The surprisingly talkative skeleton could still move its head, but its body was stuck firmly in place. It wasn't getting out any time soon.

"You adventurers think you're tough guys, walking into dungeons, acting like you own the place. I know your type, don't try hiding it. It's bad enough that you slaughter my fellow undead for no reason, but you had the gull to molest poor Stacey! That's completely unforgivable!"

"Stacey... do you mean the zombie over there?" I ask.

"Of course. Stacey and I have a long history. She's my little honey-bunch who would never hurt anyone. Right, baby?"

The zombie continued on its patrol undeterred. It didn't seem to register the words at all.

"She doesn't talk much, since she's a very shy girl. But I know her better than anyone! One day, when I get free, I'm going to propose to her. I'm the best guy for her, we're practically childhood friends. Plus, it's not like I have that much competition. Except..."

The skeleton stared at the other wondering corpse.

"Steve! My arch-nemesis! Unlike me, he is the stoic, cool but silent type. Who knows what kind of devious plants he's hatching inside his head. You need to be careful around him, he's the crafty type."

I blankly stared at the skeleton. An awkward silence permeated the air for about a minute before he broke it up.

"Okay, I know, I sound pretty crazy. But even after death, a man has NEEDS, and I am so lonely over here. Do you know lonely I get with only Stacey and Steve to keep me company? Do you have any idea how long I've spent here?"

"No."

"Me neither! It's not like I can tell the passage of time inside this cave! I bet it's been a heck of a long time, though."

The skeleton has quite a mouth, and coincidentally, that is exactly what I need. My biggest weakness is my lack of information about this world, and this might just be the solution.

"Skeleton, where am I?" I ask.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Inside a cave."

"You called me an adventurer. What does that mean?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?"

"What can you tell me about this object?"

I showed him the pendant around my neck.

"Looks like a pendent. Silver, maybe?"

Worthless. He's utterly worthless. With no apparent value, I decided to move on with the room's examination.

"Wait a second! I can tell from your questioning that you're the questiony kind of adventurer. I'm not the brightest guy around, but this knocker has a lot of hidden wisdom. We can strike a deal! Help me escape this boulder, and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. It'll be a gentleman's promise."

I examined the skeleton again. No matter which way you looked at it, moving the boulder was impossible. I could only think of one way of freeing him. It could definitely work, in theory. Or kill him. One or the other.

"Would any method of freeing you work?"

"Of course, all I care about is freedom."

"Double checking, any method?"

"...huh, I'm not liking where this is going."

I firmly grabbed the skeleton's head and pulled with all my might. After several seconds of incessant screaming on his part, the skull separated clean off.

"My head! You pulled my freaking head off! My head! My precious head! My h-"

I stuffed the skull into my bag. Surprising, it completely shut him up without a whimper. I bet I'm the first adventurer to ever carry a talking skull in my bag. With a sense of accomplishment, I patted down the remaining zombie (supposedly named "Steve") and procured a dagger. Not the sharpest around, but it should still get the job done in a pinch.

Satisfied with my haul for the moment, I made my way back to the dungeon's entrance. It was time to explore the outside of this cave, and see exactly what kind of world I was dealing with.