To Kill A Witch {Psuedo&Kolath}

Gretel gave a soft groan as she roused herself from her dreams. The light streaming in from the window proved to serve as her alarm this morning as the sun shined right across her face. She sat up with a sigh and she rolled her neck and shoulders trying to ease the kinks out of them. “Someday, I’m going to sleep of a feather mattress, and I am going to sleep for days….” She said as she rubbed at a particular knot on her shoulder. She looked down at her brother who slept on the floor and she gave a soft laugh “Well, I suppose it could be worse.” she said.

She glumly climbed out from under the uncomfortable bed but warm sheets. She rose from the mattress and her bare feet padded softly across the room over to the wash bowl. She looked at herself in the mirror and a frown graced her lips. A bruise crested her left cheek bone and she had purple splotches decorating her shoulders and torso. The last witch they had hunted a few villages back had been a doozy. The crazy old bat lived in a cave and seemed to enjoy causing rock slides, one of which the siblings had just barely managed to escape. They had cut off her head and burned her remains like all the other ones but not without garnering a few injuries in the process.

Shaking her head at the thought of the last witch they hunted, the young witch hunter washed her face with the cool clear water and scrubbed gently at her cheek. She had bathed the night before which was a welcome relief after being covered in dust and witch blood. Still she thought perhaps the bruise on her cheek was partly dirt, but alas she would have to live with the splotch for a few days it seemed. She then proceeded to get dressed in her usual wear, after all they were going hunting today. They knew a relative area to find the witch and they were being paid well to do it. Glancing at her crossbow in the corner she pursed her lips thinking she should clean it and oil it later.

Gretel looking down at her snoring brother once more and shook her head at him. She grabbed a pillow off the bed and threw it at him. “Hansel wake up.” she said before throwing the other pillow at him when he just groaned and mumbled at her to go back to sleep “It’s morning you bum, get up.” She said with a laugh

Hansel sighed mumbling to his sister through the pillow before tossing it back at her. "You try getting up every two hours to stick yourself with a needle and see how well you sleep." He sighed as though to make a point the clock he used as a timer went off. Reaching into his bag he pulled the injector from it and bending one leg at the knee stabbed himself in the thigh. He felt the alchemical fluid flow into his blow keeping the witches curse at bay.

Sighing again he stood wearing only his breaches as he slipped from under the covers on the floor. He stood and stretched his back and arms sighing as his muscles moved under his skin. "I don't know about you Gretel but that witch yesterday put up a hell of a fight." He walked over to the water basin and splashed cold water on his face sighing in pleasure before reaching for a towel and using it to wash his chest a little cleaning of the sweat from last night.

Finally he went over and pulled his shirt on as well as his leather vest. Buckling his belt over them he moved over to a chair and picked up his shotgun starting to break it down to make sure it was well oiled and ready for a day's work. "Do we have any more intelligence on the witch the town wants us to go after?"

Gretel nodded her head at him "Yeah, no kidding. We should really just take a holiday." she said. Frowning slightly as she prodded her cheek again. She shook her head and took lot of their supplies. They had enough for a few more days but if this witch hunt didn't end quickly they'd have to restock before they left. She sighed softly as she crossed the room and picked up her cross bow before joining Hansel at the table and beginning to clean it. "Not that I know of, the biggest issue they had was a couple of the women returning from the woods apparently bewitched... they've killed one of them for witchcraft and adultery already." She shook her head at that and began cleaning her crossbow a little more vigorously.

"Honestly these people are so dense sometimes. The difference between a real witch and some poor woman who's under a spell." She checked the firing mechanism on her bow and slid the pin back into it place before pulling the string back and checking the tension. Satisfied with the weapon she set it down. She crossed her arms and looked at her brother then "So, since we don't have an exact location on any kind of lair or den, I would assume we want to try and draw the witch out, and since the last two were both younger housewives, I figured we use me for bait this time instead of just wandering aimlessly through the woods." She said eyeing her brother warily knowing he wouldn't like the idea at all. "I know it's dangerous but it couldn't be that bad, we already know their spells don't work on us." she said

Hansel worked on his shotgun cleaning the barrel and then the firing hammer and pin making sure that nothing was there to interfere with the operation of the gun. Slowly putting it back together he spread a mineral oil over the parts making them slide even easier before he reattached everything. "Wait what?" he blinked looking at her as she suggested that she be the bait. He frowned as she was clearly not going to back down just by him telling hey no. Glaring at her he stood up walking over to her and staring into her eyes.

