From the Brink

A D&D based short story. Four adventurers together find a member of their party has perished. Grayson gives up his chance to go home to bring back the woman of his dreams, Edith. She in turn takes her opportunity to repay him.

Thanks for reading.

These will hopefully be recurring characters, and there is more to the current story.

Naughty Shorts brings you short stories that tickle the playful, the spicy, the wicked, and the sinful sides in all of us, and who doesn't like a good tickle? Some will be randomly delicious with characters that are never heard from again, and some will have risque recurring characters when you just need a little more. When you are about to burst we will push you over the edge by including custom art for some stories. These stories will cover the every day and the fantasy. Come play in our world, and we promise you will never want to go back to normal again.

Above all else... enjoy!

Our Story begins!

The party thought this was going to be an easy gig. Fight the bad ghouls, and Clementine pays us the much needed gold. Maybe we were cocky, maybe that is why we are staring into the terrified eyes of Edith, our cleric, as she is possessed by a ghost!

The night before...

"Gorth, catch!" Edith says as she throws one of the apples she just bought from the fruit stalls.

Gorth is a goliath; therefore, very tall, so he has to bend down to catch the flying fruit. However, catch it he does, in his mouth, and takes a huge bite with a goofy smile. We all laugh heartily.

It feels good to finally be out of the woods. We have been traveling for weeks trying to make it to this mountain. No mission in particular, as we worked our way north, we just heard they could use a few swords, and would pay for them.

We have been light of coin, and could use the influx of it. I know I'm excited to get paid to kill things, as opposed to fighting for our lives in the forest.

Kendle, a halfling fighter, is very eager to be off the menu, as most things in the woods saw a being of her size more of a meal, less of a threat. Despite the fact that as a fighter, she can take care of herself, and they should really fear her. I know that I do.

We hit up most of the stalls in this market, and find directions to the local tavern. We need to get rooms, but also we need to make contacts. Someone in this town needs help, and we are here to help them... for a price that is.

"Grayson!" Kendle calls me from the corner of the packed market. "I've got something!"

I walk towards her, and on the way I walk past Edith. On my way past her I gently swipe my hand down her arm. She is a true beauty. A tall half-elf with long red hair. She dyes it, and it is an interesting sight to see. She has pointed ears with lots of piercing, and has the warmest deep blue eyes. I have been in love with her since the day she rescued me.

The three of them have been a troop for longer than I think, even they remember. They were in a knoll cave trying to rescue the people from a village that the knolls had taken. I had also been in there doing that, but had lost my group in the caves.

That was over two years ago. I owe her my life, and currently my every happiness, but she only sees me as her human assassin friend.

As I pass she looks down at her arm, and looks up at me. "Grayson?"

"Kendle found something." I love the sound of my name on her lips. Please Goddess, say my name again. "Ummm... wanna go check it out?"

"Alright. Gorth? Coming?" She looks over at Gorth who has taken to playing a game of airship with some local children.

Most goliaths are stupid and scary, but not Gorth. He loves children, small animals, and most of all his partner Kendle. They are an odd couple, but they make it work.

Gorth stops spinning with the horizontal child in his arms, and nods to us. He puts the girl down, and promises them he will be back later.

We all meet up at the corner of the marketplace where Kendle is standing, and she smiles warmly at us.

"Gorth, babe, give me a boost!" Kendle requests of her large partner. He picks her up, and sets her on his left shoulder. She looks around quickly, and says to us. "The tavern is over there!" She points to the east. "We might find a job from it's owners too!"

In his very deep voice Gorth replies to her, "Great job! You are the best!"

He looks at her with so much love, and I am a little jealous of their love. I'm also jealous that they don't often purchase company; although, I have on occasion seen a few maids leave their room in the middle of the night.

As a group we head to the local tavern. It is easily one of the tallest buildings in the marketplace area of town, and for that reason hard to miss. The building is made of gray stone, and has deep crimson shutters. Above the old crimson door, there is a worn wooden sign sticking out, and swinging in the wind. The sign reads: 'The Bard's Elbow'.

We walk inside, and find a busy tavern, it looks as if this is the place to be when the sun starts to set. I gesture my group to an empty table, one of the few in this place, and head for the crowded bar.

