Chapter 5: The Grimm's New Power and a Conflicted Ally
Back in the safety of his coffee shop, Adam stared at the glowing Hexenbiest Potion in his inventory. It was a beautiful, shimmering liquid, pulsing with a faint, dark energy. He knew what he had to do. The System had given him this power, and he was not going to let it go to waste. He was going to use it.
"Alright, here we go. First vial. This is going to be… interesting. A little bit of Hexenbiest power, a little bit of magic resistance. A little bit of an edge. I'm not going to be a full-fledged magical Grimm, but this is a start. This is the first step on a long road. The road to becoming a goddamn superhero. Or at least a very, very powerful fanfic main character."
He carefully extracted the vial and, with a moment's hesitation, drank it down in a single gulp. The liquid was bitter, like crushed herbs and ash, but it was followed by a searing jolt of energy that coursed through his veins. His senses sharpened, and he felt a new, subtle awareness of the magical world around him. He could almost feel the residual magical energy in the air from Adalind. It was exhilarating.
[System] Host has consumed Hexenbiest Potion. Effect: Minor resistance to dark magic, slight boost to magical senses. Bloodline Evolution Progress: 0.5%.
Adam smiled. The System was working. It was powerful. And now, he had a choice to make. He could hoard this power for himself, or he could share it with his new allies. He chose the latter. The plot of the show was too big, too dangerous, for one Grimm to handle. He needed a team. He needed to make Nick and Monroe stronger.
He called Nick and told him to bring Monroe to the coffee shop immediately. When they arrived, Nick was still in his uniform, and Monroe looked nervous, fidgeting with his hands. They sat at a small table, the atmosphere tense and filled with questions.
"What's going on, Adam?" Nick asked, his voice low. "You said you took care of Adalind. What does that even mean?"
"It means she won't be a problem for a long, long time," Adam said, a confident smirk on his face. "But that's not what this is about. This is about you two. This is about us. This is about what we need to do to survive."
He looked at Monroe, whose eyes were wide with a mix of fear and respect. "Monroe, I need you to trust me. I have a way to make us stronger. A way to give us an edge."
"A way?" Monroe stammered, his eyes darting between Adam and Nick. "What kind of way?"
Adam took a deep breath. "The First Grimm had a System. It's a way to evolve. To get stronger. I have it. I can use the blood of Wesen to create alchemical potions that give us their strength, their speed, their abilities. I can make us better. Stronger. Faster."
Nick's face was a mask of disbelief. "Potions? From Wesen blood? Adam, that's... that's insane. It's unethical. We're not them. We don't do things like that."
"We're not like them, Nick," Adam said, his voice hardening. "But we are in a world where they are. And they're not playing by your rules. The Royal Families are coming. Black Claw is coming. They won't care about your morals. They'll just kill you. We need to fight fire with fire. We need to be stronger. And I can make that happen."
He looked at Monroe, whose internal conflict was palpable. A reformed Blutbad, a pacifist, being asked to consume the essence of his own kind. It was a hard sell.
"This is it. The turning point. Will they accept? Will they trust me? Monroe is the key here. His Wesen instincts, his fear, his respect for me... that's going to be the deciding factor. I need to be persuasive. I need to be right. I need to be a leader."
"Monroe," Adam said, his voice soft but commanding. "I know this is a lot to ask. I know you've spent your whole life trying to be a better person. But this isn't about being a monster. This is about protecting the people you love. Rosalee, Nick, yourself. Think of it as a vaccine. A way to protect yourself from a plague you can't see."
Monroe looked at Nick, who was still speechless. He then looked at Adam, whose eyes were filled with a strange, unyielding certainty. The Aura of the First Grimm was a powerful, almost intoxicating feeling. It made him want to follow, to obey.
"I... I don't know, Adam," Monroe said, his voice a whisper. "This is... a lot. It's against everything I believe in."
"I know," Adam said, his voice still soft. "But it's also a chance to change things. A chance to stop the bad guys before they even get started. A chance to save lives. Think about it. Talk to Nick. But know this: I'm not going to stop. I'm going to get stronger. With you, or without you. But I'd rather have you by my side. I need you. Nick needs you."
He left the two of them to talk, walking away with the knowledge that he had just put the biggest decision of their lives in their hands. He had presented them with a choice. A choice to embrace the power, or to be left behind.