Chapter 6: The Jägerbär's Hunt Begins and Aunt Marie's Decline
The morning mist in Portland clung to the trees like a bad mood, which, for Adama, was pretty much par for the course in this new, monster-infested reality. He and Wanda were back to their usual routine: a casual stroll through the city, which was really just Adam's way of keeping an eye on the unfolding chaos. Wanda, still adjusting to the sheer absurdity of it all, walked beside him, her senses subtly attuned to the undercurrents of the city.
Then, the sirens started. A different kind of wail than the usual urban symphony. More urgent. More… Grimm.
[CASE ALERT: Missing person, suspected Wesen involvement. Primary Wesen: Jägerbär (Bear-like). Ritual: Schlacht (Coming-of-age hunt). Objective: Prevent human sacrifice.]
Adam winced. "Ah, the Jägerbär. Or, as I like to call them, the 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Now We're Hunting Them' family. Seriously, a coming-of-age ritual that involves hunting humans? That's less 'rite of passage' and more 'straight to jail, do not pass Go, do not collect two hundred dollars'."
"Human sacrifice?" Wanda asked, a flicker of horror in her eyes. Her grief for Pietro was still a raw wound, but the sheer brutality of this world was slowly starting to chip away at her self-absorption, replacing it with a growing resolve.
"Yup. Apparently, some Wesen traditions are less about knitting circles and more about, you know, ritualistic murder," Adam said, already mentally pulling up files in the Library. "System, give me everything on Jägerbär. Their culture, their 'Schlacht' ritual, any historical Grimms who tried to play 'diplomat' and ended up as bear chow."
Information flooded his mind: images of hulking, bear-like creatures, ancient texts describing the brutal hunt, and grim accounts of Grimms who had underestimated their ferocity. Note to self: Do not try to reason with a teenage bear-Wesen on a blood quest.
They subtly followed the direction of the sirens, keeping a careful distance. Nick and Hank were already on the scene, looking grim. Adam could practically feel Nick's internal struggle – the detective trying to apply human logic to a world that defied it.
"Monroe's going to be busy," Adam mused, remembering the next canon event. "He's about to become Aunt Marie's personal, very reluctant, security detail."
And speaking of Aunt Marie…
[ALERT: Reaper of the Grimm detected. Threat Level: High. Location: St. Joseph's Hospital.]
Adam's blood ran cold. "Crap. The Reaper. Right on cue. Marie's going to… well, she's going to take a permanent dirt nap." His usual sarcasm faltered. This was it. The point of no return for Nick. The moment his last link to his old life, the one person who truly understood, would be severed.
"What is it?" Wanda asked, sensing his sudden shift in demeanor. She felt a cold dread radiating from him, a stark contrast to his usual flippancy.
"A Reaper. Think of them as the Royal Families' clean-up crew. And by 'clean-up,' I mean 'eliminate anyone who knows too much, especially Grimms'," Adam explained, his voice tight. "They're here for Marie. And there's nothing I can do. The System already warned me about messing with major canon events. It's like trying to rewrite the ending of Avengers: Endgame before it even starts. Bad idea. Very, very bad idea."
They made their way to the hospital, blending into the background. Adam saw Monroe, looking anxious, standing guard outside Marie's room. He saw the subtle, almost imperceptible shift in the air as the Reaper, disguised as a priest, slipped into the hospital. Wanda, her senses heightened, gasped.
"I feel… a darkness. A coldness. Like death itself," she whispered, her hands clenching.
Adam watched, a knot forming in his stomach. He knew the outcome. He knew Monroe would fight valiantly, but it wouldn't be enough. Marie was a dying woman already; the Reaper was just expediting the inevitable. He felt a pang of powerlessness, a stark reminder that even with a magical library and a multiverse-hopping bodyguard, some things were simply set in stone. It was like watching a movie you'd already seen, knowing the tragic ending, but being unable to shout a warning to the characters on screen.
A faint, almost imperceptible tremor ran through the hospital. A distant, muffled crash. Then, silence. A heavy, suffocating silence.
[CANON EVENT: Aunt Marie Burkhardt deceased. Impact: Nick Burkhardt's emotional state significantly affected. Timeline integrity maintained. Host's direct intervention not recommended for this event.]
"She's gone," Adam murmured, the words feeling hollow even to him. His humor, usually his shield, felt thin and fragile. "Well, that sucks. Seriously. Nick's going to be a mess. And honestly, who can blame him? First, he finds out monsters are real, then his cool, mysterious Grimm aunt dies. It's like the universe is actively trying to give him a complex."
Wanda placed a hand on his arm, her expression somber. She didn't need to see the woge or the scythe to understand the profound loss. She felt the ripple of grief, the sudden emptiness where a life force had been. "I am sorry, Adama."
"Yeah, me too, Wanda. Me too," he replied, running a hand through his hair. "This is the part of the show where the hero gets his tragic backstory. And we're just… spectators. The worst kind of spectators. The ones who know exactly what's coming and can't do a damn thing about it." He sighed. "Alright. New mission. Nick's going to need a lot of emotional support. And probably a lot of coffee. And maybe, just maybe, we can make sure this Jägerbär hunt goes a little smoother. Less human sacrifice, more… well, less human sacrifice." He forced a grin. "Time to go save some lives, because apparently, the universe doesn't care about our feelings."