"Gretel remember what almost happened back in Holifern? You went out and were the bait then too. It took me nearly two hours to catch up and rescue you. If I had taken any longer..." he paused knowing she knew what he had meant. The Witch had a thing for young females and was planning on corrupting Gretel in more than just cursing her, she had planned to make a new little bitch for her pleasure and had Hansel not shown up when he did she might have succeeded. This had happened back when they had just entered their late teens and were still learning about the corruption side of magic more than just the temptation side when they were younger.

Gretel rolled her eyes at her brother then and frowned at him. "Come on Hansel, you know Holifern was just a bad hunt in general, we had never dealt with a witch like that before, and it was a few years ago, how long will you hold that against me?" Despite Gretel's words the thought of the witch in Holifern still gave her the chills. That witch had been one of the most dangerous, simply for the fact she had no interest in killing her like so many of the others. The witch in Holifern would have kept her forever, tortured her, and would have raped her given the opportunity. "This hunt is different and your know it. These women coming back from the woods, granted they come back bewitched, but they aren't being killed, or kept. The witch does whatever to them and sets them loose. You'll just have to follow behind more closely this time." she said.

"We have no other way of drawing this witch out Hansel and you know it. So stop being over protective and let me do my job alright? It will be fine, and we'll roast this bitch just like all the other ones." Gretel said, an air of finality in her voice. Looking through their supplies she found one of her dresses. She never wore gowns because they hindered her movement and were obtusive when hunting. This had been a small part of their payment when they hunted down a witch a few years prior. She showed it to Hansel and smiled. "Does this scream 'bewitch me!' to you?" she asked before she began to change clothes.

Once changed into the gown she plaited her hair and then looked at her brother pointedly. "I'll be fine, stop being so worried. Now, let's go hunt down a devil bitch." she said with a smile on her face.

Hansel could only sigh deeply as he had to admit that his sister was right. There was no other way to draw this witch out. Though there was a worry in his mind that he couldn't shake something to do with the fact that one of the witch's victims had been killed for adultery. It didn't sit well with him and he would have preferred more time to figure things out.

However as she clearly showed by changing in the same room as him Gretel had no intention of waiting for him to feel comfortable. He turned his head and body away doing his best not to look, he knew what a woman looked like naked and even knew that his sister was a wonderful example of a woman with very full curves in all the right places to make any red blooded male respond to her, even if that male was her brother. He focused on his shotgun working it over till he was satisfied which seemed to be about the same time that Gretel was done changing as well.

He looked her over and wasn't able to stop a rush of desire for a beautiful woman rush over him before slapping himself mentally and reminding himself that was his sister. She would probably also kill him for thinking that way. Pushing away from the table he snapped the shotgun back closed before hoisting it over his shoulder and smiling at her. "I think we shall." He opened the door for her before they headed out into the woods to set up the trap. Hansel couldn't stop grumbling loudly about it till it was set and he either needed to be quiet or give the trap away.

Gretel gave him a pointed glare when he simply wouldn't stop trying to mother her. Shaking her head at him she elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up, and stay close, I want to catch this bitch and be home in time for dinner, or at least grab some ale before bed." she said with a laugh as she picked up her basket and started her loud perusal of the woods. The women who had been caught by the witch previously had gone out looking for herbs and mushrooms before they came back bewitched so that was the angle Gretel had chosen. She carried a basket full of different plants and weeds. Gretel didn't know much about herbs but she knew at least which ones were good for clotting blood or preventing infections. Might as well be productive as well.

She stooped to pick some wild yarrow that was growing in a patch when she heard a rustling in the trees in front of her. It was not even a moment later that a blackness enveloped her sight. Gretel was out cold just like that.

When she came too she was tied to a post in a creepy little house. "Shit.... Hansel is going to kill me...." she said to herself when she finally caught sight of the witch this bungalow belonged to. Probably once a lovely lady now looked like she had been eaten by a giant oak tree and spit back out, her face was covered in bark like texture and her hair was gnarled and tangled with leaves and dead plants.

"Shit, shit, shit..." she said as she tried desperately to pull her hands free from the rope, but she only succeeded in giving herself some killer rope burns.

