Hinweis/Act 1 - Hinweis is Calling

Previous: Act 0 - Prologue
A small cottage, fallen into disrepair, stands meekly in an unkempt grove. Besides the cottage is a bed of lollipop flowers and a row of candy cane crops. Outside the cottage in the front of the cottage garden stands two dismal trees and a boy of about 17 stood beneath them, watering them with a watering can and laying down a bouquet of flowers.
:Hansel: There you go, I hope you like it!
The teen looks on at the trees, still hoping for some kind of response but alas gets nothing.
:Hansel: *sigh* I miss you...
A girl rolls into the grove on a horse and cart. Behind her carrying large amounts of wood and sticks.
:Gretel: Still waiting for a response, eh Hansel?
:Hansel: They're still in there, they have to be.
The girl gets up from her cart and takes a small piece of wood from the back of it. She pulls out a small knife that was strapped to her boot and walks over towards her brother, sitting down and proceeding to widdle the wood.
:Gretel: Hansel, I've been thinking...
Hansel looks on eagerly with curiosity. Gretel continues to widdle away at the wood.
:Gretel: I was in Hinweis earlier today, it's really nice. I saw a nice little house for sale there, a perfect size, below it is a shop that I thought I could turn into a place to sell my carvings. So I...
Gretel stops widdling her wood and looks down at her feet.
:Gretel: I said I'd buy it, Hansel.
:Hansel: W-what..? Gretel...
Hansel places his palm to the bark of one of the trees, he lets out a faint sigh before completing his sentence.
:Hansel: Then... I'll buy it too!
:Gretel: Really? Oh, Hansel!
Gretel jumps up to hug Hansel
:Hansel: Oh course! Where would I be without my big sister! Even if you're only older by 3 minutes...
:Gretel: Uh, there's one more thing I didn't mention... I said I'd pay for it today...
Hansel's eyes widen and the two quickly scramble to get their belongings and move their furniture onto the back of the cart. Gretel grabs their satchels of gold and places them around her waist before climbing onto the front of the waggon. Hansel jumps on the back of the waggon and it begins to move. He takes one last look at his parent's trees and lets out a faint sigh. An owl watches on in the distance.
----
Maldehyde stands peering over a glowing cauldron in her dark and gloomy chateau. Her face lightens up as she watches the cauldron bubble and the image of Hansel and Gretel on their way to Hinweis form before her. She leaves the cauldron's side and heads over to a book encased in a glass box, shrouded in a dark and ominous mist.
:Maldehyde: The time has come, my sweet sister, I shall avenge you.
Maldehyde opens the box and carefully picks up the book.
:Maldehyde: The legendary Book of Schatten...
Maldehyde pulls a potion off of her shelf and uncorks it, sprinkling its contents around her in a spiralling motion. Upon doing so Maldehyde is swept up in a blazing thundercloud and transported to an unspecified location.
----
Hansel and Gretel make their way through the Black Forest and decide to take a short cut through a small clearing in the trees. Upon entering the clearing, their horse seems to panic and refuses to go any further.
:Gretel: Hey hey shh what's wrong girl?
Hansel and Gretel remain silent and look around for a possible explanation for their horse's sudden spooking. Suddenly, a hooded figure jumps down from above the canopy and points a bow and arrow towards Gretel's chest.
:???: Money, now.
Gretel, fueled with sudden adrenaline, mocks the bandit.
:Gretel: Bite me.
:???: Suit yourself...
The bandit pulls back their arrow, ready to kill Gretel, but is suddenly attacked by a strange wolf-like creature emitting a dark mist. Hansel and Gretel watch as the person is attacked by the creature and their hood comes down.
:???: H-help! Oh god!
Gretel looks smugly at Hansel, who is looking on in horror. Seeing Hansel's face, Gretel lets out a faint sigh and the two jump off of their cart to help the girl.
:Gretel: Hansel, get the axe! It's in the back of the cart!
:Hansel: Right!
Hansel runs around to the back of the cart while Gretel tries to pull the unusual creature off of the girl. Hansel returns moments later wielding an axe and quickly hands it to Gretel. Gretel, being the hunter of the twins, takes the axe and attacks the creature before putting in a fatal blow to its head. Upon doing so, the creature explodes into a puff of purple smoke and evaporates into the air.
