Chapter 3 and no reviews. Man, I have had bad luck as of late. Oh well, this was fun to write, and that's all that matters. Reviews are appreciated though.

Chapter 3

It was morning, and a bright ray of sunshine shown through the window and onto Wonki's face. She winced slightly, opening her eyes with care, allowing the pupils to adjust to the dazzling glow.

She sighed, struggling to remember the prior night, but recollection hid just behind dull pain. Her hand moved to her side and brushed something warm and smooth and leathery. She looked down, noticing a blue skinned arm. Following the arm to the shoulder, and eventually the head, she realized that Aloos and she were sharing a bed.

"Aloos!" she screamed.

The troll woke with a fright, rolling out of bed and retrieving his dagger from the side table. He assumed a combat stance, weapons held at arm's length, but lowered his guard when finding a lack of hostiles.

"Aloos! What the hell were you doing?"

"Sleepin, till bout a second ago."

"You were sleeping in the same bed as I was?"

"Yeah mon," he said, confused as to why she was getting so mad. "You beneath da covers, me above. Same way me and my brothers use ta sleep when we didn't have enough beds."

"So, there was no contact?"

"You want some?"

Trolls were a lot like snakes, Wonki decided, as the back of his hand stroked her cheek. They both had a slimy look to them, yet their touch was dry and smooth, and Aloos's touch was pleasant.

"Stop that!" she growled, pushing his hand away.

"Good. I like petite chicks, da bloods are alright, but yous pushing it. Yous can't even reach my waist."

"Shut up Al," she muttered. Her brain was throbbing behind her eyes. "You got anything to drink on you?"

Aloos took a small flask out of his vest pocket and tossed it to Wonki, who opened it and took a long chug.

The ale was warm and slimy, and left a residual damp sourness on the gnome's tongue. "What is this?" she wretched.

"Special troll brew, mon. Taste like shit, but it'll get you drunk pretty quick."

Indeed, the pain had already left her head and her vision was beginning to swirl.

"Ye may not wanna operate any heavy machinery for a while. I can go wit ye back to ye town, so ye won't ride ye robochicken alone."

"Alright," she said, shaking her head to relieve her blurring vision.

The emerald raptor snorted when it spotted Wonki, and she took a few instinctual steps back. A long tongue flickered out and licked its cracked lips.

"Easy dere big fella," Aloos said, tapping the raptor's head. "You been playing nice wit all da other mounts?"

The raptor hissed and snapped its jaws, though Wonki guessed it had no other desire than to appear fierce for its master. Her demons often did something similar. Aloos tapped its head again and it settled down. He put a long leg over the mount's back and hoisted himself into position. Wonki climbed onto her mechanostrider.

It was a days worth of travel, so mostly to combat the boredom she decided to talk. "Why are you helping me?"

"I feel sorry for ye," Aloos muttered.

"Seriously. Why are you helping me?"

"Why did you help me? Remember, Ashenvale?"

"I felt sorry for you," she laughed. "Poor little troll, seven big bad goblins against one."
"Course ye didn't know that Taff an Eck were hiding in da bushes."

"And you didn't know that Bracha and Rendal were behind me. The night elves didn't like the goblins defiling their sacred trees. And the orcs didn't like the competition for their resources. Same goals. Just seemed like a good idea to work together."

"Good thing Taff was dere, or we'd of killed each other."

Aloos cupped his hands over his remaining eye and peered into the horizon. "Alright mon. Ironforge bout another half a mile. I get any closer and dey likely to kill me."

"See you again," Wonki waved.

Aloos nodded, turning his raptor and moving off into the other direction.

Wonki moved the mechanostrider forward, riding through the gates of the human capital, nodding at the guards she passed. They did not nod back. In fact, they rarely responded to any interaction at all. They just stood there, like stone statues, in their polished armor, ever vigilant against the various dangers the Alliance faced. Standing ready to fight the murlocs, or the Scourge, or the Horde.

"Hey Tek," she said, entering Tek's Tinker shop, located in the city's trade district.

"Wonki," the male gnome asked. "Good thing you're here, I got a letter for you."
Tek rummaged through the papers on his desk, shifting and moving the blue prints and documents, until he unearthed a small sheet. "What is it?" he asked, as Wonki read it over.

"Nothing. Twoblades wants to see me. Probably just to lecture me some more."

Though Twoblades' office was fairly close, Wonki rode her mechanostrider, not feeling up to tiring out her stubby legs.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she squeaked.

Twoblades was seated at his desk, and stood up, leaning over it to look down at Wonki. "Duty calls commander."

"With all respect, sir, I was given two weeks of vacation. Its barely been two days."

"Our enemies don't take vacations commander, therefore neither do we."

She sighed, assuming her superiors had deemed her free of wrong doing sooner than she thought. "What do you need done?"

"We have received a report from Theramore."

"Who's the report from? Goodlight?"

"Yes, Goodlight sent it. You and Private Nani will be sent in, alone."

"I'm sorry sir, Private Nani?"

"Your new partner, to replace the late Commander Bracha." He gestured to the left side of the room, and the draenei woman that was seated on the couch. Wonki wondered how she had missed her when she first came in, but then, the draenei was just sitting quietly, not moving or talking, and Wonki's focus was on Twoblades. She stood up, towering over the petite gnome, bending so that they could shake hands.

"Greetings," she said. "I am First Class private Gredel Nani."

"I am sub-commander Becca Blackboom. You can call me Wonki though. Everyone does."

The draenei people had been a formal part of the Alliance for nearly a year, yet Wonki had never seen one so close.

The first thing she had to comprehend was the draenei's size. She towered above Wonki, the gnome barely reached her knee, and her hoof was about as wide as the gnome's whole body. But squatness was something that all gnomes grew accustomed to, and Wonki had spent much time with larger races. Wonki had long decided that she wasn't too short, everyone else was just too damn big.

The draenei had a heavy build, heavier than a human or elf woman, with thick muscular thighs and a sizable chest, which made her undeniably woman. She had a pretty face, sharp features and soft, pale white eyes that seemed to glow brilliantly. A pair of short, curved horns adorned her forehead, rising out then curving backwards over her straight, coal colored black hair. Wonki had heard them called handlebars once or twice, and she giggled. The draenei's skin was smooth, and a sort of dark smoky black. She actually had a superficial resemblance to a tauren cow, perhaps a little more goat than bovine.

She was wearing heavy armor, polished bronze in color, that clinked and clanked with every rise and fall of her chest when she breathed. She carried a hammer on her belt, a huge weapon: the head of which was the size of Wonki's whole body. Dangling on the belt around her shapely hips was a crossbow, and she carried a large shield on her back.

"What is your training?" Wonki asked.

She talked with a deep voiced accent, nothing like Bracha's, yet Wonki thought of Bracha, because Bracha had a funny way of talking too. "I am fluent in the many aspects of warfare, ma'am."

"Are you aware of what I practice?"

"The dark arts, ma'am."

"Does that bother you?
"No."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you."

"I can use the hammer on my belt to slay demons, or I can use it to brain orphans. Either way, the hammer is not good or evil. Such designations are left to the hand that wields it. If you are strong enough to control the demons you play with, then I applaud you for harnessing them for good. I can honestly say that I, nor my people, have not demonstrated the same strength."

Taken back perhaps, Wonki allowed herself to smile. "I appreciate your honesty."