Arc II – Agrarian Revolution
Chapter 3 – Not-So-Friendly Mushrooms
Day 25 Since the Summoning
The sun had already passed its zenith, gradually leaning toward late afternoon.
Alan, Kamelia, and Lorgi walked past endless fields where dozens of peasants were toiling.
Men, women, and teenagers were mowing grass to stock up for the livestock for the winter.
Some peasants looked up to see who was walking through the field, and those who saw them bowed silently and quickly.
Alan walked calmly, his arms hanging at his sides, when suddenly his gaze caught a guy looking to be around twenty, vigorously swinging a scythe.
‘Hmm…
about my age.
I think we can work together.’
He walked up to him.
“Hey.”
The guy looked up.
“What do you want?” His gaze instantly fell on the countess and the captain, after which the young man quickly dropped his scythe and bowed.
“Greetings…
greetings!”
Alan raised an eyebrow.
‘He wanted to say something.
A name, probably?
Though wait…
peasants aren’t supposed to know major feudal lords by sight, except…
usually they only know the name.
This guy probably saw the guards and decided not to risk it.
Alright, buddy, I’ll help you out.’
“Before you stands Countess Armenas,” Alan said.
The guy grasped at this straw.
“Glad to see you, Lady Armenas!”
Kamelia nodded.
“Rise.
My…
advisor…
wishes to speak with you.”
The guy stood up and nodded quickly.
“Of course!”
Alan cast a sidelong glance at Kamelia, and she looked at him.
He flicked his eyes to the side a few times.
She blinked, then simply turned the other way.
“Lorgi, let us go see if the peasants are working diligently.
Let Alan speak here himself, there is no need to waste time.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” He followed after her.
A few seconds later, their retreating backs were visible.
Alan turned to the peasant.
“What’s your name?”
The guy froze for a second.
“Uh…
Dunko, my lord.”
Alan raised a hand.
“Just call me Gothwald, and that’s it, alright?”
Dunko slowly nodded.
“So what did you want to speak about, Gothwald?”
Alan clasped his hands behind his back.
“You see, Dunko…
the countess is currently interested in the problem of famine in her lands, and she would like to learn more about it.”
Dunko blinked.
“What?”
Alan blinked back.
‘Ah, well of course…
to a peasant, the fact that the countess herself is taking an interest in their affairs is practically mystical.
Alright…
I’ll try to work with this.’
He raised his hands.
“I know you’re surprised, but the countess only recently ascended the throne.
I assume you know that?”
Dunko nodded.
“Yes…
of course, the town criers announced it about half a year ago.”
Alan clapped his hands.
“Exactly, and the thing is…”
“Hey, Dunko!
Why are you slacking off?!” a hoarse male voice rang out.
A moment later, a sturdy man around forty appeared from behind.
“Can’t you see the countess is walking around looking?!
Get back to work!”
Dunko took a step back.
“Father…
the thing is…”
The man turned to Alan, a not-so-tall guy in simple clothes.
“And who are you?
Never seen you in our village.
A traveler?”
Dunko turned slightly pale.
“F-father!
This is the countess’s advisor!” he hissed through his teeth.
The man narrowed his eyes.
“Advisor?
In clothes like that?
What a guy you are…
making things up just to avoid working.” He turned to Alan.
“And you, don’t interrupt our work.
Be on your way.”
Alan smiled awkwardly.
“My apologies…
but Dunko is telling the absolute truth, I really am an advisor to Lady Armenas.”
The man stayed silent, but something in Alan’s educated and articulate manner of speaking made him simply nod and turn around.
“Dunko…
after the conversation…
back to work immediately,” he said, and went back to the spot where he had been mowing.
Dunko scratched the back of his head with a slightly trembling hand.
“I…
I am very sorry about my father…
it is just…”
Alan sighed.
“Alright, forget it.
Let’s get to the point, eh?”
Dunko nodded.
