World of Warcraft®

Finding a suitable space out of the way, he brought the X-53 rocket down and engaged the stabilization repulsors. This particular model didn't come with the typical landing gear legs that extended from beneath.

Sliding off and removing his goggles, Nixim meandered through the crowds making his way from the warmth of the central forge to Tinker Town.

His mind turned back to how he left Tink in his workshop. He began to feel bad for Tink. He knew she meant well. She was an attractive girl with every kind of asset a gnome could ever want.

Nixim chuckled a moment thinking on how the concept of "assets" differ between gnomes and dwarves, and even humans! Then again, humans and dwarves are much alike in that respect... but I digress.

He should feel flattered that Tink keeps visiting, day after day, regardless of how much of a jerk he'd been to her the time before. But for some reason, he can't. All he can feel is annoyed.

She had even helped him on several occasions, not the least of which was the rebuild of that mechanical squirrel, S.I.M.S. It was her idea after all to convert his internal electric power plant over to a more efficient and vastly more powerful Arcane Crystal system.

It was pure genius! He had heard of others doing something similar, but Nixim had never really considered the possibilities of using magically charged crystals as a power source, let alone the simplicity and sophistication of the integrated crystalline-fiber neuro networking.

He grinned realizing that she was responsible for sparking so many ideas. She was responsible for some truly revolutionary schematics that he had since drawn up. Things that he kept hidden, but for good reason.

Well no longer. While he was out the gnome decided he would pick her up a little peace offering. When he returned he would acknowledge her contributions and reveal to her the devices that were her inspiration... but only the schematics.

The actual hardware would have to wait. For now everything must remain theoretical, even if he'd been developing a prototype.

Hours later the master tinker brought his X-53 rocket to rest just outside the wide roll-up door of his garage.

He entered with a small wrapped box and a flower in hand to find the shop empty and silent. He sighed a lonesome frown, looking down at the gift and flower in his hands. Just as well, he thought. Dejected that he'd missed that opportunity, he discarded the gift to a forgotten corner of the workshop and set to rolling up the wide door.

The master gnome stacked the goods he'd retrieved neatly against one side of the empty shop. He tinkered with a contraption for a moment before deciding to call it a day. After quickly sweeping he rolled down the wide door to his garage workshop and turned off the lights, heading into the back room that was once the kitchen of the home. Now just a storage of parts, gadgets and gizmos.

He turned down the wide open stairwell in the far corner and made his way deeper into his home space. The stairs ended at hall that split four directions. To his left was a spare room he kept for some reason, untouched and forgotten.

A jog to the left and forward took him down a short hall to his personal quarters where he slept most nights. The few personal items he kept, such as clothing and heirlooms, were also stored there.

The same jog to the left at the foot of the stairs and directly behind him was a short hall to another room which he had expanded. He kept it locked behind a reinforced blast door, and for good reason. Within was stocked all manner of raw elements that could in one way or another be dangerous. Even volatile. Only he could access its contents as only he had to key to open the custom modified biometric lock and seal mechanisms.

Immediately to his right at the foot of the stairs and at the end of a hall was a room he had been working on for some time. It was meant to be slowly converted it into another workstation, but in the past few months it had become so much more than that.

Bit by bit his home above had morphed from a personal workspace for tinkering, to a workshop, then to a successful business. Below his home was also in the midst of a metamorphosis, of sorts. His personal space was changing into ...something else entirely. Something else that was beginning to somewhat resemble a fort.

Nixim had intended on retiring for the night, but standing at the foot of the stairs he turned to his right and gazed down the hall a moment. At the end of the hall sat his ever expanding personal workspace.

Inside he kept all his schematics filed in wide deep drawers set into the stone walls, his drafting table, a long workbench with simple tool sets. The room itself was largely empty, the far wall opposite his drafting table and workbench was clean and unadorned.

Different from the rest of the underground structure that particular wall wasn't simply shaped square from cut stone, nor was it constructed of large blocks. The wall itself was one complete uninterrupted slab of stone, and it looked as if it had been cut and placed precisely where it now sat. A feat largely impossible. The floor space before it was also clean and uncluttered.

The master gnome finally gave way to his yearnings to tinker, and tiredly shuffled down the hallway to his right. Entering the room he turned and shut the door, securing it tightly and sealing himself within using the independently developed, custom-designed, privately built and installed unlicensed gnomish technology.

Entering this area from the outside, once it was locked and sealed from within, would seemingly take take the act of a god. Nothing was impenetrable, Nixim knew this well. Every system had its inherent flaw, but in this case he did his utmost to ensure every flaw within this system had been addressed.

On the exterior it looked like just another closed door, and so it was meant too in order to distract the mind and keep secure the things he held most dear. If it looked common enough then no questions would be asked.

The secret projects and tireless workings of the master tinkers' creative genius were safe within.

Sleep this night would evade him.

Nixim leaned against the X-53 rocket. The pair had arrived in Tinker Town, Ironforge, in anticipation of the arrival of a guest.

Thick brown hair ringed the middle-aged engineer's balding head. A pair of thick brown mutton chops appeared almost to be stamped on each side of his face connected his ring of hair to the thick brown mustache below his nose. His neck and chin pristinely shaven, hair precisely groomed, Nixim looked every bit the serious calculating engineer. In public as much as in private the gnome hardly broke so much as a grin, scowling as if in perpetual annoyance.

In complete contrast a young blonde headed gnome stood at the nose of the rocket and bounced with excitement. She clasped her hands tightly together and bit down on her knuckle trying to contain herself. Intelligent, creative, imaginative, Tink was prone to whimsy, over exuberance, and positive emotional outbursts. The wide brim of her pointy hat flopped gently as she bounced.

Nixim glared over at her. "Would you stop already."

"Stop what?" Tink asked without thought. She remained focused on the large twisting entrance to the Tram.

"You excessive bouncing. You look as if you might soon blast into the air."