The witch gave a pealing laugh before looking at Gretel and turning to her. "Try as you might to escape, you won't be getting out of here until I let you go...." the witch said as she kept crushing whatever herbs it appeared she was going to be using. She turned back to Gretel once more. "I just love to see you pretty little housewifes ruin your lives, your pride and virtuosity is admirable, but this little plant seems to do just the trick."

The witch grabbed Gretel's nose and held it tight to where she was going to be forced to eventually breathe through her mouth. Gretel held her breath until she saw spot and despite her best effort she sucked in a quick lungfull of air. Not quick enough though because as she did the witch blew the powdered herb into her mouth.

Gretel coughed and hacked trying to get out whatever the witch had just done but to no avail. The witch laughed and laughed at her efforts, "Just wait, that's just one of the herbs, I have so many more I can try out on you..." the witch said. Gretel just glared some more and began slowly trying free her wrists once more. "Hansel... please hurry...." she thought to herself.

Hansel had still been cursing softly to himself as he walked a goo ways away from Gretel. He had planned on being there to catch the witch when she struck but Gretel had gotten on his case more than once about staying too close when she was bait. So when he looked up to spot his sister once more as he was doing every few seconds he was fortunate to see her knocked on the head and drug off. He hurried quickly but didn't seem to be quick enough as the witch moved Gretel to the cottage. Reaching the fence around the small home he tried to cross it but found that there was a barrier around the house.

Cursing softly he looked toward the window trying to think of something. "Hang on Gretel I'm coming." He whispered softly even though there was no way that she could hear him coming it felt good at least to say something. He walked around the fence testing every angle but found that with the gate closed there was no way in. starting to worry about his sister at this point he proceeded to take a more direct approach by shooting the barrier. Nothing happened the bullet bounced off and he could just sigh deeply.

Taking another walk around the barrier he looked carefully and found a small creek that ran near the house. In the wall of the creek bed was a small cave that ran under the barrier. He checked its depth and found that it went past the fence. Pulling out his large hunting knife he began to dig working his way as quickly as he could a little more past the barrier and then upward breaking out into the witches yard. Brushing dirt off himself he rushed for the door hoping he wasn't too late.

Gretel had pretty much managed to slightly mangle her wrists from her very sad and short lived attempts at simply pulling her hands free of the rope. Apparently this one actually knew how to tie knots. Her eyes flicked around the area as she tried to search for something to use to get herself free, or as a weapon. Though, freeing herself was priority as of the moment. Amidst her search Gretel remembered she had still strapped a small dagger to her thigh before they set out on this hunt. The question of the day was, with her hands tied to a damn post how on earth was she going to get to it?

She moved and shifted so that her thigh was pressed against the ground and she tried to slide the knife out of its holder beneath her skirt.
The witch had set about crushing a different set of herbs this time and approached Gretel once more with the bowl. Gretel kicked at the witch as she approached only to have a crude knife pressed against her throat. Gretel's eyes widened but once again the witch just pinched her nose and grabbed her face hard. The physical need to breathe beat out her own strong will in the end, and Gretel once more received a lungful of some type of powdered plant.

The witch turned away from Gretel and moved back to her table of ingredients. This one was going to be fun to watch die…

Gretel couched again sounding like she smoked pipe tobacco seven days a week. She scrunched her eyebrows together before once again trying to wiggle her knife out of its holster. Gretel coughed again and she could feel the heat rising in the room, “What did you do to me?” she asked. She felt like she was on fire and her skin was crawling with pinpricks. The witch didn’t answer but only laughed at Gretel’s question.

Hansel hit the door hard with his shoulder, there was one thing that was almost always true about witch's huts they were poorly made. This one proved to be the same as the door crashed inward, his eyes quickly took in the scene in front of him and his finger closed on the trigger of his shotgun even before it was finished coming around. His skill was shown as the blast caught the witch dead center of her chest sending her flying back stunned for a moment.

Moving quickly knowing that he didn't have long before the witch was back up he moved over to Gretel cutting her bonds. At the same time he dropped her crossbow next to her pulling his pistol not even turning to put another shot into the witch was had been coming up behind him. The look on his face said 'I told you so' but choosing not to say it.

Not having time to care for his sister right then Hansel turned back to the witch grabbing her wrist as a wand was raised toward them both. He twisted and the witch shrieked in pain as the bones snapped. Landing a kick to the witches ribs Hansel stepped in grabbing a large butcher knife from the table. His plan was to end the witch with a few well placed chops but she was too fast for him dodging the blows and throwing some power into his face. He resisted the urge to gasp as he fell back trying to brush the powder from his eyes. Blinded for the moment he heard more then saw the witch moving, his foot brushed his shotgun and with a practiced flip he brought it's barrel up and squeezed off two rounds where the witch seemed to be coming from. The first stopped her momentum the second took her head off in one blast. Hansel blinked trying to clear his eyes.

