Another burst of energy as Asterix stepped through the portal leading to Hoelbrak. The warm summer weather of Lion's Arch was replaced with cold mountain air. The beach sand replaced with white clear snow. The chilled air stung his skin like needles and made his eyes water. Even the gatekeeper standing next to him shivered despite all the clothes he wore. The only one who did not appear that bothered was Dogmatix.

Asterix trembled, he simply couldn't help it. That gatekeeper at Lion's Arch was not kidding in the least; the wind effortlessly crept through his scarf's openings. It was as if he traveled to Viking lands and then took a dip in a lake there. "This is too much!" he yelled, and quickly turned around to go back to Lion's Arch.

"Hey, hey, HEY! Hold on just a minute!" the Hoelbrak gatekeeper shouted at Asterix. "You can't just say 'nevermind' and go crawling back. You've got to pay the toll every time you use our gates. No exceptions!"

Well, that was it, then. He's now stuck here. "Alright, sorry…" He then turned back to Hoelbrak, and started to walk forward, to orient himself.

Five enormous lodges stood, facing one another within a sloped area. Four of the lodges bore the face of an animal, carved from stone; a raven, bear, wolf, and a big cat, which he presumed to be some kind of panther. The last building was even taller and wider than the other four, and rivaled the mountains themselves in size. However, it did not bear the face of an animal at its front. Statues of the same animals, carved from ice, were placed in front of each of the buildings that represented them. There was definitely something special about these creatures, as if they were revered like gods. The middle of the area was lit with a great bonfire, shielded like a furnace by carved chunks of un-melting ice, which in turn lit up in the flames, projecting the faces of the godly animals in the clouds.

How it was possible for a city to ever thrive here was all but conceivable to Asterix. However, it didn't take long for him to find the answer. Anywhere he looked, enormous 'humans', covered in tattoos and dressed in Celtic fashion, went about their business. It was clear to him now: this was the city of the proud and tall norn. A stern winter in Gaul would merely be a pleasant breeze to them. Most of them were even bare-chested. The men, anyway.

Asterix shook his head. "These norn are crazy…" he muttered. But then he realized he was even crazier, thinking a simple scarf could have protected him. He thought about using it as a coat instead. It was big enough. But what help would it be if the wind just breezed through it? He might have been better off purchasing a cheap fur coat instead.

He suddenly heard Dogmatix whine. Asterix turned his head, and he saw that the animal was almost lost in the snow, jumping and hopping to keep up with him. He quickly turned around and picked him up. He had to hold back a chuckle when he noticed tiny snowballs had formed and clutched onto the pup's fur. It made him look like a cloud made from snow. He kept the dog close to him as he walked to the middle of the city, to warm up at the bonfire. Despite its size, there was too much distance for the heat to reach them. Tall fences kept the two from getting any closer. Still freezing, Asterix decided to try one of the big lodges instead. He ran for the bear-faced lodge. The doors were tall and wide like a gate, and open for anyone to enter. As he got inside, he heard merrily laughter and the clanging of steins of ale. Seemed like there was a party.

He looked around. A big hearth stood in the middle of the great hall. Perfect. He quickly walked over to the fireplace and sat down near it. He and Dogmatix welcomed the warmth eagerly, and they glanced around in the enormous hall. There was indeed some kind of party going on. All of the norn were concentrated at a bar on the side. Men and women were boasting about their achievements. He felt a bit nervous, being surrounded by people taller than even Obelix. Normally he'd feel quite secure around his friend, but this was just straight down uncanny! He felt like a rabbit among buffalos. One wrong move and he'd be stepped on. They didn't even notice him come inside, which made that idea all the scarier. Dismissing those dark thoughts, he decided to listen in on what went on in the crowd of partying norn.

"You think that's boasting?" one of the women spoke up, and the crowd hushed to listen. "I showed a dozen wolves my strength and bravery. I tied the alpha's tail into a knot and did the same to its underlings as they tried to attack me! Now when you see a pack of knot-tailed wolves loping around, you'll remember Aysle the Indomitable!" The norn surrounding her cheered and all took a swig from their ales in perfect synchronization.