Behind the bar are two older tieflings, both looking very comfortable moving around each other in the small space behind the bar. They have clearly been doing this together a long time, their movements as they serve customers, are almost like a choreographed dance.

Their tails taking payment, and serving drinks at both ends. I'm amazed, amused, and enthralled by the synchronicity of it all. The female tiefling comes over to me, and addresses me while clearing an empty mug with her talented tail.

"You're new here. How can I help ya?" She has a warm smile, and inquisitive eyes.

"Yes, ma'am. To start with my three friends, and I would like a round of mead." I smile warmly back at her.

"Can do. Will you be opening a tab, or pay as you go?" Her tail grabs four mugs to start filling them with a sweet smelling mead.

"We will start a tab. We'll also need a few rooms." I tell her.

"How long will you be needing them dear, and how many do you need?" She starts to pour the third cup.

"Three rooms, for at least four days, if not a week." I think that is safe. We want to bank some gold before moving on.

She leans back, and looks at a book behind her on another counter. "Looks like I have two available rooms for the next two days. I could get you a third after that if you need it." She stands again, and slides the cups in my direction. "I will need the rooms paid two days ahead, and a name to hold them."

"Name: Grayson Elderwind. How much for this round, and the rooms?" I grab the unassuming gray bag on my belt.

"For the first two days, two rooms, four drinks..." She pauses while she does the math in her head. "Call it five gold to start, and that will cover breakfasts too." I hand over the gold, and her tail swoops it up. "Welcome to the Bard's Elbow. My name's Clementine, and that's my husband Korbeck. Need anything we're here." Clementine walks away to serve others, and I manage to bring the mead to the table without a drop spilled.

I sit down between Gorth and Edith, and hand out the drinks. Somewhere in the tavern, a band starts to play. Kendle gets excited, and jumps up!

"Dance with me!" She grabs Gorth by the hand, and pulls him to the floor. She couldn't move him if he didn't want to be moved, but he wants to make her happy, and dancing makes Kendle happy.

Edith and I watch as one dance becomes two, and two becomes three. We drink and laugh, as Kendle gets on a table to be eye to eye with her man. The tavern is full of people drinking, dancing, and laughing. It is much needed after the woods.

"You seem lighter now that we are in a town. I am glad of it myself." Edith says to me.

"Yes, I think we all needed this." I look into her eyes, and feel lost in their beauty for a moment. The band starts to play a ballad, and Edith turns to look at the dancers again.

"Would you like to dance?" I ask her hopefully. "I can't promise I will be any good at it, but I will try... for you." The last part barely, a mumbled whisper.

She looks back at me for a moment, I believe weighing her options. "I would love to. No reason two friends shouldn't enjoy a dance."

The word friends is like a dagger to the heart, but I take it on the chin, and stand offering her my hand. She takes it, and stands as well. She does a little magical flourish with her other hand, and suddenly she is wearing a beautiful pale pink dress with her hair tied up.

She looks stunning as I lead her to the dance floor, the whole tavern stops to watch her, and the lucky bastard who is on her arm. Once on the dance floor I stop, and she does a little half circle with her arm extended back to me. I grab her around the waist, and a female bard starts to sing a beautiful song, in elvish. I don't understand the words, but Edith clearly does, and her eyes start to tear.

Spinning around the floor, I am flying with this woman in my arms. Her hand in mine, and her body pressed to me is a truly magical moment. She smiles at me, and I return her smile.

"Do you like this song?" She asks me, as she stares into my muddy brown eyes.

"I've never heard it before, but it is beautiful." I look around, and see everyone in the tavern staring at us. "I don't love everyone looking at us. Makes me nervous." I admit to her.

She gives me a smile of true peace and happiness. She places her head on my shoulder, and softly says to only me. "Oh, are there still other people in the room? I had forgotten."

With that I pulled in our extended arms, and pressed our hands to my chest as we continued to dance together. Too soon the music begins to quicken, and we must pull apart. I don't want to let her go, but I know that if I don't I will be showing my hand.

Back at our table we drink the tavern to its end. As we go upstairs, and the Bard's Elbow is almost empty, and I am a bit drunk. We get our two room keys, and Edith helps me up the stairs.

