Resting back on my haunches, I can at least have a bit of decorum in this situation without my bare ass jiggling for all to see.
A giant man stands a metre away from me, his skin sun kissed, adorned in bronze rings and gems. He is so large he's using his body to block the sun, gifting me a patch of shade.
Wait a minute. That can't be a man, that's a… that's a..
“Sorry.. what are you?” I say, almost breathless. My brain not understanding what I'm seeing. Looking around, desolate lands stretch to the horizon. Dirt swirls in the air as it moves with grace around us. The warmth of the corridor suddenly becomes obvious asit must come from the heat of this place. Several trees are scattered around, but they have not a single leaf. Just jagged, sharp branches growing upward to the blinding white sun.
Shielding my eyes with my hands, the man stands grinning proudly at me.
“I am the Gatekeeper for this Realm. Your eyes will adjust. I have been sent word that human females require much smaller clothing, which I have prepared in case we were fortunate to receive one. We have all shared in the excitement of the recent bonding in Realm Seven.”
“I don't understand, you're a Gatekeeper? Realm Seven? Smaller clothing? Smaller than what?” The words spill out of me because what he's saying simply doesn't make sense. Yes, it feltlike I was being transported somewhere, but it was precisely that, a feeling. I didn't actually mean it.
“You have passed through the Gate to Realm Six. You asked it to open, did you not? A trade ofanythingwas offered, and the Gate accepted. I believe it answered your request.”
“I mean, technically yes, but I didn't know what it meant. I didn't realise.” My words drop to a whisper as what he's saying sinks in. I've become the main character in some B-grade movie about magic portals and some other bull shit. “What happened in Realm Seven? You're smiling, so I assume it's a good thing I'm here.”
He almost bounces on his toes as he explains about a human female becoming bonded to another Gatekeeper, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he's hoping for. Easing up from the ground, I'm not bothered with modesty anymore. His eyes roam my body, and I know I've escaped one shitty situation for another.
“I regret I do not feel the pull of the bond between us, but it does not always happen straight away. There is still time.” His expression softened, hope lighting up his eyes.
“This seems like a convenient story to get in my pants,” I say, growing frustrated. What the hell is happening?
“I fear you have no pants for me to get into,” he sighs woefully. “If I may approach, we have a new arrival to the Realm,” he gestures behind me, and I glance back to see an ornately carved door in the side of a small mountain.
What the…
The handle rattles as if someone is pulling on the other side and not pushing, just as I did. It gives me a little satisfaction knowing I'm not the only one.
“Please, human female, here are some clothes. I will ensure your protection if needed.”
Protection.
I try to make sense of the garment, but I have no clue how I'm supposed to wear it. Giving up, I hastily cover what I can of my body. Taking a few steps backfrom where I stand, so there is more distance between me and whoever is coming through that door.
It swings open with such force, one of the hinges pops off, and it half falls to the side, resting at an angle against the rockface.
The largest creature I've ever seen hunches as he steps through the doorway, his body taking up every inch of space as he passes through. Uncurling himself, he stands tall, skin a dark olive green that almost looks grey in the light. Two large tusks protrude from his bottom lip as he nods, brushing his shoulders off, walking toward the Gatekeeper. I can't make out what they’re saying, their voices barely audible from where I stand. Suddenly, they both turn to me. The Gatekeeper grins as the giant creature next to him looks me over.
“Are you– Are you– A Gatekeeper as well?” I try to sound confident, but my voice breaks at least twice as I stammer the words out. He looks the complete opposite to the Gatekeeper, but they are roughly the same size. Stranger things have happened today, I guess.
“I am no Gatekeeper. I am an orc, human.”
My body reacts to the low baritone of his voice. Skin tingling, eyes sparkling,pussy throbbing. He is otherworldly, and I want to cling to his body like a coat in a winter storm. Three unassuming letters are the thing to undo me. Not the complete change in environment. Not the nudity or the exchange with the giant human-looking Gatekeeper man. Anorc. I'm talking to anorc, or at least I was, because the heatbegins to feel overwhelming again and spots appear in the corner of my eyes. The sensation of falling forward until… nothing. I don't hit the ground. I'm not in pain. My brain is just taking a break while my heart beats in a comfortable rhythm.
Chapter 4
Steve
This is the part I hate the most. Leaving my Realm to travel, well, anywhere. Portarius and Emmie watch eagerly from the other side of the Gate. Its waters lapping at their feet. My Realm is slow. It's comfortable. No one is in too much of a rush, and other than the regulars at my tavern, I interact with other inter-Realm travellers periodically. Always checking if they have been to Realm Six.
Which a demon did, less than three days ago.
Rumours have spread for years about the building tension between orcs and the impish of Imperia, but hearing that they are being rounded up. Imprisoned. It was enough to put all of my preferences aside and obtain the required travel papers to leave.
The Gate of Realm Seven glistens underneath the wooden jetty, and I take a final look at the charred fields that surround us. Realm Six has rich flora, whichcovers the landscape. Greens so lush you would think you were back on earth. I have not visited for centuries, back when my brother was first recruited into its army and awarded his first Imperian medal. We were both so young then. He sought greatness while I was drawn toward a quieter life. Respecting each other's choice to live separately.
Stepping into the water, my clothing becoming heavy, the spirits of the Gate gently pulling at me as I wave goodbye to my friend and his bonded human. I'm so incredibly happy for them, even though a part of me is envious. It's not often you come across the being that will complete your soul, but for Emmie to stumble through Portarius' Gateandfor her to accept the bond, it's almost unheard of. An orc bonding is slightly different, but you still want them to willingly bond to you. The sequence of events that's needed to align is something found in fairytales, not Hell.
