It's a very short walk north from the old building to reach the location of the body. Aurora briefly described the area, and warned everyone to be very careful. Apparently, the area was overrun with a hazardous mushroom. It was to the point where Little Creek has posted warning signs on nearby trees.

Markus now stands at the edge of the area declared off-limits by the Little Creek council. Directly ahead are countless fuzzy, flat-top mushrooms spread across the forest floor. Their white caps stand out against the vegetation, and it's possible more remain unseen.

“Alright... just to clarify, everyone calls those things Choking Mushrooms. They release spores if you step on them or hit them. Those spores instantly sprout tiny mushrooms and fungus as soon as they hit moisture or fluids.” Markus says to Aurora. He knows moving slowly will be the priority now.

“That's right. They got their name because spores touching the eyes, mouth, or nose of animals and people causes suffocation. There are actually several ways to get rid of them quickly, but folks still die to them every year.” Aurora replies.

Taking time to observe the area, Markus sees the body of the man almost twenty yards away. Laying face down in the dirt with an outstretched arm, it was hard to tell any specific details about the unfortunate victim. A brown satchel can be seen his back, with a blue cloak resting beside him. Although a short distance away, Markus feels any steps forward will be very dangerous.

Leaning his rifle against a nearby tree, and dropping the backpack off his shoulders, Markus prepares to venture to the body. Grabbing the blue bag dangling off the side of his waist, he opens it to retrieve his gas mask. In a single motion, Markus slides the mask over his face and begins to secure it tightly.

Eclair and Aurora watch as Markus makes the final adjustments to his mask. They both drift in closer to see the strange item he's wearing, each wondering what it actually does.

“Markus, are you sure this will work?” Aurora asks with concern in her voice. Knowing the dangers of the spores, she can't help feeling nervous about the plan.

“It's okay. I'm wearing a gas mask.” A muffled response is given by Markus, but Eclair and Aurora look at each other without any idea of what he meant. Seeing their confusion, he says “A gas mask is specifically made to prevent very bad things from reaching me. You said it yourself Aurora, the spores only react when they touch exposed eyes, noses, and mouths.” Markus then taps a gloved finger against the side of the mask. “This mask will protect me, but I'll be careful anyways.”

Looking towards the body, Markus takes a deep breath and says “Okay... I'm ready. You girls stay away in case anything happens.” They both nod at his warning, and fly high into the tree line to sit themselves on a branch overlooking the field of mushrooms. When he sees them settled at a safe distance, Markus begins taking his first steps forward.

“Hey, that mask thing will keep him safe right?” Eclair asks Aurora sitting beside her. A hint of nervousness can be seen in her eyes.

“I... I think so. Markus seems to believe in it. The mask was covering all the vital areas.” Aurora replies back.

Meanwhile, Markus has already reached the halfway point to the body. There are many open spaces on the ground, but he thoroughly scans each area before placing a foot forward. Slowly, he moves ahead. Each step brings tension, and then relief, as he continues walking. With all his focus on the ground, Markus is genuinely surprised when he reaches his goal suddenly.

Markus stands in silence, looking at the corpse at his feet. It was the first time he'd ever seen a true dead body. He's seen plenty of death and destruction over his life because of television, internet, and movies. However, none of that could really capture the feelings going through him now. It was strange to him, knowing how any person could end up like the man on the ground.

Unsheathing his hunting knife from his waist, Markus kneels down to inspect the body closely. Out of caution, he gently pokes the back of the man using the tip of the blade. There's a stiff sensation coming from the knife. Confident the man is truly gone, Markus then grabs onto the body to prepare for the next step.

With a strong push, the man is rolled over to his side. As Markus is holding the body, he's startled by the sudden presence of white spores floating in the air. Glancing down, he sees the man's decomposed face covered in tiny white mushrooms. Realizing quickly what he's done, Markus stops all movement. Remaining still, he watches from behind the visor of the gas mask as deadly spores slowly drift away in the breeze.

Gathering his nerves again, Markus takes a quick look over the body to see if anything useful can be found. The man is wearing a blue long sleeved shirt and brown pants, but nothing obvious is seen, so the body is gently rolled back to it's original position. Using the hunting knife, Markus decides to cut the satchel free off the back of the corpse. Holding the satchel with one hand, he can feel it's heavy with items. He cuts the two straps holding the satchel in place then places it beside him on the ground. The hunting knife returns to it's sheath when finished.

Markus focuses on the blue cape next. He doesn't know what it will be used for yet, but it has a strap which can be easily undone. When it's completely pulled away from the man, he rolls it into a ball and places it under his arm.

Looking around for anything else he can take, a glint of metal catches his attention from the outstretched hand of the body. Carefully walking over, Markus finds a gold ring still connected on the partly skeletonized hand. As Markus grabs the hand and prepares to pull the ring off, a second thought crosses his mind.

Markus' superstition freezes his hand in place, still holding the ring. There's a feeling it was important. It now didn't feel right to rob the man of his last possession, especially if family are out there in the world. Markus feels like the spirits of the forest are watching him, judging him, for what he's about to do.

“It's alright... you can keep it.” Markus says as he slowly puts the hand back on the ground with the ring still attached. He gently pats the top of the hand, and then walks around the body. Grabbing the satchel, Markus turns to head back to the starting point.

As he's about to move forward, the corner of Markus' eye spots a nearby group of mushrooms behind a big rock on the ground. They're crushed and twisted, as if something heavy stepped directly on top of them. Turning back to look at the body behind him, a sense of closure is felt. An unlucky step, something as simple as that.

Markus turns his focus again to the path ahead, and begins his careful walk back. Again, each step is planned before ever setting itself back on solid ground. While Markus works his way back, Eclair and Aurora leave their high vantage point, floating down to wait for him.

Shortly, Markus breathes a sigh of relief as his foot lands in the safe area. He's greeted by both fae, impressed his plan worked so well. Without a word, Markus holds up the satchel. A big smile hidden behind the mask.

“I hope it was worth it.” Markus says as he pats the satchel. Eclair and Aurora both nod in agreement.

Markus walks to a nearby boulder he can sit on, putting away the gas mask before opening the satchel. When he's ready, the girls hover right behind him as he grabs the contents. Two large books are pulled first, then a small leather journal, followed by a pouch filled with coins. A bag filled with rotten food is at the bottom of the satchel, and quickly thrown away. Nothing else is inside, which likely meant a short trip was planned.

Markus opens the journal first, and makes a startling discovery. He can't read the words. Flipping page after page, none of the letters make any sense to him. Markus then grabs a book, plain with a blue cover and words he can't read. It's the same situation, he doesn't understand any of it. The last book is grabbed, and he is stunned by what he sees.

The book is very thick, and on the cover the words 'Almanac' and 'United States of America' can be clearly read. Markus opens the book to a random page. He sees English everywhere, mixed with the Latin language.

The first page he sees is about Nevada, with city names like Las Vegas and Carson City too. Another random page is turned, and Markus now sees every American president listed. More pages are flipped hastily. He sees the American flag, a map of North America, drawings of monuments, and much more. Food recipes, clothing apparel, calendar dates, and everyday items are included too.

The book is slammed shut. A terrible realization sinks into Markus. The people of Noverra know everything about America, maybe all of Earth, and he doesn't know a damn thing about them.