Alan plucked a blade of grass and stuck it in his mouth.
“So, Dunko, what I wanted to talk about.
Do you guys at least have enough food?”
The guy stood straight.
“For now, yes…
but the harvest last year was poor, and it will probably be the same this year.
The elders do not know what to do in the winter, so we are mowing more grass to fatten the livestock up well.”
Alan nodded, scratching his chin.
“Uh-huh…
got it…
and what about the other villages?”
“Well…
I think I was in the neighboring village a week ago, they are starving worse than us there, some are even making bread from acorns, I heard.”
Alan’s hand froze on his chin.
‘Acorn bread…
a sad classic of starvation.
A very bad sign.’
“I see…
and what do you look for to eat in the forest?”
Dunko tilted his head to the side.
“What is there to look for?
There might be berries, maybe.
And…
it is dangerous there sometimes…
jerkoses, shinnors sometimes appear.
Better not to go there.”
‘Hmm…
shinnors or something too..
what are those beasts?
I still haven’t recovered from the jerkos.
Should I ask…
no, I shouldn’t break the ‘smart advisor’ persona, I’ll ask Kamelia later.
But I highly doubt forest beasts are an absolute constant threat; in my world peasants were afraid of wolves and bears in the forests too, even though they also tried to avoid humans.
But still, there’s not much point in going there, you can’t exactly fill up on berries.
And what else could you find to eat there?
…
Mushrooms?
Well…
too obvious.
Or…’
“Do you eat mushrooms?”
Dunko raised an eyebrow.
“What is that?”
“Well…” Alan raised his hands, pantomiming.
“These small plants, with a stalk and a little hat.”
“Ahhh, you mean caps?” He shook his head.
“No, of course not, they are dangerous and poisonous…
and the priests say it is unclean food.”
Alan nodded.
‘So mushrooms do exist in this world, but they’re poisonous.
But are they really?
Maybe they just ran into poisonous ones?
Damn, who the hell knows, part of nature here is the same as in my world, and another part is unique.
And it seems this county is basically a bunch of mycophobes.
The reason is probably simple: someone’s grandpa ate a fly agaric, kicked the bucket, and mushrooms were declared poison.
Maybe it’s something else…
or maybe they really are all poisonous?
I should…
go check it out personally.’
He looked to the east; not far away a forest was visible, and beyond it the tall Southern Mountains, which were closer now and only slightly hidden in the fog.
“Listen, Dunko, could you show me the forest?”
The guy’s eyes widened.
“Are you, Lord…
Gothwald?!
That is dangerous for you!
I told you that there…”
Alan raised a finger.
“It’s not far, I just want to see what’s in there.” He leaned closer.
“Please.”
Dunko looked at Alan for a few seconds, then swallowed.
“Very well…
but make it quick, I beg you.”
Five minutes later, they entered the forest.
The tree crowns shielded them from the sun, casting a light shadow.
There were various trees around: oaks, pines, birches, even some Alan didn’t recognize, with long, straight branches and somewhat round leaves.
Alan surveyed the landscape.
‘So this is the flora of this world.
Doesn’t differ much from ours.
Alright, I need to look for mushrooms, come on, remember…
where do you look for mushrooms?
And do they even grow here this time of year?
Right!
How did I completely forget to ask about that?!’
“Dunko, do mush…
caps grow in the forest this time of year?”
The guy turned to Alan.
“Forgive me, I do not know.”
Alan sighed.
‘Of course he doesn’t know, they’re mycophobes here!
Why the hell would they know when mushrooms grow?’
They wandered through the forest for a few more minutes; Alan separated from Dunko, who went looking in another direction, and then, finally, a small clump of grass caught his attention.
He immediately squatted over it and started brushing it aside.
Underneath was a hefty mushroom, with a white stalk and a brown cap.
‘It’s…
a porcini mushroom!
So they do have them here after all!
Which means I can feed the village with mushrooms for the time being.’
He reached a hand toward it.
