Story authors

Then one day...there was a powerful storm, which brought lots of destruction. However, with the storm, there also came a handsome stranger who made a promise to the mayor of the little village.

"If one boy, and one girl, each gain a sizeable amount of weight and are given to me as compensation, I will have your town fixed in only one day."

'Goodness, what a strange request,' thought the mayor. 'But it is all we poor, fat folk can give...'

"Deal!" The mayor agreed. The strange man chose two of the slimmer citizens, Ivy and Ian.

Ivy had wavy, red hair and was fiercely headstrong. She had a figure that belonged in a clothing store for your "fuller figured" woman. She happily agreed to help her village.

Ivan did not wish to agree. He had hated his village and its overweight inhabitants. He was tall and muscular. His hair was short and blond and he reluctantly agreed only because his family's bakery needed repair.

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Bubba, this was a fun idea! I had to stop myself from writing a whole story.

Yes, the stranger is happily bisexual everyone and likes both his men and women with some extra pounds.

I hope someone else adds a couple of lines!

Once presented with the two individuals. Both enchanting in their own right, the Stranger raised his hand up, his long black cloak falling away to reveal a powerfully built form clad in archaic clothing. The sky still black from the storm quickly cleared and the sun came out.

The towns-folk huddled together in terror at this strange turn of events, but the Stranger just threw his hood back and offered them a reassuring smile. "You don't need to fear me good people," a strange glint coming to his luminous green eyes. "I'm here to help you rebuild don't forget this."

He gestured vaguely behind him and a carriage materialized, seemingly from nowhere, and he shot the two prospective gainers a look that clearly said they were expected to get in.

Ivy looked apprehensive but wasted no time in climbing in. Ivan on the other hand scowled and made no move.

"A deal is a deal, Ivan" the Stranger said, for the first time a hint of menace entering his voice. "Now get in the carriage or I'll...



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Take it away fellow writers!

Fine...if no one else will take up the torch I'll write the next bit too <,<...

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The stranger stopped short of speaking in anger, he forced himself back into calmness with a visible effort. "Please, enter the carriage Ivan...a bargain was struck and must be satisfied."

Ivan took two steps backward. Turning his head slightly towards the crowd of gathered townsfolk. "We don't know what his purpose here is..." clearing refering to the stranger. "He's obviously a sorceror, he may be scouting this village for slaves!" several of the townsfolk present gasped and a murmor started to rise up from the throngs of people.

Ivan could see that the result he had intended was well under way, and smiling in somewhat predatory fashion began to speak again. "He has powers beyond our kin, he may have even conjured that storm!!" A roar rose up from the gathered masses.

Upon turning back to face the Stranger though Ivan found himself quickly regretting this course of action. The Stranger's experssion was thunderous, and his eyes appeared darker somehow than they were before. "How dare you accuse me of using my Magics endanger the lives and livelihood of an entire village!?" His cloak was swirling, though there was no wind rolling across the field. "And now our bargain must be completed before I can restore the village, so...Into the Carriage!"

Ivan took another shakey step backward and, missing his footing, began tumbling down the hill back towards the ruined town. The Stranger sighed and crooked a finger at the tumbling youth and he suddenly vanished from his spread-eagle position at the bottom of the hill to reappear in the same pose at the top.

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FYI The Stranger isn't evil...at least I don't have plans going in that direction.

Thread Necromancy! *I was intrigued by the story idea, sorry to let it go stagnant*

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When Ivan touched the stranger's hand it felt as if an electric current surged into his arm, causing his elbow to buck. His knees went shakey but the pain was fleeting, replaced quickly with a sense of mental connection with the stranger. It was as if he could see into his eyes and beyond, into his soul. What he sensed removed his misgivings about getting into the carriage...appart from the fact that he would be expected to grow fat.

Though, Ivan decided, it was a small price to pay for the restore and beautification of his village. He turned toward the carriage where Ivy leaned out the window with a look of concern on her angelic features. When she saw that Ivan was walking toward the carriage a smile lit her face and she moved out of the carriage's door to let him in. As soon as Ivan had climbed, in the door closed on its own.

The stranger, who had been watching, smiled with satisfaction and looked out over the crowd. "Our deal is satisfied!" he shouted and raised his right hand to the sky and closed his eyes. Light danced on his fingertips and began to shine out onto the destroyed buildings and decimated store-fronts. Where the light shown on anything broken the pieces would glimmer for a moment and then fly back together. Soon the entire town was back to normal but the magic didn't end there. The shopfronts became more opulent, the streets more neatly cobblestoned, the clocktower became taller and its hands shown with golden filigrees. Everything in the village was not only restored but enhanced.

