'Out of this World' Chapter One 'Not a Witch'

So I am a crazy perfectionist and if I do not post now this won't ever happen! Hope you enjoy. Humor is probable;3

I will be working on updating this short story together with my 'Feral Love' the Alternative version.



'Not a witch'
'Burning in the Skies' by Linkin Park


The young woman was making her way home through the darkened streets of the city. It wasn't particularly threatening as the lights iluminated the pavement and even some side corners. But work day was incredibly long and she could barely keep her eyes open. Even the refreshing winds of the evening did not help the matter. Alia trudged absentmindedly turning the corner, just a block away was her place, she could just plop into bed and pass out.

What happened next made the young woman nearly jump out of her skin. A loud crash and thump, followed by a rumbling sounds of rattled ramshakle. It sounded as if someone or something had just crashed into the big cistern that was deposited in the alleyway. It was followed by cursing of neighbours and slamming of window frames. She saw a flash of skin in the darkness as the overhead spotlight twitched on and off.

"Oh my God!" Alia fumbled in her pocket to get the flashlight on on her phone as she rushed towards. "Did you just fall from your window? Are you hurt?" The woman approached cautiously. The form in the darkness, curled and writhed, huffing and... growling? Alia halted unsure if she should proceed.

The next few things happened very quickly, as in she hadn't a second to spare to react in any way. Utilize that pepper spray for instance... The tiny green can bounced and rolled away as the 'thing' pounced on her, pinning her body flat to the asphalt.

"Dushatârlob." The raspy, trembling voice seethed. "What have you done to me?"

The second thing occured with the darn spot light flashing back finally, what it did is froze the air in her lungs.

What the heck..? Did they add vodka to the machines in the coffee shop today..?

What she was seeing was something or rather someone that... She couldn't pronounce the word even inside her mind.

Still staring up at her attacker, her lips rounded, attempting to release a sound of surprise, yet nothing but the air escaped, whizzing just like a deflated tire. She was underneath the large, pale body, he held her with such strength her limbs began to drain of blood. The tire noise was replaced with hoarse gasp as his palm landed onto her throat.

"Hrrrr... Stop..! " She rasped, attempting to battle for air and in all honesty her life as pervasive terror froze her limbs.

A firetruck and a police cruiser darted past, the cocophony of the sirens filled the tiny sidestreet. The male rolled off her suddenly, compressing his body tight against the brick wall.

Rubbing her throat and blinking hard Alia sat up, scooting away frantically, her body shook feverishly as she gulped the chilled air. Burning tears carved the trails swiftly. The young woman leaped up, her first thought was to flee but then her gaze landed onto the pale, hunched form.

The male's head was nearly between his thighs, palms covered his head, jaws grinded as a low hoarse huffing escaped his chest... He appeared profoundly distressed...

He had just attacked you!

The woman bit her lip, straightening her numbened limbs she took a step closer. Then took in a deep breath, rubbed her eyes and slapped her face a couple times. Nope. The male was still there, in all his huge and threatining glory. That still, despite his distressed appearance. This was that commander of legions from that popular movie... The Hobbit! The lightbulb came on. Whathisname...

Azog the Defiler. Her memory supplied, as a strong shudder traversed her back. What a name...

Another police car sped by and a pained growl vibrated the silence of the alleyway. It dawned on her, he is in pain. Physical, mental... Sensory..! Don't Orcs supposed to be really good at smelling and hearing things..? It must be all like a giant slap in the face with all that's going on in this world, in the big city instead of those... Ermmm... Thoroughly ventilated dungeons and passage ways, or whatever he was probably used to...

Alia caught a thought passing her mind how quickly she decided that it's ok this person she saw only in the movie happens to exist in real life... It was odd to her rational mind that still battled, screaming at her that Orcs are bad...

What did that dark-haired gnome say... "Throat-cutters... come at night... lots of blood..."

But he looks so helpless and in pain...

Run you stupid! Run! Get home lock your door! Rhhun! Her inner, more reasonable voice was getting hoarse.

The young woman chewed the inside of her lip. If the whole entire other world of magic and different creatures does exist how can she pass this up..? She would have preffered to get a more docile creature of course, an Elf perhaps, or a cute little furry feet... a Hobbit! Yeah and she's stuck with the Orc General...

"The most vile of them all..." Thanks grandpa gnome...

Yet the fact that there he is, a person in pain in front of her, Orc or not...

He had almost strangled you! Alia silenced her inner self.

Her eyes rounded instantly as she recalled one crucial fact, - he might be even stabbed like he was in the movie!