‘Hmm…
is it definitely a porcini mushroom?
I can’t be sure of anything anymore, to be honest.
I should test it so I don’t bring poison to the people…
I think I watched some survival videos on YouTube once out of boredom, I think they said if a mushroom is poisonous, you’ll taste bitterness when you bite it….
Fuck, maybe screw it?
Nah…
it’s a shame to throw it away too…’
His hand hovered over the mushroom for another ten seconds.
‘Ah, to hell with it.’
Alan grabbed the stalk and plucked the mushroom.
He slowly brought the mushroom to his mouth, and then quickly bit off a tiny piece, which seemed to melt in his mouth into fine dust.
Two seconds.
Alan spat out everything in his mouth.
‘Blegh, fuck!
Disgusting!
That is not a fucking porcini mushroom!’
He practically coughed.
‘Fuck your mushrooms!’
Alan looked around.
‘Aaaah!
Disgusting!
I need to eat something to get the taste out, bitch!
Tastes like I just eagerly downed a bucket of shit!
Are there no apples or anything like that around here?!’
Alan walked among the trees searching for anything at all, then with his next breath he slowly felt his tongue begin to burn.
‘Ow…
OW!
It burns!
It hurts!’
Alan began to breathe faster to somehow stop the burning, but every breath only brought more pain, like a fire being fanned.
Then his throat slowly began to burn.
Alan clutched his neck, trying to inhale, but the burning was such that it literally prevented him from inhaling anything.
Alan’s wide eyes fell on the mushroom lying on the ground; a greenish liquid was slowly oozing from the bite mark.
He sat under a tree and started massaging his throat, kicking his legs, breathing, anything to stop this burning.
His attempts to draw breath began to sound like a drowning man.
Alan grabbed the grass with his hands, almost pulling it out by the roots; his legs thrashed against the ground in convulsions.
He ripped up grass and started shoving it into his mouth and actively chewing it, which didn’t help much, but he kept shoving more and more grass in.
Soon the burning began to feel as if a red-hot iron rod had been shoved down his throat, and foam began to bubble from his mouth.
Alan fell to the ground, frantically clutching his throat, his mouth full of dirty grass.
His eyes were wide and practically unblinking, his heart beat incredibly fast, and his nails began leaving scratches on his neck.
Alan began to swallow the grass so it would somehow reach his throat, but it didn’t help.
At one point, the pain simply exploded.
Alan’s already wide pupils dilated to cover almost his entire eye.
It felt as if the inside of his mouth had begun to melt and rot in seconds.
He pounded his fists on the ground trying to scream, but only quiet wheezes came out.
Another ten seconds passed, and the pain completely stopped.
Lying on his stomach, Alan took a deep breath, spitting out the remains of the grass, his fists clutching the earth.
He breathed rapidly; the pain was gone.
‘What…
the fuck…
WAS THAT?!’
A drop of saliva ran down from the corner of his lip; he wiped it away, then stood up on shaky legs.
‘Fuck…
no…
fuck these mushrooms!
Where’s Dunko?!
Fuck…
my neck is scratched up…’
His hand reached for his throat; it was perfectly smooth.
Alan froze.
‘Strange…
I definitely scratched my neck…
or did I just imagine it?
Whatever, doesn’t matter…
the main thing is…
I didn’t die.’
“Dunko!” he shouted.
“Where are you?!”
“I am here!” a muffled voice rang out from somewhere in the thicket, and then Dunko emerged.
He was holding a mushroom, resembling a porcini, holding it in a large tree leaf, not touching it with his hands.
“Here, Gothwald, I found a cap.”
Alan flinched slightly.
“Throw it the fuck away!”
Dunko jumped and immediately threw the mushroom on the ground along with the leaf; he wanted to say something, but looked at Alan.
Pale, breathing heavily, hunched over.
“Gothwald…
what is the matter with you?”
Alan waved his hand.
“Doesn’t matter.
