-Norway Forest-
Hulk and Power Girl, now in her Karen Starr persona, enter the woods the next day, along with a young man armed with a rifle, hoping to find out what is causing people to disappear. It doesn't take long for Hulk to find something that horrified even him- a child's discarded toy.
"Karen!" Hulk yelled, distressed by the concept of an innocent child being 'claimed' by the forest. Karen and the guide ran to Hulk's location. Karen's eyes filled with tears while the guide fell to his knees in horror.
"A child...this...thing...killed a little kid..." Hulk said, horrified.
"All the more reason to destroy whatever did this, to that child and the other victims." Karen said, resting her hand on Hulk's left shoulder. The guide then gasped before looking at the two.
"I think I know what is responsible for all this." The guide said. Karen immediately stood up, fists clenched and obviously still angered by the possible death of an innocent child.
"Tell us. Now." Karen's eyes started glowing red, clearly intending to use her heat vision on him if he doesn't say what is going on. Terrified, the guide spilled the beans.
"Okay! Calm down. It's a local myth, but the locals have believed it to be true for a very long time. Eons ago, an elderly woman and her husband lived deep within the woods for years. The husband got sick, and almost every medication she could find didn't help him. So, she resorted to witchcraft. However, she became consumed by it, and killed her husband when he tried to get the police. As a punishment, some entity put a curse on her and the forest. She became old and decrepit, but still as powerful as before. Anyone that enters the forest either disappears forever or becomes a demon that protects the forest. Every person that disappears, she gains more power. She's known as the Witch of Norway." The guide explained to the two superheroes.
"A witch. Fantastic." Hulk says in an irritated tone.
"Any idea on how to kill this creepy old witch?" Karen asked.
"Apparently, there's an artifact in her lair. A pendant of some kind. If you destroy it, her magic disappears, and she can die, as she'll no longer be immortal." The guide says.
"Well, that sounds very simple. Go into the woods and destroy a pendant." Hulk says.
"Yeah, except it's in the woods. Where the witch lives, and could kill anyone within a second." Karen explained the flaw in Hulk's plan.
"Well, you never know what could happen, Karen." Hulk said. Suddenly, the guide mysteriously flies into the air, screaming in terror. The two heroes chase after him, only to be lead to the entrance of a huge cave.
"How much you want to bet that witch took him in there?" Karen asked.
"I bet 50 dollars, not a dollar more." Hulk said, clearly horrified by what they might find in the cave.
"Well...lets get this over with." Karen said, sounding disinterested by what was about to transpire."
"This ends now. Every person claimed by the witch will be avenged!" Hulk angrily said. He heard Karen snicker, so he looked down at her. "Karen..."
"Do you realize how cheesy that sounds, big green?" Karen asks.
"Whatever. Let's kill a witch. Better?" Hulk asked, trying to upgrade from the bad line.
"Yes...but not by much." Karen says as she gets behind a tree and changes into her Power Girl costume using her super speed.
-Cave-
Hulk and Power Girl enter the cave, immediately horrified by its interior, which is decorated with decayed corpses laying on the floor and hanging from the walls, all of them bearing horrifying expressions of pain.
"My God..." Power Girl whispers, horrified by all the damage this witch has done. "Not since Krypton's destruction have I seen this much death."
"No turning back. We find this witch...and destroy it. Okay?"
"Agreed, big guy. Like you said, let's kill a witch." Power Girl said confidently. The two continue to explore the cave until they hear screaming, and from the sounds of it, the screaming is coming from a man. "Oh, God. She's torturing someone."
"And that someone is our guide, I'd assume." Hulk said before running towards the source of the screams, followed by Power Girl flying after him. The two finally arrive at a chamber. The guide from before is tied to a table as an elderly woman flays a strip of skin off his left arm as he screams in agony. The woman's head violently twitches in the heroes' direction, obviously having sensed their presence.
"Who dares to enter my home unannounced?!" The Witch angrily exclaims.
"Unannounced?! Haven't you heard, hag? The whole town wants you dead!" Power Girl declared.
"Hahaha! Many have tried, maiden. But all have failed." The witch taunted.
"You haven't met us. How do you want to die? Getting pummeled, or set on fire?" Hulk asked. Instead of answering, the witch transformed into a snake the size of an SUV. It lunges at Power Girl, but Hulk intercepts, grabbing the snake by the throat and middle of its body as it wraps its serpentine body around his waist and its elongated tail around his neck, attempting to suffocate him.
"Hulk!"
"Help the man! I got this!"
"Okay!" Power Girl replies as she runs to the bound man and using her super speed, untied him and carries him bridal style out of the cave. She puts him on the ground and steadies him. "Listen! Run back to town, but don't tell anyone to come here! We got this!"
"Are you sure?!" The guide asked, unsure that the heroes can handle the overpowered entity.
"Yes! We can handle this! The witch dies today! Now go!" She yells at the guide, and he quickly runs as fast as he can, given that he still felt the pain of being tortured by the Witch of Norway. Back in the cave, Hulk is struggling with the snake, remembering that the witch enhanced its strength with each victim claimed. Power Girl returned, blasting the snake with her heat vision. The serpent loosened its grip, allowing Hulk to unwrap it from his body and throw it very hard against the wall. The snake turns back into the witch, who stands up to face the two.
"You are ruining my ritual! I could've had this entire town at my fingertips!" The witch screams, angry that the superheroes are beating her. Power Girl rolls her eyes, visibly annoyed by the Witch's whining.
"Oh, shut up, you psychotic, murderous old hag! You've lived your life long enough!"
"Not yet!" The witch roared before lunging at Power Girl and straddling her before driving her claw-like fingernails into her skull. Power Girl screams in agony as blood pours from the wounds in her head. She grabs the witch by the wrists in an attempt to get her claws out of her head, but she's too strong.
"Karen!"
"Hulk, the pend-Ahhhhhhh! Find the pendant!" Power Girl begged as the witch continued to torture the Kryptonian. Hulk frantically searched the area while the witch cackled, relishing in Power Girl's pain.
"When I'm done with you, your big green friend will be my new mate, and Norway will be mine!" The witch taunted as she drives her nails even deeper into her victim's skull.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OWWWWWWWW!" Power Girl screamed.
"The monster will be a perfect lover, maiden. Though you too, are very...alluring." The witch creepily said.
"Ew! Hulk prefers his women hot and gorgeous, like me!" Power Girl says. Hulk finds a strange pendant in a glass case. He smirks and turns around, staring at the witch.
"HEY!" He yells out. The witch turns around and widens her eyes in horror. "This important to you?"
"No!"
"Do it, big green! Kill her!" Power Girl beckons Hulk. Hulk smiles before smashing the pendant with his right fist. The witch rolls off of Power Girl and starts screaming in pain. Power Girl quickly stands up, her eyes glowing red. "Hey, ugly!" She says. The witch looks at the sexy Kryptonian that she tortured. "Time for your trial. The sentence...is death!" Power Girl triumphantly said before blasting her tormentor with her heat vision, setting her on fire. The witch screamed even louder, flailing her arms around before falling to the ground. The cave went silent; the Witch of Norway was finally destroyed. Hulk helps Power Girl stand up and helps her outside, where she basks in the sunlight, healing the puncture wounds in her head caused by the Witch's claws.
"So...sunlight heals you." Hulk stated.
"Yeah. Well, let's go home." Power Girl says as the two leave the forest and board the plane after many thanks are given by the townspeople.
Author's Note: Well, that was long! I was originally going to have the Witch tickle torture Power Girl by having thousands of bugs crawling under her costume, but I decided to have her tickled in a later chapter. If you want her to be tickled like that, let me know.