Chapter 8: The Hexenbiest's Downfall
The news of Adalind's continued scheming reached Adam and Kathleen through their network of subtle informants – a few low-level Wesen who, thanks to Adam's aura and a healthy dose of fear, were now surprisingly cooperative. Adalind was desperate, trying to regain her powers, and her desperation was making her sloppy. She was attempting to gather ingredients for a new, potent spell, one that would target Hank and Nick directly, a twisted echo of her canon machinations.
"She's a persistent little cockroach, isn't she?" Adam muttered, pacing his apartment. "You'd think after being humiliated by a Mellifer hive and then me, she'd learn to take a hint. But no, she just keeps coming back for more."
Kathleen, ever stoic, sharpened a small, wickedly curved knife. "Her ambition outweighs her caution. And her hatred for Grimms is deeply ingrained. She will not stop until she is neutralized."
"Neutralized," Adam mused. "I like that word. It's so… clinical. And it sounds a lot better than 'turned her into a newt.' Though, given her personality, I'm not sure the newt would appreciate the downgrade."
He looked at Kathleen. "Alright, new partner. Time to go Hexenbiest hunting. This time, we're not just scaring her off. We're putting her down. Permanently. Or at least, permanently powerless."
They tracked Adalind to a dilapidated, abandoned warehouse on the industrial side of Portland, a place that reeked of stale magic and desperation. She was there, surrounded by strange herbs and bubbling concoctions, muttering incantations, her face contorted in a mask of furious concentration. She was trying to brew something powerful, something dark.
"Adalind," Adam's voice cut through the air, sharp and clear. "Still playing with potions? I thought you'd learned your lesson about messing with Grimms. Especially this Grimm."
Adalind shrieked, spinning around, her woged Hexenbiest face a mask of rage and fear. Her eyes, usually cold and calculating, were wide with a desperate fury. "You! You interfere again! I will destroy you, Grimm! I will make you suffer!"
She lunged, a burst of dark energy crackling around her hands, throwing a volley of curses and dark magic. Adam and Kathleen moved in sync, a perfectly coordinated dance of defense and offense. Kathleen, with her pure Grimm strength and combat training, met Adalind's physical attacks head-on, deflecting blows, closing the distance with terrifying speed. Adam, meanwhile, used his enhanced senses to anticipate Adalind's magical attacks, dodging fireballs and bursts of dark energy with surprising agility.
Adalind was powerful, but she was also desperate and unfocused. Her magic, though potent, lacked the precision and control that came with true mastery. And she was facing two Grimms, one with raw, untamed power, the other with calculated precision and a system that practically screamed "cheat code."
"You're outmatched, Adalind," Adam said, his voice resonating with his aura, subtly eroding her will. "Give it up. You can't win."
"Never!" she shrieked, unleashing a torrent of dark magic, a desperate, last-ditch effort.
Kathleen met the magical assault with a fierce roar, her own Grimm power flaring, a pure, protective light that seemed to absorb and dissipate Adalind's dark energy. She then closed the distance, her movements a blur, and delivered a series of rapid, devastating strikes that sent Adalind reeling.
Adam saw his opening. As Adalind stumbled, disoriented, he moved in, swift and decisive. He grabbed her, pinning her against a crumbling wall, his grip like iron. Adalind struggled, snarling, spitting, but the Aura of the First Grimm, now amplified by his growing power, crushed her resistance. Her woged face flickered, then reverted to her human form, tears of frustration and humiliation streaming down her face.
"No… no! My powers…!" she whimpered, feeling them drain away under Adam's relentless pressure.
"That's right," Adam said, his voice chillingly calm. "No more powers. No more schemes. No more messing with my friends. You're done, Adalind. Permanently."
He pulled out a sterile vial, the same kind he used for Wesen blood, and with a grim determination, took a sample of her blood. Adalind let out a strangled cry, a sound of utter defeat and despair.
[System] Wesen Defeated. Wesen Type: Hexenbiest. Extracting... Alchemical Vial Created: Hexenbiest Potion.
[System] The Hexenbiest Potion grants a minor resistance to dark magic and a slight boost to magical senses.
A new vial, this one a deep, swirling purple, materialized in his hand. He pocketed it, a sense of profound satisfaction washing over him. This wasn't just another vial. This was a prophylactic against future canon headaches. No more Juliette-as-Eve. No more Nick losing his powers. No more endless Adalind drama.
He released her. Adalind slumped against the wall, a broken, defeated figure. Her eyes, once filled with venomous power, were now dull, empty. She was just a woman, stripped of her magic, her schemes, her very identity.
"Get out of Portland, Adalind," Adam said, his voice devoid of emotion. "And don't ever come back. If I see your face again, I won't be so merciful."
Adalind, utterly defeated, stumbled out of the warehouse, a ghost of her former self.
Kathleen looked at Adam, a flicker of admiration in her eyes. "A decisive victory. You handled her well."
"She was a pain in my neck, honestly," Adam sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But now… now we can move on. And this Hexenbiest Potion? This is going to be a game-changer."
No more Adalind problems. That's a win in my book. And now, time to level up.