The sun was lazily beginning to rise on the horizon, announced by the distant crowing of a particularly enthusiastic rooster. Eskel was making his way through the woods on the outskirts of White Orchard. He nonchalantly pushed branches out of his way, while his amber, feline eyes moved from his tattered map to his surroundings. He was to venture eastwards until reaching some sort of ruin, near which was the alleged cave where his prey resided, or at least according to Brea's guidance. The witcher's pupils narrowed as they accustomed themselves to the light of the approaching dawn. Its brilliant rays were like divine beacons, breaking through the leaves above him. With each heavy step through the tall grass, tiny critters scattered beneath his boots. Hopefully, the larger of the forest's inhabitants also kept their distance.

As Eskel ventured on, the smell of bog was becoming more prominent, which appeared to be emanating from the same direction he was headed. The ground was becoming soft and more difficult to traverse with each step. Eventually, the monster slayer found himself in a clearing, occupied by a swamp. In the middle of it, the conical spire of a mostly submerged tower stuck out. The moss that grew on the sides of the ancient building looked as if it were the only thing keeping it together. One could only guess the size of the full structure that appeared to have, at some point, sunk into the very earth.

''Oi, Master Witcher, over here!''

Eskel was already imagining Owen's grinning mug, even before turning to see him and Brea standing at the edge of the swamp. His irritation was evident as he practically stomped towards them.

''I don't remember babysitting being part of our agreement.''

Brea stepped in front of her brother, scoffing at the witcher's assumption:

''Oh, ye think that just cause we don' have cat eyes and a pair o' fancy swords that we can't take care of ourselves? Or maybe ye hoped that I would be gullible enough to trust an overrated mercenary to not just take off with everythin' in that cave?

Eskel sighed and cupped his forehead, pressing on his temples with his thumb and middle finger. What a nuisance, he thought.

''Fine, whatever, just show me the damned cave and stay out of my way.''

Brea smirked victoriously and began leading the small group through the thick mud. As the ruin remained in the background, Eskel spared it a final glance before continuing on to the behest of his guide. He couldn't help but wonder who might have occupied it before it was reduced to its current state.

''So, how do ye plan on killin' this ''basilisk'' or whatever ye said it's called? Just slice n' poke it until it drops dead?''

Owen attempted to alleviate some of the tension between the two, but he received only a blunt answer from the witcher:

''Never failed before.''

Eventually, they reached solid ground once more. In front of them, embedded into the side of a steppe plateau, was a relatively narrow opening that Eskel assumed was the basilisk's lair. These types of monsters usually favored confined and dank places, so the location certainly fitted its preferred habitat.

It was Eskel that had now taken the lead as, one by one; they squeezed through the narrow entrance.

''There must be another opening it uses to come and go through; even a young one wouldn't be able to squeeze through here.'' He remarked.

His words bounced off the walls composed of jagged rocks that encased them. Droplets of water cascaded down the stalactites hanging above them and landed on their heads. A particularly cold drop caused Owen to flinch as it fell on his exposed neck and made a trail down his back.

''Ain't long now.'' Brea assured them both.

The underground ravine finally led to a more expansive part of the cave. The siblings both lit a torch in an attempt to dilute the pitch darkness around them. Owen warily looked around the black void. He caught up with the witcher, who was steadily making his own way forward. Eskel turned his head sharply towards the younger man as he felt his hand upon his shoulder:

''Think the bugger ain't home?'' the hunter asked with a whisper, donning his casual smile despite the circumstances.

Annoyed, Eskel increased his pace in an attempt to escape the lad's suffocating presence. Suddenly, a loud *click* echoed through the cave. Realizing he had triggered something, likely a pressure pad of some variety, the witcher took a defensive stance.

One by one, metal braziers arranged around the hollow space suddenly came to life, engulfed by a peculiar green fire. Illuminated by their emerald glow were piles atop piles of chests and other containers, all scattered haphazardly throughout the cave. Some were quite ornately designed, while others resembled little more than wooden boxes.

Both men looked back to Brea with quizzical expressions, yet she only offered a shrug in return:

''Never made it this far'' she clarified ''that scaly bastard sprung from the shadows the moment I got here and spat his goop on me. Ran out as fast as I could''

''It's probably out hunting.'' Eskel noted.

Having no further use for it, Owen tossed his torch to the ground and made his way to the closest chest; one upholstered with red fabric.

''Shipment for Redania, guess this one never made it ''

''This one didn't either'' Eskel added, patting the lid of a crate marked with Kaedwen's coat of arms.

The more they looked, the more ''lost'' shipments intended for various kingdoms and regions they uncovered, which contained an even larger variety of goods. Anything; from basic provisions to weapons and all the way to expensive jewelry.

Owen's eyes glittered with excitement as he found what looked to be a crown among the valuables. It wasn't all that well designed and seemed to be intended more as a prop for a play then to adorn the head of royalty, but for the simple hunter, it was an amazing find. He fought the urge to try it on and instead pocketed it, along with anything else that looked to be worth something.

Unlike her brother, Brea seemed apprehensive, which was odd given her previous initiative. She hardly moved from her spot, instead her eyes appeared as if they were looking for something specific among the uncovered treasure. This detail didn't escape Eskel's notice, who was already growing suspicious. He snapped his fingers in front of her face in a crude attempt to draw her attention:

''These sure as hell don't look like they belonged to any Temerian nobles. What is this place and how exactly did you find out about it?''

Brea's face hardened into a scowl. She pushed him back a few steps with her palm:

''Get out of me face ye fuc…''

Before she had the chance to finish her sentence, however, an ear-piercing screech quite abruptly interrupted her. All three of them turned their heads to see a large shadow crawling out of an elevated opening.