'You have the find the lair and hopefully track down Danila. The job ain't pretty, but I'll make it worth your while. OK?'
― Grouse's offer
I've got a hunch...
Description
Grouse at Skadovsk offers the player a way to make some cash and help out the camp. He needs to track down a missing hunter, Danila. Upon accepting his offer, the quest begins. Grouse marks on the player's PDA Danila's last known location with instructions to go and investigate it. The marker is by the Oakpine Anomaly. Packs of Blind Dogs patrol the area, so a shotgun will come in handy.
Danila's last known location seems to be nothing more than an empty clearing, with a suspicious Bloodsucker corpse nearby. A few seconds after the player arrives at the location, Grouse will radio the player and ask that they meet at the Krug Antenna Complex to the northwest. Grouse will be waiting outside for the player. When approached, he explains that he saw a Bloodsucker run into the building, and he wants to check it out.
Grouse will request aid from the player to infiltrate the building. It is easier to let Grouse take point in this mission; the Bloodsuckers tend to go after the player. Grouse will slowly creep through the building. The first Bloodsucker attacks as Grouse enters the room with the low catwalk over some machinery. A shotgun works best, but an assault rifle can suffice for this mission. Eventually Grouse makes his way down the stairs into the basement of the complex. The basement is a square room with an elevator shaft in the middle. The second Bloodsucker attacks shortly after reaching the bottom of the staircase. An easy way to start the fight is to right off the bat go the opposite way Grouse heads around the elevator shaft (Grouse heads clockwise) after reaching the bottom of the stairs. The Bloodsucker will attack immediately and Grouse is in no danger of getting killed if the player ends the fight quickly.
Grouse manually opens the elevator doors: the elevator is out of order and resting at the bottom of the shaft. Following Grouse down the hatch in the top of the elevator leads to the second basement floor. There are a few bodies here to loot. The one directly in front of the player after falling into the derelict elevator often holds good loot: it is up against the bars at the end of the room. In the side room, Grouse voices his suspicions about the dead stalkers. These bodies are also lootable. Under a propped-up grate in this room are a few grenades that need to be shot to be collected.
The culprits behind the disappearance of so many stalkers?
After displaying some masterful lockpicking skills, Grouse opens up a small service corridor for the two to squeeze through. His pace will slow as he reaches the end of the corridor, and for good reason: there is a room of sleeping Bloodsuckers up ahead. Light will not bother the sleeping mutants, so players can leave their lamps on and concentrate on navigating the room silently. It is important to note that waking up and killing all the Bloodsuckers will not earn the player the Detective achievement if Grouse dies in the process.
It is safe to walk normally once Grouse gives the all-clear. Grouse will lead the player to a hole in a drainage pipe and hop down. Sprint-jumping over this will net the player a Hercules drug. After dropping down the hole, the player should meet up with Grouse just outside it in the Swamp. Running the opposite way will earn the player a small stockpile of medical equipment, including Anabiotics. Grouse tells the player that he will contact him again soon and to inform Beard of the existence of the Bloodsucker lair.
This begins a new side mission: Bloodsuckers Lair.
After a while, Grouse will disappear from the Skadovsk. Beard will tell the player that he left for the Dock Cranes. Upon arrival, the player will find Danila dead and the previously-locked door to the shack unlocked. Inside is Tremor, and Grouse's body. Tremor will come clean about his actions: he had been killing stalkers for blood due to his hemophilia. The player can listen to his story by talking to him. Afterwards, he shoots himself. The player may also kill him at this point with no penalty. After heading back to the Skadovsk and telling Beard the sad news, this mission is complete.
Rewards
Notes
- Players with sound mods that modify footstep noises may run into trouble when sneaking past the sleeping Bloodsuckers.