"Neuri spoor said to grow mushrooms that look like White Caps. But White Caps supposed to taste good and help body nem be sick. Mushrooms from Neuri spoor said to taste bad and make black blood that is thick like mamliga come from people's mouths, until they run out of blood."
People had been getting sick in the surrounding farms and villages, though our farm was far away from the sickness and Apa, along with my two oldest brothers Baltasar and Csepan, walked the fence to make sure no one came to see us. Apa put his dagger on a stick and made a spear, though Anya shrieked at him that if anyone saw him the Garda would come for him. Apa made her quiet with his fist in her mouth. Then said it was my fault, though I do not know what I did, and hit me in my stomach with the butt of his spear three times until I could not breathe and vomited breakfast. I do not like to throw up, it leaves a disgusting taste in my mouth. And I was hungry all day too.
The sickness was a really bad one. High fevers and shakes weakened the body and many died, most oft being a young child or older gray-hair who did not awaken after going to sleep. Villages whispered of the sickness when one is bitten by a Vrolok but not directly killed, only to waste away slowly, suffering without relief until succumbing to death. Dark looks and frowns were given when a family member of a sick person was spotted, and more than one had fled potential death from frightened men with drawn daggers who were trying to ensure the infection did not spread. Because everyone knows that the sickness from a Vrolok bite is contagious and easily infects another, especially those in close proximity to the ill.
After a week of sickness hope came when news of a Lightbringer who was said to help sick people came into the village. All know the Morninglord is supposed to help those who are in need, even if many scoff and do not believe it. Or pretend they do not believe it. Nothing is worse than getting your hopes up, only to have them dashed away viciously. When that happens, the pain is amplified by a magnitude of ten.
Anya and Nagyanyo would tell us stories about the Morninglord and what would happen when he finally came to our salvation. Stories of freedom from those who oppress us, of not needing to be afraid anymore, of no one being sick or going hungry, and so on. And so I would pray each night that he would come and help me. I always prayed for him to stop the beatings, stop the pain, stop the fear, stop my crying.
He never did.
But I kept praying anyway.
When the Lightbringer first arrived with a golden holy symbol of the Morninglord held high so that the light of the day shone brightly off its surface, he did so to no fanfare or greetings. In fact, the streets quickly emptied and doors were barred from within because the man was an Outlander, though we knew that some few Outlanders had become Lightbringers. However, Outlanders come from the Mists. All know outlanders worship demons and practice witchcraft and other black magics without proper fear...and that is just the smallest portion of the reasons to stay away from them.
I had never met any Outlanders and even my experience with Barovians was limited because Apa and Anya did not like them for some reason and tried to keep them from the farm. Nagyanyo went so far as to spit and curse when she used to see Barovians and mutter "I am a Gundarakite", though not loudly for any to hear her more than a step away. I do not know why and if my brothers and sisters were told exactly what made Barovians so bad, I, the sertas megvetett, never learned the reasons. We just knew that they were and that we had rules to follow that they did not. Maybe the resentment and anger was due to chagrin that we had more rules to obey than they did?
For a week after the Outlander Lightbringer's arrival people continued to get sick with the fever and shakes and...and eventually die. Finally a goodwife was desperate enough to bring her child, the last of ten that still drew breath, to the Outlander Morninglord and begged for aid. The tale of the event was that the Lightbringer prayed over the child and then fed him a mixture of White Caps and other herbs and berries. The next day, the child stopped shaking. The day after the fever disappeared. It sounded a miracle.
After that, the village and surrounding areas were scoured to find all who were ill and brought before the Lightbringer, apparently ignoring for the moment that he was an Outlander. Sickness that brought death was far more frightening than a tangible man of flesh and blood, regardless of his shrouded origin. At least this man, since he apparently performed miracles. The man prayed over the sick and then examined each one by one, though would do so from a distance without actually touching the infected ones. I can understand why, because most had the reek of sickness on them and were dirty with their own fluids and excrement.
Hope flared up within those present, because the Lightbringer promised that he would be able to aid the afflicted. That hope dimmed a bit with the knowledge that the White Cap mushrooms were the key ingredient in his mixture, due to the fact that they did not grow in the surrounding areas. The accompanying herbs and berries apparently only served to increase the potency of the White Cap's healing properties.
Then suspicion grew like sharp and thorny weeds when the Lightbringer assured all that he still had a supply of White Caps upon him, but that they were dearly bought and meant for another purpose. As he had no means to secure another supply, since his purse was used for the ones he previously secured, a small donation from all who were to be healed was necessary. All said that the requested donation of fangs was minimal...but most had been duped once in their lives and anyone with a thimble of wits are wary after being burned once. So regardless of the low requirement, most chose to not partake of the Lightbringer's services.
The few who did partake found that their sick got better shortly after the treatment and lauded the Lightbringer, while begrudging little the small price they were required to pay because life is worth a few fangs. The many who refused the Lightbringer's services saw more of their sick die in agony.
Finally all of the sick were brought before the Outlander Lightbringer and he was paid his ransom, then those in need were fed the Outlander Lightbringer's healing mixture. Those present say that a light entered the Lightbringer's eyes. Some maintain it was the light of devious cruelty. Others refute it, those who were the first to seek his aid and witnessed their sick healed. They claim it was the light of the Morninglord's salvation that gleamed in his eyes. Once all of the ill had been tended to, the Lightbringer offered final prayers and departed to continue on his previous errand.
The next day the screams began. Shrieks torn from deep within the belly of each who had been tended to. "Unbearable pain" was what each incoherent wail spoke of to those who were unfortunate enough to hear. Even at the farm we heard something. Perhaps it was just the wind, but I stuffed the soft leaves of the Doe-ear plant into my ears so that I could not hear, like I always tried to do when a sound scared me. Only twice did the screams cease. Once was when a screaming person struggled violently to vomit thick viscous black blood with a consistency more akin to mush than fluid. The other time was when they died.
All knew once the tragedy was over that they had been heinously duped. Many had heard of the mushrooms said to grow from Neuri spoor and what was supposed to happen when they were ingested. The reasons why the Outlander chose to engage in such sinister cruelty were never learned, but the small number of fangs from each person he tended had amounted to a small fortune in the end and so the man profited greatly from their pain.
However, a well-known lesson was once more strongly reinforced: Avoid Outlanders.