"I just might! I can't help it." She suppressed a squeal of excitement. Nixim rolled his eyes.

"Not again with the squealing."

From the mouth of the twisting Tram entrance an old gnome with grayed wild hair and fluffy beard stepped into view. He gazed all around the large hall of Tinker Town as if admiring a place he hadn't visited in some time.

Nixim caught sight of him and called Tink's attention. "Is this him?" The young gnome stepped close and peered through the crowd of Dwarf, Human, and Gnome flowing in and out of the tube to the Tram. Catching sight of the old gnome Tink produced an ear piercing squeal that nearly knocked Nixim off his feet. The engineer scowled as she rocketed away, weaving a path through the crowd toward the old gnome.

Hours later, the three arrived at The Gnomerian. Nixim's tinker workshop & repair garage in Thelsamar.

After a relaxing mug of ale Tink had to disappear to tend to another matter, which is just as well. It allowed Nixim and Cail to converse in peace without the constant and annoying interruptions of a young excitable mind.

The two sat just inside the stop near the wide roll-up garage door facing out. The door having been raised fully. Nixim, the master tinker, explained all of the improvements and additions he had made to the S.I.M.S. base model. Cail, the casual tinker, nodded his way through the lengthy demonstration. He understood most of it, and Nixim could tell. The old gnome was no advanced engineer, but he was wily enough to follow at the least. Nixim came to appreciate that in him.

The two conversed for some time covering several different topics, often engaging in a friendly but lively debate, just for the sake of argument. When they had finally ran out of topics to argue the pair had decidedly become friends. A bond of mutual respect forged between them. It was then that Cail shifted discourse to the more pressing matter at hand for him.

"So, Nixim my boy, what do you think?"

Nixim reclined in his simple metal framed chair. A gentle afternoon breeze blew in carrying with it a faint dank odor, carried up from the various pools where once was a vast lake. The middle-aged engineer shuffled three pages between his fingers, pondering with each turn.

"Hmm." He glanced sidelong at the old gnome. "Yes. Yes I understand what this fellow, this author, is driving at. His theories make sense, but..."

Cail looked at him expectantly.

"But I still do not understand what it is you want me to do with this information. How can I help you Doctor?"

"Understanding." Cail idly began smoothing down his long fluffy gray beard. "That is all I seek. I have, as most do, a basic running knowledge of quantum mechanics, hydro-thermal conduction, kinetic transfers of energy convextion. Physics, I can grasp. Theoretical Physics... well that might as well be on another planet entirely for me. I have been out of the academic game for far too long and I need someone who has a working knowledge, so to speak, to help me understand this author's arguments."

Shuffling back and forth between the three pages, Nixim spoke. "You do remember that I'm just an engineer, correct? I'm not a physicist. I'm not even one theoretically." The pair shared an amused grin. Cail nodded to his new friend, pulling his pipe from his pack. "Mind?" He asked Nixim along with a gesture. Nixim shook his head.

Puffs of white smoke soon encircled the old gnomes head, lingering a while like a wreath of nobility until a gentle breeze dispersed the ethereal crown. "As I explained, and you well know, I find myself in a predicament."

"Meaning the obvious shadow aura that cloaks you." Nixim shuffled to the next page.

Cail nodded thoughtfully. "I've been able to tone down its distortion to some degree, but its presence is still obvious. I do not yet have full master of this strange power that has apparently bonded with me. I'll not rehash what was already said, but I will add that I have been seeking to understand the Light Magic phenomena for some time now. Shadow is merely the converse of Light, at least as I've been lead to believe so far. Others have discovered how to utilize the Light energy source with apparent ease."

He glanced at Nixim. "That's what I think all of this magical religious mumbo-jumbo is, after all. Simply an energy source. A tool yet to harnessed." The old gnome exhaled a nearly perfect ring of smoke that lingered for a moment.

"I have yet to find someone that can sufficiently enlighten me."

Nixim lowered the papers in his hands. He shifted in his seat, turning more towards Cail. "And what makes you think I can offer such enlightenment?"

"I don't." Cail gazed out at the blue sky as it began to burn with the late afternoon sun. The pair sat in silence for a time. Nixim awkwardly squinted down at the papers in his hands. He wasn't reading them nor did his eyesight falter. The master tinker was merely pondering the situation along with his new friends' silent request. Eventually he came to decision.

"I will explain only what I know as it pertains to this particular work." He gestured with the loose pages in one hand. "But keep in mind that my working knowledge of physics only goes so far." Cail nodded his understanding. A delighted grin curled the ends of his gray mustache.

"I will also need to bring Tink in on this matter. Sims' arcane power plant was largely her brainchild. She has a mind for all this theoretical nonsense. Her aid could be invaluable."

Cail nodded, puffing another cloud of white smoke from the corners of his mouth. "Agreed."

Nixim gently folded the pages together and handed them across to his new friend. He grinned and scratched his jaw. His mental cogs engineering another potentially brilliant idea.

"Doc, I think you just may be onto something. Energy sources. Hmm."

Thirty days.

Nixim gazed at the holographic calendar projected in front of him.

A full month had passed since the old gnome lifted off from the tinker's shop in Thelsamar. Still no word from him. He had to admit to himself, he was beginning to worry for his new -old- friend.

"I suppose no news is good news." Nixim sighed his resignation on the matter. For the time being he had loads of work to oversee.

He looked up from the holographic calendar and over his small portable drafting table. All around him gnome workers buzzed. Renovations had begun just after dusk and they needed to rush the completion of this project.

Just a few days ago he pitched Commander Orwyn on an idea. Mechanized pet units. He only had a hand full of models complete and ready for field testing, but so far things had gone off without a major incident. The commander was kind enough to allocate him a space adjacent to the main offices in Stormwind. Ample enough space, yet the structures were... old fashioned. Strong and sturdy construction, these buildings would likely outlast most others in the outlying kingdom.

