Chapter 20: Love Sick and a Royal Scheme
The air in the precinct was thick with unspoken tension, a palpable unease that had nothing to do with the usual police work. Hank, bless his unsuspecting heart, was smitten. And the object of his affection? None other than Adalind Schade, the Hexenbiest who had cursed Juliette and was working with Renard. Adam grimaced. "You know, Ciri, I always thought 'love is blind' was just a cheesy saying. Turns out, it's also a highly effective form of supernatural manipulation. And frankly, Hank's got terrible taste in women. This is why you don't date Hexenbiests, kids. They're all drama and questionable life choices."
[ Wesen Alert: Hexenbiest (Adalind Schade) - High Threat. Caution Advised. ]
[ Royal Family Scheme Detected: Manipulation of Ally. Priority: Disruption. ]
Ciri, who had zero patience for manipulative women, scoffed. "She is a viper. Her intentions are clear. She must be stopped."
"Agreed," Adam said, scrolling through the newly updated Library entry on Adalind. "And this is clearly Renard's doing. He's using Adalind to get close to Hank, probably to destabilize Nick. It's like a really bad political thriller, but with more woging and less coherent dialogue. And frankly, it's just rude to mess with someone's love life, even if their love life is a train wreck."
Their investigation, a blend of Adam's meta-knowledge and Ciri's sharp tracking skills, led them to a series of subtle manipulations. Adalind was poisoning Hank, slowly eroding his trust in Nick, turning him against his partner. It was a slow, insidious attack, far more dangerous than a direct confrontation.
"Alright, Ciri," Adam whispered, observing Adalind as she subtly charmed Hank. "Here's the plan. We disrupt Adalind's scheme. We protect Hank. And then, maybe a little acid for Adalind's minions. Because, frankly, some schemes just need to be dissolved."
They moved swiftly, Adam's enhanced senses easily cutting through Adalind's subtle manipulations. They found her preparing a particularly nasty potion for Hank, a malicious glint in her eyes.
"Hey, Poison Ivy!" Adam called out, stepping into the dim light. "Your romantic dinner plans have been canceled. And your potion just got a 'do not consume' label."
Adalind shrieked, her face contorting into a Hexenbiest woge, her eyes glowing with malevolent magic. She unleashed a burst of dark energy at them. Adam merely blinked, unaffected. He'd even popped a Golden Oriole potion for enhanced resistance to poisons and magical effects, just to be extra immune. His eyes, for a brief, terrifying moment, turned completely black, reflecting Adalind's startled face.
Adalind, used to her victims cowering, stumbled back, a whimper escaping her throat. This wasn't right. This human… his eyes were the void. It was unnatural. It was terrifying. Her magic, usually so potent, felt… muted.
Ciri, seizing the moment of hesitation, moved. Her silver sword was a blur, disarming Adalind with a precise flick of her wrist. Adam followed up with a powerful, non-lethal strike, knocking the Hexenbiest unconscious.
"Well, that was easier than expected," Adam mused, pulling out a Dimeritium bomb. "Guess she wasn't expecting the 'black-eyed, sarcasm-slinging Witcher with an anti-magic grenade' approach." He then proceeded to detonate the bomb, creating a cloud of magic-disrupting dust around Adalind. "See, Ciri? Less talk, more anti-magic. That's efficiency."
[ Magical Effect: Hexenbiest Magic Disrupted. ]
[ Kill Count: 0 Wesen. Level Up! Current Level: 5. Kills to Level 6: 32. ]
"Still Level 5, but progress!" Adam exclaimed. "This is like a boss fight, but with better loot. And speaking of loot, I'm pretty sure I saw a Maurits in the news. Rat people. Next up, pest control, supernatural edition." He paused, then looked at Ciri. "Hey, you know, this whole 'femme fatale' thing? It's a classic trope. You ever try to explain tropes to someone who only understands 'hit them until they tell the truth'?"
Ciri stared at him, her brow furrowing. "Femme… fatale? What is this 'femme fatale' you speak of? Is it a new type of magical creature?"
Adam sighed dramatically. "Oh, Ciri. We have so much to discuss. It's a long, complicated conversation. Involving seductive villains, tragic heroes, and a lot of therapy. But for now, let's just say it's why some women are so… dangerous." He grinned. "Now, about those rat people…"
Nick, meanwhile, with Monroe's help, managed to protect Hank from Adalind's manipulations. He found Adalind's lair, empty save for a lingering scent of fear and a faint, acrid smell. Another mysterious intervention. Nick felt a growing sense of gratitude, mixed with a healthy dose of unease. Who were these people? And why did they keep cleaning up his messes before he even got there?