Chapter 4: Bear Necessities and a Reaper's Visit
The scent of pine and something distinctly… bear-like hung heavy in the air. Nick and Hank were deep in the woods, investigating another bizarre case: a home invasion, a missing young woman, and a trail that led straight to a family of Jägerbär. Nick, still reeling from Aunt Marie's deteriorating condition and the revelations of his Grimm heritage, felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Jägerbär, a family of bear-like Wesen, were preparing for a brutal coming-of-age ritual called a "Schlacht," where they hunted a human. Nick had to save the victim, and he had to do it without revealing the truth to Hank. It was a tightrope walk over a pit of angry bears.
Meanwhile, back at the mansion, Adam was reviewing his System.
[ Current Level: 1. Kills to Level 2: 2. ]
"Alright, Ciri," Adam announced, stretching. "New target. Jägerbär. Big, furry, and apparently into ritualistic hunting. Very 'Deliverance' meets 'Goldilocks.' Not my preferred genre, but hey, XP is XP." He held up his Witcher necklace. "Let's see what this magic bling says."
The wolf's head pulsed, and the mental overlay showed the Jägerbär's location, along with a brief description.
[ New Wesen Type Discovered: Jägerbär. Information added to Library. ]
"Jägerbär," Adam muttered, a smirk playing on his lips. "Bear necessities, huh? Guess we're going on a picnic. A very violent picnic."
Ciri, who was practicing a series of fluid, almost dance-like sword movements in the mansion's training room, merely grunted. "Their 'Schlacht' ritual is barbaric. A hunt should be fair, not a slaughter of the innocent."
"Tell that to the System, Ciri. It just sees 'kill count,'" Adam quipped, though a flicker of grim determination crossed his face. He found the ritual as distasteful as she did. "But hey, if they're going to be barbaric, we can be… efficiently barbaric. No loose ends."
They found the Jägerbär in a secluded cabin, the air thick with anticipation and the terrified whimpers of their human prey. Nick and Hank were already on the scene, trying to navigate the tense situation. Adam and Ciri moved in, silent as ghosts, their presence unnoticed by the woged Wesen.
"Okay, Ciri," Adam whispered, observing the scene. "I'll draw the big one. You handle the two smaller ones. Remember, aim for the squishy bits. And if things get hairy, literally, I've got a potion that'll make me extra strong. My eyes will go black, so don't freak out. It's just the Witcher version of a power-up."
Ciri nodded, her eyes narrowed, already calculating her approach.
The confrontation was swift and brutal. Adam, with a surge of adrenaline and a mental command, activated a low-level combat potion. His eyes, for a terrifying moment, turned completely black. The Jägerbär, a hulking, enraged beast, lunged at him. But as its eyes met Adam's, a primal, instinctive fear flared in its chest. This was not a Grimm. This was something ancient, something that radiated an unnatural, cold power. It hesitated, just for a fraction of a second.
That fraction was all Adam needed. He moved with impossible speed, a blur of enhanced strength, striking with brutal efficiency. Ciri, a whirlwind of silver and steel, dispatched the other two Jägerbär with lethal precision. The fight was over almost before it began.
Adam, his eyes flickering back to normal, looked at the fallen Jägerbär. "Well, that's one less bear for the picnic. Hope Nick appreciates the clean-up crew." He then produced the Acid of Dissolution, a familiar hum on his lips as the bodies began to dissolve.
[ Kill Count: 1 Wesen. Level Up! Current Level: 2. Kills to Level 3: 4. ]
"Boom! Level 2!" Adam exclaimed, pumping his fist. "This is getting good. Next, I'm thinking of trying out some of those Signs. Maybe an Aard blast? Or an Igni burst? Imagine the possibilities!" He then mentally browsed the System Store. "Ooh, look! New blueprints available. Maybe a Swallow potion? Or a Thunderbolt? We could be brewing our own stuff soon, Ciri. Think of the savings!"
Ciri, who had watched the black-eyed transformation with a mixture of awe and unease, merely shook her head. "Your 'magic' is strange, Witcher. But effective." She then noticed Adam trying to sell some common herbs he'd found on the mansion grounds to the System Store. He frowned as the price fluctuated.
"Seriously? Supply and demand, even in the apocalypse?" Adam muttered, exasperated. "This System is a stickler for economics. Guess I can't corner the market on dandelions."
As Adam and Ciri vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the faint, acrid smell of dissolved organic matter, Nick and Hank arrived. They found the human victim, terrified but alive, and the Jägerbär… gone. Nick, his Grimm senses tingling, felt a strange presence, a powerful, unsettling energy that had been here. He looked at the empty space where the Wesen should have been, a new mystery added to his already overflowing plate. He wondered who these mysterious, efficient vigilantes were, and if they were allies or a new, even more dangerous threat.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Monroe sat vigil by Aunt Marie's bedside, a silent, worried guardian. He was increasingly aware of the strange, powerful forces at play in Portland, forces that went far beyond just Nick's Grimm abilities. The world was changing, and he was caught in the middle.