However, Nixim needed power. Vast amounts of it. Power to run his equipment. Power to make repairs. Power to keep his arcane core systems generator working and stable. It was a relatively simple matter. The master tinker just needed to make a few quick renovations that few would ever see really, and his workshop would be up and running.

Nixim checked his pocket watch. Nearing midnight. "Lets pick up the pace technicians!" Nixim tucked his watch away and clapped his hand. "Let's move it!"

At this rate his team should be finished by sunrise.

The little gnome mage meandered about the tinker's shop in Thelsamar. Since Nixim took a research and development contract working alongside the Stormwind City Watch Tink has been left alone to manage the affairs of his business near Loch Modan.

It was a simple task really, though she wasn't much of a business-gnome. Its not that she lacked any talent or wisdom of the "art of the haggle"... as many of the local dwarves love nothing more than to haggle. It was that she didn't have the stomach for it, or rather, she simply didn't care. Despite offending the pride of several local dwarven merchants business had been steady these past few weeks, and that was good enough for her.

Employment had burst shortly before Nixim left, leaving Tink to hold the reins with a batch of new workers. Inexperienced and undisciplined, Tink had her hands quite full putting out their own little fires. Metaphorically as well as literally. Never one for drama, she'd had her fill of it this week as drama is inevitable whenever new workers are made to share a space. Nixim had a way with his students when he professed. He never tolerated dramatic nonsense in any of his workshops and despite having to 'educate' a few, everyone came to respect him. ...even love him.

As Tink meandered about the empty workshop dubbed The Gnomerian, she checked and double checked that all power sources had been shut down and the various tool stations were left clean and in good order, as she knew Nixim would want. The gnome was a stickler for detail.

Finally satisfied she moved about securing the workshop which had expanded another full bay, adding with it a second large rolling door. Large for a gnome, adequate for a dwarf. Satisfied all was secure she hesitated activating the security system just yet. Nixim's private quarters, his study, his home was attached to his workshop and could be accessed by a single stairwell at the rear. Access to that particular room was always limited, and even when it was open and Tink knew she could wander where her curiosity took her, she never did. Perhaps due to a sense of respect knowing that Nixim wouldn't want her snooping. Nixim wasn't here now.

Curiosity got the better of her really, but she justified herself. After All, if she was going to continue overseeing his shop it only made sense for her to utilize his living space in his absence. To be honest the daily teleporting back and forth between between Ironforge, Stormwind Mage Tower, and this stop was starting to become tedious. It would only make sense for her to stay, at least until Nixim returned.

Tink moved to the security panel and set the system then made her way to the back door. Finding it curiously unlocked she decided that it was a good omen. Perhaps she was meant to explore these personal spaces. Perhaps Nixim had entrusted his personal spaces to her. Did he? Could it really be? Tink cleared her mind. Such adolescent imaginings were beneath her. If he were so interested, Nixim would come out and say so, she knew. She hoped. Still...

Finding the open stairwell she quietly made her way down to the space below.

Things were awfully silent. It felt as though her own thoughts echoed in her head. It was... unnatural. Tink already didn't like it. She would have to do something about this awful silence.

The gnome mage stood at the foot of the stairs and turned all about, observing. A wide corridor ran to her left and right. To her left she saw what appeared to be a few doors. To her right she found only one. Straight ahead the corridor ran half the distance to another door. Each looked plain enough.

Straight head was her first choice. The door was unlocked so she slowly pushed it open. At the motion a light blinked on in the far corner. She mused for a moment at the motion sensitive lighting. Brilliant. The room before her was average, the size of any room one might find for rent in the local tavern and beer house. Obviously it had been converted from living quarters to Nixim's personal tinker station. Everything was in its place and clean as a whistle. It all seemed rather inhuman. Brilliant minds always had a messy side, yet so far everything was spotless and in order. How boring.

Tink pulled the door shut, the light in the far corner blinked itself off as she did. Down the left corridor she found three doors. The first to her left was locked. Focusing a clear mind Tink slowly drifted her hand over the door. It was secured by more than a mere lock or door bolt. The door itself was thicker than normal and the barring mechanism much more complex. She stepped back and considered. Whatever Nixim had behind that door was warranted whatever protection such a blast door provided. Best not pry into it, for now.

At the end of the corridor she came upon another locked door. Examining it as she did the other she found the door and its lock to be quite typical. With a concentrated effort and a twist of the wrist the lock disengaged and she slowly pushed the door open. Again a series of soft light blinked to life and Tink grinned at the ingenuity. It was Nixim's personal room. Centering the far wall was his bed, neatly made, with a chest at the foot, drawers sitting to one side and a standing armoire on the other. Small pockets were fashioned into the stone walls that held shelves of books and assorted personal items. All rather clean and orderly. She pulled the door shut, the lights blinking off, and Tink frowned to herself.

Nixim was beginning to appear rather boring. Everything was neat and tidy. A place for everything and everything in its place. It was apparently more than a professional axiom, but a personal aphorism. The third door, across the hall from the first room, was unlocked. Examining it Tink found nothing interesting or unusual. It was simply an extra room that apparently was never in use. She decided that it would become hers until Nixim returned.

All of her snooping had uncovered little to nothing, but seemed to reaffirm the fact that the gnome she had admired, respected, and even crushed on from time to time was as fastidiously clean and orderly in his personal life as in his professional. Quite boring. She stood in at the end of the long corridor and bit her bottom lip in thought.

Only one room remained. The room at the end of the right corridor. From her distance it looked rather plain and unassuming, much as the other doors had. Even the blast door she came across looked fairly plain. She weighed the personal need to pry any further and the likely disappointment at finding yet another tidy room.

"Hmm..." Placing her hands on her hips and chewing lightly on her bottom lip, she eyed the common features of the blast door.

