The order had been given. Corbin watched from the relative cover of the rubble-strewn square, tense as [Skeletal Servant Alpha] and [Skeletal Servant Beta] moved with their characteristic clumsy yet determined gait towards the dark entrance of the ruined inn. Through the rudimentary connection the [System] provided him in the [Troops] tab, he received fragments of their perceptions: the inn's interior was a chaos of overturned tables, broken chairs, and the remnants of a life abruptly cut short. The smell of spilled beer and rotten food mingled with the metallic odor of old blood.
"Alpha, check the main hall. Beta, the back area, possible kitchen or rooms. Watch out for ambushes or unstable structures," Corbin commanded mentally, his own [PER (Perception): 15] sharpened to its utmost, trying to discern any suspicious sound coming from the location.
The skeletons separated. Alpha entered what had been the main hall. A large stone fireplace dominated one wall, its chimney partially collapsed. Corbin used [Analyze (Level 1)] through Alpha's "vision" on various points.
[Broken Wooden Table] [Condition: Destroyed. Material: Solid Oak. Note: Deep claw marks and axe gashes.] [Villager's Corpse (Male, Innkeeper?)] [Condition: Recent death. Cause of death: Multiple injuries, exsanguination. Residual Necrotic Energy: Weak.] [Potential for Reanimation (Skill: Raise Lesser Skeleton Lv.1): Suitable.] [System: Soul Echo Harvest attempt in progress... Failure.]
Another failure in the harvest. Corbin sighed internally. His [Luck (LCK): 10] seemed to be truly average. Beta, in the back, found nothing but broken pots and scattered food, but no immediate threat. The place seemed to have been thoroughly looted and abandoned after the massacre.
After nearly fifteen minutes of cautious sweeping, the skeletons confirmed that the inn's interior, at least the accessible ground floor, was empty of living threats. The stone walls, though damaged in places, seemed more robust than those of the house where he had hidden. There was even a heavy wooden door at the back that, though scratched and with a broken lock, could still be barricaded.
"Good enough," Corbin thought. He needed a better place to spend the rapidly approaching night, a place where he could have a minimum of security to think and, perhaps, rest the villager's body that still felt painfully alien. The [Reincarnation Trauma] debuff, with its [reduced concentration and increased vulnerability to mental stress], made every decision an effort. And the [Newly Inhabited Body] still limited his [HP: 75/95], with natural vitality recovery practically nil.
He ordered Alpha and Beta to meet him at the inn's entrance, also instructing Alpha to retrieve the small wooden chest from their previous hideout. Together, the three—and their modest cargo—entered the precarious refuge. The smell was awful, but it was stone, and stone offered more protection than rammed earth and rotten wood. Corbin chose what looked like an old storeroom at the back, with only a small, barred window high up and a solid door leading to the inn's inner courtyard. He had Beta drag a heavy, overturned counter to block the main hall door, and Alpha to guard the storeroom door where he would settle.
Darkness began to swallow the outside world, transforming the village ruins into ghostly silhouettes. 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. He had the [Low-Light Vision (Rudimentary)] skill echo, but imbuing it in a servant would cost [5 MP], and he preferred to save his mana ([MP: 112/132]). His skeletons, being undead, would have no problem with the darkness.
He accessed the [Status] tab again, reviewing his attributes, his low defenses. Eight [Control Points], two in use. He could raise three more pairs of skeletons, if he had the material and mana, and if the [Cooldown] allowed. But for what? He still didn't know what he would face.
His thoughts turned to the tracks Alpha had found in the square. [Type: Multiple individuals (3-5). Size: Large (possibly Orcs or Robust Humans). Direction: Northwest...] 'Orcs? Or survivors?' The question echoed. And the conclusion: 'So... I'm not alone.' This idea was both a threat and, remotely, a possibility. But who? And why did they leave the village after the goblin attack? Had they driven off the goblins? Or arrived later?
As he pondered, his fingers traced the outline of the [Small Wooden Chest (Locked)]. He would need to figure out how to open it. [Required Skill: Lockpicking (Basic)]. Another thing for the list.
Suddenly, Alpha, posted at the storeroom entrance, swiveled its skull abruptly towards the inn's inner courtyard. Corbin felt an alert through the [System] connection. "What was that?" Alpha's sensory perception was limited, but Corbin caught a distorted mental image of something moving in the deeper shadows of the courtyard, near an old ruined stable. A low noise, like something dragging, reached his ears.
Corbin held his breath. It didn't seem to be one of the large humanoids from the tracks. It was something smaller, more furtive. "Alpha, approach with caution. Beta, protect the door, but be ready to attack."
He stood up, adrenaline momentarily suppressing the body's fatigue and pain. Would this be his first real test?
Alpha moved out of the storeroom, its bones almost silent on the stone. Corbin followed it mentally, the tension growing. The skeleton stopped at the edge of the courtyard, peering. Then, the creature revealed itself: an animal, the size of a large dog, but with matted, dark fur, eyes that shone with a sickly red phosphorescence, and teeth bared in a low snarl. It looked like a scavenger, drawn by the smell of death.
[Analyze.] [Wild Carrion Hound (Level 2)] [HP: 45/45. Type: Animal (Hostile). Main Attributes: STR:9, AGI:12, VIG:8.] [Abilities: Ferocious Bite, Keen Scent (Carrion).] [Note: Aggressive and territorial, especially near food sources.]
Level 2. Stronger than his skeletons individually. But he had two. And he had a brain. 'Alpha, attack. Beta, advance and flank from the left.'
The two skeletons burst into the courtyard. The Carrion Hound, surprised by the sudden appearance of the undead, hesitated for an instant before leaping at Alpha with a furious yelp.