The Village Without Women

That meeting was indeed entirely devoid of young women. Mina turned again and again, overwhelmed by the situation, while Jacob thoughtfully counted the older couples to get an idea of the number of families in the area. Íthil, for his part, rubbed his forehead, irritated, and finally said:

"Do you have any idea who it is? Are there any groups of slavers or bandit raids around here?"

"Some years ago there were, but no more, we solved that," Regis said, forcing a smile, looking at a patch of blackened bricks in the central plaza, denoting a culpable justice from years past.

"I understand. Any clues or patterns to track?" Íthil asked.

"Well, for starters, the young women don't just disappear. First, they go through a period of enchantment; little by little they spend more time in the woods... over 3 or 4 weeks they become more and more attractive, and then one night, they simply vanish," Raya said.

Many of the villagers fell silent while some mothers and fathers sobbed.

"This doesn't give us much to work with," Mina murmured to the other two.

Suddenly, the villagers began to overwhelm them with questions and pleas for their missing loved ones.

"Friends, please, calm down. The adventurers must be tired for now. Please, adventurers, take tonight to rest. If you have any questions, you can ask any of us or the villagers. This is for everyone!" He looked firmly at the rest of the village.

"To rest!" Merril exclaimed firmly, and although she didn't seem to have the same leadership, she was equally respected.

"Well, it looks like we'll have a calm night before the storm," Íthil grumbled.

"What's wrong, Jacob?" Mina asked.

Jacob was staring fixedly at the end of the main street of the village. His ears were deafened as he felt as if he were being dragged through it and into the forest. An old, closed path called to him, illusory movements and macabre dances among the branches trembled, moved by the contrasting light of the village and its oil lamps, being dragged further and further, for a moment he almost completely disappeared into the pulsating blackness of the forest.

"OWW! I'm sorry, I got distracted. What happened?" Jacob said, not responding until Mina hit his head.

"Let's go to sleep, dwarf, we have work tomorrow," Íthil and Mina gathered their belongings as the villagers retired to rest.

"Hmm, you know… I'd like to accompany Mr. Raya on the night patrol," Jacob said attentively.

"I don't see the problem, little friend, but you should know that the forest is spooky at night; you don't want to be out there, believe me," Raya replied, chuckling.

"Alright, will you need support?" Mina asked, taking Jacob's bag with her.

"No, no… but let me get my Jassubiana fiber rope out of the bag," Jacob rummaged through his pocket, pulling out a rope of natural fibers and several finely carved white wooden staffs.

"Jassubiana?" Mina looked intrigued at the silver rope that looked more like a very thick thread.

"Yes, yes… it's to foresee some things," Jacob took 3 spools.

"Okay, if anything happens, wake us up, dwarf," Íthil mockingly took his belongings as they left, heading towards the unoccupied house in the center of the village.

The village was hexagonally grouped, with the windows of the inner row of houses facing the center. The chimneys aligned in the alleys allowed the village to stay warm in the cold, damp forest. Jacob accompanied old Raya on the night watch path; Raya told Jacob about the misadventures and experiences of the village from when the coal mine was still active, and while they chatted, Jacob hammered wooden stakes into each of the external gates of the village.

The sun was already rising through the fog and twisted foliage. Small rays of light piercing through the foliage pushed back the fog and humidity. By this time, most of the villagers had already finished their morning tasks, and Raya and Jacob's night patrol had retired to sleep four hours ago.

"Alright, Jacob, what did you discover?" Mina took goat's milk and a roll dipped in a freshly cooked egg yolk.

"Well, it seems the village doesn't actually have a name," both Íthil and Mina stopped.

"Wait! Did we go to the wrong place?" Íthil hit his forehead with his hand.

"No, it really is Theos, but it's not the name of the village, it's the name of the mine," Jacob corrected while a woman brought him fried eggs, bread, and milk.

"Oh... oh...! Alright, don't scare me, dwarf," Íthil went back to resting while taking out a map of the area to get an idea of where the young women might be.

"So this village is what's left of the old mine population," Mina said as she took a third pair of eggs and two more loaves of bread.

