Broken Skull

The activity of the unnamed skeletons had decreased as the attacks wore on, and I could tell that with the amount remaining, we were at the point of do or die. I knew we wouldn't be able to hold against the next attack, especially since I had made up my mind to keep the most elite skeletons out of the direct fighting until later. To that end, I had to make Lilith and Kellor leave. Lilith wasn't someone I felt would have a problem with leaving, as she'd begun thinking in similar ways to myself, although she still kept her own way of doing things. Kellor, on the other hand, I didn't know all that well, although I knew that if he was given enough time, he could become a force to be reckoned with.

This was why, when they were both adamant about staying behind to fight alongside me, I was both stunned, and a little confused. "May I ask why you both are so willing to throw yourselves into what may very well be certain death, in a situation where only I need to be present?" I did my best to hide any impatience and irritation at their stubborn desire to remain.

"Whether you like it or not, we have to be here. If you're the only one that shows up, then some of them might realize something is off, and then you'll have to kill all of them. They've already seen me, and I'm fairly certain some of them have seen Lilith in the past. Furthermore, I'm not just going to abandon all those in this fort, just because it's convenient for me to do so. If we're going to lose the battle, then I want to make the dungeoneers work for that victory. I refuse to let them just walk over us like we're nothing." Lilith nodded in agreement to Kellor's argument, more or less showing that she was of the same mind.

I couldn't argue with his logic, and I didn't have any reasons good enough to make them both leave. Thus, I sighed, and directed Kellor to join the archers on the wall, and then told Lilith that she would be fighting shoulder to shoulder with me during the next attack. Her reaction to that was a familiar bloodlust she had been showing for the past few days. I elected to ignore it for now. She would need that fury soon enough.

The nameless skeletons finished covering up the traces of the previous battle, and finished the preparations to be reburied at a moments notice.

Might as well give 'em a speech, especially if this fails and we all end up dying today.

I pulled a crate out from a nearby supply room, and stood on it. It wasn't the most ideal platform, but it would have to do. Then, I called for everyone's attention, excluding the disguised guards that were on watch for more dungeoneers. It took a little more than a minute for everyone to be standing around, paying attention to me, with Kellor and Lilith having to straighten out a few skeletons who had been shaken to their core by the last few attacks.

"First, I'd like to thank those that remain for being so brave, despite the opposition that we're facing. Your courage, determination, grit, and hope is something that none of those petty dungeoneers could ever hope to match. It is something that most monsters on all the floors below us could never hope to achieve, surviving days, weeks, months, and years on end. We do not have that luxury. We are killed mere minutes, hours, and days after our creation. As such, to fight in spite of our inherent weakness shows a strength that can only ever be admired." The words coming from me felt hollow at first, but as I forced myself to seem passionate, I found that I was speaking the truth.

I genuinely admired these stupid, brave, clumsy, hopeful fools who fought with everything they could muster against an enemy that had the power to kill them without a thought. While I could never bring myself to admit that they had any serious levels of intelligence, ingenuity, or tactical depth, it had been proven time and time again that they were not only desperate to survive, they were more than willing to do whatever they could to improve their own chances, despite their own shortcomings. Just like I had, in the very beginning. The feeling I had felt very foreign to me. I could never describe it if I was asked to do so, but it felt good, and that was enough.

"As we are weak, we rage day and night against death itself, fighting for our brothers, sisters, our freedom, and our future!" The words I spoke began to grow louder as time passed. "Those above have come to take everything from us, afraid that we may very well develop the capabilities to keep them out of our home! Our land! They wish to take our possessions, that we use to become whole! They wish to take our home, turning it into their own private training grounds! They wish to take our lives, burning our existence away for the slightest chance at attaining power! We fight against this nightmare so that it will end one day!" The skeletons around me were solemn, although it was clear enough that some of them had their metaphorical blood boiling for a fight. My words were getting through, at least to a few of them.

