This story received an Honorable Mention by WattpadWitches :)

Of Giants and Witches

     "You want me to do what?"

     Jack spit out the beer he had been drinking and looked up at the twins in utter madness. The barmaid he had been unsuccessfully tending to looked at him in disgust as the beer sprayed everywhere.

     Gretel sighed in annoyance and gave a fake smile of apology to the barmaid at Jack's behavior. Pushing her coily hair behind her ears and narrowing her hazel eyes at him, she said through gritted teeth, "It's not a matter of want. We need you to help us with the Wi—"

     "Shh shh noooo," Jack put his glass on the counter and waved his hand for another pour. "We don't say that word here. We don't even think about it. Therefore, I'm not entitled to give you an answer to that ridiculous question you just asked me."

     Gretel looked at her sister, Hansel, in annoyance. "He's impossible."

     Hansel pulled out the bar stool and took a seat next to Jack. He looked away from them pointedly. As attractive as the twins were, he was not about to let their looks persuade him into going on a quest as foolish as that. Even if they were his type – caramel brown skin, natural curly hair, pretty eyes. "How about another round for my friend here." Hansel nodded to the barmaid. "Jack, Samhain is right around the corner. On this day, the witch will be the strongest she's ever been. She could obliterate an entire town just because she feels like it. Countless people, children and their families – they can all die once she gains immense power in those 24 hours. Can you live with that?"

     The barmaid slid another glass of beer over to Jack. He gripped the glass in his hand but didn't take a sip yet. Why the hell should he care about the witch? As far as he knows, they've never crossed paths before. And if she wanted to wipe out an entire town, he could just take his leave.

     Right?

     "You do realize that she's a witch, right? She's already powerful enough, or so I've heard. We're just human. We don't have elite strength; what makes you think we can fight her?" Jack had to think logically here. The witch would overpower them in an instant using all sorts of tactics.

     Hansel let a smirk cross her face. "Coming from someone who slayed giants? Don't sell yourself short, Jack."

     That wasn't fair. It wasn't even the same scenario.

     Glancing around the bar he was in, Jack let himself think. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and the sound of chatter and laughter. In this particular bar, the walls were covered in tapestries that depicted epic battles throughout the years, his included. He wanted to be able to relive those battles here at the bar, not end up dying a horrible death by the hands of a witch.

     Jack lifted his glass to take a swig, getting ready to tell the twins to fuck off. Hansel leaned in towards Jack. "Besides, I heard she has magic beans," she whispered.

     Jack felt a surge of electricity shoot up his spine, and a rush of energy released endorphins to his head that made him spit out the beer he had drunk. Again. He earned another nasty look from the barmaid, but this time he couldn't care less. He turned to the twins as a mixture of disbelief and shock settled into the pit of his stomach. "What?"

     Hansel smirked and pulled away. "I mean, if you still don't care, we can just head out ourselves." She stood up and let her eyes travel along his forearms. Dark swirls, vines, covered both of his wrists and his forearms, disappearing underneath the sleeves that covered his thick biceps. The tattoos went higher and could be seen peeking out from his collar onto his neck. These intricate swirls represented beanstalks. His connection with the beanstalks and defeating the giants ran deep, and these adventures have shaped him to be the man he is today, representing his role as a hero. Choosing to get these tattoos was a way of commemorating his victories and realizing his potential.

     Jack reached out and grabbed Hansel's arm before she could stand up. "There weren't supposed to be any more left," he said through gritted teeth. "I used the last of them." Not to mention he cut the beanstalk down right after he did his job. That was years ago now. Looking up at his face, a few scars here and there could be seen, reminding people of his brave encounters with the giants. But beneath the harsh scars still lied excitement and adventure behind his eyes.

     "Yes, you did." She pulled her arm free from his grip. "But she's a powerful witch. I'm not surprised she got her hands on more of them." She stood up and stood next to her sister. "So what's it going to be, Jack? Are you going to sit there and let the witch go free with your beans? Or are you going to-"

