On the Scent
On the Scent is the eleventh main quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It begins automatically upon completing Mysterious Ways, when Henry learns about Reeky of Ledetchko.
It is a timed mission, and taking too long will allow Runt's men to reach Reeky before Henry does.
Background
One of the members of the Neuhof gang, a fellow who goes by the moniker of Reeky, should be somewhere in the vicinity of Ledetchko. Unfortunately, that's about all I could find out so far. I expect it shouldn't be too hard to ... well, catch scent of this Reeky, although I don't expect it will be a pleasant encounter
Quick walkthrough
- Track down Reeky
- Talk to Reeky's father
- (Optional) Reeky was selling poached game to the innkeeper. I should go check it out.
- Bring the hare meat to the innkeeper (0/60)
- Find the disused mineshaft on the left bank of Sasau River
- Find the shaft on the promontory
- Find the cave in the hills by Ledetchko
- Bring the hare meat to the innkeeper (0/60)
- (Optional) Reeky was selling poached game to the innkeeper. I should go check it out.
- Talk to Reeky's father
- (Optional) Talk to the bathhouse wench that Reeky is seeing.
- Find Reeky's stash
- Ask at the woodcutter's camp
- Talk to the woodcutter called Raspberry.
- (Optional) Find Reeky's hideout by following Raspberry's directions.
- (Optional) Find the beginning of the path in the woodcutter's camp
- (Optional) Go down to the stream until you see a fallen tree-trunk lying across it.
- (Optional) Cross the trunk to the other side and go uphill until you reach a big boulder
- (Optional) Find the little mill-wheel around the stream
- (Optional) Go around the spring and you'll see the clearing. Go towards it.
- (Optional) Reeky's cave is somewhere in the clearing.
- (Optional) Find Reeky's hideout by following Raspberry's directions.
- Talk to the woodcutter called Raspberry.
Detailed walkthrough
After discovering that Reeky was involved in the attack on Neuhof, set off to Ledetchko to find him. Asking around town will reveal that Reeky (also known as Hynek) was not particularly popular, and that his father, the local tanner, may know more. Aside from that, Reeky is avoided by most people for his shady nature, but was often seen hanging around the local bathhouse with one of the bathmaids, Adela. From here the player has two immediate leads to further investigate.
Adela the bathmaid
When first approached, Adela will be confrontational, sure that Henry has come to lecture her about sin and seduction. However, Henry is able to reassure her that he's only looking for Reeky. She reveals that she last saw Reeky several days before, drunk (which was unusual for him), and muttering about Lubosh.
Reeky confessed that she was the only woman who would come near him, and that he had buried the money behind his house - even offering to let her take half, or for them to run away together. Adela states that she felt sorry for Reeky, but that she neither loved him nor believed he had the money. Furthermore, she is able to confirm he sold his poached meat to the Innkeeper.
Reeky's father
As the local tanner, Reeky's father may be found on the south bank of the river. He will initially claim that he does not know where Reeky is, since he rarely shows up home. However, he will give Henry some clues with successful persuasion. This may be done with either a stat check or pressing him on Reeky's buried stash.
To find Reeky's buried stash, dig near the rock pile near the north-western corner of the fence. It contains 115 
and a badly deteriorated Sturdy gambeson. Bringing up this stash to Reeky's father will reveal he genuinely did not know about the full extent of Reeky's activities, especially how he received this money from participating in the Neuhof massacre. It will however persuade him to share what he does know.
However the player manages to persuade Reeky's father, he will reveal that Reeky showed up a few days ago, but left in a hurry. Furthermore, he has been poaching and hiding out in the deepest part of the woods for a while, and Reeky's father suspects that his son was selling his illegal game to the local Innkeeper. Unfortunately, Reeky's father does not know where his hideout is, and he will grow impatient if pressed on this matter.
The Ledetchko innkeeper
Go to the Inn and speak to the Innkeeper. At first he will deny knowing Reeky, then ask Henry to remind the currier that he is still owed some goods. If Henry can successfully persuade the Innkeeper to divulge some more information (or promises to retrieve 60 hare meat to settle the debt), he will reveal that he does not know the exact location of the camp. However, because Reeky always took candles and lamp oil, the Inkeeper knows it must be somewhere dark. He then gives Henry the location of three possible sites.
