioritized an unbreakable offense to serve as his own protection, she believed that so long as the skeletons could hold their opponents off, they would eventually be able to win.

It didn't take too terribly long before Kellor finally came back, with the rest of the scouts carrying the broken body of one of the others. His name was Wolffe, if she remembered right. He had said that his personal victory would've been just getting to the surface to pay back all the pain that had been dealt to those who lived in the dungeon. His left arm was cracked, his skull had been caved in, and one of his legs had been completely shattered, now in the hands of Kellor.

"We tried talking to a group of eight that we had found. While they could understand us, they seemed arrogant at the beginning of the conversation. I personally felt as if they were slightly stronger than us, but not because of any levels or anything. It simply felt like it was because they were from a floor below ours. I didn't notice it before because it was only a subtle difference. As the talks went on, they started to seem annoyed, until we suggested working together to expel the dungeoneers from both our floors. They got angry, started screaming about how they'd never serve us. We weren't even able to explain anything before they attacked. Wolffe was the closest to them. Got dragged down and killed before any of us could do anything." Kellor had gripped Wolffe's leg tighter at that point.

Lilith noticed that all of their weapons were dripping still fresh blood. The goblins hadn't even bothered to try and listen to reason, instead acting superior simply because they lived on the floor below them. Looking at Wolffe's skull, which had its eye sockets and teeth rattling against the back of the skull, Lilith felt both guilty, and furious. She did her best to keep it from showing in her body language, but she couldn't understand. Being arrogant or attacking simply because of a floor difference? She looked at the others. Everyone was looking to her to lead. Rivena was staring at her with a determined expression, and Lilith knew what would have to happen.

"We might not be necessarily stronger than them, but we've fought so many more times than they have. We've practiced so many more times than they have. We've died so many more times than they have. If they're going to refuse to work with us just because of that, and even attack us... Then we can't show them any mercy." Lilith had unknowingly grabbed a short sword from her belt.

"If they're going to fight us, then we can't treat them any differently from the damned dungeoneers that invade our home and slaughter our people. Let's get some payback. For Wolffe." The other skeletons mentally roared in response to her words.

When groups of skeletons left the base to search for goblins to hunt down, Lilith sat on a bed, thinking about her own mistake. She had been the one to order them to try and negotiate, and lost someone under her care. Broken Skull had ordered her to simply start attacking them. She didn't think he understood that subtle difference, because if he did, he might have added that monsters from lower floors are more arrogant and prideful toward the higher floor monsters.

So this wasn't just her mistake. It was the fault of both of them. Broken Skull for not knowing enough, and her because it was her decision that caused Wolffe to get killed. With this loss though, they would know in the future that monsters on lower floors would never cooperate with them. Not peacefully, at least. If nothing else, Wolffe got them this information, although it sadly costed his life. That was how she'd see it. Lilith wouldn't let something like this keep her from doing her duty, because Broken Skull was the same, although his reasons would likely differ from hers.

Everyone has their own vision of what our victory will be.

With this, Lilith took up her sword and went out with the last group to leave. For now, she had to get as strong as she possibly could, in order to combat the more experienced dungeoneers and monsters in the future. She would worry more about how stable Broken Skull was later, as well as the fact that she was being less of a leader, and more of a stand-in for him.

Her bones echoed as she walked out into the third floor.

-----------------------------------

I pulled the axe blade from the neck of the orc I'd been stalking for almost an hour. He hadn't just bothered to relieve himself outside the hut. Instead, he had started walking around, seeming to stretch his legs as he went. I chose to follow him, believing the risk to be worth it. To be honest, it was either that or wait until he either went back inside, or until he found me through dumb luck. He favored his right leg, something I discovered when I saw him trip over a rock, hissing as he stomped his left leg down to regain his balance. I figured he'd either seen a few battles, or that he'd just been punished multiple times. He was missing a few fingers, with the new stump still bleeding slightly, so I figured it was the latter.

He'd been wandering around while I slowly crept toward him, inching closer and closer as we both moved a little further away from the hut with each footstep. Part of me had wanted to just rush over and stick my axe in his head, but the calm and composed part of me won out in the end. So I had continued moving behind him, my anxiety that he'd just happen to turn around climbing higher and higher, even as I was moving only a few meters away from him.

Granted, he never saw me coming. Never even let out a scream as the axe had bit into his neck, spraying hot blood all over the place. It was a just a simple swing, a bit of resistance, and then his body was on the ground.

Too damn slow. I'll need to get faster at this if I want to make any kind of dent in gaining experience. Fuck this is going to be annoying.

He hadn't had anything worth taking, so I wiped the blood off on his clothes, and started making my way back toward the small hole in the ground that I had laboriously dug. The experience from killing him would help bolster me and any of the few other skeletons down here. It proved we could fight. If we could fight, we could win.

I got back to my hole just as some torch lights left the fortress, heading in exactly my direction. If they saw me or the hole, they might think something was up, so I simply scraped as much dirt as I could into the hole, and on top of myself. If they gave me a chance, I might come up to kill them, but it wasn't likely that I'd actually take that risk. Not while the orcs were more plentiful, and less of a threat than a group of armed, armored, and semi-experienced dungeoneers. No matter what, I'd always pick the weaker enemy.

Even when this hellhole is far behind me, I'll still pick the weak over the strong. Break the weak, and the strong may well follow, so long as I'm brutal enough.

I'd follow my own instincts no matter where they led me. That would be the only way for me to survive in the end. By embracing hypocrisy. By embracing deceit. By embracing all the lowest forms of cowardice, I would survive.