:Hansel: Whoa, what even was that..?
Hansel and Gretel share looks of confusion and intrigue, standing still for a moment to try and process what exactly just happened.
:Gretel: That was really... weird.
Gretel looks up at her brother before looking down to see the injured the girl laying down amongst the fallen leaves.
:Gretel: Aw shit, she's gonna bleed out! Quick let's take her to a doctor.
:Hansel: R-right!
Hansel and Gretel grab ahold of the girl and lift her carefully onto their cart. Hansel rummages around in a box and pulls out a bandage, wrapping it around the girl's arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Once she is covered with a blanket the two set off on their journey to Hinweis in hopes of finding a doctor. Watching on from up in the trees is Maldehyde, with a look that could turn milk sour.
:Maldehyde: Hmm, it seems I may have underestimated the children. Perhaps I shall have to use all of the book's pages...
Maldehyde cackles to herself and pulls the Book of Schatten from her robe.
:Maldehyde: I have waited 10 years for my revenge, do not worry, sweet sister, you shall be avenged. An eye for an eye.
Maldehyde pulls a vial from her robe, uncorks it, and sprinkles its contents around herself in a twirling motion. Engulfed by a cloud of smoke and lightning, Maldehyde disappears.
----
Hansel, Gretel and the thief girl, pulling out of the forest and into the outskirts of Hinweis, notice a large farm in the distance..
:Gretel: She won't last much longer without proper assistance Hansel, I think we should ask for help at this farm.
Hansel nods at Gretel and begins to direct the cart towards the farm.
:???: ...Thank you...
:Gretel: Huh?
:???: Thank you, thank you for helping me, after I... well, y'know...
:Gretel: Trying to rob and kill me?
:???: Y-yeah... I'm sorry about that by the way...
:Gretel: Well, water under the bridge I suppose, but you should really be thanking my brother, I was prepared to watch that thing tear you in two.
The girl lets out a faint chuckle.
:Gladys: I don't blame you honestly, I'm Gladys' by the way.
:Gretel: Gretel. My brother's Hansel.
The two shake hands, but Gladys quickly pulls back as her arm begins to bleed heavier.
:Hansel: We're here Gretel! I'm gonna check if anyone's home, stay with her okay?
Gretel nods in Hansel's direction and attempts to help stop Gladys' wounds from gushing more blood.
----
Hansel walks up to the large front door of the hous, pauses for a moment and knocks the door with three loud bangs. As he waits for a response, he reads the sign above the door.
:Hansel: "Engelbert's Dairy Farm"?
Hansel's out loud thinking is interrupted by the opening of the door. A girl, about 16 in age, stands before him, with rosy cheeks and porcelain skin. Her hair, short and a deep auburn orange, eyes so dark that Hansel was drawn in by their beauty.
:???: May I help you?
Hansel stands in front of her, bright red unable to get his words out.
:???: Sir?
:Hansel: I... Uh..... We need.... I....
The girl giggles, putting her hand over her mouth as she does.
:???: I'll get my father.
The girl leaves the doorway, Hansel's eyes follow her as she moves into the next room.
:Engelbert: I'm Engelbert, can I help you?
Hansel is still in a daze and looking past Engelbert in the direction the girl headed.
:Engelbert: Ehem...
Hansel suddenly snaps back into reality and begins to explain.
:Hansel: Oh! Uh, we need your help, me and my sister found a girl in the forest like she'd been attacked by a wolf, we're taking her into town but she's in pretty bad shape and we were wondering if maybe you could help us?
:Engelbert: Hmm, I'm not so good at helping people, if you had brought me a cow then sure I'd be great help, but, people? My daughter is better at this kinda stuff. Maaike! Get in here!
The girl from before runs from the other room into the doorway and stands before Hansel, who begins to blush uncontrollably again.
:Engelbert: Maaike darling can you help this young man, he says he found a girl in the forest attacked by a wolf.
:Maaike: A wolf? Oh my.