A man raised a hand and spoke up next, "I wrestled a black dolyak bull bare-handed and won. Now its head decorates a wall of my homestead!" They all cheered again, taking yet another swig.

Asterix smiled and shook his head. If he joined their competition he would have probably won, but who would believe he'd taken on armies of iron-clad men with nothing but his fists and a gourd of magic potion? There were more pressing matters at hand anyway. Once he felt he had warmed up enough, he told Dogmatix to stay and guard his belongings, and got up and approached them with slight hesitation.

"Excuse me, does anyone know where-"

"I ran into a concentration of Icebrood and killed them all, one by one!" All of the norn shouted once again.

Asterix cringed. He felt like he was going to go deaf again. He raised his voice. "Could I just ask one question-"

"I was among those who slew the great wurm Issormir!"

"HEY!"

That last word resonated within the building. The norn quickly silenced and looked around. Who was that, with a voice as loud as a culverin?

"I'm down here!"

They looked down, and saw an annoyed, asura-sized human standing behind them. "By Snow Leopard's ears!" an elderly man at the front exclaimed. "That's a loud voice for a little dwarf-human. Impressive, lad! Why don't you come have a drink with us?"

Asterix blinked. They weren't even angry about him interrupting them? "I'd be…honored, but I don't have time. I'm looking for someone named… Marline? Marline Strofditter?"

"Aha! You speak of Margrit Strolfdottir!"

"Yes, that's her. Where can I find her?"

"She recently moved into a steading to the east, into the foothills," the norn answered. "When you leave this lodge, go to your left and you'll find the Wolf lodge and the road to the outskirts just behind it. Follow it out of the city and keep going until you come across the third stead. That's where she lives.

"Thank you, maybe I'll come back later if the weather lets me." He gave a light bow, and walked back to the fireplace. He picked up his stuff and took Dogmatix in his hand, bracing himself for another cold trip through the mountains.

The trip through the vast unchanged landscape went without much trouble. The snow was void of impurities and made the land almost look like a painting. Pines and spruces were in abundance, carrying the weight of snow on their dense branches. Only the icy chill was a great bother. However, the road was free of snow and made travel much easier. Asterix had passed the first two homesteads already, and he saw the third one in the distance, surrounded by sturdy wood fences and numerous tall pines. The steads were oddly shaped, almost as if part of the hills themselves; with wooden dome-like roofs, covered by a thick layer of snow, and big cobblestone chimneys belching smoke.

Compared to the other two he'd seen, this stead was of a more modest size, enough to house one or two norn. Three would probably be pushing the limit. When he approached the stead, he knocked the door almost a little too eagerly, wanting nothing more than just to get out of this cold. There was no answer first.

"Hello?" he called, and knocked again. He heard some noises from behind the door, but by Belenos, this was taking too long! He knocked again, and the door suddenly creaked open. He hesitated for a moment and looked down at Dogmatix in his hand, who seemed to share a mutual feeling of uneasiness. But then the wind of the outdoors crept into his neck, and the decision was easily made. "Okay, I'm just…letting myself in, then. Really hope you don't mind. I can't handle the cold much longer." he said, and slowly stepped indoors. The homestead was warm inside and had a very welcoming atmosphere to it. Its interior was of strong oak wood, imported from the eastern foothills. Tattoo designs on paper hung on a line that crisscrossed the ceiling. Skulls of various animals decorated one side of the walls. The furniture was also of wood, trimmed with decorative metal, but made comfortable with pillows made from fur, placed onto the stools with utmost care. The rug of a great dire wolf was laid on the floor. The hearth in the back of the room was burning and a kettle hung over it, boiling water.

