Yay! New chapter! In this one, there are the first mentions and interactions with existing NPCs from the game, but I won't tell who. It's up to you to find out if you really want to know. ;)

Pitch blackness. That was all he saw. Asterix held his hands out against the walls of the cold and moist surface of the tunnel to feel his way through it. Unlike the facility's smooth stone walls, this tunnel was crudely made out of bricks. It smelled much like a sewer... it was also probably being used as one. He did his best being careful with every step he took so he wouldn't trip or slip over anything, or step on whatever might be crawling around in here. He kept Dogmatix fitted in his collar, so that he had both hands free and so that they wouldn't lose each other in the darkness.

Suddenly, Asterix yelped and nearly slipped, managing to barely keep himself from falling over by clutching a protruding stone brick. He felt something slithering and brushing past his ankle. He took a few moments to catch his breath after the surprise. Gods! Where does this stinking rut finally end!? It felt like he had been walking around in it for hours, while in reality they may have been only ten minutes. He felt Dogmatix fumbling around in between his collar, giving off an abrupt whine.

"I know, I know," he soothingly told to Dogmatix, trying to calm the pup. "I want to get out of here too." Taking a long, deep breath, he carefully continued moving forward, knowing full well that he had no time to waste.

After another couple of minutes, the tunnel was slowly becoming brighter. He could see dim, blueish light shining down on those bricks that he had been holding on to. At last, he was nearing the end of the tunnel. He began to speed up, no longer worried about tripping over something, or slipping. He only cared about leaving the days spent in prison behind him. To be outside again. It was a luxury that he missed dearly, and he never realized that until it was taken away from him. Taking his first steps out of the escape route and beholding the wilderness outside, he realized why it always felt like a jungle in the facility. Because outside, it was a jungle.

The area he entered was shrouded in night, but it felt so… so bright. It was nothing like he had become accustomed to. And the air, so fresh! He paused a moment to take in great lungsful of the clean healthy air. He looked about, trying to orient himself. The area was full of tall exotic trees, jungle plants were dotted around the rocky, yet green landscape, and the river mentioned to him by Vamma twisted through the area. Turning around, he could see the Inquest facility towering over him in the distance. Its architecture was much like it was on the inside; straight, blocky and adorned with diamond-shape cubes. However, on the outside, the complex was using blue lights rather than red. Possibly as a means of covering up what really went on in there.

Either way, Asterix took a mental note to avoid any buildings that shared similarities to the one he was holed up in for more than a week. Now, all he had to do was follow the river downstream until he would find this 'Lionguard outpost'. Hopefully he would find it soon, and hopefully, it would look nothing like this building. Vamma did say he 'can't miss it', after all. He shifted his focus back to the river, and started following it.

"Hope yer all hungry, 'cause dinner is served," the norn chef announced as he set down a big pot of hot soup in the middle of the fortified camp. It was creamy and richly filled with all kinds of vegetables.

"Bagh," a large, bulky soldier in bronze-tinted, heavy plate armor sneered. "Soup again? When do we get something proper to eat, like some well-roasted meat, with potatoes on the side?" He licked his chops and fangs with his big pink tongue at the thought.

"When we get new supplies from Lion's Arch. Now quit nagging. You're here to help keep this road safe, not make everybody else crave potatoes," another soldier answered back in a stern tone. She was a slender human woman, dark-skinned in color, and she wore the same kind of armor. A badge on her chest plate indicated that she was in command around here.

"Yes, sheriff Kol, ma'am…" The first soldier stood up and grumped as he got in line for supper. His long furry tail twirled around as he received a bowlful of the steaming chunky broth in his big, clawed mitts. The soldier's green, slit eyes lit up a little when he saw some chunks of beef floating around in it, and he smiled, a set of long crooked canines glinting in the light of the campfire.

Kol sighed. Was there ever a time that the big horned cat didn't think about meat? The woman shrugged lightly. Well, he is a charr. Those big, hunched, bipedal felines weren't used to anything else but.

She looked up. Not a cloud to be seen in the dark star-filled sky. Good, no rain tonight. All has been calm lately for the Lionguard of Arterium Haven. Hylek and Inquest attacks were less frequent than usual. It was a boring task, watching the trade route, but those times of silence meant that things were going well for a change.

"Sheriff, ma'am," a watch guard called down from the brick walls. He had a distinctive accent in his speech. "Someone is approaching the haven. I think a human."

"Huh? Alone and at this hour? Those merchants become bolder and more foolish every day, going out at night in a place like this," Kol groaned.

"This isn't a merchant, ma'am," the guard answered back, "He has nothing with him. Only a little dog."

