Ed only managed to get a total of 7 Skeletons before the Skill stopped leveling up quickly. They were Kenny, Penny, Lenny, Dennis, Benny, Zenny, and finally Menny.
He didn't know if he should continue with the enny line of skeletons since he ran out of decent sounding enny names. All the ennys had rusty broadswords and followed Ed everywhere.
He had long stopped using the skill but for some reason they still followed him around like little ducklings.
He obviously had no intentions of leaving them behind when he stopped using the skill it was just that he was searching some rooms and wanted them to wait.
'They are following too closely...'
Ed looked back after examining the contents of a nearby crate. Kenny, the most eager one, was right in front of him once he looked back. Kenny's hollow eye sockets seemed to be burning with an intense flame.
'Ummm... Maybe he is too loyal'
The crate had nothing in it other than some pieces of coal. He considered taking some but the amount was far too limited making it not worth the hassle.
'Status!'
[Name: Ed$#&!]
Type: Skeleton
Health: 200/200
Strength: 0
Agility: 0
Constitution: 1
Dexterity: 2
~Skills:~
[Adept Throwing lvl. 0] -Show info-
[Swordsmanship lvl. -1] -Show info-
[Hoarding lvl. 6] -Show info-
[Mental Fortitude lvl. 1] -Show info-
[Basic Transmission Lvl. 5] -Show info-
[Minor Explosion Resistance lvl. 0] -Show info-
[Deduction lvl. 4] -Show info-
~Achievements~
[First Kill] -Show info
Some of his Skills had leveled up since the last time and his health finally recovered.
Even hoarding leveled up once since he did end up stuffing some things into his bag. The bag held multiple books before so it wasn't too much of a stretch.
'Time to head to the next room'
He initiated the transmission skill again just for the sake of experience as he headed towards the next room.
'Hm?'
He realized something was odd about the path he chose to take this time however.
'It's merging'
The corridor he was walking down started to merge with other corridors. The torches in the corridors started to get dimmer and dimmer as they approached what he presumed was their destination.
A large door. He could barely see it due to the extremely dim lighting of the torches, the torches looked like they would go out any minute. But he still more or less managed to make out the figure.
[Floor boss gate]
The gate likely leads to the Floor boss's room.
'Or gate I suppose'
He finally made it. He was always curious about how far he could go on this floor. He was also curious about the dungeon's boss ever since he labeled himself as a mini-boss.
'The dungeon boss... Well floor boss...'
He walked towards the gate. Only the sounds of his footsteps and the cackle of his bones could be heard. Even the other Skeletons dared not follow.
Ed placed his hand on the gate. He felt suffocated. Suppressed. A fierce opponent was likely beyond the gate.
'Did this thing injure the magician?'
Fear crept into his heart as he felt his thoughts and emotions fighting. He wanted to go in but the fear stopped him from pushing forward.
But there were other things he feared, not just the floor boss. He needed to keep going.
'I am going inside'
There was nothing to fear, he was a monster. A mob. The floor boss would not act against him, or so he hoped.
Building up as much courage as possible Ed used all his strength to push the gate open. The loud sound of the door scraping against the floor reverberated throughout the surroundings creating a tense atmosphere. Some of the less loyal ennys started to back away fearfully.
To Ed's surprise, the room was dark. It wasn't at the level of the dark abyss but he couldn't see.
Still he did not waver, he took a few steps forward in the complete darkness. Torches were suddenly illuminated revealing the grandness of the room. Thick pillars rose endlessly towards the ceiling. The ceiling seemed boundless.
In the center of the grand room was a skeleton holding an ominous staff and covered in a black robe. It was inanimate, unmoving.
The illuminated room revealed traces of a fierce battle. He recognized the scorch marks of the fireball spell that could be seen all over the ground and what he presumed to be lightning strikes.
Ed became extremely curious, his curiosity suppressed his fear as he scanned the Skeleton.
[Lesser lich (resting)]
The lich is recuperating its injuries. Adept at cursing others.
'So this is what nearly killed the magician huh. Should I approach it?'
Ed wasn't sure if resting meant it was sleeping or healing up. It could be both. He couldn't tell since to him it seemed like a regular Skeleton donning a creepy black robe while remaining unmoving.
He moved forward.
After a few seconds he was finally about 10 steps away from the lich. The lich's eye sockets became alit with a purple flame.
'What the!'
Ed jumped back in surprise from looking at the eerie flames in the lich's eye sockets. The fear that was being suppressed by his curiosity returned. He became hesitant.
'Should I try to communicate with it?'
But the lich was one step ahead of him, it moved its jaw and said...
"You are not supposed to be here"
Those were the words it uttered in a hoarse voice.
The lich could talk! Ed was flabbergasted. He quickly responded after recollecting himself.
'I don't know where to go'
Those were the words he said through his transmission skill.
"That does seem to be the case"
The lich nodded slightly acknowledging Ed's situation.
"Leave, I need rest"
The lich dismissed him with a slam of his creepy staff. The torches suddenly went out soon after the lich said those words. It didn't want to talk anymore.
But Ed after realizing there was nothing to fear made a decision. He would come back, and he would search the boss room. Just as he did with the previous rooms.
What's wrong it's just another room in the dungeon right? For a mob like himself every room was just another room. Floor boss? He was just a stronger neighbor.
'He can't fault me if I come back with some friends either'
He wasn't scheming against the floor boss, its job is to eliminate trespassers as well. So what's the problem with using it as a fallback plan? He needed to remember this location.
He headed towards the exit, the only place that had any light. The gate closed by itself after he left, he examined his recently acquired companions and found out that Menny ran away.
'These things are supposed to be stupid, how can I get cannon fodder otherwise?'
Was the lich really that scary?
'It might be similar to how they respect me'
It made sense, liches are well known for their powers of death. Who wouldn't fear such a being? But how did the Skeletons understand the dungeon hierarchy? It was a question that likely has no answer, at least not yet.
He put the thoughts aside and focused on his new goal, to explore the boss room. He would need to bring his own torch for that however.
'I will investigate even if it turns off the lights'
The only bright torchlight he had seen was that of the safe room. If the Lich decided to be obstinate and leave the lights off he wouldn't be able to investigate without a light of at least that quality.
'Maybe I should just come back after it has recovered'
He wasn't entirely sure if the torches in dungeons that were eternally lit could be fueled either.
'No shame in trying it out'
Ed took out some rag like paper from his bag, he planned to use it as fuel for the torch. He approached one of the extremely dim torches hanging on the corridor wall. He unhung it and put a piece of paper over it.
'Eh?'
The paper didn't even catch fire. It turned out the flames were fake!
'Looks like I will have to come to visit the lich at another time'
He activated his Basic Transmission skill and lead his entourage of six away from the floor boss after putting back the torch.. Ed gained nothing from his trip other than a finding neighbor.