"Mmmm... Ehhh... Azog..?" She tread extremely carefully.

The Orc lifted his head so abruptly she jumped a several feet back, but then was rendered motionless by his stare. His eyes glew in the dark like otherwordly, silver-blue embers, his upper lip curled, exposing the knife-edged canines.

"What have you done to me, witch?" He spoke in gruff, raspy English, his voice filled with a near palpable distaste.

"I-I-I'm not a witch..." The young woman stammered, suddenly overcome with a bout of violent shaking once again. "I... I simply found you here..."

His stare seemed to reduce her to a quivering mess as she realized him not believing her was a very high possibility. She had to act quick.

"Listen." Alia crossed her arms in an act of sudden defiance that was her last resort, she suppressed her shivering the best she could.

"Witch or not I'm the only one you've got." She kept her distance from the Orc. "Some people here might..." She took a deep breath, contemplating all the possible and horrible stuff that could happen to the Orc if he is left to his own devices in the big city.

"Orcs are enemies nonetheless." His sudden remark forced her stop and stare, then her gaze fell.

"No... Here, they don't exist." Somehow she felt an incredibly horrid of a person to tell him that. As his jaws tightened she sighed and continued.

"Things are different here than in... Middle Earth... But I... I want to..." Lost for words she began to pace. The human halted suddenly, realizing he traced her steps with his burning glare.

"I want to help... You." She concluded. "Explain... things."

His head cocked sidelong as he examined her. Then the Orc male blinked hard unexpectedly and hung his head, shaking it left and right. She had an impression he was doing the same thing she did a few minutes ago, attempting to see if all this was real. Azog looked up again, he blinked once more, set his jaws, but a moment later she picked up a barely detectable nod.

As the Orc general struggled to rise, it became more and more apparent that she will have to assist him and all his seven feet of armor, muscle and all that... That meant getting close and... Touching him. The shivering commenced once more.

You got it on yourself now woman. Gracious and altruistic my ass... I'll look at you when you in a puddle of...

She cleaved to the Orc's side, compressing into the scabrous armor. His arm, resting on her shoulder seemed to weigh a ton. Maybe she'll wake up soon. Yes this might still be a dream! She felt the warmth of his skin...

Step by a tiny step they reached the crossroads where the alleyway merged into the street. Just as they did, she detected two figures walking towards at a lesiurely pace. When they sided with them, the men halted dead in their tracks, trying to think if their vision was suddenly failing them or if they had too much beer to begin with.

"Yo man! You like that dude..!" The man's forehead scrunched. "From that fantasy shit..."

Azog ignored the men with dignified silence. Alia sighed, it was up to her. "Yes... Coming from the... Costume party..." She huffed.

"No shit, continued the other, that's like the baddest one I've seen."

She feighned the nicest smile. "Thanks... Uhm, we better get going... Late you know... Bye..." The human nudged her companion and moved on hastily.

"Well. That was not that bad..." She muttered as the men continued to admire in the background.

Up the steps to the second floor Alia was near rattling her keys, when the door on the left opened with a screech.

"Oh not again..." Hey eye balls rolled as far as they could go into her sockets as an old lady shuffled out the opening at a snail-like pace.

"Hello Ms. Hylda." The young woman mumbled, as the landlady squinted, attemting to asses the situation. Then her greying eyes landed onto Alia's companion and the old woman's gaze darted back to her room, she forgot her glasses! Thank goodness!

When the granny spun she grinned slyly. Partially blind or not she had enough vision to know it was a male.

"Bringing late night guests are we?" She pursed her wrinkled lips. "What's ye'boyfriend's name? She rested her fists on her hips.

"My friend, Mrs H!" Alia eyes morphed into saucers. "Just a friend."

"Friend, eh? I see." The old 'shield maiden' as Alia referred to her landlady, since her name was supposed to be derived from the German 'warfare' , began to shuffle closer to her otherwordly companion, measuring the Orc with her squinted stare.

"Like talls ones hmm?" She smirked.

As her sudden savior a tune of some foreign soap opera fanfared inside the maiden's apartment so she sighed and swatted turning back into her lair.

A giant sigh of relief left Alia chest. So close! She fiddled with the keys, finally managing to open the old lock, she shoved the Orc in. At the same moment Mrs Hylda floated out of her abode once again.

"Hey fraulein!" She chirped energetically, too much so for her advanced age. She held something shiny in her weathered palm and passed it with a wink to the stunned woman. "Don't make too much noise, ja?" She smirked again, retreating and slamming the door shut into Alia's face without waiting for an answer.

