A/N: Hello there :) The first two chapters are kinda short and slow, but after that it picks up it's pace. Promise.

This is my first time writing anything for Guild Wars 2, so please give me a chance and leave behind any feedback you might have. Thank you.

A New Beginning

After checking her bag one last time, she let out a breath that she had been holding. She'd packed her leather armor and a cloth bound notebook with a pen, as well as about a dozen gold coins. Attached to her belt were a pair of daggers, and hidden in her right boot was yet another blade. Some called her paranoid. Ash preferred to say that she was cautious.

"Are you coming or going?" the asura standing in front of the gateway asked her. The strange character before her shook his oblong head, his floppy ears moving back and forth as he did so. Like most asura she'd come across he was grey skinned and a little more than half her height. If she remembered correctly, his name was Rakt. He began to mumble to himself while he checked once again to make sure the gate's coordinates were correct. His apprentice, a young female asura named Una, was sitting down off to the side with a bored expression on her face.

"Rakt, as fascinating as it is to sit around waiting for people to come and go from this gate, can you enlighten me on when this job gets to be worth my time?" she asked, in an irritated tone.

"What I'd like to know," Rakt started, turning on his heel to face her, "is why a Dynamics student agreed to an apprenticeship with a Statics alumnus."

Una shrugged her shoulders and said nothing more on the matter. She opened the notebook that was by her side and seemed to be jotting down calculations for something unrelated.

Rakt huffed and turned back to Ash. "I apologize for my apprentice's behavior."

Ash swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Magic had always made her nervous, no matter what kind it was. Asura magic was strange and she had no idea how it worked. She nodded her head and adjusted the strap of her bag so that it sat properly on her shoulder. "It's okay. I… I'm just anxious."

"Ah. It's your first time using one of these gates, isn't it?" he said. "I understand that you'd feel some discomfort towards the unknown, but rest assured there's nothing safer than traveling by Asura Gate, especially when you have a genius like me in charge."

Fighting back the urge to roll her eyes at him, Ash forced herself to smile and nod. She knew that he meant well, but every asura she'd met so far was pretentious, and she was amazed that they were able to get along with the other races as well as they did. Still, there was no denying that they were remarkable when it came to their magic and their inventions.

Taking another deep breath she stepped forward up the ramp and towards the large metal circle that was the gate. Purple magic flowed throughout the circle and Ash could feel her throat tighten again. Her steps faltered when she came within three feet of the Gate. She stopped again and looked through. She could see a clouded version of Lion's Arch through the purple haze of magic.

"Miss Ashlyn," Rakt said, using her real name. "You have absolutely nothing to be afraid of. In all the time that I've been working with this Gate there's never been a single problematic incident."

"And it's been quite a long time," Una said, not looking up from her notes.

Rakt narrowed his eyes at his apprentice again, who was no longer paying attention to those around her. He clenched his fists and began mumbling to himself again, restraining himself from lashing out at his apprentice.

Ash opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it. She bit on her tongue before letting out a sigh. Pulling herself together she fixed the ends of her fingerless leather gloves and closed her eyes. She cleared the distance between her and the Gate and stepped through, partially because she didn't want to end up in the middle of an argument between to two asura.

One moment she'd been in the human city of Divinity's Reach, and now she was in Lion's Arch. The first thing she felt was the warmth. Lion's Arch was farther south then she'd ever been before, and when she opened her eyes she found herself gaping at the landscape. The great city had once been a haven for pirates trying to find a place to stay, and now it had turned into a multi-cultural melting pot.

Ash breathed deeply and exhaled through her mouth. A cool breeze swept over the landscape, carrying along a salty mist from the nearby ocean and blowing her waist length curls into her face. She brushed them back behind her ears and once again fixed her strap. She walked down the wooden ramp that led to a platform where several asura were walking around and yelling at each other. Ash lifted an eyebrow at them, but ignored their quarrels and continued into the city.

She was met with a large fountain with a golden lion leaping forward. Her eyes stared at it as she walked further into the bustling crowd. Everywhere she looked there was something strange and amazing. The city was filled with people of all shapes and sizes and of all the different races of Tyria. Ash could feel the smile on her face widen into a massive grin and she laughed lightly to herself.

"Amazing," she breathed.