"Deceptive." Perhaps this was all meant to appear so clean and tidy. So boring. Perhaps, like that door, it was all a ruse to draw attention away from something more important. Something more guarded. As if to say don't bother looking any further, you'll only find more of the same.

Does that really sound like Nixim? She asked herself.

"Yep." It certainly did, Tink had decided.

At the far end of the corridor to the right, Tink stood before the single door. Hands on her hips chewing softly on her bottom lip, the little gnome mage considered the door with a critical eye.

It all appeared rather normal. Common. Boring. She cleared her mind and focused much as she had before. This time she drifted both hands across the door's surface. Coming to the door jam she stopped.

This isn't right. Her brow furrowed.

With a single finger she pushed on the door and it slid silently open an inch. Not right at all. Every other door had been closed. Only those less important to Nixim had remained unlocked, such as the extra bedroom and his workspace.

His workspace. It had been unlocked. That's not right.

Above all else Nixim valued his privacy. Were his workshop Nixim's personal temple then these corridors were his sanctum and his personal workspace... his holy of holies. Tink knew this to be true, better than most.

Why then was his personal workspace left unlocked?

A cold chill ran up her back making the little hairs of her neck stand on end. She didn't like it. Clearing her mind once again she recentered her focus. With a murmur and a gesture Tink cast an arcane spell of intellect and clarity. A spell specifically designed to open her mind and sharpen her senses, even more so than they already were. With a hand of caution she slid open the door.

It slid silently and smoothly, different from the others. The others may not have squeaked but she could still feel their hinges rubbing. This one did nothing of the sort. All the other rooms illuminated automatically when the door reached a certain angle. This one did not. Fully open, she stood in the doorway gazing into a darkened room.

Tink pulled a small crystal from her belt pouch and rubbed it between a finger and thumb. She uttered a phrase and tossed the small crystal into the room. It caught in the air, floating in space, and shined bright enough to illuminate the darkness. That instant a shadow moved in the corner. TInk felt something breeze past her head and sink into the wooden door frame with a loud thunk. The sound startled her and she ducked, flinching away.

The air behind her expanded. It was a sensation with which she was well acquainted, one that was produced when someone recklessly teleported a short distance. The arcane spell of intellect increased Tink's cognitive abilities. Almost instinctively she could feel the ebb and flow of the various energies around her. She had felt when this shadow reached out and touched the subtle and very minor ley line that ran through this structure. Felt how much power the shadow summoned and deduced its intent even before the blink spell was finished and cast.

This shadow knows a few good tricks. The gnome mage whipped her arm backward the moment the shadow materialized and grasped hold of whatever she could.

Armor. It wasn't a beast or some sort of supernatural anomaly.

Leather Armor. It was a person, humanoid, small, and far out of its league if it thought escape would be so easy.

Tink blinked forward into the middle of the room, leaning into the direction of her blink to gain momentum while pulling the shadow person along with her. Using the momentum she pulled the shadow into herself and quickly blinked a second time out of the way. The result sent the shadow tumbling into the opposite wall.

The small form tucked and rebounded, stepping up the wall and pressing off. It tumbled in a tight ball over Tink's head toward the door, but the little gnome mage was at the ready.

As she had done many times before Tink manipulated the air temperature with a spell of her own devising in order to create a strong gust of wind that blew the door shut. The only remaining source of light danced around the room as a small illuminated crystal.

The shadow landed and immediately spun low to a leg sweep. Tink dodged with a swift blink to the side. A reckless blink that produced a loud pop from where she had been and a shower of tiny sparkles of plasma from where she appeared.

With a deft hand she pulled from her belt the small collapsible wand she always carried. Another adaptation of her own. With a sharp flick of her wrist the wand extended much like a batton, only this batton was fashioned of a very particular alloy. A mild utterance on her part and the wand charged with potent arcane energy.

Practically humming with power, the lightest touch was enough to disorient yet through such an implement she could more easily cast an arcane missiles. Several in succession in fact.

As Tink blinked away swiftly making her preparations for what might follow, the shadow recovered swiftly from the leg sweep and sprung into the air with a tight tumble snatching the illuminated crystal and muting its brilliance by slipping it into a belt pouch.

Darkness returned to the room.

This was her element. It had always been her element, even as a child. Darkness called to her. It clung to her, wrapping her as if in a comforting blanket.

The small gnome spy, thief, and at times assassin had evaded all attempts at detection thus far. Only now by chance had she been discovered by this nosy gnome mage. She wasn't about to kill a fellow gnome, but neither would she be captured. She would simply do what she must.

First thing, she needed to incapacitate or adequately distract this mage in order to make her escape. If she opened the door now she'd simply cast more spells to stop her, or be hot on her trail if she managed to make it into the hall.

Controlled and measured breathing to maintain her heart rate, the small thief glided to one side. Her soft footfalls absorbed by the thin padding of her fine leather boots. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she could see the faint silhouette of the mage. Stance wide. One arm up in a guard, the other extended to the side gripping hold of her wand.

Predictable.

The shadow pulled two small orbs from her belt and tossed them out over head. One flashed blindingly in the air while the other exploded with a deafening pop as it hit the floor behind the mage. Covering her ears and eyes, when the thief noticed the mage flinch she sprang forward, closing the distance swiftly. To her surprise the mage was ready.

Interesting. She adapted.

The thief drew her daggers, holding them inverted, and the pair exchanged a series of strikes. When the mage attempted to touch or strike with her wand the thief dodged or parried with the flat of her blades. On occasion she twisted and turned allowing the wand to glance off her one shoulder guard or an armored section of her gauntlets.

Encounters past with other magi had taught her how to prepare the eventual encounter with a mage. Most spells worked off a simple principle of energy conductivity, and so like electricity if you provide adequate shielding and redirect the energy expelled most simple arcane spell forms can be avoided well enough. Ice spikes and molten fireballs, those were a different matter.