Gretel had watched from her spot against the post she glared at the look her brother shot her. She had tried to stand a couple of times but her legs had wobbled and gave out from beneath her. Hansel had taken care of the witch fairly quickly after he had arrived so it almost seemed her help wasn’t needed. Her skin still felt like it was on fire and she ran her hands along her arms for a moment before attempting to stand again, this time she was more successful. She looked at Hansel. “Hansel, are you all right?” she asked concernedly knowing the witch had thrown the same powder in his face that she had drugged Gretel with. She rubbed at her wrists the angry red marks from the rope standing out against her pale skin.

She picked up her cross bow and frowned as her skin prickled beneath her dress. “She, she did something to me. The herbs… I don’t know exactly what they are…” her voice was scratchy and low and Gretel looked very pale, well paler than usual. She walked over to her brother then and she felt at her throat “Everything, feels really weird right now, but we need to burn this place down….” She said staring at the witch’s corpse and non-existent head it existed just was splattered against the wall now.

She nodded at the lamp that was hanging on the wall. They exited the house before tossing the lamp on the thatched roof and smashing it, the oil spilling out and the flame ignighting it. “We need to get back to the inn… I don’t feel very well…” she said
In all honestly Gretel couldn’t quite tell or understand what was going on with her body right now, she felt like a taught bow string her stomach was in knots and butterfly’s spilt into her stomach whenever she looked at Hansel. Her skin felt like it was on fire and her breasts absolutely ached and her cheeks and chest were flushed a pale pink. She knew this sensation but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it.

Once back at the inn Gretel was quick to strip out of the damned dress, she tossed it into a corner and was left in her nearly see through slip dress and boots. She walked over to the wash basin and splashed water on her face, the cool water only serving to make her shiver slightly. She huffed and leaned against the bowl for a moment before walking on wobbly legs and sitting on the bed. Looking at Hansel who was pacing she bit her lip. “I’m sorry…” she said finally. Sorry was a word nearly nonexistent in her vocabulary and why it was relevant here she was unsure. “Hansel… Hansel, come here.” She said holding out her hand to her brother, she was acting very strange but she seemed sincere enough.

Hansel helped her get out of the hut and then make sure that the fire was well lit before he finally turned and left with her heading back to the inn where they had stayed the night before. The powder she had thrown at him didn't seem to be affecting him in anyway, at least nothing that he could feel. Half of him expected to be turning green or coughing up blood by now but it seemed that he didn't breath any in or at least not enough to affect him.

He moved into the inn room setting both their weapons to the side and then sitting at the table watching his sister. His hand rested on the butt of his turret pistol waiting to see if she was about to go crazy or anything else from that damned witch. He watched her thinking that she might want a shower but didn't move to get her one till he was sure she was alright. He hoped it was just something that would make her sick and then she would be fine but potions and spells often started off feeling like sickness but ended with horrid results.

He looked at her as she said she was sorry and could only sigh before standing and coming over to her sitting on the edge of the bed. He couldn't help but notice how little she had on at the moment and a thought of how sexual she looked sitting there in nothing but her shift. Sitting down he banished those thoughts quickly before speaking, "I was so worried about you my dear sister, I don't know what I would do if I lost you too."

Gretel looked down at her lap and she gave a soft sigh. "I know..." she said shaking her head. "All we have is each other these days..." she frowned then. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. When she glanced over at her brother once more she gave a soft gasp as an odd sensation thrummed through her body. She crossed her legs tightly and bit her lower lip. "Hansel I..." she stopped then and her hands clenched lightly into fists. She set a hand on her brother's leg and she felt the tiniest flutter of relief. His body was cool while her's was burning up. "You trust me don't you Hansel?" she asked and at the look she gave him she bit her lower lip and scooted closer to him on the bed. "And you know I would do anything for you if you needed it?" she said.

Her eyes were a little glazed. Her pupils were wide, barely a rim of brown around the large black circles. Her cheeks were bright pink and her lips were a little swollen from biting them. She shifted towards him finding the closer she was the better she felt. The feeling of flames and pin pricks still ran hell across her exposed skin. She uncrossed and recrossed her legs again.