The stranger, who's arm had begun to shake almost imperceptibely towards the end of the town's transformation, finally lowered his hand and opened his eyes to admire his work. He looked drained but satisfied. After taking a shakey breath he addressed the throngs of corpulent townsfolk once more, "Your town is new again, better even." He paused, flexing his right hand. "In the town square I have left you a way to contact me should you ever require my assistance again. And just to reassure you, there will be no future prices, you have paid it all this day."

Without another word he turned toward the carriage and took a few shakey steps forward before a cane appeared in his outstretched hand. He covered the rest of the distance to the carriage leaning heavily on the cane, and once he was inside the carriage started off. Despite it's lack of a horse or a driver.

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Don't worry, the stranger will recover. Magic on that scale just takes it out of him.

Ivan looked at Ivy with a hint of terror in his eyes, he was sure what this strange man planned to do with them was not going to be good. Ivy looked back and gave him a smile as if to say "it will be alright." She was actually quite excited by the goings on that day, and was curious to see where they were going and what would happen next. After an hour or so the carriage started to slow down and came to a stop in front of a huge wooden door. The stranger opened the carriage door and motioned for them to get out. Ivan stumbled and shook as he stepped down. Ivy eagerly jumped out and then looked up with amazement. Infront of them was a castle so grand she didnt know what to do or say. She stood there staring for a few minutes until she felt a pulling on her sleeve. Ivan who was trying to get her attention pointed to the huge door which was silently opening. A short, plump lady walked out and circled them looking them up and down. When she was done she stopped and looked at the stranger who pointed to Ivy and then Ivan and said "Well then which one do you want?" ...

The stranger gave the matronly woman a curious look and said, "I asked for two as my price, and both I shall have." He jumped nimbly down from the carriage, obviously recovered from earlier. He tossed his cane up in the air and it dissolved into smoke as he walked toward the door. Once on the threshold he turned back, "Show them to their quarters and start dinner for them. And don't forget to introduce them to the other staff. I want them to have many friends here." He finished, treating the three of them to a bright almost child-like smile of enthusiasm before he turned and walked into his palacial abode.

Ivan was still reluctant to dismount from the coach, his curious connection with the stranger waning. He turned back in the direction of the town, which was barely discernible as a speck on the horizon, and sighed. He stepped out of the carriage with his shoulders slumped. Ivy was still looking around in wonder, she was already inside of the great hall regarding the ancient works of art with wide eyes, but the older woman was looking at Ivan with a curious expression on her face.

It was several minutes before Ivan even noticed this fact. "What?" he asked. "You needn't look so worried young man, Master Roric is a very affable man. He's very in-tune with the natural energies of the world, and I assure you he wouldn't harm even a hair on your head." She said grinning cheerily. With that she began to walk briskly towards a set of stairs in the center of the hall, "Your rooms are this way! Follow me." She announced without looking over her shoulder and immediately began to ascend.

Both Ivy and Ivan hurried to catch up, the woman was faster than she looked. After a few minutes they were walking along behind her, Ivy still awestruck by her new surroundings. They walked, and walked...and walked. The mansion was enormous, and after a bit they began to encounter more people, whom their guide introduced them to on the fly. "There's Morishka, she works in the kitchens with me." She said pointing to a tall slim woman with jet-black hair, "And Michal, he tends the grounds." This time indicating a short-ish muscular man with graying hair.

They encountered four more people before they finally made it to the quarters that Master Roric had set aside for them. Theran, he was tall, wirey, and about the age of their guide and was in charge of the mansion's artworks. Veera, a middle aged woman with blonde hair that was moving towards white, who headed the cleaning staff. And then there was Kieran and Meisha, who were around the same age as Ivan and Ivy. Kieran was a littler shorter than Ivan, with black hair. Though he was built about the same. Meisha was the same height as Ivy but with a willowy, yet well endowed propotional build and light brunette hair that fell past her elbows.

Surprisingly Ivy's and Ivan's rooms were adjacent and adjoining. And as they were settling in, their guide snapped her fingers in a gesture of forgetfulness. "I just realized I never introduced myself. I'm Anya, and you can just pull that rope in the corner if you're ever hungry and Morishka or I will bring you something straight away."

She turned to leave the room but before she went more than a few steps Ivan said, "I just realized...you never told us what Meisha and Kieran's jobs are here." Anya stopped for a moment and turned slowly, "Oh, well...they're also Master Rorics...'guests'...like you. They've been here for about 4 years." And quickly exited without further elaboration.

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Sorry for the slightly ramblyness in the middle...