"Is there any kind of record?" Íthil looked questioningly at Jacob who was finishing his breakfast.

"In Mrs. Merril's house there's a record of births and deaths from 89 years ago. It seems the mine was a primary hub of activity in the area until it stopped producing coal and Archaeorelics 80 years ago. Since then it's been abandoned. Are you interested in exploring it?" Jacob asked as he tied his wine-red bow tie and tidied his hair.

"Hmm, if possible, I'd like to avoid that area in case of collapses or something, so are we going to see Merril?" Íthil took his Klauvra and adjusted the belt of his worn military uniform.

"Yes, it seems she's the general practitioner and midwife, or at least that's what Raya told me," Jacob said as they left the house. Outside, a bunch of kids chased some goats and chickens back to their pens.

"Any news about the siblings?" Mina asked.

"It seems they did little, other than drinking almost all of Raya's wine cellar and eating his hams," Jacob said, laughing.

"I would have done it too, but in the end, no one in the village has heard from them for a year," Íthil told them as they walked down the street.

"Mr. Raya didn't say much, he just said that one day on one of the few patrols they went out and they were seen on the old road to the mine; from that moment they lost track of them completely. People have been nervous, they are avoiding the mine and the road at all costs, even the kids don't go," Jacob and the others turned onto the street as a couple intercepted them and gave them a portrait of their daughter to look for.

"Let's hope they ran away… though I don't see why," Mina said.

Merril's large house, hospital, and medical office were in an inner sector, surrounded by a garden hidden among the hazy alleys of the village. Upon arriving, the front door suddenly opened.

"Yes, Mrs. Esther, take these bags, one in the morning diluted in milk, and regarding your chickens, I'll talk to Claude and his friends; they'll patrol them in the afternoons," an elderly woman took some bags of yellow powder and left, greeting the adventurers as she said goodbye to Mrs. Merril.

"Hmm, Amarto and Lapizan powder, for vigor and digestion, maybe I'd add a little brown sugar for energy," Mina said, noticing the small bag of powders given.

"Well, I see, a fellow doctor, that's a good observation, although Mrs. Esther has problems with her sugar levels, which is why I omitted the latter," Mrs. Merril replied kindly and smiling.

"OH... NO. NO. I didn't mean to question your prescription, you know your patients better than I do, it's obvious, excuse me. Sometimes I speak my thoughts without thinking," Mina apologized to Mrs. Merril, who responded calmly and kindly.

"Ahahaha, don't worry, I see you're a Drakoorias, you have no malice in your words, or as they say, Drakoorias speak no falsehoods nor wish ill. Besides, I'm old now, sometimes I forget things too, but tell me, boys, how can I help you?" Mrs. Merril said kindly.

"Oh yes… yes… Mrs. Merril, we want to know the names of the missing girls and their ages," Jacob took paper and pencil while Mrs. Merril put on a pair of silver spectacles and picked up a red notebook.

Íthil, for his part, wandered among the medical display cases, examining herbs, jars, and medical instruments completely unknown to him.

"Yes… the poor girls… a horrible predicament, if you'll excuse the expression," the lady, sadly and slowly, began the list:

Clara Key, 11 years old
Lissiana Craylin, 16
Querelle Yhian, 21
Janalie Yhian, 14
Emilliana Zyltis, 10
Mello Alistar, 9

The names continued for a total of 35 young people whose ages ranged from 5 to 25. In the end, a feeling of discomfort remained after each name mentioned. The final blow was the delivery of portraits of the young women and the description of the clothes they were last seen in.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Merril," Íthil said, his throat tightening a little.

"May Enrya protect us, find at least something to bury," Merril said as she handed over the girls' photos, fearing the worst.

The enormity of the list and the small size of the village only depressed them; they had never faced such a situation.

"At least we must bring closure to these people and find the culprit," Mina said, reading the list and biting her lower lip; a hot aura of anger seemed to radiate from her.

Saddened, they headed to Regis's house where the village property records were kept. Standing at the door, it suddenly opened, and a huge cloud of smoke poured out, accompanied by a crash.