"Hansel, I need..." she dropped off before biting her lip again. She could place the feeling now, she knew where she had felt it before. On cold winter nights when she shared her bed with one or another faceless men. The ache in her breasts the fire dancing across her skin. Arousal in it's purest and most raw form, and the only man present in this moment was her own brother.

The sane part of her lust addled mind told her she was sick and demented for thinking and feeling this way, but the lust addled part spoke to her own darkest fantasies. Fantasies she never let herself indulge. The sidelong glances at his broad form or the smolder of jealousy she felt when he brought bar wenches back to their rooms. The feeling all reared their heads now, and the burning threatening to devour her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gretel surged forward connecting their lips, Propriety be damned, she needed this and she needed him now.

Hansel had moved over to sit with her slipping an arm around her needing to hold her after nearly losing her, or at least sure feeling like it. He held her tight not wanting to let her go in case this was a dream and he had really lost her to the witch. His hand brushed along her back as she fought to say something explain something that she was needing. He didn't push wanting to give her the time she needed to explain he just hoped it wasn't a cure like his that required constant work to keep it going.

He was shocked when she suddenly turned and kissed him. He didn't pull away just sitting there for a long moment as she kissed him. The kiss sparked with the powder that had been thrown in his face sending sparks through his body exciting him but at the same time he recognized what this was, a spell based in an object, the object being the powder. The thought of pushing her away crossed his mind, but all the stolen glances as she was changing, the looks through the curtain as she stripped her clothes. All the desire he felt for her aided the powder in its work.

His arm slipped around her waist the other hand coming up to cup her cheek before tangling in her long hair. He kissed her back letting himself go into the place the spell wanted him to. He growled softly before suddenly pulling back looking into her eyes his own filled with desire and the lust of the spell but he needed one thing first. "Tell me you want this Gretel, not the spell not what the witch is making us feel...but you...that you want me."

Gretel sighed softly against his mouth when he finally started to respond. She leaned further into him only to whimper when he pulled away. Her breathing was accelerated and her cheeks were bright red, “Hansel I…” she started thinking he had only indulged her for a moment and was now regretting it. At his question she frowned and her brow scrunched together as it often did when she was confused. “I…” she dropped off once again as if she was trying to consider her words very carefully. Did she really want this? Did she want Hansel in this way? Surely she wouldn’t have done this without the aid of the witches spell. But just because her spell sparked it didn’t mean that was all there was. Gretel could never lie to herself that much. She knew, somewhere there had always been this desire this time, she simply couldn’t restrain herself.

“I think, I’ve always wanted this…” she paused in her thoughts then and looked at him. “Honestly? I think I’ve always known.” She smiled at him then and wrapped her arms around his neck. “All we’ve ever had is each other.” She said softly before leaning up to kiss him again.

Gretel now understood what the witches intent had been. She didn’t kill the women she took because she wanted to watch them burn. The spell was meant to make your burn with lust. She was intent on watching the women destroy their lives with their own desires. Pride and prudishness thrown to the wind, a lack of inhibition and a burning need to satiated. Gretel found hers fulfilled with the one person in the world she could actually trust. Those other women… she could only imagine their confusion.

Gretel thought of the others no longer then as she gave herself over to the desire.

He looked into her eyes as she confessed that she had always wanted this since they were young. Deep down he looked back into his history to the very first woman he had bedded. Everything he had done was to get Gretel's attention wanting her to say something to stop him, to beg him to do it to her. He could see that he had wanted this just as long as she had wanted it. Leaning down he brushed a hand over her cheek before kissing her deeply.

"I want this too Gretel, ever since we..." he smirked knowing they didn't talk about it but he knew she knew what he meant. Ever since they lost their parents and had learned the way of the witch hunters he had wanted her. Though back then it had been a innocent needing her close because without her he felt alone. As they grew up he found all his fantasies revolved around her as he snuck peaks at her when she was changing behind a screen.

He ran his hand down her arms slowly then over her sides to the bottom of her shift slowly pulling it up her legs. He was slow as his lips continued to hungrily devour hers. His hands brushed the smoothness of her knee and then her outer thighs moving up slowly taking the thin material with it. He still had his vest shirt and pants on she had a lot more to take off then he did but for now he was just enjoying the smoothness of her skin as he slowly exposed more and more of her thighs to his hungry touch.