We’re heading back to the village.”
They walked out into the field; the sun began to shine on them again.
‘Alright…
panic aside.
What kind of mushroom was that?
It has…
very strange properties.
It only poisons you…
for a short time?
Or maybe the grass has some kind of antidote for it?
Who the hell knows.
Whatever, moving on…
I am definitely never touching mushrooms in this world again, mushrooms are off the table, gotta look for other food under our feet…
fuck, what an idiot…
turns out people aren’t mycophobes here for nothing.’
Soon they emerged at that very spot; Kamelia was already standing there with her arms crossed, and Lorgi next to her.
“Where have you been, Alan?
And why are you…
like that?” she asked evenly.
Alan scratched his arm.
“Well…
we went to look for mushrooms.”
“Look for what?”
“Caps,” he corrected himself.
The girl’s eyes widened slightly, she lowered her arms, then cast a stern look at Dunko.
Alan immediately took a step forward.
“He warned me they were poisonous.”
Kamelia clenched her fists, then silently nodded to Dunko.
He bowed quickly, grabbed his scythe, and went back to mowing further away.
“Then why on earth did you go after them?” She stepped closer to him, examining his chalk-white face.
“Did you…
eat them too?” Her voice was even.
Too even.
Alan swallowed hard.
“Yeah…”
Kamelia took a step back and began massaging the bridge of her nose.
“Why are you like this?
Why do you do everything your own way?
Why do you not listen when you are warned?”
Alan opened his mouth, and immediately closed it.
‘Shut up.
Excuses will only make it worse.’
He said nothing.
Kamelia lowered her hand from her nose.
“And what if you had been poisoned and simply died?
Hmm?
Did you not think of that?” She waved her hand.
“Right, that is it, do not step one foot away from me anymore.
We are going to a healer, let him check you.
Do not step one foot away from me anymore!
Is that clear?”
Alan slowly nodded.
“Clear.”
‘Fuck.
Fantastic.
Mommy punished me for bad behavior.
You’re making great progress, Alan.
Poisoned yourself with a mushroom, didn’t find cheap food, and now you’re under semi-house arrest.
What a stud.’
He sighed.
‘Alright.
Gotta find another way out.
Okay, I’m stupid, I don’t know a fucking thing, that much is clear.
That means…
I need to find someone who does, right?
This is fantasy, there definitely has to be some great sage living in a hut in the woods somewhere who knows everything in the world…
okay, alright, exaggerating a bit, but there definitely has to be a person who knows about plants…
knows which ones you can eat and which you can’t.
And I need to…
find that person.’
He raised his head to Kamelia.
“Hey, I want to ask Dunko one more thing, do I have permission, Your Grace?”
Lorgi cast a sidelong glance at Alan next to him.
Kamelia simply waved her hand tiredly.
“Just go already.”
Alan immediately ran over to Dunko.
“Hey, Dunko.”
He flinched slightly, then turned around.
“Y-yes, Gothwald?”
Alan waved his hand.
“Relax, the countess realized that I’m the one at fault here, no one is going to punish you.”
Dunko slowly exhaled.
“Good…
what did you want to ask?”
“Is there a person around here who knows plants very well?”
Dunko blinked.
“Well…
I do not know…
but we could ask my father.” He turned to the field.
“Father!
Come here!”
About twenty seconds later, that very same man walked over to them.
“What do you
want?”
Dunko nodded at Alan.
“The countess’s advisor is asking if there is a person who understands plants.”
Dunko’s father turned to Alan.
“Yes.
There is one.
Zogen, an old man, he comes to heal us with herbs sometimes.
Lives in the village of Gormeln to the east.”
Alan nodded.
“Alright, thanks.” He turned to Dunko.
“Alright, bye, see ya around maybe.”
The guy gave a short bow.
“Yes.”
Alan turned around and walked toward Kamelia.
‘Zogen from the village of Gormeln…
please, old man, don’t let me down.’