Asterix heard more noises coming from a doorway leading to the other room. It sounded a bit like shuffling, like someone was practicing dancing steps. He let Dogmatix down and pushed the front door with some effort to close it behind him. "Don't mind me, I'll wait if you're busy. I'm just in need of your services-"

A burling noise coming from down the doorway suddenly caught his attention, and it got closer. Within seconds, a great bulking brown grizzly came bolting through the doorway headed straight towards him. He cried in terror and surprise as the bear pushed him to the floor, forcing him on his back. Dogmatix hid in the maw of the wolf rug in panic. The bear sniffed the Gaul's hair with high interest while he begged and prayed to the gods for a swift and merciful death. But then, its tongue lolled out of its mouth, and it lapped his face with big wet bear kisses. Asterix muffled a squeak, still frightened but also perplexed by the big creature's domestic nature. He kept perfectly still, in hopes he wouldn't anger the bear.

A woman's voice suddenly cried out in surprise. "No! Bad Bobbo! Bad!" Two strong arms wrapped themselves around the bear's broad torso and tugged it back, leaving a pale-faced, wide-eyed Asterix catching his breath on the floor. Dogmatix skittered toward him and whined. The woman forced the bear down on its own personal mat and scolded it. "You stay here until you can behave!" The bear obeyed. The norness looked back at the short human, who refused to pick himself up from the floor.

"…You always greet your customers like this?" he was finally able to utter.

"I'm so sorry, he always does that. I'm trying to teach him not to, but he just gets really excited when he meets people smaller than norn," the woman answered as she took him by the hand and helped him up. "He didn't hurt you, did he? That sometimes happens by accident, I'm sorry I couldn't come and let you in, I was busy-"

"I'm still whole, I think…" Asterix interrupted, while wiping bear saliva off his face. The woman took a towel and offered it to him. He took it gratefully, and when he was done cleaning his face, he thanked her. Finally, he had a chance to see the woman; she was definitely a norn, possibly about his age, if norn and humans shared the same lifespan. At the moment, she wore a rather casual outfit. She had brown hair going down to her neck, with two braids in it. She had silver eyes and her skin was pale and smooth. She also had deep-grey tattoos printed on her bare arms, forehead and one cheek.

"Strolfdottir, am I right?" Asterix questioned.

"Yes," she answered. "You're at the right address." She examined him doubtfully. He was literally one-third her own length. "You're…really short for a human. If the dwarves didn't turn into stone centuries ago, I would have even mistaken you for one." She then looked down at his dog, who was much tinier. She'd have to pay attention not to step on it.

Asterix shot her an annoyed look and cleared his throat. "Yes. I know I'm short. It runs in the family."

Margrit turned around and walked to the fireplace to take the kettle out. "That's unfortunate." He frowned even more upon hearing that.

"Well, for your information, big miss, I'm quite proud of who I am and I'm well-respected back home. My size doesn't bother me at all, as a matter of fact!"

"The cold bothered you plenty, from what I can tell. Being small in size can be very disadvantageous in the cold. Especially when you're dressed the way you are." She poured a mug with boiled blackened water. "Please, make yourself at home. Coffee? Or would you rather have tea?"

It was true; his size did make him more susceptible to the cold, he was just too proud to admit it. He looked back at the bear, who was itching to greet him again, but stayed on his mat obediently like a well-trained hound. He set his backpack down near the front door. "I've heard of tea before, but what is coffee?" he asked as he walked toward the fireplace and sat down near it.

"It's made from coffee beans. It's bitter, but really peps you up. Here, try some." She poured half a mug; a full norn-sized mug would be too much, and handed it to him. Asterix smelled it carefully, then took a sip from the black brew. It was indeed strong in taste, but despite the bitterness, the hot liquid still somehow tasted good. He felt it warm him from inside, while the fires of the hearth warmed him on the outside. After a long trip through the cold, this was very pleasant. "Not bad," he said. Dogmatix laid down next to him, and heaved a yawn.

Margrit took her own mug and sat next to him. "All right, down to business: where did you want a tattoo made? Did you have a design in mind?"

"Actually, I'm here to have a tattoo removed," Asterix answered.

"Ah! Got tired of it?"

"It's an Inquest mark."

The norness grimaced. "Oh… You sad thing."