Maaike and Hansel prepare to set off down to Hansel and Gretel's cart, Maaike rummages around in a small wooden box with a green cross painted on its lid. She pulls out a collection of bandages and a bottle of some sort of liquid as well as a mortar and pestle and a small collection of herbs. Before Maaike leaves, Engelbert stops and whispers to her.
:Engelbert: Maaike dear, we don't know these people, take this dagger, just in case. We can't trust them, not yet.
Engelbert hands his daughter a small, steel, dagger. Maaike reluctantly takes it from him and places it in her apron alongside all of her medical equipment.
:Maaike: Oh dad, I'm sure these people are fine.
Maaike and Hansel leave the farm and head down the driveway towards the cart where Gladys and Gretel are.
:Gretel: You found help? That's great! Come on get in here she's bleeding real bad.
Maaike and Hansel climb onto the cart to see Gladys wrapped up in a blanket with various ripped sheets around her bleeding arm. Maaike pulls out the mortar and pestle and hands them to Hansel along with a handful of herbs.
:Maaike: Here, grind these into a paste.
:Hansel: Uh, okay.
Hansel begins to grind the herbs into a paste as Maaike begins to undress Gladys' wounds and applies the bottled liquid to it.
:Gladys: Ow! Fcuk that hurts!
:Maaike: I know, but don't worry, it'll help.
Hansel finished grinding the herbs and prepares to hand the mixture back to Maaike.
:Hansel: H-here.
Hansel hands Maaike back the mortar and pestle with the freshly ground herbs inside it. She takes a small wooden spoon and scoops up some of the ground herbs, placing the mixture onto Gladys' wound before dressing the wound in a bandage.
:Hansel: S-so *clears throat* So, you're quite the skilled doctor huh?
:Maaike: Eh, not really. I mostly just learnt this stuff looking after the animals on the farm and stuff, then why my mother got sick and my dad hurt his back, I sort of began working more on people.
Maaike and Hansel stare into each others eyes for a brief moment.
:Maaike: S-so, what brings you this way? We don't get many visitors here in Hinweis.
:Hansel: Well my sister, Gretel, is buying a place here, we used to live in the Black Forest but when she told me she was moving I decided to move with her.
Maaike smirks to herself and blushes slightly as she continues to dress Gladys' wounds
:Maaike: Sister! Oh I thought maybe she was your girlfriend.
:Hansel: Oh god no! She's my twin, older by tree minutes.
:Maaike: So, no girlfriend then?
Hansel blushes uncontrollably and his eyes widen. Maaike notices this and giggles to herself
:Hansel: N-no, no girlfriend.
:Maaike: Wow...
Maaike and Hansel both slowly lean into each other, closer and closer as their eyes begin to slowly close and their lips pucker.
:Gladys: Oh my god you guys! Jesus fuck come on, I'm bleeding out here!
Maaike draws back before she and Hansel have the chance for their lips to meet.
:Maaike: R-right sorry.
Maaike pulls a roll of bandage from her apron and begins to wrap around Gladys' arm. A rumbling sound can be heard in the distance, Gretel's voice can be heard from outside the cart.
:Gretel: Uuh, you guys?
Hansel and Maaike peer out from the waggon to see five of the strange wolf-like beasts charging towards their location, howling a low pitched howl as they run.
:Hansel: O-ohhh dear
:Gretel: You guys stay in there, I can take 'em...
:Hansel: Y-you sure?
Gretel's eyes narrow and she smirks as she grabs her axe, ready to kill the beasts.
:Gretel: Very sure...
As the creatures grow closer, Gretel raises her axe and prepares for the first swing, suddenly, a sixth creature jumps from the side, knocking Gretel off of her feet and onto the ground
:Gretel: Aw shit.
The creature attempts to bite Gretel, but she blocks its bite with the handle of her axe, attempting to push it off of her. Looking off to the side she notices the five beasts, one of which is about to pounce on her.
:Gretel: Aw shit!
The beast is suddenly smacked away by a long piece of wood armed by Hansel. Gretel then pushes the other beast from atop her.
:Hansel: I thought you said you got this?
:Gretel: Shut up, Hanny.
