Jillani sighed softly in her sleep, the small Gnome stirring abit in her large bed. Her pink hair was down out of her pigtails for sleeping, seeming to sway and wrap around her head as she wiggled. In her real self she was in an Ironforge inn, sleeping safely in a delux room with her staff propped on the wall while her large Water Elemental 'Squish' stood unmoving next to the door as a guard. In her mind, however, she was seven years in the past, in the city of Gnomeregan. Her city was under attack.

She was younger, still an adult but still younger none the less, a mage in her city, already rather well known. She had her kind's gifts for tinkering with assorted devices, and along with it their skills in magic. She yawned softly as she walked down a corridor to a local blastpowder shop, spinning a small iceball on her finger as she did. This day seemed different though, there was a strange air around, an eerie calm that normaly ment someone was about to blow up their house or loose control of their demon. She shrugged it off though, chalking it up to paranoia, as she stopped into a magic store that caught her eye. "Lo there Jilly!" A green haired Gnome man waved to her as she walked in. She grinned and kissed his cheek as she passed him, looking at a nearby wall of scrolls "Hello Minzel, how's life in the guard?" He shrugged abit as he laid back in his chair, watching Jill look through the papers. "Same old same old, we've had reports of Troggs sneaking in though, found a dead one in one of the gears the other day. I don't like it, too close for me." Jill just laughed softly as she selected a few scrolls and walked to the counter "Oh please sweetie, you act like there's an army beating their drums in our basements. We're safe here, Ironforge's solders help us when the Horde tries to pull anything, we have you guardsmen, we're safe here!"

Minzel just shrugged as Jill dropped some silver on the counter for her goods. "I guess, but you know how agressive they've been getting, and the Dwarves have their war coming to worry about. There may be a day when it's just us, and that scares me abit." Jill just rolled her eyes with a giggle, "So serious and grim, we live just fine alone, we'll make it dear." Minzel nodded, but finally smiled abit, grabbing Jill's wrist softly as she walked by. "Wait, Jill," he said with a smile, reaching in his pocket. "I finally got a ring for you to wear, got it comissoned from one of the best jewlers here, I want all your friends at the Mage Ward to be jealous." He laughed abit as he put a small golden ring with a diamond embedded in it, flanked by a pair of emeralds on it's sides, and a pair of rubies above and under it. Jill blushed softly as she slipped it on her left hand "I'm sure they will be green with envy." Minzel just winked as he kissed her "I want all the city to know you and I are getting married." Jill smiled and nodded, turning to go with a grin "Don't worry, they already do, I tell my friends any chance I can!" He laughed as Jill walked out, staring at her ring and humming happily as she did.

The rest of her day went dull compared to the start, she bought some blasting powder and caps, got a meal, stopped in to make sure none of her family was in jail, and went to the pub to meet a few of her friends. As they were sitting around, gossiping and gushing over Jill's ring, the alarms blared. She remembered everything, her friend had just told her how amazing it was that a bandit was marrying a guard when Jill's comeback was cut off by the loud wail of the sirens. She ran as fast as she could to the garrison where Minzel was coming from, in his full armor, sword and gear shaped shield in hand. "What's going on?" She must have looked hysterical, red faced from running and panting as she grabbed him. Minzel just shook his head, looking to where the others were marching "There's a breach in the wall, they think it's Troggs, a lot of them. Jill you need to stay back, if it is a raid there are a whole army of very big Troggs looking to kill anything." Jill frowned at that, "I can help! I need to make sure you're ok! I need to-" She was cut off by his metal covered finger pressing into her lips. "You need to stay safe, if you got hurt I don't know what I would do, make sure everyone gets out alright, you have to help the people first." Jill was about to protest, but nodded when she saw the firm look in his face. "Alright...for you. You have to stay safe though, for me." Minzel just grinned as he lowered the visor on his helm, running to join the rest "No problems there love!" She sighed and held back tears as she heard a large explosion and the sound of a battle, blocking it out as she ran to the housings.

"Go on move it!" She yelled at people, helping others herd them to the gates to wait outside. As she ran she passed by the Great Cog, where the High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque sat. She nodded one of her friends, telling them to take over for her as she ran in, looking at the chaos as people ran from control pannel to control pannel. "Tinker," She yelled as she pushed her way through, looking for the leader of her people as she did. Finally she found him, panting, looking desperate, at his side was his highest advisor, Mekgineer Sicco Thermaplugg, hand on his shoulder. "It's the only way," Thermaplugg said grimly as Mekkatoruqe nodded softly, whispering as he did. "Yes, it's the only way, do it, order the Omega Plan." Jillani looked to Thermaplugg angrily, glaring as she spoke "What is the Omega Plan? What are you doing to us Thermaplugg?" He spoke rather calmly compared to their leader as he walked right by Jill "It's none of your worry, bandit, it is the only way we can save our people." Just as Jill looked ready to slug him, the High Tinker spoke up. "It's a bomb, a huge radation bomb, it will unleash toxic gas and kill the Troggs before they can advance into the city far. I know it sounds radical, but Thermaplugg as ensured the guard have not been called in yet." Jill snapped at that, almost snarling at her leader. "He's a lair! The guard are fighting the Troggs! If you do this you'll kill them all!" Thermaplugg only smirked at that, "Yes, let's all trust the Redwrench, the bandit girl from a long line of theives and liars. I'm only the advisor to the Tinker, I don't know anything." The High Tinker looked sadly at Jill before nodding "I'm sorry, but I simply can't risk it." With that he pressed a series of buttons, the alarms died for a moment before a new set, deeper and rumbling, began. The Cog began to empty, people were running out, Jill was swept up in the crowd, forced to run out with them as the bomb went off. A great roar came up from the bowels of her city, as if a dragon had awakened in it, and Jill could only watch from the gates as green, vile, gas poured from the windows and doors of the city. After that all she could remember was the sound of herself screaming as she hit her knees crying.

((Part one! Next part coming, feel free to leave comments!))