     Sober now, Jack stood up and fastened his shotgun to his harness. The mere mention of the magic beans was enough to get him on board. "Yeah, save the speech. I'm in."

~~~

     Leaving the bar with Hansel and Gretel, he saw only two horses outside. He raised an eyebrow and looked at them. "You weren't expecting me to actually join, were you?"

     Gretel chuckled. "Not exactly, no. Here, take my horse.. And do be careful with Shimmer, she doesn't care for men."

     Jack watched the two get on one horse and turned to the black and white spotted horse. Gulping, he grabbed onto the handle and hauled himself onto the saddle. As Shimmer neighed and moved uncomfortably, Jack felt his stomach churn. Maybe he wasn't completely sober like he thought. Or maybe things were becoming too real as he thought of those beans and the possibility of them being planted again. "Easy, girl," he mumbled. "Where to?" Jack asked the twins.

     "We're heading for the witch's house. We'll discuss the plan on the way."

     Jack and the siblings made their way through the woods to the witch's domain. The area wasn't too unfamiliar to Jack. In fact, he might have passed by the area once or twice when he was chasing a giant through these parts. Chasing giants back then seemed like a normal day on the job for him. His encounters with them were nothing short of terrifying. Towering in size and possessing an intimidating strength, they were a formidable enemy. They proved a challenge for Jack, but he loved every minute of it. Each fight and victory brought him a sense of accomplishment.

     That is, until the world became tired and bothersome of so many inhumane creatures and sorcerers in the world. One of them had to go sooner or later, and seeing as witches couldn't be controlled, Jack was forced to cut the beanstalk and cut off contact with the giants.

     Not the best way to end a relationship.

     "Whoa!" The horse that the twins were on suddenly whined and bucked the two off of its back. It sensed something was near and wasn't going past a certain point. Hansel and Gretel rubbed their butts. "I guess this is where we go on foot."

     Jack slid off of Shimmer and rubbed her head. "This is also where we have to talk about that plan now. The horses sense something in these parts, and we won't–" Something flew towards Jack, and he leaned back just as a knife pierced the horse's saddle, making Shimmer and the other horse scurry off. Looking in the direction of where the weapon came from, Jack made a face.

     It was the witch. And she was grotesque. Didn't he hear somewhere that the witch was supposed to be a man's dream? She was stealing children like this? In this form? "This is the witch? No wonder we've never crossed paths before. I'd never come across someone so hideous."

     Hansel and Gretel looked over at Jack in surprise, mixed with a bit of horror. Yes, he just called a powerful witch ugly and did so while she was standing not even 10 feet away from him.

     Releasing a spine-tingling screech, the witch lunged for Jack, levitating at him and tackling him onto the ground. Jack couldn't help the screech that came out of his mouth as she got in his face. She kicked his gun out of his hand and put her knobby fingers to Jack's throat.

     "Jack!" Hansel pulled out her razor-sharp throwing knives and tossed them at the witch on top of Jack. Like the wind, the blades sliced through the air, but the witch lifted one hand and deflected the knives away effortlessly, sending them flying back at Hansel.

     "Hansel!" Gretel pulled out her bow and fired three arrows at the witch. One managed to hit the witch in the back, but she swiftly pulled it out of her and tossed it back at Gretel, managing to hit her in the leg.

     "For fuck's sake," Jack choked out as he tried to get the witch off of him. He reached for his gun, writhing and bucking under the witch. Finally able to grab his gun, he hit the witch over the head and scrambled back. Meeting up with the twins, they all breathed hard and readied themselves.

     "You just had to go and provoke her?" Gretel mumbled, notching an arrow to her bow and eyes fixed on the witch. She had managed to pull the bow out of her leg, but with the adrenaline rushing through her veins, she was in no pain at all.

     Jack gripped his shotgun, its familiar weight grounding him with confidence. He had to admit that he did just provoke the witch and caused her to attack them in surprise. She loomed over them, her eyes glowing crimson. Releasing a growl, she unleashed a wave of dark magic, causing the ground to tremble beneath them.

     With a synchronized leap, the three scattered, narrowly evading the dark vortex beneath their feet. Hansel then launched herself at the witch while Gretel aimed her bow at the witch's heart. She let her arrow fly, but the witch, always one step ahead, conjured a barrier of vines, intercepting the arrow and Hansel herself before either one of them could hit the witch. Gretel switched her aim, releasing a volley of arrows towards the vines to drop their defenses. The arrows flew through the vines, making them erupt into dirt that rose like smoke around the witch, deeming her blind.

     Jack, seizing the opportunity, grabbed his shotgun and unleashed a deafening blast, sending silver slugs at the witch. The slugs shot through the smoke towards her, resulting in her letting out another spine-chilling shriek. Now was the time to end this.

     Hansel closed in on the witch with her blades. Gretel fired more arrows that pierced the witch's barricade of smoke to distract the witch. Jack, taking advantage of the distraction, circled around.

     As the smoke dissipated, Hansel's knives pierced the witch's decrepit body. Gretel's arrows striked the witch's heart, further weakening her. Finally, another deafening blast from Jack's shotgun delivered the final blow, an unmistakable gape in her chest where her heart should have been. The witch faltered, her dark magic dissipating into the surrounding woods as she fell to the ground.

     Hansel, Gretel, and Jack stood over the witch and watched as she crumbled and started to wither into ash, but not before her palm opened and three small beans rolled out onto the dirt, conveniently getting mopped up into the witches spilled blood.

     Just as fast as the beans melted into the earth, three stemmed leaves sprouted in their wake right before Jack's eyes.

     "Son of a b-"

~~

The End.