Asterix frowned back at her. He hated being belittled. "I'm not sad, let alone a thing."

Margrit looked him deep in the eye. But then, she lit up and smiled with understanding. "Yes, I can see that. My apologies."

The front door was loudly knocked on. A loud burling voice yelled out from behind. "TIMBER!" The both of them shot their glances at the commotion behind them, and the door was suddenly kicked wide open by enormous, snow-covered boots. Three male norn came bounding in. Other than the obvious intoxication, they had a dark atmosphere around them. Their armor and furs were covered in thin layers of snow and rime, but they were not bothered by that at all. Asterix immediately felt uneasy about them, and his judgement turned out to be well-placed.

"You, female!" one of them called in his sloshed state. "You're a tattoo artist, right? We want tattoos on our new friend here! Make em' happen, now!" Margrit stared them a look that could kill. Asterix saw this, and immediately made the conclusion that those three were up to no good. The bear got up from his mattress, emitting a deep, rumbling growl.

Margrit too stood up from her seat. "I don't lend my services to dragon kissers. Even less those who have no respect for the property of others."

The three men bellowed out in laughter. "Pathetic wench! Do as you're told, or we'll wreck everything in your stead!"

"Come at me, sons of filth!"

Asterix got up and kept a hand close to his sword. One of the three men noticed. "Ye better stay outta this if ye know what's good for ye, little rat!" That was more insult than he was willing to take. He clenched his jaw and gripped the hilt of his sword and drew it out, its blade immediately set itself ablaze. Dogmatix growled threateningly.

"Run that by me again, if you dare!"

The three norn eyed him. "How about that, boys," the first one spoke up. "The rat wants to fight! Let's show these insignificant weaklings who's boss!" And with that, they got ready for a brawl, two of them facing Margrit and her bear, and the last one slowly closing in on Asterix.

Margrit hissed. "Idiot! You should've stayed out of this!"

"I can handle him," Asterix retorted. The norn towering before him was armed to the teeth, but had no weapons otherwise. He was slow with inebriation, and when the man got closer, he could smell the alcohol in his breath; something Asterix could put to his advantage.

The norn bent forward, intending to grab the little human and crush him in his grip. But Asterix stepped out of the way easily. He tried once more, and again he missed. Again he tried. And again, no success. The norn roared and looked around. "Stop mov…moving! I'm gittn' dizzy! Where are ye?"

"Right here," a voice spoke up from behind, and suddenly the norn felt the burning blade of a sword slip past the fur coat he wore, setting it on fire. The norn cried out in a panic when the realization dawned on him. He stumbled to run out of the steading and rolled into the snow to put the fire out. Meanwhile, Bobbo the bear chased another norn out of the steading after a short wrestle. But Asterix noticed something off; where did Margrit and the last one go? He had been too focused on his own opponent to notice what else happened around him.

"And stay out!" her voice roared from outside, somewhat burlier and more animalistic than before.

"Fine, have it your way! But don't celebrate too soon…we'll be back!" one of the three drunks called back angrily.

Asterix stared at the doorway. She would probably be coming back inside any second now, but what came walking in was not what he expected. An enormous were-cat entered the room. Fur white-grey with spots, and angry silver eyes. Its tail swished and its teeth were bared. It snarled. Startled, Asterix backed up, and dropped the sword. It extinguished its flames before hitting the floor.

The noise caught the beast's attention. It looked down at the surprised figure, and suddenly, its features loosened, turning into a more human expression. "What's wrong? Never seen a norn transform before?" That voice… It was…Margrit? The norn could shapeshift?

The beastly creature took a long breath and transformed again. The fur on her skin reformed into her clothes, and her muscular, feline form turned back into that of a brown-haired woman.

Asterix blinked, and abruptly sucked in a breath of air. He didn't realize he had been holding it. Margrit shot him a stern look, as though he'd done something wrong. But then, she began to laugh. "You know, for a man your size, you've really got some spunk to threaten the Sons of Svanir." She gave Bobbo a rewarding scratch on his pudgy head. The bear's tongue lolled out of his mouth in satisfaction.

