The Mother Of All Battles

There is a trail of stench from the mass of blood and juices. Don’t follow yet. There are four giant egg sacs to examine near some ingredient mushrooms. These eggs are going to hatch soon, so you’re wise to destroy them. Use Igni or Aard to set the first four egg sacs alight, or to blow them apart with force.

Turn to face west. The grotto has two exits—to the left and right. Take the former and stride confidently into a fight with a young arachas. Then roast two more eggs clustered together, and another two set apart. That’s eight destroyed egg sacs. The last eggs are in a separate cavern, accessed via another underwater tunnel, left of the first chamber. That’s all 12 deflated!

Continue northwest and then west along a tunnel to a giant grotto chamber. The scattered remains of local villager women lie everywhere, some draped over the rocks along with some loot to take. Use your Witcher Senses. You automatically view the following: There’s a calfskin boot—all that’s left of Mikel. Young arachases appear as soon as Harrisi notices you, and the number depends on the eggs you have destroyed (the fewer eggs, the fewer young). Now face the mighty Harrisi!

End: After the Arachasae Annihilation

With sagging thorax thoroughly deflated, scrabble around in Harrisi’s giant corpse to gather some ingredients and a trophy to attach to Roach. Carefully retrace your steps out of the mine, and head back to the inn at the Crossroads, where Bruno is saddened by the news of his brother. Bruno refuses to pay the full sum, leaving you to Axii him (Delusion Level 3) to claim the full reward, or accept only half of it.