"Ho, traveler!" a norn man said to Ash, his voice deep and rough like most other norn. She stopped and turned around to face him. He towered over her, standing almost twice her size at about ten feet. She craned her neck to make eye contact with the giant standing beside her. "You look like you've seen your fair share of fights." He gestured to the blades hanging from her belt.

"I guess you could say that," Ash said as she reminisced. She'd had to break up a number a bar fights back in Divinity's Reach, and at one point she'd gotten in trouble with a bandit gang. She managed to get out in one piece, but not without a few extra scars.

"I have a feeling you'd be more than welcome at our battle pits," he said.

Ash furrowed her brows. "Pits?"

The norn nodded his massive head. "The pits have become a great place to show off skill nowadays. The fights lost some meaning since the portals to the Mists arrived, but lately they've been getting some well needed attention. Adventurers and warriors of all kinds eventually find their way to our pits." He paused to smile. "I can see the intrigue in your eyes," he said. "The pits are down to the south."

Thoughts ran into each other in her mind before the corners of her lips pulled upwards. She glanced back towards the direction she'd come from. The bridge that lead to Fort Marriner and eventually to the battle pits was in her line of sight. The fingers of her right hand extended out before clenching into a fist around the hilt of her blade. She looked back up at the massive norn and nodded. "Thanks. I think I know where I'm headed now."

He laughed at this. "Good luck to you my friend."

Ash waved farewell to him as she started to jog towards the stone bridge.

Where there're fights, there are bets. And where there are bets, there's money in it for the victor, Ash reasoned as she spun around to avoid crashing into a small group. She smiled to herself. I should be able to make easy money!

"Watch it!" a charr growled at her and dodged backwards to avoid getting hit.

"Sorry!" she called over her shoulder, not stopping for even a second until the massive crowd came into view.

Members of various races were crowded together. Cheering roars echoed off of the fort walls. Ash slowed her pace down to a walk and stepped into the mass of people. Her small size allowed her to slip past the crowd with ease as she made her way to the front.

It was a battle between a couple charr, a female and a male. Their swords clashed together repeatedly, loud chimes sounding with each hit. The one on the right, the female, let out a ferocious roar that caused the crowd to cheer even louder. The male narrowed his eyes and lunged forward with his sword, an attack that was quickly thrown off. His sword was knocked from his hands and he was soon met with one that threatened to cut off his head.

"Give up yet?" the female said, holding her sword against his neck

The two stood still for a few brief moments before he put his hands up in surrender. He growled inwardly and said, "Fine. I give up."

She pulled her sword back and laughed. "Hahaha! I win! Drinks are on you tonight."

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he fetched his sword. "But I'm not losing again!"

The crowd slowly scattered with the end of the fight. Ash looked around and saw an asura standing off to the side on a bar stool. People were on their way over to him to collect money from bets.

"There you are," he said as he handed another charr a small bag of money. "You're pretty good at this."

The charr smirked and tossed the bag in the air before catching it.

"Uh, hello?" Ash said to the asura.

He looked up at her. "Sorry, but bets are closed for the day. Come back tomorrow for the next round."

"I'm not here to bet," she said. "I'm here to fight."

The asura raised a brow at this. "Are you sure about that?"

Ash frowned. "Of course. Why else would I come over here?"

He smirked at her response. "Well, if you're certain about this I guess I'll put your name on the board. How's tomorrow sound for you?"

The frown pulled back up into a smile. "Perfect."

"All right then." He pulled out a notebook and a pen. "What are you called?"

"Ash," she said.

He nodded. "All right then. Ash it is." He snapped the notebook closed and stood tall on the stool he was on, as if to make himself appear tougher. "Rules are you can use whatever method of attack you want, but you can't kill nor can you mortally wound any of your opponents. That also means you cannot cut off limbs." He shook his head. "Wouldn't believe how specific we have to be with some folks." He straightened out and continued where he left off. "You're only fighting them until they give up or until you wear them out to the point of exhaustion. If you are severely injured at any point we have healers standing by to take care of you after your fight. Do you understand?"

Ash nodded at this. "Yes."

He smiled at her and nodded in return. "Then welcome to Lion's Arch. I wish you luck in your fight tomorrow. Be here at noon."

Pleased with herself, Ash waved goodbye to him and set off to find an inn.