That's odd… "Open the gate!"

They swung open the heavy, wooden doors. A short man, no bigger than a tall asura, stood there, accompanied by a tiny white terrier that kept close to his heels. He was smudged with dirt, unarmed, skinny, and pale as a ghost. A barrage of mosquito bites were apparent on his bare arms, and his tattered tunic and broken helm-wing told the Lionguard he had been having a very bad day. The sheriff quickly called to one of her soldiers to bring food, water, and a blanket, while she and two others quickly approached the exhausted fugitive to help him inside.

"Is…is this the Lionguard outpost?" the frail man asked.

"Yes, this is Arterium Haven," Kol answered, examining the weak structure of the man. He looked like he could break at the minutest of movement. "You're safe here. Come, have a seat. We have warm soup," she urged. But the man didn't hear any of it, nothing but the word 'yes'.

"Good…" he answered with a dangerously weak puff of breath, and suddenly, he began to wobble. Sheriff Kol was the first to notice, and her brown-black eyes widened in shock. "Oh, Grenth have mercy! There he goes…!"

The three soldiers surrounding him all had alarmed expressions on their faces, but soon they slowly faded away as stars began to spark up and obscure his sight. No more than a second after, he blacked out completely and fell backwards, threatening to hit the cobblestone road with a harsh thud. But thanks to the soldiers' quick reflexes, he was caught and spared of such a painful incident.

"Bring him inside and get him some water, quick!" the sheriff commanded.

Only a few minutes had gone by after the blood returned to Asterix's head and he regained full consciousness, but not without the company of a stinging headache. Noticing how cold he was, the sheriff persuaded him to sit near the campfire, wrapped up in a cotton blanket. They offered him a well-filled bowl of hot soup, which he took gratefully. He took a few spoonfuls of the rich meal first, but then he cast the spoon aside like it were some liability, instead hungrily drinking it straight from the bowl with a sudden spark of enthusiasm. His dog was also fed some chunks of cooked beef they fished out from the soup. When he was done eating, he set the empty bowl aside and let out a contented sigh, and leaned back against one of the supply crates behind him for support.

"Thank you for all the help, and the soup," he said, feeling sated but also rejuvenated. Even some of his color had returned. "It was delicious," he added as an afterthought. Because indeed, it was genuinely the best thing he'd ever tasted in a long while.

"Ha! At least someone appreciates me cookin' skills," the chef responded with a big smile on his face. The hulking, dark brown charr, who sat next to Asterix, shot the big norn an annoyed look. Asterix couldn't help his curiosity toward the big, furry, feline soldier, and he stared a little. The large cat had four long cow ears and one set of two massive horns protruding from the back of his skull, and another, smaller set jutting out a little further below. And despite not hearing him talk yet, the metal, bronze-colored armor he wore indicated he was of an intelligent race. His mug was that of a wrinkly lion's, long sharp fangs sticking out and overlapping his chops. He looked like a terrifying beast that nobody would want to get his bad side on. Especially not when he's this well armed.

The burly cat's green eyes suddenly shifted down at him, giving him a long, puzzled look back. The charr spoke up with a voice that had a deep, rumbling bass, "Something the matter? Feeling ill?"

Asterix muffled a tiny squeak, feeling a bit overwhelmed. He quickly looked down. "No, I'm fine… Feeling much better." He watched Dogmatix give off a long yawn after the pup was done with his meal, stretching out his little paws over the cobblestone and then cuddling up next to him. The contagious act made Asterix stifle back a yawn, himself.

"Oh, good," the cat-man answered back. "Was getting worried for a second there. You looked like you were about to keel over again!" The soldier chuckled, casting aside his own spoon in the same fashion as Asterix had, and pressing the bowl carefully to his chops, taking big, long slurps from it.

"So," the sheriff began as she set her own, half-filled bowl of soup aside for later, "What's your name, friend? And what horrible events made you end up the way you did?"

"Asterix," he replied. "And, well…" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck a bit. "I was held captive by Inquest. I'm not sure anymore how long, probably more than a week."

"Welcome to Arterium Haven, Asterix. I'm sheriff Kol." She got up and reached out a hand, not giving Asterix a chance to spend himself unnecessarily. He took the hand and gave it a firm shake. She then sat down and picked her bowl of soup back up. "The Inquest, eh? Quite a surprise you lived that long and escaped in the end. Seems like the six true gods have smiled on you!"

"It would appear so," Asterix said back with a fake smile. These people have only six gods? They're crazy! Suddenly, that reminded him... He had been wanting to ask something very important. "So, um, does anyone know which way it is to Gaul?"

