Server 74's Story
Once Midas had given his looming promise to Nut and Star, he turned swiftly on the ball of his foot and wasted no time shuffling out of the door. The room fell quiet, as no one knew what to expect. The air was still charged and thick with the accusations and assumptions that Nut had used some dark, magical power to turn the once comely Midas into this horrid creature.
"Would Zippo, who so valiantly defended King Midas's cause, continue on with this impromptu trial of the two Haypians who were so praised only days before?" Before anyone had much time to wonder, or wait for further action from Zippo, a figure swept into the building.
Before any more thought could be given to the subject, a small cloaked figure swept into the room. It's cloak was long, and velvet black, dark as a starless night. The only thing that stood out on the cloak was a triangle that started at the neck of the cloak, and reached down to a point in the middle of the figure's back. The small, quick figure snatched the umbrella, and darted out of the door.
Zippo, quite befuddled with the sudden change of events, and not knowing what further action to take dismissed the congregation with a wave of his arm, more a gesture of frustration than resignation. Although he had to abandon his cause today, he would get to the bottom of this mysterious umbrella, and the cloaked stranger.
Meanwhile, as the main building slowly emptied, past the brush, and into the forest, the stranger pulled back her hood to reveal the face of a young girl, no more than 15 years of age.
Now that she was out of sight from the townspeople, she stopped to inspect the umbrella. At first glance, it would appear to be much like any other umbrella that one might see today, but in ancient times such as the in days of Haypi, the umbrella was a rather sophisticated piece of equipment.
Unlike what you would see today, the ribs of the umbrella were made from thin, pale pieces of birch wood. The rod of the umbrella was carved with intricate details, each one seeming to be a vital piece to the one next to it as they wove a story through the wood. In the ivory handle was carved the face of a man with strong, yet gentle features. His eyes were a pair of sparkling blue zircon.
Immediately she knew where she must go. She trekked through the forest, careful to avoid making too much noise. After walking for quite some time, she approached a hut made of bamboo and covered with a thatched roof.
Before she could knock, the door opened in expectation. Before her stood a tall man, wisdom was worn on his face as naturally as an eagle wears its feathers.
He stepped aside, ushering her into his simple, but sufficient home. She eased out of the cloak and hung it on a hook which was protruding from the wall. "What shall we do about this uproar?" he asked, his voice calm and fatherly.
"I say we cast a spell on all of them! Let's mute their voices!" she excitedly ranted.
"Sting, my dear little protégé, this is not one of your stories...we must handle this matter seriously."
"But, what about the time when I slew a dragon? I didn't even use a sword! I used my bare hands, and he was dead within minutes!"
"Stinger, that was training and the dragon was not dead. We cannot mute the townspeople, or kill them for that matter. However, we must restore Midas to his former body, and settle this matter between Nut, star and the townspeople."