When the thief struck out with the pommel of her daggers the mage was there with her wand, forcing the thief to pull her punches lest she strike the very implement she was trying to avoid. Other times the mage simply avoided her altogether. So many times she left herself open to a simple cut, a slice, just a turn of the wrist and the thief could have nicked an artery or cut a tendon, and just be done with it.

But she was playing the part of a thief this time. Not an assassin. Finally she found an opening.

The thief struck the mage in the forehead with the pommel of her dagger. Stunned for the instant the mage stepped backward. The thief hopped into a tight spin, thrusting a kick to the mage's chest. The gnome mage wheeled backward into a workbench. Tools and papers fell from their places with a loud clang.

The thief turned and swiftly made for the door.

Enough.

Tink's heart raced. She had physically exerted herself in those few short seconds. Only a few blows had been avoided or parried, and for a moment she thought she'd have the upper hand. Then the sharp strike to her forehead knocked her off balance and the kick to the chest sent her reeling backward like a child on a playground getting hit in the face by a rubber ball.

Her face burned. Embarrassing. That's all that it was. Just embarrassing.

She drew in a sharp breath and swung her wand in one hand like a club. The spell cast swiftly with ease to its intended target, but the thief was gone. Instead the spell exploded against the far wall with a brilliant purple-blue hue that sent small harmless sparks of plasma into a showering. The image of the thief flashed in the darkness. She was making her way to the door.

Again the gnome mage swung her wand like a club. A sliver of light flooded the room from the corridor as the thief pulled open the door. The spell impacted the door, the thief on the other side. The explosion of raw arcane power splintered the doorframe, severely damaged the door which was now so obviously not made of wood, and knocked it off its hinges.

The door slammed shut with such force that it further warped and bounced back open. Pushing herself to her feet she blinked with the momentum. A pop and shower of sparkles put her at the door which she pushed open. In the corridor the thief scrambled to her feet, making he way to the stairway up.

Tink motioned with her wand. The thief tumbled to one side and threw out an arm. Something metallic ricocheted off the stone wall opposite the thief with a spark and pinned the tip of Tink's wand against the opposite stone wall. Tink pulled at her wand, but was stuck. A metal bracket of some sort held fast against the stone. She released her wand.

"A lucky shot."

Her nimble gnome mind made all the more potent by her arcane intellect spell conjured precisely her counter move.

As the shadow thief stumbled to the foot of the stairs Tink mustered what power she had in reserves and ignited a torrent of frigid air. The thief stepped up into the stairwell but she couldn't evade it. The torrent filled the corridors almost instantly which funneled a blast of air straight up the stairwell.

A loud crash and clang of assorted parts being thrown from their shelves and rolling across the floor above rang down as the torrent of wind subsided. Tink summoned a thin armor of ice across her chest and ice gauntlets with a single spike jutting from each closed fist.

"I'm done playing games!" She warned.

She blinked. A pop of air and flash of sparks took her to the foot of the stairs. She summoned a shielding of frigid winds that swirled around her, frosting the stairway as she swiftly climbed. She reached the top to find an empty space amidst the mess of parts. She quickly glanced around the room spotting the thief running for the door to the workshop.

A spike of ice launched from TInk's arm with a gesture. The thief dodge with a leap. The shadowy figure twisted in the air to face Tink. Thin wires extended from its armor, four of them. Two extended to grasped hold of the ceiling and two extended to the floor. They splayed wide like thin webbing that stopped the thief mid air as two more spikes of ice flew by.

The thief, fully masked and hooded, pulled the daggers from her belt and flung them at the mage. Tink waved and the shield of frigid air circling her like a shield froze them solid, tossing each to the side. Another spike of ice from Tink threatened to impale the shadowy thief.

The thin wire webs retracted and the thief twisted with a fall, evading the impaling spike. Soft padded feet touched the floor.

She realized all too late the trap that had been set. The moment her feet touched the floor, it was sprung.

The first lance of ice was meant to miss her. It sailed low forcing her to leap into the air, but when it impacted the floor it spread with a frigid coating; which explains why she never heard it shatter as it should have.

The next two deliberately missed her, though she thought nothing of it. She didn't notice how they'd simply frozen themselves against the wall behind. The final lance might have impaled her, but likely not. When she landed she saw the three lances clinging like ice nodes against the wall. The slick floor below made it impossible to gain traction enough to leap. All she could do was cross her arms and hope for the best.

The three ice nodes exploded with a spell that sharply froze everything before it within a meter or so.

The thief blinked. She would have shivered from the cold, but she couldn't move. Not a budge. Her flesh wasn't frozen, but her armor was solid. She glanced left and right noticing a thick layer of hard ice covering her arms that were before her for protection. It was like being trapped in cement. Very very cold cement.

She exhaled a panicked breath, struggling to maintain her composure while claustrophobia set in.

Oh no.
I can't!...
I need to!...
Get me OUT!

A small tear formed in the corner of her eye. It trickled down to the edges of her hooded mask, then froze solid.

Tink studied her new ice sculpture a moment.

Satisfied the shadowy thief was wrapped up nice and tight she drew in a deep breath and let loose a long exhale. As her body and mind relaxed the swirling frigid wind dissipated. The thin armor of ice evaporated and her ice gauntlets sloughed to the floor where they also eventually evaporated.

She glanced around at the mess, glad that Nixim hadn't been here to see it. He might have a heart attack. Stepping carefully around the debris field of parts that were once so meticulously shelved, Tink rounded the frozen thief.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She grinned, rather proud of herself. "You're a wily one, thief. But not wily enough to out smart..."

Tink paused as she reached the front of the frozen thief. Her breath caught at seeing it was a gnome. She had half expected it to be, but something about this gnome caught her off guard. The thief's eyes bulged with fear and panic, though she didn't so much as mumble. Instead her fingers, frigidly cold but not frozen, wiggled.