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"Today we prove once and for all, that no matter how much we lose, so long as one of us is left standing, the war is not over! So long as one of us is left standing, the fight was not in vain! So long as just one of us remains, we are alive!" I could see many gripping their weapons more tight than they had been before. Those that had been shaken were calming down, while others still were almost burning with anticipation.

"They are going to come for us. They are not going to stop coming for us. When they finally find us, they are going to do their very best to end us. I don't expect us all to come out of this alive, so I have an order for the lot of you. As Broken Skull, as a skeleton, as a denizen of this dungeon we wish to call home, I order those of you that fall, to greet death not with a whimper. Not with a smile. I want you to greet death with a weapon in hand, rage in your soul, and fire in your eyes! We will not fall quietly! We will not fade away! We will not disappear without first drawing as much blood from them as we can! Death is coming for us all! Let's send him, the dungeoneers, and all others who would dare try to kill us off, straight to Hell!" I raised my axe at these last words, to which most of the skeletons roared in agreement, the rest of whom instead settled on actions varying from gripping their weapons tight, to clenching their jaws, or displaying a silent animosity, which I couldn't tell whether it was directed at me, or towards those who would likely be killing them within the next few hours.

Stepping down from the crate, I made my way to the top of the wall, with Lilith following close behind. "Hell of a speech. Think of all that on the spot?" She asked, her tone slightly teasing. "As a matter of fact, I did." I stopped behind one of the battlements, crouching down so as not to be spotted from afar. From there, I could see a few of the entrances to the fourth floor, but there weren't any dungeoneer teams on the way.

"Let's just hope your cobbled together speech keeps them going when things finally take a turn for the worse." Crouched beside me, Lilith stared out across the empty expanse that separated the third floor stairs and the dungeoneer fort. "You don't seem to have needed it." I responded in kind, relaxing my bones for the moment.

"Oh, it did affect me. Just not in any way that would be obvious." She grew silent for several minutes, and we both just stared out into the darkness, neither of us speaking.

"Do you really think we're going to die?" She asked suddenly, after one of the disguised skeletons passed by, barely giving us more than a glance. If I could have sighed, I would have. To tell the truth, I was terrified. Knowing that people leagues above me were coming to kill me made me feel like an ant just waiting to be stepped on.

"I don't know, if I'm being honest. I know that most of the skeletons I just inspired down there will." I looked back toward the courtyard as I spoke. "That's one of the reasons I didn't have Rivena join this fight. I'm not certain I'll be able to just hide in a burial hole the second things get bad. If things don't turn out well, I need people I can trust to continue the fight without me, should the worst come to pass. That's you, Rivena, and even Kellor, though I don't think he's quite ready yet. This fight could go badly, and likely will. So just promise me this. If things start to go bad, just get the hell out of here. Take Kellor if you can. If I fall, then don't let my death be in vain, and don't tell me that if I'm staying, then you are too. We both know you're smart enough to not make that kind of mistake."

I didn't look at Lilith at all while I spoke. I couldn't. I simply felt too small, too weak, to do so. Which was why I was a bit startled when she grabbed my cheekbone and forced me to turn to stare at her. Even without being able to directly see facial expressions, I could tell she was glaring at me.

"I have been at your side for all these months, and I learned that the only way to change anything, was to start with yourself. You showed me that. You showed everyone that. You've proven that you're not just unique because of your damn title. You've proven that you're unique because you lead by example. You fight, suffer, break, and work alongside all of us. You might not be the only one to raise our standards as skeletons higher, but you were damn well the first to try. So you better come back from this. I'll leave with Kellor if things get too dangerous, but you better come back to us." Lilith's gaze bored into me as she spoke, before she gently knocked her own forehead against mine.

What that gesture signified, I had no idea. Before I could ask, she stood up, and walked back down to the courtyard, leaving me alone with my thoughts on what the next few hours would bring.