"Those drunkards?"

"Yes…but the cult's much bigger than you think," she said as her face became stern again. "You're overconfident; you could get yourself killed with the way you act." she criticized, and closed the front door. The lock was busted; best to get it fixed as soon as possible. Until then, she placed a small stone totem of a bear against it so the wind wouldn't blow it open.

Asterix frowned a little. She had a point. He was not indomitable in this world, let alone feared by his enemies. Forgetting that could cost him dearly. "Okay, I'll be more careful next time," he replied. He then picked up his sword and sheathed it.

"Good. Now, let's see about getting that mark off of you." Margrit said. And she walked over to her workbench to take the tools she thought she would be needing. There were ink-pots, needles, thin knifes, bottles of purified alcohol, for sanitary reasons… Looking at them all, Asterix could only imagine how much this was going to hurt, and he cringed.

"Now, where is it?" asked Margrit, while she picked her tools out, and then put on smooth, leather gloves, made specifically for her work. She took a bottle of alcohol and poured some into a cupped hand, and rubbed it into her gloves.

"On second thought, I'm not ready for this…"

Margrit shot him the same stern look once more. "You want to be found again?"

"No…"

"Then sit down and show it to me," Margrit told as she turned around to clean the tools she picked out next, setting them each aside on a clean cloth once they were properly cleaned.

Asterix let out a defeated sigh, and took off his belt and tunic. "It's on my back," he said. When Margrit turned around, she stopped and took a good look at him. "Wolf's teeth! Have you been eating at all?"

"Oh! You know, spending a few nights at the Inquest helps a great deal when someone wants to lose weight," Asterix retorted back sarcastically, and with no lack of annoyance in his voice.

Margrit blinked at him. "Take it easy, little rabbit. I'm sorry. Go ahead and take a seat. I'll be ready soon." She turned and finished cleaning her tools, lost in thought. Skin over bone and short in height and temper... At least he's still more lively than most others who ran into the Inquest.

Asterix took a seat at the table. His annoyance soon made way for anxiety, and he began to tap the table nervously with his fingers as he examined the table's wooden texture as though it were art. Margrit noted his unease when she approached him for the procedure. He really was not ready for this.

Margrit hummed. "Perhaps I should make you some herbal tea first. It'll relax you a bit."

"It's fine, just get started. I don't wanna take too much of your time…"

Margrit sighed. "I really think you should. I admit, you're a brave little man, but I can smell your fear, no matter how skilled you are at concealing it." She laid the tools down at the table. "You do that a lot, don't you?"

Asterix abruptly stopped tapping his fingers against the table, still staring at the wood, and remained silent for a moment. Truly, nothing got past this woman without her noticing it. It wouldn't be long until she knew him better than he did himself! He finally let out a deep, uneasy sigh. "Alright. I'll have some tea."

Margrit had another kettle of water boiled and added the herbs using a steel infuser, after some moments of thought, she decided to slip in two drops of sleeping aid as well. That should do the trick. Then, after a few sips, Asterix began to look more sedate. She sat down on a stool behind him and took a good long gander at the mark of the Inquest. It was definitely one of their tracking devices; a small, hexagon-shaped emblem in white, black and scarlet, adorned with more diamond shapes. The data crystals were concealed within the red ink. That's how it also achieved its bright red pigment.

"All right, I'll need you to try and relax your muscles now. It'll hurt less, that way." She took out a tool. Asterix didn't bother to see what it was. He was feeling a bit too lethargic to care anymore. That tea was doing its work well.

"You did this before, right?"

"Plenty of times; don't you worry."

"Have you ever done sylvari before?"

Margrit perked a brow at the odd question. "Why, yes, I did once," she replied. "Flighty one, she was. I had some trouble getting rid of her mark, but she was aware of the risk and didn't seem to mind the scarring. Different bodily composition, you know. I work much better with fleshy skin. If everything goes well, you'll hardly notice anything was there in the first place."