The soldiers shot him a confused look. He gazed back at the bewildered faces. That can't be good.

Kol decided to break the awkward silence. "Gaul?"

"Yeah, you know, Gaul."

"Sorry, I'm afraid nobody out here's ever heard of Gaul," the sheriff answered.

Asterix abruptly began to look anxious. "What do you mean, nobody's ever heard of Gaul? It's a Roman province! You know, Rome! Ever heard of Rome? Caesar?"

"We don't know any places called Rome or Caesar," Kol shrugged remorsefully. "I'm terribly sorry."

Asterix's good helm-wing drooped down just as depressingly as his tattered one. He looked up to the star-lit sky, and his face suddenly lost what little color it had once more. He couldn't recognize any of the stars from here. Not a single constellation he knew about could be found. Even the moon looked different. Larger, even. This can't be! It's impossible! His breathing began to pick up pace and his heart sped up, his eyes desperate to find something-anything- that he might recognize. But nothing! This isn't just a strange, unknown world, it's another world entirely! The stars slowly began to spin.

"Uh oh… Guys! It's happening again," the charr said, as he carefully shifted his paw-like hand to stop the dizzy man from falling forward.

Asterix panted rapidly and raised a trembling hand to hold his forehead. He suddenly broke out in a sweat. "I…I don't understand! How can this be!? What is this place!?" The commotion woke Dogmatix, and the pup started whining and pawing his other hand.

"Calm down, friend! You're hyperventilating. Try to take deep breaths-"

"It's no good. Those Inquest have driven him insane. He lives in his own world, now," Kol told regretfully.

"N…no!" Asterix's eyes shot up and looked at the woman, looking horribly distressed. "I'm not crazy! You have to believe me…!"

The sheriff looked remorsefully back into the man's brown eyes. They didn't look deluded like that of a lunatic; she has seen people driven into madness by Inquest before. Instead, they were begging for understanding. He certainly didn't seem insane moments before. Maybe there was still some hope left, that he might recover from his mental trauma. Eventually, she raised her head at the soldier holding him up.

"He needs rest. Give him something that will help him sleep. We'll see how he's doing tomorrow, and figure out what's to become of him…"

The remainder of the night had been long and absent of haunting dreams. Or any dreams at all, for that matter. A blazingly hot summer sun had begun to rise and its light shone through the fort tower's open window, lighting up a small room and warming it. The humidity of the jungle was making the heat very unpleasant outside, and soon, it would become unpleasant indoors too. But for the time being, the Gaul and his dog were still sleeping comfortably on a soft mat that had been rolled out on the floor for them. A thin cotton blanket was spread over the short man, which was meant to protect him from more attacks from mosquitos overnight. But their slumber was soon interrupted by the creeping hot light shining into his face. He groaned in an annoyed fashion and rolled around to hide his face into the shadow. Dogmatix flicked an ear at the noise, and woke up. The animal stretched himself lazily and let out a long yawn.

The pup reached a hind paw to his ear and scratched it. He glanced about a little, brown eyes absorbing the surroundings, and a big black wet nose sniffing intently. He suddenly perked up his white and black ears at a closed, wooden door, hearing voices of people behind it. He began to growl and bark, which in turn, made his human shift around in his bed and emit a disturbed grumble.

"Dogmatix…please," his voice groaned. "I'm not in the mood for a walk… Go play with Obel-"

But then he realized, they weren't in Gaul. That warm sun tricked him into believing he was home again. For a moment, Asterix just laid there quietly until he heaved a long, bitter sigh. Slowly, he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes.

"Poor Obelix…" he muttered despondently. The big Gaul was now without his best friend and his pet for more than a week. How was he faring with this? And the rest of the village? How were they holding up without them? And what of his poor, inconsolable parents? He had many questions, questions that could not be answered. It made him feel hopelessly miserable. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. It would be better for him to focus on his own situation right now. It wouldn't be wise getting himself stressed over problems he would have loved to solve, but simply couldn't. He let down his other hand to give Dogmatix a comforting pat, to silence the pup. He could hear there were people conversing outside. Probably traveling merchants, he assumed.

Asterix fumbled his mustache and laid out the past events in his mind, deducing what would become his next course of action. The goal was obvious: to get home. But how? Who knows where home might be, and how he's going to get there. He first leaned toward the experimental portal the Inquest used. It's because of them that he got here in the first place. But he didn't quite feel like casually knocking at their doors to ask for a quick ride home…

Casting aside his worries for a moment, he got up and looked to see where the Lionguard put his stuff. He found them laid tidily next to freshly washed and dried clothes… wait, those are his clothes! He glanced down. He just stood there, in his dirtied bandages and old underwear! He could feel his face flushing red. First thing's first: he needs a bath!

