Chapter 1

The floor was cold, and Hirt wasn't supposed to be there anyway. He sat up, and scratched his balding head. His room was littered with memorabilia, mountainous claws, large jawbones, gigantic tail feathers, and the like. He crawled back into his creaky cot and sighed, "Another nightmare." He didn't want to close his eyes now. After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling, Hirt tiptoed to the door and opened it, flinching when it creaked open. The hall was dark and Hirt didn't want to light a lamp, fearing he would wake Flom and Sae. Flom was his son, he was as tall as Hirt, he had golden blonde hair and light blue eyes, and a seemingly ever present smile, something he had not inherited from Hirt. Sae was Hirt's daughter, younger than Flom, she was short and fair, with two black pigtails hanging down to her thighs.

Their house was small and quaint, three rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. They lived on a small farm that Flom tended on an island just off the port of Armoroad and Hirt enjoyed fishing off the banks of the island. Quietly picking up his fishing pole, Hirt snuck out of the house. It was just beginning to lighten up, and the sea reflected the orange sunrise beautifully. Hirt found a cool shady palm tree to sit under and began casting into the sea.

Several hours later, and several fish later, Hirt packed up and walked back to the house. Hirt opened the door and saw Sae sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen, eating cereal out of a clay bowl. "Morning Dad! Whadya catch?"

Hirt looked into the basket he put the fish into, "Just five seven-star sardines and a flying fish."

The clunk of Flom's brown boots came from the hallway. Flom entered the kitchen and began putting on his coat, "Morning Dad, have a good sleep?" His tone had a slight sarcastic ring to it.

Hirt shook his head, "You know I didn't, Flom, you're a light sleeper, always have been."

Flom nodded, "And being in the room next to you doesn't help either." A small sheep toddled out of Flom's room and rubbed against Flom's leg, letting out a contented baa.

Hirt plugged the sink with a rag and started filling the sink with water, "Don't tell me you slept with that thing last night."

Flom slung a pitchfork across his back and picked up the small ram, "No, he sleeps on a rug next to my bed," He patted the sheep on the head and walked to the door.

Sae swallowed a spoonful of the cereal and asked Flom, "What did you plant this year, Flom?"

Opening the door Flom answered, "A row of leeks, a row of broccoli, and six rows of sea-corn. Then I have three sheep in a pen feeding on the hay I grew last year."

The screen door slammed shut as Flom left, and Hirt stopped the water, "The leeks were good last year, but this year the sea seems too salty for them." He dumped the fishes into the water and began cleaning them, throwing the guts out the window into the sea.

The sea was now filling up with ships carrying fresh blood to be spilled in the labyrinth. Hirt shook his head at their foolishness, he himself had been an adventurer once, along with a couple of his friends. The labyrinth claimed their life along with Flom and Sae's mother. Blood fell into the sink when Hirt accidentally cut his palm with the knife, he swore and cut off the fish's head, then threw it out.

Sae looked up and saw the steady drops of blood falling from her father's hand and got up to look at it, "Dad! You're bleeding!"

Hirt nodded, "Yeah I noticed," But he just started gutting the next fish. Sae grabbed his hand, wrapped it with a washcloth and mumbled indistinct words. After removing the cloth, Hirt saw that the cut was gone, but instead of being surprised he looked into Sae's blue eyes, "Where did you learn to do that?"

Sae shrugged, "I found out how to do it from a book in the living room."

Hirt resumed gutting fish, "You mean 'To Form Qi, Beginner's Edition?'"

Sae nodded and picked up her clay bowl and set it next to the bloody sink, "Are you mad, Dad?" Hirt threw a fish tail out the window, "No, I'm not mad, not even surprised, that you would follow my footsteps."

"You mean…"

"Mmm hmm."

With an energetic fire in her eyes Sae darted into the living room and came back with the book, "Can you teach me more, Dad?"

Hirt placed the last fish on the counter and pulled out the rag plugging the sink, "I may be able to, but it would be hard without the Labyrinth."

"Can we-"

"No. Not yet at least, you'd have to learn past the basics before even touching a fanged fish."

Sae did a little dance, "I'm going to go meditate!"

The screen door slammed again, and Hirt sighed, "Not with all that energy, you're not." Then after placing the fish in the ice crate he went outside. Flom was forking hay into the sheep pen and humming a happy tune. Near the shore on the other side of the island, Sae was sitting cross legged on a large rock, book in her lap. Surprised by how well she was meditating, Hirt looked to the sea. A small caravel was headed towards the island, bearing a flag Hirt did not recognize. One hundred feet away from the shore the boat stopped and a small paddle boat began nearing shore. Upon reaching the old dock near the house a tall young man wearing a leather vest and animal bones, a young lady wearing a purple coat, and a short boy wearing glistening armour and holding an elegant spear stepped out of the paddle boat and waved at Hirt.

Cautiously Hirt approached the trio, in somewhat of a defensive stance. The boy in the armour smiled innocently and spoke in a high voice, "Hello kind sir! I am Prince Asunio, and you are?"

Hirt lost his stance and shook Asunio's hand, "My name is Hirt, that's my son, Flom, in the sheep pen, and my daughter Sae way over there."

The man in the leather vest put out his hand and shook hands with Hirt, "Hail, mah name is Derith."

The young lady in the purple overcoat nodded, acknowledging Hirt with an air of respect, "My name is Rentos," she said, pushing back her long brown hair.

Asunio smiled again and asked politely, "My friend Savilo is sleeping in the ship, but we're here to ask you for advice."

Hirt raised his eyebrow, "Advice?"

Derith nodded, "Aye, an old friend of yours said that if we were to go to the Armoroad Labyrinth we should look up an old fisherman by the name of Hirt, who lives on an island outside of the port."

"Who is this friend?"

"A sailor who came around a few years ago, by the name of Eerineth." commented Rentos

Hirt looked and the ground and pondered for a few seconds, "Yeah, I remember him, nice fellow, smart too, he kept away from the Labyrinth."

Asunio laughed, "Well, can you please give us advice?"

Hirt frowned, "Yeah, I guess I can."