Raspberry
If the player found out Reeky was poaching from Reeky's father and then spoke to Adela, they may press her on more details about his hideout. Adela will reveal that Reeky passed by the local woodcutter's camp on his way to his hideout. Head to this camp and speak to a worker called Raspberry, a red faced drunkard. Raspberry not only knows Reeky, he has even been to the latter's hideout, albeit only while drunk. Still, he remembers enough to say that it can be found by listening to the distinctive "clap-clap-clap" of a mill-wheel on the stream. The hideout will be in a clearing nearby.
With all these clues, head west from the edge of the camp and follow the path to the creek. Head upstream until the fallen tree creating a bridge. Cross over and continue uphill (downstream) until the river branches - follow it right until the a big boulder. Listen carefully for the mill-wheel and find the nearby clearing to the west. There, the player may find Reeky's hideout and Reeky himself.
Henry arrives in time, confronting Reeky
If he was found in good time, a terrified Reeky will be pacing around in the cave. When pressed, he will explain that there were two gangs at Neuhof - his and Runt's. And while Reeky and his mates (Pious, the leader; Timmy, the dumb muscle; and Lubosh, Reeky's only friend) were just there to grab what they could and run, Runt was intent on slaughtering everyone.
Reeky reveals that they encountered the horse trader, Smil, while searching the stables. While Reeky's gang merely attempted to beat Smil, the latter was promptly murdered by Runt. This was witnessed by Ginger, who managed to fight off Reeky before Lubosh let him escape. After the raid, the group were confronted by two members of Runt's gang, who accused them of being traitors and tried to attack them. Lubosh however managed to kill one of them with Ginger's hoof-pick before the group fled.
Suddenly, Henry and Reeky hear the sound of three approaching bandits. Reeky wants to run, but Henry convinces him that the only way they will survive is to fight them off together. Kill the three bandits and resume questioning Reeky. If asked about Runt and Sir Radzig Kobyla's sword, he will remark that Runt was not carrying it, just an ordinary one. At this point, the player can either let Reeky go, execute him directly, or escort him back to Rattay for trial - one that will almost certainly result in a death sentence.
Henry arrives too late
If the player arrives too late, Reeky will be found badly beaten and near death, the bandits long gone. Reeky begs for Henry's help, and through the pain he is only able to say that Neuhof was a botched job, and that he never meant for anyone to die. He reveals that the bandits have a camp, and his friend Timmy, who works at the windmill near Merhojed, might know where they are - if Runt hasn't found him first. The only thing left to do is to put Reeky out of his misery. Either way, Henry will now have to find Timmy.
Strategies
- When asking Adela what Reeky does in the woods, claiming to be his friend (Speech) will always succeed.
- Two of the three bandits may be found at the Ledetchko Inn, speaking quite loudly about their intentions. They will stay until 18:00, after which they will walk back to their camp where the third bandit is waiting.
- If Henry kills them in this camp, the bandits will never appear during his conversation with Reeky. It will instead skip to the part that normally plays after defeating the bandits.
- The three bandits are wrongly classified as civilians if attacked before they find Reeky. This also means that attacking them in Ledetchko will be considered a crime, and guards will attack both the bandits and the player character while attempting to arrest the player.
- While it is unlikely, the bandits can kill Reeky when he and Henry are fighting them. They are poorly armored however, and Reeky can usually survive long enough against two for the player to outmatch one and return to helping him.
Notes
- If Henry speaks to Reeky's father before being directed there by other villagers, he will be pleasantly surprised to learn of their relation, only to be disappointed that Reeky's father knows little of his son's whereabouts.
- Reeky's father does not know about Reeky's visits to Adela. If he is spoken to first, neither he nor Henry will bring up this lead.
- Adela's lead towards Raspberry is only available if she is spoken to after Reeky's father. The player may backtrack to her and still get this additional dialogue.
- There is nothing in either of the other mineshafts of interest, so the player may ignore them if they already know Reeky's location.
- Because this quest actually ends once the conversation with Reeky in the cave is interrupted, the player has the option to abandon him to the bandits and immediately start their search for Timmy. This option is trivial if calling for Henry's horse.
- Looting the bandits' equipment while they are classed as civilians will reveal it is flagged as being from Pribyslavitz.
- If the player somehow manages to follow the bandits as they find Reeky while staying undetected, they may hear them interrogate him.
- The night that time runs out, the bandits will head to Reeky's hideout at about 01:30. They will arrive at his hideout slightly before 04:00.
- Once the conversation starts, Reeky will immediately switch to his injured state. Intervening to fight the bandits will not save him.
- The interrogation consists of Reeky denying knowledge of Pious's location; admitting to the location of his stash; and admitting that Timmy works at the windmill near Merhojed.