He very carefully opened the door to outside so only his head could be seen, and asked sheriff Kol, who was already out keeping watch, if they had something he could wash himself with. She laughed heartily at the little man's humiliating display, telling him that the color red fit him well, much better than that milky white he had been sporting before. But then, she had her men provide him a large brass kettle to serve as a tub, a bar of soap, a towel and a mirror, accompanied with a sharp razor, so he could shave off the stubble he had grown. He rid himself of the old bandages, and thankfully, the wounds he had were nicely healed. Vamma's care and special healing salves had paid off well. All there was left was scar tissue that gave away he had once been bitten by a terrible beast, but he could live with that.

After he was clean and dressed, it was Dogmatix's turn, who, in all honesty, didn't agree to bath time at all, and he showed his disapproval by putting up a struggle, yelping and howling dismally until it was finally over. While drying the wet animal with a towel, Asterix muttered words of comfort at the pup. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Next we'll have some breakfast, and then we'll stock up and be on our way." He looked up thoughtfully. "The road will probably lead to a town, or a city. It would be nice if we know where we're going, though…" He looked around, and soon, three continental maps hanging on a wall, where a table was set against, caught his attention. The first and biggest one seemed to be the main map, while two smaller ones hung beside it, displaying other, faraway lands. Asterix got up from his knees after drying Dogmatix off, and he opened the door to let some light inside. He then went and placed both hands on the wooden table to inspect the bigger map a little closer. The miffed pup shook out his fur and sneered, and hopped outside and down the stairs, making sure to stay in the haven so he wouldn't get lost.

It really was true, then. The paper chart Asterix saw hanging on the wall showed nothing he was familiar with. The continents were aligned differently. There was no Roman empire to be seen, nor any Gaul for that matter. He saw the scribbles of an illegible name at the bottom of the map. It's symbols were all but readable to him. He got closer and squinted, completely absorbed into deciphering what it was saying. The first symbol was quite simple. But what came after it was nothing like he had ever seen. He subconsciously began to mutter. "That first one looks like a T, but what is that next one? L? I?"

"It reads 'Tyria'." a feminine, accented voice answered.

Asterix yelped and threw himself back, clutching the table for support. He saw the figure of a young woman leaning herself against the doorway. She held Dogmatix in one hand as she scratched his head endearingly with her other. The little dog appeared to enjoy it very much.

"Oh, did I interrupt you in something important?" she questioned with an excited tone in her voice, her big bright crimson eyes examining the Gaul curiously. He remembered those eyes. He saw them back in the Inquest facility, as he escaped. This woman was one of the colorful people who attacked the Inquest… But this time, she was no blur; she looked like she were made of… plants? Her clothing was made entirely out of bright blue leaves, curling out into different directions. Her hair was a colorful bouquet of large white and blue petals. And even her skin was plant matter; a piney green. Out of all the new species of creatures he had seen here, she was probably the prettiest of them all so far.

"I-I'm terribly sorry! I didn't know you were…watching." Asterix stammered, straightening himself quickly.

The leafy woman giggled. "It's quite all right," she replied with a soft tone. "I still remember you from yesterday. It's good to see you got out in one piece. And you look a lot better than you did before." She smiled and looked down at the little white terrier in her hands. "I saw this little guy loping about in the haven. He's such a little sweetheart. He's yours, right?"

"Yes, he is," Asterix answered. He looked down at the pup, noticing the animal was completely absorbed by the girl's light head scratching. "He seems to have taken a liking to you, miss…?"

"Liliwen of the Wardens."

"Nice to meet you, Liliwen," he said and held out a hand. "I'm Asterix, Gaul."

Liliwen shifted her hand momentarily away from the little pup to shake his. "Likewise!" She resumed petting Dogmatix. "Gaul? That's a surname I haven't heard before," she said cheerfully. "Are you Ascalonian? You look Ascalonian. I've met Krytan and Elonian humans before, but never Ascalonians. Oh! Please say you are!"

Asterix forgot, these people didn't know about his homeland. He was about to correct her, but then he remembered how well that ended last time, and quickly decided against the idea. "…Yes," he lied. Better to not to make a fool of himself again. Liliwen began to giggle loudly and blush a bright golden yellow as she cheerfully bounced up and down on her heels at the confirmation.