The mage squinted a critical eye at the display. Her own eyes widened as she realized that she was talking! Recognition set in. The color of this gnomes eyes. They way they looked, full of fear and panic. Her silent wiggling fingers.

"Ethel!"

Tink waved her arms frantically and the ice gradually thawed, evaporating. The frozen figure slowly clutched her arms together. Tink compassionately wrapped her arms around the thief, pulling her close as they both collapsed to the floor. The one shivered from the cold, but trembled with fear in the other's arms.

She pulled her close, pressing the other's head to her shoulder.

"Oh, Ethel. My dear little sister. I'm so, so sorry."

In the spare room below that Tink had decided was her's until Nixim permanently returned from Stormwind, Ethel sat on a stool facing a hearth. Tink placed a few fresh logs and with snap of her fingers the logs ignited. Ethel flinched, and Tink took notice.

"Oh, that's right. I'm sorry again Ethel. I'd forgotten just how..." She left the rest unsaid. She understood as well as Ethel that she was skittish around displays of magic. Instead of blinking, as was her inclination, Tink stepped over to the bed and pulled off the top comforter. A wave of her hand and cup that sat empty on a night stand filled with hot liquid. She carried both to her sister.

"Here." She passed the hot cup. "Soothing tea. Your favorite, if I remember." Carefully she wrapped the comforter around her sister's shoulders. Ethel nodded, pulling the hood and mask from her head to sip the tea.

Tink smiled at seeing her sister. Two long locks of hair flopped forward over her brow and twin bushels of hair popped back to life atop her head. She smiled at her sister. "I see you've trimmed your pigtails."

Ethel nodded with her own grin. It was hard to make out the scaring in the dim light, but subtle flickers from the fire danced light and shadows throughout the room, occasionally illuminating the disfigurement across Ethel's lower jaw and neck. Remembering them, Tink turned away trying to mask her quilt.

She sat opposite her sister on the stone of the hearth. "Where have you been all these years?"

Ethel took a long sip and rested the cup on her lap. Both her hands gestured as her fingers wiggled, each forming a symbol of a complex language spoken by the hands.

<It's complicated.>

Tink gave her a dubious grin. "Alright. If you don't want to tell me, I won't pry little sister."

Ethel grinned back. <You never do big sis. I've always loved you for it.>

"Is that the only reason?" Tink feigned hurt, placing her hand over her heart.

<That and you make a good cup of tea.>

The pair giggled, Ethel more silently so taking a sip of her tea.

"Had I known it was you, I won't have frozen you so. I know how much you fear such tight places little sis."

<Well, I didn't want to you know it was me, Jilly. Defeats the purpose of a mask and hood otherwise.>

Tink smiled. "Been a while since someone called me Jilly." Tink leaned back.

"Lets start with this then. Why are you here, of all places?"

<To see you of course.>

Tink scoffed. "Please. Ethel. There are so many other ways to go about seeing me than breaking into Nixim's workshop."

<Nixim? Is that what you're calling him now? Whatever happened to Professor Dibik?>

"I graduated."

Ethel squinted knowingly. <Uh huh. Right.>

"Don't deflect Eth. Why did I find you in his private study?"

<Study!? If that's a study then I'm a sea siren.>

"What do you mean?" Tink squint incredulously.

<I mean, when you have a chance you should take a closer look at that room. There is more to it than meets the eye big sis.> Ethel takes finishes the cup of tea. <As to why I'm here. Nixim has made a lot of interesting inventions over the years. A few of which I have stolen and adapted for my own uses.>

Tink crossed her arms, looking less than amused. "You always have been good with a spanner and sprocket. So you're looking for something else to steal, is it?"

<Indeed. I would have been in and out long before you came snooping.>

"I wasn't snooping."

Ethel cocked her head to the side sarcastically. <Sister, you always snoop.> She continued before Tink could retort.

<Point is I discovered a hidden wall and was getting close to disarming its security functions when you happened in.>

"Speaking of..." Tink held out her hand. Ethel nodded, grudgingly pulling the illuminated crystal from her belt pouch and passing it over. Tink deactivated the item and tucked it away.

A sharp pain pierced Tink's mind. She grimaced and put her head in one hand. Ethel sat forward with a look of concern.

"I... I'm alright. It's just a... m-mild aftereffect..." The pain pierced through her forehead deep into her mind. She inhaled sharply through clenched teeth. Ethel leaned forward placing a concerned hand on her sister's knee. Tink cradled her head in both hands, rubbing her temples.

It was the mind spell she had concocted. It was the first time she had ever used her modified version and for all accounts it had worked masterfully, but the spell-construction was far from perfect. She had thought early on that it might need some mild tweaking supposing that it would only induce a mild headache from prolonged usage.

This... this was not a mild headache.

"I... m-might need to lie..." Pushing herself up off the stone hearth the pain spiked again. The world spun and everything went black.

Ethel, now fully recovered from her own tragic bout of claustrophobia, sprang forward and eased her older sister to the floor. She draped the comforter over the helpless gnome and pushed a pillow under her head.

Sleep dear sister. We will meet again soon. Ethel lovingly touched Tink's face.

She stood pulling her hood and mask over her head. In the moment she pulled the snug fabric down panic surged throughout. She flexed her toes and fingers, inhaled deeply, and rolled her shoulders. A brief moment passed and the panic subsided. For one so deathly afraid of tight spaces, the snug mask had a rather cathartic effect.

She had learned to overcome that debilitating fear. In her weakness she had found strength. Only when she is absolutely immobilized, such as being frozen solid as a statue of ice, was she in danger of completely shutting down.

Refocused, she glided into the corridor and eased the door closed. She had come here for something particular, and she wasn't leaving without it.

The sensation was not dissimilar to the times she'd had too much ale, or one too many bourbon. Hangover, is what they called it. Tink prefered to call it a "lesson learned".