The young woman unclasped her fingers and curled them right back up. Clutched in her palm was a pack of condoms. What the heck Mrs Hylda... And Extra Large?! Thanks fro the mental image.

"Ughhh... Now the old pain in the butt will be spying with the jar against the wall... Ha! She'll be grossly disappointed!"

You hope.

The woman shoved the pack in her pocket, finally in the safety of her place, but was she?

She flicked on the lights cautiously. The Orc male was slumped on the floor, leaning onto the sofa, his eyes half shut.

"Mother of God! Is he dying?!" A panicky thought swished inside her mind. Now was the time Alia wished she should have thought more seriously about perhaps taking nurse classes instead.

Approaching the male she crouched cautiously, clasping his wrist. Heartbeat and still breathing! The woman tugged at his cuirass, - the armor didn't budge an inch. She tried again, but all it was doing is chafing his skin.

She was never any good under pressure but this situation required the extra effort. So fifteen minutes of 'hovering over and groping the Orc' later Alia had finally detected the hidden clasps holding the shell together.

Lord have mercy! Well he wasn't hurt, oddly, despite his feeble state. But seeing his scars in person made her just stare and stare and stare. Untill, tentatively she extended one finger and traced the ridge of one of the upper scars. Any human acquiring those would have died of blood loss within minutes... Deep gouges, traversed his chest as the walls of a maze or maybe battleground trenches... Her touch send goosebumps rolling across his torso and she recoiled.

Wait a minute! In all the horrifying awe and commotion of his possible and imminent demise she realized she missed the one important fact. The Orc had two arms! Two! None of that notched five feet long arm of destruction. But the armor was from the battle... The one so widely advertised just a few months ago... So the squarmish grandpa gnome was talking about had never transpired? Hmmm she'll have to ask him, when he wakes up, hopefully... And hopefully he'll talk...

Instead of checking the contents of your undergarments, ha? Alia shook her head briskly.

Soaking the kitchen towel in the warm pipe water the woman approached the Orc once again. When done with his face she pursed her lips, inspecting the progress. Well, he did actually look paler and cleaner she guessed. Still out though.

Geez, how is she so close to this uhmm... Male, she only knows couple of facts of (none good) and she is here all playing Nurse Judy. Curse you, compassion! It completely canceled her self-preservation. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but wonder would he'd done the same if she dropped onto his head in the middle of whatever that place he's from.

Hmmpff. Her inner self snorted. He'd use you for a 'pillow' and then maybe a side dish.

To calm herself, the young woman began to hum a familiar tune under her breath unconsciously, while scrubbing his torso. She was reminding herself that there were so many things she wanted to ask him... But this as far as she was going to go, his legs and loin-cover thing were staying where they were.

Sometimes you body or the six sense knows what's happening before you realise it. Her back had covered by a wave of goose bumps at once, lifting her gaze deliberately she realized he'd been watching her. He, aparantly had a neck for that type of thing. Silent, unexpected and... deadly. The woman darted up as if something preoccupied her mind suddenly. Unseen to him she released a sigh. His eyes... Jesus... That stare... Had the ability to transfix... She suppresed a strong shudder.

"Water?" Alia offered, putting on a neutral face.

The Orc was in and out the rest of the evening, and she couldn't sleep almost till the Moon had started to dissapear, but after that still with one eye open. She lived in a studio, there wasn't a door to protect her from whatever he might decide to do.

My point exactly!

Unsettling, irritating sound reiterated in her eardrums until she realized that was her alarm clock. And yes, she was late... Must have punched snooze a million times. She leaped up and darted to the bathroom only to remember her last night's companion. Holding her breath Alia peeked through the crack in the door. Either he was very good at pretending or he was truly dead-asleep.

Struggling to get ready as fast as possible, the young woman darted back and forth, untill she stoped in front of the Orc, panting and pulling on her coat.

"Stay here, please ok? I will return in a few hours... Uhmm... We will talk." The male did not acknowledge her in any way.

This time she locked both bolts on the hundred year old door.

x x x

That night despite being exhausted once again the young woman had nearly sprinted home. Part of the curiosity lay in that she wanted to see if he was still there, not a product of her insane imagination.

Alia wanted nothing but to fling the door open, yet she pushed it cautiously and stepped in instead.

Before her hand reached the light switch the gruff, rumbling voice greeted her.

"How did you know my name?"

Alia gulped. Aparently he was sitting here all day, preparing to question her. The lights came on and his stare darted to the ceiling in confusion, surprise and utter distrust.