The adventurers coughed and their eyes watered as they prepared their weapons. From inside the house, a large figure lunged at them, brandishing a long, thin staff.

"STOP!" Regis leaped out of the smoke, which, as it dispersed, revealed a large, muscular man shaking moth-eaten scrolls with a staff.

"This is Hugo," Regis said, smiling and inviting them in.

The three entered, speechless, as they watched the man take filing cabinets full of papers and documents as if their weight didn't exist. He slowly left, holding almost the entire contents of a bookcase with both hands.

"Wow, your assistant is truly strong," Mina said as the man, already elderly and with abundant eyebrows that covered his eyes, moved various objects.

"Hugo, thank you very much, go rest, I'll call you again to tidy up," Regis told the giant, who responded with only a nod of his head.

"We are very sorry, Mr. Regis, we got carried away," Jacob said and the others nodded.

"It's alright, don't worry, I know how intimidating Hugo looks, but he's a calm giant and a magnificent husband," Regis said, smiling mischievously, eventually inviting them in to see the oldest records of the place.

Inside they found several chests and some copper metallic cylinders. In these were especially preserved a series of engraved silver plates that contained the declaration of the mine's opening.

"Under the watchful eye of our lord and regent Rochelle Du Pasque, lord of the region, permission and his blessing are granted for the removal of the old ruins and annexed sites in the remote area known as the promontory of [Theosi Tharmullis]. This mine will be accompanied by the provisional barracks for the workers, foremen, a Councilor, 3 doctors, and the mining and construction equipment that our lord provides.

The mine will provide archaeorelics, minerals, and other goods discovered therein, with the concrete and total obligation of the workers to extract the archaeorelics intact and undamaged above all else, and then minerals and other goods.

On OO/OO/OOOO of the reign of our lord Rochelle Du Pasque

Seal Engraved Seal Engraved"

"It has a signature and the seal is engraved in cast bronze," Mina looked at the series of silver plates covering the entire table.

"The date is 290 years ago," Íthil traced with his finger, trying to decipher the old and oxidized section of the plate where the date was.

"Jacob, what do you think? Jacob?" Íthil waved his hand in front of Jacob, who was frozen in time, his gaze fixed on the plate, not blinking.

Jacob was fixed, staring intently at a single point on the plate. His eyes clouded over as he heard a loud, sharp screech that intensified to painful levels. A trickle of blood flowed from his ears.

Mina sensed the trance and with a quick blow to the plexus stopped Jacob's breathing for a second, pulling him out of it. Íthil at the same time detected an imbalance in Jacob's conscious energy.

"Dwarf, are you okay?" Íthil said as he helped Jacob up, who could barely stand on his own.

"I'm fi-! Ugh!" Jacob threw up his recently consumed breakfast. All color drained from his face and his eyes were still clouded. Mina rushed and with several bottles from her first-aid kit, she restored Jacob's state.

"Agnostho Secare Theosi Tharmullis," Jacob mumbled, now recovered, while everyone paid attention. For some reason, these words even frightened Mina.

"While we were reading the plate, the name of the place isn't a name, it's a term. The spirit of the tablet trapped me, I couldn't defend myself, it took me by surprise," Jacob said as he sat down on the nearest chair.

"The spirit… of the plate?" Mina asked confused.

"Yes, I'm an evoker, remember? I can forge pacts with ghosts, natural spirits. Objects eventually create their own spirit. This silver tablet has a spirit and it tried to take me somewhere, I felt darkness and malice… I… I wasn't prepared so it dragged me," Jacob took a glass of water that Hugo handed him.

"Hugo and Regis, please excuse the mess," Mina offered an apology while Hugo hastily cleaned up.

"It's okay, sometimes these things happen," Regis looked at Jacob worriedly.

"What you said, that's in Laplacian. Did the tablet tell you where to find the girls?" Regis asked Jacob seriously.

"We're going to the mine!" Jacob declared.

"Damn it!" Íthil said, clicking his tongue as if he knew this wouldn't end well.

