"Yes, the Reclamationist Orders have successfully and with impunity taken labor and soldiers from nearby regions for a long time," Íthil said as the cart entered a more forested region.
The adventurers stopped their chat for a while as they entered the great Dragas Swamp and began to observe the shadowy and famous figures of the region that, like small pairs of eyes, played within the hollows of some trees, among the dry leaves and in small, darkened crevices of the place.
Mina, nervous, grabbed Íthil and Jacob by the neck while pointing out the window with a finger.
"W-w-what… what… are those?"—
Jacob, turning from red to purple, strangled, could barely respond.
"Those are Umbranati, a natural phenomenon of the region, they look like small creatures in the shadows and cavities. Mina, please… I'm choking!"—
Íthil, also caught in Mina's grip, added.
"Don't worry, they're a hallucination; it's never been proven that they're real, most likely they're an effect of the animals in the area"—Mina, not entirely convinced, released Jacob and Íthil and grabbed the nearest weapon, just in case.
And so they continued for a few hours until the lights of a village appeared on the path, covered by fog as if by a veil.
"According to my watch, it's around 3:00 p.m.," Íthil murmured.
"Yes, it's still very early," Mina and Jacob began to prepare for arrival.
"So this is it? Theos!" Jacob said as they watched the carriage move away through the muddy roads. It left them at the crossroads about 300 meters from the village's outer barricade.
"Come on, we still have to check the place and talk to the villagers," Íthil put his travel bag on his shoulder while the other two followed him.
The group followed the mossy and damp stone and brick path that extended to the village. The fog seemed to have a consciousness and many times they felt it charge from the forest onto the path only to stop and vanish at its edge. 50 meters from the entrance, a nervous voice raised an oil lantern and shouted in a tone lacking confidence.
"Who goes there?" an old, rough voice asked.
"We come from Thar-Abbys," Mina said firmly. The other two raised their hands as a sign of arrival.
"Okay… okay… stay right there, we'll come for you."
An elderly man, carrying a rusty sword and a moth-eaten leather breastplate, walked towards them. Short but very muscular, he approached the group and, bringing an oil lamp closer, tried to strain his tired eyesight as much as he could, and barely discerning what was in front of him, he said:
"Please show your medallions, one cannot be too cautious in these lands," the man said as he looked at them with suspicion.
Mina and Jacob raised their medallions while Íthil raised a glazed bread roll.
"I see… I see… two wood and one silver. You don't know how much relief it gives us to see the level of the people sent to us; the village will be able to rest better from today onwards. Your previous friends left and abandoned the village just like that; I hope you don't run away."
Mina looked at Íthil with reproach while Jacob barely held back his laughter. They headed down a narrow path that soon led them to a village. The mist hovered around the surrounding forest sections like an animal stalking its prey. The red brick buildings and stone tiles stood solid and unmoving against the surrounding forest, offering refuge from the external fog.
"Three big and strong lads arrived from the academy, make sure to help them as much as possible to solve our problem!" the old man shouted. Jacob and Íthil laughed in silence, seeing Mina get angry.
"Can I hit him? Just a little, it'll be quick, he won't feel a thing, I promise," Mina muttered a curse as she clenched her fist.
Moments later, with most of the village gathered, everyone converged in the central plaza where there was a kiosk.
Around it gathered what seemed to be almost the entire village, various people all between 6 and 45 years old, almost entirely composed of young and adult males. Those under 20 were all children, while in the kiosk sat 4 older adults, one of whom was the watchman.
"Pleased to have you here, adventurers, we are glad that Thar-Abbys has finally given us a turn. We hope you resolve our situation as quickly as possible, do not hesitate to consult me or any other member of the village," said a woman appearing about 50 years old, with a somewhat reduced body. The lady still moved vigorously and without problems; her clearly experienced voice gave the impression of a tough worker with great leadership. The adventurers couldn't help but feel a little dwarfed by such an imposing presence.
"My name is Regis, our watchman whom you already met is Raya. These are Laurel and Merril, we are the leaders of the village of Theos," the four elders greeted the adventurers.
"As you know, we are far from everything; we feared they wouldn't send anyone after last year's incident," said Merril, an older lady with a cheerful demeanor and comfortable clothes.
The village was in low-voiced conversations while various glances judged the adventurers.
"Thar-Abbys sent us and we want to be of complete help, don't worry, we are with you!" Mina said while a great majority of the villagers showed relief in their eyes at the news.
The 4 village leaders smiled.
"We are glad to see your willingness to work. The village and we were worried; your last companions who came left the job and fled the village without making any progress," said Raya, supported by several villagers who expressed their anger.
"We are very sorry for the attitude of our companions, this time we will help you using the best of our abilities," Jacob affirmed.
"Very well, tell us the real problem you have," Íthil spoke as politely as he could. At that moment, most of the village remained silent while Regis began to speak.
"As you can see, we have a population problem. Our village is not very big… and there are few young people to begin with. We know there are incursions from other countries to forcibly take young people, but it's almost always those of middle age and they have no shame, they don't care about being discovered, they do it in broad daylight. Unfortunately, we have a bigger problem: as you may have noticed, there are no young girls or young women. We have no idea who the culprit is or where they are!"
An incredible sinking feeling suddenly hit the 3 adventurers.