Merlyn couldn't comprehend what the knocker was trying to accomplish, but despite the lack of answer, they still continued to knock.
She had thought that they would either leave or break in, yet for another 20 minutes a knock would occur. Finally, going against her good judgment, she crept to the door.
"Why have you come?"
She tried to sound intimidating, though she didn't speak often, so her voice came out strained.
There was a brief moment where she heard scuffling outside, then a voice answered.
"I have come seeking the Witch of Death."
Merlyn hadn't known what to expect, but hearing that certainly wasn't it. Few travelers came around this area, yet somehow those who had encountered it had titled her a Witch? Of Death??
And if they knew her as this, why had these visitors acted so passively?
Cursing herself for speaking earlier, she told them to leave.
"Please, I wish to speak to you."
The voice was persistent. The thought of opening the door crossed her mind, but she rejected it immediately. Only trouble would await her by doing so, even if they weren't planning to attack her.
"Leave."
"Pease, just a moment would be fine."
She was fortunate to not have gone berserk already, but the longer this continued, the greater the likelihood.
Why were these visitors so determined, why didn't they just barge in?
As if reading her mind, an annoyed feminine voice whispered,"Can't we just open it already?"
"No, you may head back if you'd like, but I need to do this."
Merlyn frowned. She really wasn't going to get rid of them unless she met them. Although she had no need to leave the hut, there was too much of a risk having people around.
'I'll try one more time, and if it doesn't work, I'll just have to see what they want.'
She promised herself, before adding a sharp tone to her voice.
"If you do not leave soon, I can not guarantee you will keep your life."
There was a tense silence that almost made her believe they would give up, but...
"If I am able to see you, I will take that chance."
Well, there went that hope.
Heart pounding, she reached for the door handle.
"Fine."
And she opened it and retreated, watching the figure at the doorway. The man's eyes opened in surprise, but quickly flickered over her. Was he looking for something?
"You have met me, is that all?"
He looked up to her eyes, taking a small step forward. She took a step back.
"Could-- are you Merlyn?"
Merlyn sucked in a deep breath, her mind racing as it tried to process the meaning behind the question.
There were few people who could know her name and search for her, all of them consisted of those from her village, yet those who would have looked like this man could only be...
She glanced down to check his arm, but it was missing.
No.
Oh no.
He couldn't be. Why had he come?
Suddenly she hunched over, clenching her teeth as she tried to stay in control. While her emotions weren't the only things that caused her go into a frenzy, they were a cause, and she was experiencing quite a few.
The man stepped forward to help.
"Stop! You need to leave, quickly before-"
She no longer hid her fear. Desperately, she threw herself at the hut's side, crashing through the wood and tumbling outside.
She had to get as far away from them as she could.
"Wait!"
As she stumbled forward, a hand clasped her wrist.
"No go-ahhh!"
She screeched as she lost control.
~~~
Leonard's companions had waited for nearly half an hour watching from a few meters back, as he tried to get a response from the hut.
The female, Anne, grew increasingly irritated. She had only offered to guide Leonard and his friend, Frederick, to the hut out of interest. She had assumed they planned to detain her, so she might have been able to watch a fight.
The title, The Witch of Death, was from an exaggerated account that some adventurers had told a while back. They had claimed a witch with dark magic had attempted to kill them in the Eastern Plains, but no one really believed their story.
Magic and magical creatures had long since become extraordinarily rare to encounter, plus if the stories of past witches were true, then a witch would be too powerful to accidentally allow the adventurers to escape alive.
The occupant of the hut was probably some female criminal using the guise of witch, surrounding her hideout with dead plants, to keep others away. That was why she thought the two men had come to capture her and maybe collect a bounty.
But so far they taken a two hour trip just to wait for someone, who may not even be in the hut, to answer the door.
It was a complete waste of time.
Finally someone spoke from inside the hut, though Anne couldn't tell whether she was grateful or angry. They had knocked on the door for so long, yet only now did the occupant answer?
As she inched forward to listen to the conversation, she heard them say "Leave".
"Can't we just open it already?" Anne looked at Leonard, frustrated by the lack of action and not wanting to wait longer.
"No, you may head back if you'd like, but I need to do this."
Glaring, she moped back to where Frederick stood. She wasn't planning to journey back alone, so she grudgingly stood aside, losing any interest in Leonard and the the Witch's interaction.
That was, up until the Witch burst through the wall, screaming as Leonard clutched her arm.
As Frederick and her stared wide-eyed, the Witch began attacking Leonard.
As Frederick went over to help, Leonard managed to jump out of the way of an attack, but the Witch became more fervent. He barely got away with a scratch after trying to dodge, when she paused mid-swing.
"Wait, stay out of her range!"
Leonard yelled to Frederick, who nodded before searching for the nearest things to throw at her.
Leonard cautiously watched the Witch as he began murmuring something. It reminded Anne of someone trying to calm a wild beast, yet the woman looked anything but calm.
The Witch's eyes focused on Leonard as she let out another scream and ran at him. This time though, a black mist surrounded her hands. Leonard stopped talking as he saw this, wearing a grim expression of fear, he quickly jumped to the side as she hit the wall he previously stood in front of.
Anne gaped and her knees locked when she the wall completely crumble. She knew the walls were weak, but it was clear the force wasn't what reduced the wood to dust.
Anne was realizing too late that the adventurers weren't just exaggerating, the woman who lived in that hut used dark magic.
She was a Witch.
Thinking back on all the tales of dark witches, Anne paled. As she saw Leonard frantically move away from the flurry of scratches and Frederick struggling to help while avoiding getting to close, she came to a decision.
She needed to leave.