The commander spoke English pretty good, she thought, considering he hadn't uttered a word of it throughout the three movies. He also seemed to be over whatever plagued him last night.

"Uhmm it's the lights... Stuff we use instead of torches... Hard to explain..." She pointed to the ceiling, pulling off the outerwear deliberately. She found herself moving like that all evening yesterday, as if attempting not to upset a nearby wild creature.

"Not a witch I swear!" Alia quipped.

All that came from him was a threatening rumble.

"And y-your name... W-well... Uh..." She started nervously once more while backing away. "I know of you, many do, from the movies..." As his brows furrowed she corrected herself hastily. "History! Here we can..." Lord, it was hard to explain the miracle of television.

"I will show you, if you want..."

Azog stood up approaching, he towered over the female's small frame, but who did he not overshadow?

"Go on then." He scowled. His tone of voice was indeed a command. The one, she supposed, you obeyed without a question.

"If you don't mind... Mister De... Ermm... Sire... General?" She really couldn't figure a proper way to address him and he did not strike her as a person who liked for everyone to use his name. She wasn't about to call him 'master' either. Well, unless he releases one of his signature roars once again... The young woman felt tickling cold creep up into her insides, the way you feel before taking an important exam perhaps... Or driving for the first time.

"...I'll take a quick shower..." The woman shuffled on the spot uncomfortably, yet till now he did not display any more violence than a gruff voice and well that first thing that happened. But still...

"And Oh!" She beamed suddenly as an excited child. "I will make some food." With that she vanished behind the bathroom door swiftly, ignoring his bafflement at what that shower really was.

Nurse Judy.

Alia shivered again and flipped the metal hook to lock the entry. The battle of curiosuty and rationale plagued her mind.

Yes that'll work. He'll blow on the door and it will crumble like s straw house.

Surprising her and the her inner 'freaked-out' voice all went glitch free.

He probably thinks you unatractive. No pointy ears, what a bummer. And no terminator night vision, no fangs... Need I continue...?

Well that's actually a relief then, she thought. Maybe she can somehow produce a miracle of helping him get to his world and he'll put a word in for her with his buddies just in case she'll be dropping there any time soon.

x x x

It continued to go astonishingly easy. Except she had to run back and forth between bath and closet as she had forgotten the clean spares. All he did was pitch his nose when she slinked out of the bath.

The Orc ate the meat she made, glared askance at the side dishes. He knew how to use a fork... Alia couldn't help but watch him and the couch that sank deeply under his weight. One problem was, he was the ma... Orc of the seriously few words, and everything transpired in an awkward silence untill she decided it was time to acquaint him with the television.

Astounding the woman the Orc reacted incredibly well with nothing but a raised brow, when she flipped on the tv.

The movie had commenced and he produced zero reaction untill the Dwarves started to appear in Bilbo's house. When the bearded leader's smoulder put everyone into silence Azog's rage-filled, sonorous growling send the shivers up her back again.

Oh my Gosh they setting up camp, time for granpa gnome's story... I wonder how Azog will react to seeing himself...

And that was a reaction she sort of expected but still... She thought he blew a gasket, darting up he nearly flipped the couch with her on it. Something else flew through the air... Not thinking and in the moment of despair she hung onto his arm pulling him down with.

"Relax, relax it isn't happening all over again... Just a trick... Please..." He flung his arm with force and she tumbled over the couch's armrest. Landing onto her back she lay stunned for a several moments, before huddling against the piece of furniture. His nose wrinkled sensing the scent of her terror. Azog hang his head, setting his jaws taut. He lifted his left limb inspecting it, turning side to side. Unexpectedly he spoke.

"At Raven Hill... His blade went through me. I awoke here..." He voice was alive with stifled, palpable rage. There was a hoarse vibrating growling, yet it was laced in pain.

Alia exhaled with a shudder. Straightening her extremities gradually she returned to the couch. There she sat, fiddling with her fingers. Judging from his reaction that confrontation did transpire... But his arm... What could she really say... This was odd... If every Orc went to their world after their death... The Earth would be swarming with them... How can she figure it out... Does he need to die in this world in order to return..? She gulped. How can she be sure...

His eyes were filled with something untold and she hang her head, chewing on her lip.

"I'm sorry... I did not think... It must be hard to re-live..."

Azog collapsed onto the seat next to her. Alia hugged herself protectively but spent the rest of the movie poking fun at Oakenshield and the Dwarves.


**Bold text - Black Speech**

Black Speech:

Dushatârlob - Witch/Sorceress

German:

Fraulein - girl

Ja - Yes