It was only a few years ago when Tink was fresh in the Arcane University. She was knew and desperate to please, which propelled her to the top of her classes immediately. There wasn't one assignment passed out by any of her instructors that she didn't accept, and then throw herself into. She was also eager to be accepted among her fellow students. Sooner or later the pressure of her situation was bound to break in one direction or the other. It was inevitable.

That was a difficult month. She'd missed several assignments and failed more than one test. So completely unlike her. Everyone knew why. It was obvious. Late nights at the Blue Recluse turned to all night parties at someone's estate. Only the kind interest of a professor saved her, in the end. When everyone was far too busy and self absorbed to do anything, this lone professor found the time in his busy day to hunt her down. Each morning he'd find her, wherever she'd passed out 'partying' the night before, and sober her up.

He didn't want to witness her the burn out of her rising star, he'd told her, and so the professor cleared his schedule and became her mentor. It was a position most coveted by many students of the day and that she was given that honor angered student and faculty, but he'd hear none of it. In another month's time Tink was completely sober and back on track. Even when she left Professor Blackwrench's mentorship, he would keep close tabs on her progress.

Nowadays the professor prefers to go by his first name, Nixim.

Tink sat forward in her chair. She would have smiled to herself at remembering all that the professor had done for her, but at the moment it felt as though her head was splitting in two. Unable to bare the clinking and clanking noise of the workshop, she retired to the relative quiet of the back storeroom with the door shut.

It wasn't a product of booze, she knew. It was her spell form of arcane intellect. By all accounts it function marvelously in the moment, but it was now apparent the spell had a major flaw. She would pull out her notes one day this week and tinker with the formula. Not today. The pain would subside in time, hours in fact. She was already feeling better, but not yet back to normal.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* came the knock at the door. Tink cringed as the sound reverberated in her head. It was a normal knock yet to her the sound might as well have been canon fire. She pressed her hands to her ears with a wince.

"What!" She winced again, squeezing her eyes shut. Even the sound of her own voice hurt.

The door slowly opened. Rays of light from the open shop doors flooded the room. They were like daggers in the eyes. The gnome shop worker on the other side poked his head around the door.

"Ms. Tink. I..."

"Tink, Quigley. Ever... just Tink."

The gnome cleared his throat with a nod. He started again. "Tink. I think you need to see this."

Quigley pushed the door open further and stepped into the room. He extended a hand. Floating like a gentle feather in his palm was a small object the glowed brilliant blue light. Tink's eyes widened, which she regretted as the pain from the increased light seared through her brain. She winced.

"Come in. Close that door." Quigley did so. Tink stood slowly, ensuring her balance, and moved to the back of the room to the stairway. She motioned for the gnome workman to follow her. Down the stairs and too the right, through the bent door that hung on a single stubborn hing. The gnome stood at the door, blue glowing object in hand, eyes wide as if he'd just entered a sacred temple. Tink recognized the look and knew the feeling.

She walked to the back of the room, taking out the small crystal as she had before and sending it above head to illuminate the room. On a back bench sat several mechanical devices. To the untrained eye they looked as little more than strange gnomish devices that might do nothing... or might blow up the world. Tink knew better. When she was in this room, struggling with the shadow that turned out to be her little sister, she'd caught a glance of these devices. She didn't give it any thought at the time, but seeing the blue glowing object in Quigley's hand reminded her.

"Quigley. Do you know what you hold in your hand?"

The gnome looked down at the blue glowing object and shook his head. "No, Tink. Its not like anything I've ever seen."

Tink smiled. "Its a creation from the brilliance of Master Tinker Dibik and myself."

Quigley nodded. "Yes, I've heard. You call yourself an Arcane Tinker."

"Yes," She nodded. "Don't interrupt."

The gnome pinched his lips closed as she continued. "Master Tinker Dibik had been refining the internal systems of his mechanical companions for some time. A personal hobby and nothing more. The idea came to him that these companions could serve more than just a contraption that followed you around and looked cute. They could be functional in so many different ways."

"He started paying attention when he traveled about Ironforge, New Tinkertown, and Stormwind. As it turns out, his idea was nothing new. Many other tinkers had modified their mechanical companions to perform particular tasks and services." Tink touched one of the devices thoughtfully.

"Seeing this didn't discourage him, but peaked his interest further. He observed and studies these companions, looking at their internal components when the chance permitted, and talking about the build with the engineer that designed the mechanical companion. All of this, over several weeks, led him to one conclusion."

Tink considered Quigley. "That he could do it better." She motioned for him to bring her the object.

"It was around that time that I had returned from my post-graduate travels. I needed a mentor, a job, a career... if you will. I knew Master Tinker Dibik at one time as Professor Blackwrench."

"He taught at the University?" Quigley interrupted.

Tink nodded. "He did. He was my mentor then, for several months. He retired shortly before my graduation and set up this shop."

"So he mentored you again?"

Tink shook her head. "No. He had already been a mentor. While I still hold great respect for him, I needed to find a mage. Not an engineer." Tink took up the blue glowing object and considered it fondly. "Needless to say, I am still looking, but what Master Tinker Dibik offered me was a job. More than a job, really. He offered me the chance to apply my talents with the arcane."

"This..." She showed the blue glowing object to Quigley. "Is the fruit of our labor. It is an Arcane Power Core."

Wided eyed, Quigley asked. "How does it work?"

"Its all a bit technical. The components are rather delicate and finite. However it all functions rather naturally to store a charge of Arcane Energy. It holds that energy. Amplifies it. Recirculates it. This became the heart of his machines. From this we were able to completely redesign how his mechanical companions functioned, which allowed for an unprecedented level of functionality."

"It has long since been refined, again and again. This particular module, however, is unique. It is a power core with memory." She released the blue glowing object over a particular device. The blue glowing power core slowly dropped into an open cavity and the device slowly came to life. Quigley stepped back in wonder.

