After discovering the faint footprint, Yavi did not rush forward to examine it. Instead, he pushed his Witcher Senses to their limit. Not the slightest rustle escaped his ears, for quite a few monsters lurked in these wetlands. Dormant drowners would not roam freely through the marsh, but Yavi still discovered several hiding underwater nearby. Unwilling to waste time on these lesser monsters, he decided to dismount and proceed on foot. After driving the pony away from the area, Yavi cautiously approached the faint footprint. He gathered magic in his left hand and slapped it against himself, and a pale yellow veil of light immediately enveloped his body-the Quen Defense Signs. Only after drawing his silver sword and holding it in his hand did Yavi feel secure enough to investigate the footprint.
Crouching down to examine it closely, he found that the footprint had probably been left a few days earlier. It appeared to belong to a man: the print was rather large, with a broad, thick sole, clearly the sort belonging to someone who traveled extensively on foot. After gathering some basic information, Yavi began following the footprints. However, the conditions in the wetlands had left many of them indistinct, and the trail frequently broke off. Fortunately, new prints would appear if he continued in the same direction. A few drowners spotted him along the way, leaving Yavi no choice but to draw his sword and kill them.
After tracking for roughly half an hour, Yavi reached a broad stretch of dry ground, with rocky hills rising around it. It was a relatively suitable hiding place. Yavi closed his eyes and further sharpened his hearing. At last, amid the surrounding noise, he faintly heard voices and the sounds of chewing.
"Boss... munch, munch, munch... when can we leave this damned place... munch, munch, munch... that griffin keeps circling over our heads every day, practically trying to grow onto us... munch, munch, munch..."
"Just eat, will you? You think I'm not anxious too? There's no sign of the people who were supposed to meet us. Those damned Scoia'tael really are unreliable. Once I get out of here and sell this egg, the first thing I'm doing with the money is hiring someone to kill those Scoia'tael!"
"Snore, snore, snore... Mama mia... snore, snore, snore..."
Yavi slowly opened his eyes. He had gathered some useful information from those few lines of conversation. The griffin egg was indeed in these people's hands, and they seemed to be working with the Scoia'tael. However, possibly because of the griffin, the Scoia'tael had not come to meet them as previously agreed. There were at least three of them, but these people would pose no threat to Yavi.
Exchanging his silver sword for his steel sword, Yavi headed toward the voices. He followed the rocky hillside until, around a bend, he saw the poachers' camp. The camp was shabby, without any cover to shelter behind. Only a huge rock jutting from the hillside allowed them to hide in its shadow. There were four people in the camp. Two were still talking, another sat silently warming himself by the fire, and the last was fast asleep on the ground. A huge egg lay quietly at the feet of the two talking men.
The poacher staring absently into the fire was the first to spot Yavi. He immediately picked up the weapon lying on the ground and watched him warily. His movements alerted the other two, who raised their weapons to confront Yavi.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy, easy, I'm not your enemy!" Yavi immediately made his position clear, stating that he was not an enemy.
The poachers exchanged glances, unable to decide what to do for the moment.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the lead poacher demanded harshly, tension showing in his voice. Although he tried hard to look fierce, the trembling spear in his hands betrayed his fear-merely hiding from the griffin's searches over the past several days had already left them jumping at shadows.
Yavi put away his steel sword and slowly raised both hands to show that he posed no threat. The two sides fell into a stalemate. No one spoke, and only the occasional soft crackle of wood came from the campfire.
"Looks like that griffin has really put you through the wringer lately." Yavi was the first to break the silence, a faint trace of mockery in his words.
The men did not reply, merely staring at him with a mixture of wariness and exhaustion in their eyes. The spear tip dipped slightly, only to be raised again a moment later.
"Relax, relax, fellows. I'm here to get you out." Yavi told them why he had come.
At the news that he had come to get them out, a clear glimmer of hope flashed across their faces, but wariness soon replaced it. The lead poacher loosened his grip on his spear, though his voice remained forceful. "Stop trying to fool us! We're just travelers trapped here with no way out. It's nothing like what you're saying. Who exactly are you? Tell us the truth, or you can forget about leaving!"
"Hahaha, looks like the Scoia'tael were right to have you steal the griffin egg. You really are experienced."
When they heard the young man before them mention the Scoia'tael and the griffin egg, a momentary look of astonishment clearly appeared in their eyes. Could he really be here to get us out?
"What? Haven't I made myself clear enough? My master assigned this task to me, and I passed it on to the Scoia'tael before it finally reached you. It's just that the Scoia'tael have something else to attend to and can't come, so I had to show up in person to get you out."
Only then did the poachers lower their guard and put away their weapons. Yavi slowly approached the three men, looking them over constantly.
"Thanks for all your hard work lately. I need to inspect the goods first. I must make sure the griffin egg is completely intact, or there's nothing to discuss!" Yavi assumed an overbearing manner, lifting his head so high that he all but looked down his nose at them.
Seeing this, the leader was almost certain that this was the person sent to meet them, so he led Yavi over to the griffin egg. Only after seeing that the egg was completely intact did Yavi feel relieved. Just as he was about to put it away...
"Why didn't Kalio come with you? I haven't been able to contact him or his troops for a long time." The lead poacher asked about the middleman with seeming casualness.
"Kalio... Kalio has something to attend to lately and can't come..." But Yavi's attention was entirely on the egg, and he merely gave an offhand answer.
He regretted it the very next second, however, for he saw a trace of terror in the leader's eyes. Realizing he had been tricked, Yavi did not hesitate. He formed an Aard Sign in his left hand and struck hard, sending the lead poacher flying backward as though a chariot had slammed into him. Then his right hand drew the dagger hanging at his waist and plunged it deep into another poacher's neck like a venomous snake. Having dealt with two men in the blink of an eye, Yavi quickly touched the griffin egg and put it straight into his Talisman Space. Then he grasped at the air with his left hand, and a crossbow appeared out of nowhere, striking the last poacher with unerring accuracy. In less than three seconds, Yavi had dealt with all three poachers.