Hansel and Gretel exchange smirks. The six creatures regroup and growl at the twins before splitting into two groups of three and pouncing at them
Hansel smashes the wood onto one of the creature's heads, causing the beast to explode into a cloud of smoke. Gretel swings her axe to the left, slicing a creature across its stomach and causing it to explode. Maaike's voice can be heard from the waggon.
:Maaike: You guys okay out there?
:Hansel: Uuuh...
A creature attempts to pounce on Hansel but he whacks it with the wooden stick, causing it to snap
:Hansel: Y-yeah, we're good!
Gretel swings her axe at the beast Hansel had just hit, causing it to explode into smoke. Another creature attempts to attack Gretel, but Hansel stabs it using the broken end of his stick. It explodes into smoke.
With two creatures left to fight, the twins separate and attempt to lure the creatures in opposite directions. As they spread apart, Gretel loses her footing and slips into a shallow ditch, however, the two creatures both head towards Hansel
:Gretel: Hansel! Watch out!
Hansel points his stick out towards the beasts, not realising he's holding it backwards, with the dull end pointed out towards the beasts. The creatures knock the stick from his hands and pounce on Hansel. One of the creatures chews on his left boot while the other pins him down, growling and dribbling in his face.
The beast slowly leans into Hansel's face, as if taunting him, just as the creature is about to bite Hansel, it lets out a yelp before exploding into purple smoke.
Maaike stands above him, holding the dagger her father handed to her before she went to help. She swiftly and gracefully spins around in a ballerina-like fashion, stabbing the final creature in the face, causing it to explode.
:Hansel:Whoa...
Maaike turns around, from Hansel's view it appears as if slow-motion, a soppy romantic fantasy as if from a fairytale. She reaches her hand out to help him up.
:Maaike: Are you alright?
:Hansel: Y-yeah... Where did you... Where did you learn to do that?
:Maaike: I used to do ballet as a child. The dagger was just coincidence I guess.
The two chuckle before hearing Gretel speak
:Gretel: Alright, alright.
Gretel dusts herself off after standing back up and heading back towards the cart.
:Gretel: So how's she going to be?
:Maaike: Oh, she should be fine, don't worry. The wound wasn't as deep as it looked. As long as you change her bandages every day and apply this she'll be back to normal in no time.
Maaike pulls a small jar of ointment from her apron and gestures it towards Gretel.
:Gretel: I don't know if we'll be able to do that? We're moving and I'm going to have a shop to open.
Gretel looks over to Hansel, who looks over to Maaike.
:Maaike: Well, I could always see if she could stay here. When she's better she could help me on the farm.
Maaike smiles at Gretel and puts the jar back in her apron. She leaves to the farmhouse and returns a few minutes later with her father, Engelbert, who is carrying a large bedsheet.
:Engelbert: I guess she can stay, just come back and see her sometimes, I don't want to have to deal with your mistakes.
He looks at the twins with a face of annoyance, but is thrown off by his daughters nudge.
:Maaike: Come on, let's get her inside.
Maaike and Engelbert lower Gladys onto the sheet and pick her up with it, like a makeshift stretcher. Maaike looks at and smiles at Hansel
:Maaike: I'll come and visit you in Hinweis real soon Hansel.
She blushes and winks at him before disappearing into her home with her father and Gladys.
He stands mesmerised by her, only to be knocked out of his trance by Gretel pushing him lightly.
:Gretel: Ooooh, I think somebody has a cruuuush.
Gretel mimics kissing noises and pretends to imitate Hansel and Maaike's voices
:Gretel, doing Hansel's voice: Oooo Maaike, kiss me!
:Gretel, doing Maaike's voice: Oooo Hansel!
Gretel continues to make kissing noises, but is nudged by Hansel, prompting her to stop and laugh
:Gretel: I'm just messin', I think she's sweet, it'd be cool if you two got together.
Hansel blushes deeply.
:Hansel: Come one, let's get back on the road to Hinweis.
The twins get back into their waggon and head off down the road. From the roof of the farmhouse, Maldehyde can be seen standing and observing.
:Maldehyde: Impossible!
Maldehyde pulls a book from her robes and throws a vile onto the floor beneath her, causing her to errupt into a cloud of smoke and lightning. With that, she is gone.
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