"Oh! I nearly forgot," she said, correcting herself immediately and setting a slightly dizzy Dogmatix back to the floor. "The sheriff told me you were held captive by the Inquest for longer than a week," she continued. "Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind if I take a look at something?" Liliwen asked.

"Well n…no, I…I don't see why I would…" By Toutatis! Stop stammering, you big idiot!

The girl came closer and got down to a squat, taking him gently by the wrist and inspecting his arm thoroughly. She then looked at his other arm, finding nothing but mosquito bites. "Please turn around, if you would," she instructed. He turned so his back would face the young woman, and she pulled at his tunic a bit to inspect his neck. Nothing, but then she turned to his shoulder blades, and there it was, the thing she had been fearing to see. She let off a sigh of disappointment.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so. The Inquest marked you."

Asterix suddenly felt a shiver of unease roll down his spine. "What do you mean, marked me?"

Liliwen stood up to her feet and cast a grim look at the Gaul as he turned back to her. "It's a common practice for Inquest to mark their most successful test subjects with a special tattoo. They use their data crystals, pulverized and mixed into the ink, so they can use it to track you down in case you escape."

Asterix abruptly turned pale at the information he received. He even knew what it meant; it meant he had been leaving a trail like a wounded deer in the snow the whole time. "What? They know where I am!?"

"Probably not yet." Liliwen pondered. "Our last attack on them should leave them stumped for a while. My fellow sylvari and I smashed much of their equipment." she said as her face lit up in a mischievous smile. "But, eventually, they will come looking for you. They have hidden facilities dotted all over Tyria."

The Gaul felt his stomach twist into a knot. Now he understood why he was so important to that Klipp guy. He was his most prized experiment, and that tattoo on his back was proof of it. And things were certain that the nasty asura would not let him roam free for long. "What can I do?" he asked hopefully, wishing that Liliwen would provide him an answer.

"The best way to not get caught again? Have a tattoo artist remove it," she mused.

"Then I'll find one," Asterix immediately decided. A short moment passed when his good helm-wing knocked aside in befuddlement. "…Any clue where I could find one?"

Liliwen smiled at the little 'Ascalonian'. "I do happen to know someone who's much of an expert," she smiled. "She lives in Hoelbrak. Margrit Strolfdottir, is her name."

"Great! Where is Hoelbrak?"

Liliwen looked up at the map hanging on the wall and approached it. She reached out a finger and pressed down on an area to the eastern half of the map, surrounded by mountains. "Hoelbrak is right here, in the Shiverpeak Mountains," she said. She then shifted her finger all the way to the south-west, skipping an entire country, and stopping just barely at the edge of where the chart stopped. "And we are right here, in the Maguuma Jungle."

Asterix's motivated stance from earlier quickly changed into that of defeat. "I'm never going to reach that place in time. They'll catch me!"

"If you traveled only by foot, yes, but there is a much simpler and faster way," Liliwen said. "All you have to do is reach the nearest city first, travel by asura gate to Lion's Arch, and then you can easily reach Hoelbrak in no time."

"What?"

Liliwen looked back at the confused man. "You haven't seen much of this world, have you?"

"Not really…" Asterix answered sheepishly. The sylvari gave him a confused look. How was it possible for a human to be completely oblivious of the fastest way of travel on Tyria? He must have a little screw loose…

"All right, then. You can travel together with me. I'll bring you to my home city," she told. "I'll show you how to get to Hoelbrak from there."

And with that, the two stocked up and prepared themselves for their upcoming travels. Asterix thanked Kol personally for all the things she and her men had done for him, while Liliwen waved off her other sylvari friends who had stopped by at Arterium Haven to take a break from Inquest bashing. Before they left, Asterix was provided with a weapon; a pistol from the Lionguard, accompanied with a small pouch of little marbles made from lead. They were, unfortunately, fresh out of swords. He wasn't sure how this 'weapon' could be used, but Liliwen promised she would show him as they traveled. Soon they were both on their way, Dogmatix trotting closely at Liliwen's heels.

"By the way," Asterix began as they hit the road through the jungle, "how do you know so much about the Inquest, when they're so secretive about what they do?"

"It's simple, Liliwen answered. She took a long leaf of her sleeve and raised it so Asterix could see her bare arm. Her shoulder was riddled with a gold-tinted scar from long past. "I was once one of their prized captives."

Asterix lowered his head regretfully, knowing the pain she had suffered. "Oh, I'm sorry about that."

"Why? It's not your fault. Besides," Liliwen continued. "if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have joined the Wardens to punish the Inquest and help free those who still suffer because of them. It helps me cope better with my past."

Asterix shot a smile at the sylvari. "That's good, then."