The group left Regis's house and headed to the old mine road. A handful of furious villagers who had joined the group caught up with them; news of the situation at the mine was spreading rapidly among the population.

"Íthil, do you know what Jacob meant by that?" Mina asked as they walked down the path.

"Eh, half-heartedly, I used to fall asleep in my extra classes at the magic academy so I'm not sure, HEY, DWARF, HOW ARE YOU DOING?" Íthil asked loudly to Jacob who was walking a few steps ahead of him.

"Everything's fine, but be prepared when we get there, I don't know what we'll find in the mine," Jacob looked down as he finished speaking. The Jassubiana rope on the ground was corroded, almost entirely dissolved.

Jacob immediately knew that something very powerful was lurking outside the village and turned pale and scared. He stopped everyone's progress, his expression changed so seriously that his companions immediately knew something was very wrong.

"NO ONE LEAVES THE VILLAGE! MINA, IN MY BACKPACK THERE ARE 10 SPOOLS OF JASSUBIANA THREAD. ÍTHIL, TAKE 5. GO TO ALL THE VILLAGE GATES. I'VE ALREADY PLACED SMOKED WOOD BARS, MAKE SURE THEY GO ALL AROUND AND INSIDE THE LINE I LAID, 10 TURNS ON EACH WOOD BAR WITHOUT FAIL, AND EVERYONE GET INTO YOUR HOUSES AND THROW SALT ON YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS, QUICKLY!"

Everyone rushed and gathered in the central village house where meetings were held.

"Have the families been counted? Are you going to tell me what's happening or are you going to make me run around like crazy?" Mina said, followed by the gazes of Regis, Merril, and Raya.

"Don't leave until tomorrow. If we don't return, flee the village at noon," Jacob told Regis and Merril. Raya, of course, perked up his ears to listen.

"Alright, but try to come back," Regis said as Hugo carried a large miner's pickaxe as a weapon. Everyone in the village was groomed and restless. It was already 4 PM.

"When we reach the old road, we must be prepared. Mina, do you have Jassubiana flower tea?" Mina had nodded and had it right in her hand when they heard a horrible screech like a scraped chalkboard that made them writhe in pain on the floor.

"QUICK, RUB THE TEA ON YOUR HAIR AND CHEST!" Jacob shouted.

The eerie howl caused the adventurers' ears to bleed, as well as a piercing pain that subsided thanks to the Jassubiana.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T SAY ANYTHING I'M GOING TO HIT BOTH OF YOU!" Mina yelled, due to her deafness and her already exhausted patience as they got up and started to move.

"Agnostho Secare Theosi Tharmullis is a term in Massacrax's writings, he is the creator of all basic methods for the containment of spirits and entities. The term is in Laplacian and basically means 'the tomb of the disembodied and nameless god,'" Jacob said loudly, everyone's ears still ringing.

"And is this god very difficult to appease?" Íthil asked as he recovered.

"It's not exactly a god, nor a tomb, it's basically a rupture of the spiritual world called Sefthe. It's composed of rings, with Khuarhya being the ring we inhabit. Spirits near it become weaker. The rings are like waves in the water and connect all existing worlds. Our ruling gods are in the ring called Hahira, which is the thirteenth; they ensure that other gods or creatures from other worlds don't enter," Jacob said as they hastened their pace, but they still felt this horrible screeching behind their necks, gnawing at their courage.

"The tombs aren't exactly tombs, they're tunnels created by incredibly strong entities from beyond our rings. They're called disembodied and nameless gods because we basically don't understand their nature or intentions. Many evocators who have been able to establish contact with these entities simply end up as empty, babbling husks or dead… or worse," Jacob said as they heard the screeching howl move away from the village and towards them.

"Do you think hitting it will work?" Mina asked, worried.

"Honestly, I think the most effective thing we have is insulting it, on the bright side, I consider myself good at that," Íthil said as they walked, covering their ears.

"We can't leave the tomb just like that, if the village has problems then surely the tomb is open," Jacob said as the evening fog began to cover the road and the forest.

"Hey, who brought torches?" Mina asked.

"AH!…" Jacob and Íthil looked at Mina with worried faces.