There was a short moment of silence.

"Say, little rabbit, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh! I'm really sorry, I didn't introduce myself yet. I-" Suddenly Asterix hissed at an unexpected spike of pain. "…Asterix. My name is Asterix."

"That's a nice name," Margrit mused back.

"Thanks…"

"Where do you come from, Asterix?"

He contemplated a second. "From Ascellon."

"You're lying." she replied. But she didn't sound angered, she sounded disappointed.

"Wha-" Asterix wanted to turn to face Margrit, but she raised a free hand to grip his shoulder and push him back gently. "Don't move while I work, please."

"What makes you think I'm lying?" he questioned again.

"Well, first of all, that's charr land. The only human fortress left there is Ebonhawke. Second, that's not how you pronounce Ascalon."

Asterix shamefully lowered his head. "Okay, you got me…"

"Why would you lie to me?"

That same disappointed tone in her voice again. Asterix was expecting her to somehow punish him. "Because…" Asterix swallowed. "If I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me anyway. You'd think I've gone bonkers."

For a moment, he got no reply back. The wait was killing him. He was expecting her to label him a madman, just as the Lionguard did.

"All right, humor me. Where do you really come from?"

She did not just… He let out a depressed sigh. "I'm from Gaul. And Gaul…well…" He thought about how to deliver her the information for a moment. "Gaul is very far away from Tyria."

"Oh? Is Gaul a distant continent, then?"

"Nooo!" he groaned, sounding somewhat upset. Margrit withdrew her hands for a moment, unsure if she hurt him more than he could take. Eventually, he continued to talk, and she took it as permission to resume her work. "Gaul isn't even a part of this world… I don't know how to explain it. It's just… somewhere else. Out there." He waved a hand up to the ceiling, as if he was suggesting towards the sky.

Margrit was unsure how to absorb the information she received. A human coming from another world? Impossible! Or was it? It seemed like an implausible story, yet she sensed no lie, no deceit, not even a sliver of delusion. The story even sounded…familiar… "I believe you." she finally confirmed to him.

"Y…You do? But why?"

"I'm not sure why. I just do." She laid one tool aside and grabbed a paper towel to carefully dab the wound she created. "How did you come here?"

Margrit expected him to continue, but not a word left his mouth. Instead, an invisible veil lifted, and she felt a sudden burst of depression surge out from the little man. He had been concealing that feeling the whole time; keeping it to himself. All because no one believed him. And she was supposed to be an expert at uncovering what people were hiding from her. First, she met someone who was proud, a snitch temperamental, perhaps, but looked up to life positively. But now, after this, a whole new person was revealed to her.

She laid her tools aside. "Is it all right with you if we take a little break? You don't seem well."

He didn't respond. Now she was starting to get worried.

"Hey, is everything okay?" She got up and dragged her stool so she could sit next to him, and she tried to get his attention. Eventually, she was met with a poignant face. It was clear to her that he was holding back tears.

"I tried to protect my people…" he uttered. "And now I'm stuck here, all because of them…" He looked away quickly, unwilling to show Margrit even a tiny bit of the weakness he so much despised. "Even the stars here are different… All I have left now is Dogmatix." He made a short glance at his dog, who laid sleeping peacefully together with Margrit's bear. They had become buddies already, but it only reminded him of all the things he lost, and he turned away once more.

Margrit looked back remorsefully at him. She knew immediately whose fault this all was, although she was still unable to piece together how and why. "I'm terribly sorry… Is there anything I can do?"

Asterix looked at the mug of unfinished herbal tea that stood in front of him. It was going cold now, steam was no longer coming off from it. He grabbed the mug and took a few long gulps from it, and set it back down.

"Just finish your job, please. I want this thing off me."

"All right. It'll be done soon," Margrit reassured. Not a word was being spoken after that, and while she worked, she noticed her customer getting drowsier by the minute. The drugged tea was a bit stronger than she anticipated. But then again, this was medicine for norn. Perhaps it was for the better. He looked like he could use some rest.