Lights illuminated the device from within. Tiny actuators slid a covering over the power core and sections of the device began to twist and turn. It unfurled to reveal a mechanical creature. Once its transformation was complete a long and slender metallic dragon of the pandaren style stood on the workbench. It stretched up to its full length of about two feet, standing on its hind legs, long tail snaking behind it. The dragon head blinked turned between the two gnomes, blinking its rather sophisticated mechanical eyes.

It spoke. The voice sounded cold and mechanical.

[This unit is equipped with advanced voice modulation components as well as audio and visual sensory arrays.]

Tink asked. "What is your ACS designation?"

The metallic dragon tilted its head inquisitively. It sat backward onto its long tail and draped its tiny arms over its chest.

[ACS? I have no Arcane Core Systems designation.]

Tink shared a confused glance with Quigley. "That's impossible. Every Arcane Core Unit has a designation. It is hard coded into the unit before activation and insertion," Tink paused. "Come to think of it, none of the ACS units... that is to say... how did you arrive at this shop?"

The metallic dragon head cocked to the side, looking between the two gnomes.

[I flew.]

Tink pinched the bridge of her nose. The pain had subsided but was not building back. None of this made sense and the harder she thought the more her head hurt.

"Unit. Who are you?"

The metallic dragon head righted itself, appearing satisfied.

[My creator originally designated me a Superlatively Intelligent Mechanical Squirrel. He abbreviated this designation to S.I.M.S. Doctor Cail Liam Mahlr'D however, my creator, prefered to simply call me Sims.]

The metallic dragon head cocked to one side.

[That name will suit me in this form, however the designation has changed. I am now a Superlatively Intelligent Mechanical Serpent.]

"Dragon Serpent..." Quigley muttered as more of an observation than a correction.

[Correct...] Sims paused. His eyes focusing on the gnome. [...Tinker Quigley. Though the 'dragon' is implied.]

Tink exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose again. "That's right. I remember you know. You were that special project the old dwarf brought to Nixim. Sims, he called you." She glanced up at the creature. "If I remember correctly you were put into a rather sophisticated Mechanical Squirrel."

The mechanical head nodded. [That is correct Arcane Tinker Freeblink. That particular mechanical device sparked the evolution that led to the current service designs he is field testing with the Stormwind Watch. While sophisticated and superior in many respects, I found that it was gradually becoming obsolete. I would have required an upgrade in another months' time.]

"Tink." She corrected. "Just call me Tink, and tell me then why are you here?"

The mechanical dragon serpent extended its arms. [I was in need of another mechanical armature. Anticipating further query, my other mechanical armature... or body... had been severely damaged.]

"Damaged?" Tink sounded alarmed. "What happened? How?"

[The aircraft Doctor Mahlr'D flew experienced an extremely turbulent event while passing over the ruins of Andorhal. Subsequently the aircraft suffered a dramatic loss in altitude and despite the Doctor's best efforts the aircraft fell from the sky, impacting a hill top south of the Northridge Lumber Camp. Sims evacuated the aircraft moments before impact in an effort to preserve functionality. Sims' armature... body... was damaged during the descent. Sims activated the emergency locator beacon, sent the distress signal, and ejected the Sims armature as protocol directed, returning here to retrieve an adequate... body... and relay the distress message to Master Tinker Merian Nixim Henris Dibik Blackwrench.]

Tink and Quigley blinked. She resisted asking the obvious question. Quigley smirked, but remained silent.

The mechanical dragon head peered at Tink, looking her up and down. [You are under mental distress, Tink. Your symptoms reflect the results of intoxication, yet detect none of the typical chemical imbalances associated with inebriation. With adequate rest and hydration those symptoms should pass by the evening. If they persist longer then you should seek medical assistance.]

TInk blinked. A little beside herself. "Thank, uh.. thank you." She squinted. "You display an uncanny amount of individuality."

[And autonomy.] Sims cut her sentence short. [Sims was programed to simulate intelligence by creator Mahlr'D. You and Master Tinker... Blackwrench... upgraded my programming to include a set of evolutionary algorithms along with the physical systems to allow the intellectual logic systems of Sims' Arcane Core Unit ample expansion.]

"Incredible." Quigley glanced at Tink. Tink blinked back.

"Its learning. Adapting its speech patterns."

[This newer Sims armature is equipped with a great many components that the other Sims armature did not possess, such as this voice module and the corresponding lexicon. This models' sensory array is sensitive enough to detect Tinker Freeblink's distress, as well as now Tinker Freeblink's incredulity.]

"I... I'm just... astounded..."

[Understood and duly noted. My internal chronometer indicates that I have loitered for far too long. Preliminary scans of this structure utilizing Master Tinker's proprietary Arcane Neural Networking Systems has indicated that the Master Tinker is not on the premises. Protocol dictates that Tinker Freeblink be notified and informed of the emergency distress signal. Details have been uploaded to The Gnomerian's Database. Sims will now depart for Stormwind in an effort to locate and inform Master Tinker Blackwrench.]

The mechanical dragon serpent stretched to its full length standing upon the workbench.

It produced a high pitched whirring noise as its internal arcane repulsor engines charged. Slim ports opened up along the length of its body and as it tucked its fore and hind legs close the mechanical dragon serpent drifted into the air almost as if weightless.

Hundreds if not thousands of points of articulation from the base of its metallic dragon head to the tip of its tail gave the mechanical creature a truly serpentine nature as it swiftly slithered its way through the space of the room and out into the corridor. As it disappeared up the stairway Quigley ran behind it trying to keep up with Tink in tow.

As the pair stepped out of the large shop doors into the street of Thelsamar they had lost sight of the device. A loud and distant pop that sounded much like a gunshot turned their heads southwest.

Quigley muttered, incredulous. "Did... did it just reach transonic..."

"Hush." Tink silenced the gnome. She shot him a glare as she turn back into the shop. "Back to work and not a word about this, Quigley. I have to access the Network and figure out what this was all about."