Broken Skull

It took roughly half an hour to get the few scouts that remained in the encampment to gather in one of the huts that was being used for command meetings. Only seven of them remained since all the others died at the fort, not including Kellor, who was out patrolling the upper floors with three other scouts who hadn't been sent to die. The three who were still in the encampment stood before us now, along with Rivena and Iliana, while their sentinels remained outside.

"I know you've been through hell already, but I have to ask more of you. We have a time limit at this point to muster as many skeletons as we can, train them, and assault the outside world. It's for those reasons that I believe our next target should be the orc fortress to solidify our position on the fourth floor, and to gain experience in fighting a full engagement. Thus, I'm going to need you three to scout out the orc fortress, and get as much detail as you can about what we should expect, and if there are any weaknesses we can exploit for the coming battle. Any questions?" I spoke to each of the scouts, giving them all a small stack of parchment and a charcoal stick for them to use.

One of the scouts stepped forward, the parchment rustling in his hands. "I have one. Why should we risk our lives to do something so dangerous right after so many of us ended up dead because of your orders? How many of us are going to be sent on suicide missions until we achieve the victory you've talked about? Why not just prepare for a straight assault on the surface?" His tone was indignant, and a part of me wanted to use my axe to shatter his skull. However, I took a moment to calm myself before replying.

"So many of us died at the fort so that I could live. So that I would keep on fighting. So that we wouldn't be completely wiped out. All of those are valid reasons to hate me. So naturally, I don't get to sit on the sidelines. To honor the fallen, I have to keep moving forward. Many of those who fell in battle were friends to those who remain here. They fell in battle, having faith that we would win. We did. They died with the belief that we would rise up and destroy those who have held power over us for so long. If you don't want to go scouting because it's dangerous then you can give back the supplies I just gave you, and you can join the rest of the infantry, or you can just leave. I'm not going to stop you. I'm not going to stop any of you." The heat from my anger built up once more, filling the gap between my ribs and my spine. I could have taken another moment to calm myself, but I forged on.

"I'm going to survive this, so that I can honor all those who fell. I'm going to ensure that we break through the surface, and carve out a territory for ourselves, so that I can live free. If you think that you can honor the fallen by giving up because you're afraid to die, then go ahead. We're all afraid to die. Every one of us. I'm a coward, myself. But I'm not going to let that stop me from doing what needs to be done. I'm choosing to fight against my fear, my anger, my pride. What are you going to choose? To give up? To go home and wait for someone to kill you? Or are you going to fight for the fallen? Are you going to fight for yourself? What about those who stand beside you?" I looked at everyone in the room from left to right, stopping on Lilith.

"I'm not the best leader. I'm not the best skeleton. But I'll be damned if our race fails to break through to the surface because we were afraid to suffer and die for each other." I looked back to the scout. "So choose what you're going to do, right here and now. Are you going to leave? Or are you going to fight?"

The scout stood for a moment, looking me in my one functioning eye. If it came down to it, I was fully prepared to go out myself to ensure the mission was completed perfectly. Even if he decided to go I might still join them, not entirely trusting secondhand information.

He stepped back into formation, the parchment and charcoal still clutched in his hands. His reply was curt, his voice tense. "... I'll go on the scouting mission... Sir."

I nodded to him, then turned to the other two. "Do either of you feel as he does?" The both of them spoke in unison. "No, sir." I nodded once to the three of them. "Good. Be swift in your mission, and may you remain hidden by the shadows. Get going." With that, the scouts all left the hut, leaving me with Rivena, Iliana, and Lilith. "Why did you call the rest of us here? We really should be getting back to our work." Rivena spoke calmly, although she did seem a bit irritated by having to be here.

"I called you both here because we're going to need your expertise in the future, and because I want to make sure I know what we're all fighting for. I've already spoken with Lilith, but I would like to hear from you both as well." I walked over to the hut wall and sat down, my spine resting against the flimsy materials that held it together. "Rivena, you know more about magic than the rest of us, and as such, you know best about what's feasible and what's not. Iliana, as our only dedicated healer you know more than enough to tell us what kind of battles we might be able to sustain, and what battles or tactics we should avoid when possible. But, what is the reason for you being a part of all this? Why do you fight?"

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before turning to face me. Rivena spoke first. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but if I had to be honest, I believe I'm little more than a novice when it comes to magical theories. That's why I am here. This place may be my original home but by staying here, I won't ever learn anything more than what I directly experiment with. If I reach the outside world, I just might be able to learn how magic truly functions, and why skills work the way they do. Why some can cast genuine spells while others like yourself, can only go so far as to use that [Thunder Step] of yours. That is what I fight for. Knowledge." Rivena spoke clearly, the reason for her working alongside us surprising me due to the fact that I hadn't known just how much she was trying to learn.

Iliana spoke next, not missing a beat. "I may be a healer, but I don't have nearly as much tactical knowledge as you might think. I haven't been in many battles, excluding the one at the fort, although I'm fairly certain that would qualify as atypical. All I would be able to do is tell you whether or not I could keep up with an ever growing number of injuries, and as the sole dedicated healer in our camp, I don't think I'd be able to hold out very long at all in an actual battle. Even keeping you alive was difficult, despite me using almost all my mana to do it, and you're just one skeleton." She paused for a moment, her hands fidgeting a bit. "As for my reasons for doing what I do... Well, they're a bit silly. I obviously don't want to die, but... I would like to see what the surface looks like. Down here, everything is grey and dull. It's all ugly and boring, and I want to see more than just these walls in my lifetime. That's... Why I'm here." Her voice became quieter and quieter as she spoke, until she finally fell silent.

Their answers made me realize that I'd thought too far ahead in regards to their capabilities. We might have been around for a few months, but we were still far from capable when it came to just about everything. It annoyed me, but I shrugged it off for the moment, as it was beyond my control at the moment. I looked to Lilith, who just shrugged.

"Alright well, since we're not where we need to be in those regards, I've got some tasks for the both of you. Rivena, see if you can't devise some sort of test to determine who can and who cannot use magic. For those that can, see if you can get them to become mages. I don't want our magical capabilities to be lacking compared to our enemies. Iliana, if anyone else is able to become a mage, see if you can convince a few of them to become dedicated healers. I want to ensure that we can actually continue a fight just in case it drags on long enough that we have to seriously worry about casualties. Also, while it seems callous, I would like to find out if we can use the bones of fallen skeletons or other monsters to help repair our bodies, for when we don't have our own bone fragments. See if you can manage that when you have the chance." At my orders, the both of them nodded before leaving as well.

Once everyone had finally left, Lilith spoke up. "So you noticed the problem with morale falling, I'm guessing?" The way she said it almost made it seem as if she was smirking a little bit. "It was more like I was told directly, but yes. Thanks for doing what you've done with training them out there. I'll try not to slack off too much in the future."

"I'd certainly hope so. It'd be a shame if you lost your other eye to a stray war club." Lilith walked out of the hut, teasing me as she went. I followed after her, intent on scoring a hit or two on her at the training field or at the very least, training a group of skeletons who might be able to get her back for her teasing words.

Regardless, there wasn't much else that I could do for the moment other than wait for the scouts to accomplish their mission. I threw myself into training any skeletons who asked for it, as well as sparring with Lilith whenever the opportunity presented itself for me to hone my skills and fighting style against her speed.

While it was a strange experience, it wasn't one that I disliked. In fact, I ended up enjoying the chance to fight without worrying about getting killed.