The dust settled in the inn's courtyard. The silence that followed the brief and brutal fight against the [Wild Carrion Hound (Level 2)] was even heavier than before, broken only by the slow dripping of a dark liquid from the beast's corpse and the occasional creak of [Skeletal Servant Alpha]'s bones, which remained standing, though visibly damaged ([HP: 11/30]). [Skeletal Servant Beta] was now just a shapeless pile of broken bones.
Corbin approached, his mind already processing the torrent of information from the [System]. [3 XP] for him, [27 XP] and a [Level 2] for Alpha, and a [Skill Echo: Keen Scent (Carrion) (Common)]. A positive balance, despite the loss of a servant.
"I need to regroup my forces," he thought, looking at the hound's corpse. The [Analyze] had indicated [Potential for Reanimation (Skill: Raise Lesser Skeleton Lv.1): Suitable (medium canine skeleton)]. His [Raise Lesser Skeleton] skill mentioned "humanoid bones," but the [System's] analysis was usually accurate. It was worth a try. And with his [Current MP: 132/132] full, he had the resources.
—Alpha, guard the courtyard entrance. he commanded mentally. The [Level 2] skeleton moved with slightly more fluidity than before, posting itself like a macabre sentinel.
Corbin focused on the hound's corpse. [Raise Lesser Skeleton (Level 1)]. This time, he visualized canine bones. The dark energy flowed, the crystalline hum returned. The "Shadowy Crystallization" enveloped the beast's carcass. The black, vitreous shell formed and then shattered, revealing not two, but a single skeleton, visibly that of a canine, larger and with a more robust structure than that of a rustic human skeleton. Points of cold light ignited in its sockets.
[New servant created: Skeletal Servant Gamma (Canine, Tier 1)]
[Servant Sheet: Skeletal Servant Gamma (Canine)] [Type: Undead (Canine Skeleton, Tier 1)] [Servant Level: 1]
[HP: 35/35] [STR: 8] [AGI: 10] [VIG: 7] [INT: 1] [PER: 7] [Defense: 6]
[Main Attack (Bone Bite): Damage 4-7 (Piercing)]
[Abilities/Traits: Undead, Vulnerability (Bludgeoning), Resistance (Piercing), Mental Command, Unstable Bone Structure, Osseous Scent (Passive – Keen sense of smell to track specific odors (e.g., blood, decomposition).)]
[CP Cost: 2. CP available: 8 - 1 (Alpha) - 2 (Gamma) = 5/8.] [Current MP: 132 - 10 = 122/132]
"A canine skeleton," Corbin observed. "More HP and STR than a basic humanoid, and a natural sense of smell. Interesting. The [System] adapts the basic form." He then opened the [Skills] tab and selected the [Collected Echoes] section. The [Echo: Keen Scent (Carrion) (Common)] was there. —AI, imbue [Echo: Keen Scent (Carrion)] into [Skeletal Servant Gamma]. [AI: Command received. Imbuing Skill Echo. Cost: 8 MP. Confirm?] Confirm. [AI: Echo successfully imbued in Skeletal Servant Gamma. Passive Ability Acquired by Servant: Keen Scent (Carrion) (Common) – Ability to detect mortal remains and blood at a considerable distance.] [Current MP: 122 - 8 = 114/132]
Now he had two servants again, one of them a potentially improved scout. Alpha, though [Level 2], was still damaged. "I need a way to repair them," Corbin thought, remembering the [Mend Undead] skill he hadn't chosen. "Another priority for the next Skill Point."
Night fell rapidly, Jusgard's sky taking on a deep indigo hue sprinkled with stars that seemed brighter and colder than those of his old world. The inn, despite its pitiful state, was the most promising refuge. —Alpha, Gamma, explore the inn's interior, ground floor first. Look for other entrances, dangers, or anything useful. Maintain contact.
While his servants searched the dark rooms, Corbin followed them at a safe distance, using [Analyze] on everything that caught his attention. He found more villagers' bodies, but no other [Soul Echo Harvest] was successful. The main hall was ransacked. The kitchen was a disaster of dented pots and scattered food.
Finally, they found an old storeroom at the back, as he had seen before. The walls were solid stone, the door, though scratched, was thick oak and still in place. There was a small, barred window high up, difficult to reach. —Here. Corbin decided. —Alpha, block the main hall door with that overturned counter. Gamma, guard this storeroom door.
With the makeshift barricades in place and his servants posted, Corbin sat on the cold stone floor of the storeroom. The day's exhaustion the death, the encounter with the God, the reincarnation, the massacre, the discovery of his powers beginning to weigh on him. The [Reincarnation Trauma] debuff still made his mind an uncomfortable whirlwind, and the [Newly Inhabited Body] ached in places he didn't even know existed. He knew rest was crucial, but sleep seemed a distant luxury.
He reviewed his [Status] in the interface. His mana, with the regeneration of [3 MP per minute], was already rising slowly ([Current MP: 114/132] and increasing). He opened the [Shop] tab, but as expected, it was empty, except for a message: [No items available for your locality or access level.]. The [Missions] tab was also dismally empty, except for a single generic system entry: [Main Mission Active: Survive and Discover Your Purpose.] "Vague and useless. Typical," Corbin grumbled to himself.
As the hours dragged on in the oppressive darkness, broken only by the pale glow of the lights in his servants' sockets, Corbin fought against exhaustion. Suddenly, [Skeletal Servant Gamma], the canine, now with its [Keen Scent (Carrion)] active, emitted a mental alert – not a sound, but a sense of alarm in the [Troops] tab connection. Its skull turned sharply towards a corner of the storeroom that Corbin hadn't examined thoroughly, where some loose boards covered a part of the floor. Gamma sniffed insistently.
Corbin tensed. —What is it, Gamma? [Analyze]. He focused his skill on the boards.
[Loose Floorboards] [Material: Aged Wood. Condition: Fragile. Note: Hollow space detected below. Subtle odor of old paper and ink emanating from the space.]
Old paper and ink? In a storeroom? —Alpha, help Gamma. Remove these boards. Carefully.
The two skeletons worked together, their movements now a bit more coordinated – Alpha, even damaged, was [Level 2]. The boards yielded with a creak. Below, in a small hidden recess, was an object wrapped in oiled leather. Corbin picked it up. It was a book, or rather, a medium-sized diary, its pages yellowed and stained by moisture, but the writing, though somewhat faded, seemed legible.
[Analyze.] [Personal Diary (Worn Leather Cover)] [Condition: Ancient, Damaged (humidity, mold). Contents: Written in Common Valerion Script. Language: Common Valerion (Human). Note: Some pages are illegible. Appears to be the diary of a village resident.]
Corbin felt a shiver. A record. A voice from this village's recent past. Perhaps it contained answers about the attack, about the goblins, or even about those mysterious tracks. But he would need light to read, and the darkness outside was total.
Tomorrow he would find out more. For now, he had survived his first night (or part of it) in Jusgard, with two servants by his side and a small mystery in his hands. The path to 'a domain of safety' was long and uncertain, but the first step had been taken amidst ashes and bones.