We are laughing because I am apparently a loud drunk. Gorth and Kendle behind us. "Oh... oh no!" I say as a realization hits me.

Edith looks at me, and raises her eyebrows. "Do not vomit!"

"No, we only have two rooms. Who do I bunk with?" I forgot to talk to them about this. This isn't the first time this has happened, but usually I sleep in the tavern, and just skip the problem all together.

Edith laughs. "Well, I think it will be okay if you sleep with me tonight." She stops for a moment. "Unless you are uncomfortable with that."

My mouth was moving before I could think about what it was saying. "No, I wo-" I hiccup, "-ould love to sleep wif you, peas."

Much laughter, and Edith pulls me to our room. Once inside she flops me on the bed. "Well, if you promise to be a gentleman, I will share the bed."

Before I could even respond Grayson was snoring half flopped on the corner of the four poster bed. I laugh to myself, and take his boots off.

It has been quite a night. That dance. I didn't know he could dance like that. Must be all that assassin training. I change my outfit, and get into bed. Tomorrow we need to find work, and I think I want to explore more of that side of Grayson.

I snuggle deep into the blankets, and laugh one more time at him, before I go to sleep. I will dream of that dance tonight. Dream of those strong arms around me.

I have been attracted to Garyson since we found him lost in that cave, but I have always kept my distance. If he doesn't share these feelings with me, I could be breaking up our party, and I don't want him to leave.

I wake feeling refreshed having slept in a bed, and open my eyes to find Grayson laying next to me. He must have gotten up in the night, and righted himself on the bed. Assassins being notoriously quiet, it isn't a surprise that I wouldn't hear him.

Someone knocks on the door, and I get up to answer it, dressing along the way. I open the door to find Kendle and Gorth with breakfast.

"Morning you two. You look like you slept well." I smile, and move out of the way to let them in.

"You as well. How did it go with Grayson? You get some finally?" Kendle asks, as she looks around the room.

A shocked sound escapes my lips. "No! He was drunk, and slept in his clothes. What a thing to say!" I look nervously at Gorth and a still sleeping Grayson.

"Sorry." Kendle says unconvincingly. "Hungry?" She hands me a warm strong tea, and a pie of some kind while Gorth goes to wake up Grayson.

"Hmmm?" Grayson stirs, and grunts. "Food?" Gorth hands him the same breakfast.

"We got us a job this morning! The owners are having a ghoul problem in the basement, and they agreed to comp us a week's stay, plus food and drink, on top of 400 gold if we handled it." Kendle says to us while drinking her tea.

Gorth shoves half a pie in his mouth, and adds. "I don't fink she would be paying us that much if it was just ghooouls."

"Oh, we can handle anything, besides, how can we turn it down? With room and board included it is almost 450 gold, especially the way that Grayson drank last night."

"Hey!" Grayson pipes up, but immediately grabs his head from pain. "Thats fair."

I walk over, and sit next to him. I put my hands on his head, and cast healing word. "Better?" I say when the spell is done, and he sits up a little straighter.

"Much. Thank you." He smiles embarrassed at his state.

"I say we finish breakfast, and head down there. Get this done right, and we make a reputation for ourselves. Maybe it leads to more jobs, because let's face it. Up here we are basically unknown. It's not like it was down South." Kendle says to the group.

She is right. We had a reputation for handling things, and we earned it with blood. We came up here, to make a name for ourselves, and we had exhausted all leads on Grayson's family.

I look over at him, and see the gold chain he always wears. It leads to a beautiful stone that hangs just over his heart. It is the only thing he has from his parents. In his village, tradition states that parents give their children at 13 years to a guild, and the guild sends them away for training.

After your training is complete they release them into the world, and they have to make their way back home. This act makes them worthy of being a member of that village. The problem is they don't know the location of it, and must use their skills, and their knowledge to find their way back.

It has been Grayson's mission to make it back to his family to prove himself, and they will recognize him by that necklace. Without it he will be cast out of the village as a fraud. It is all very intense, and we have been trying to help him.

"Well I am in. Let's do this." I say to the group. With all of us in agreement, we finish breakfast, and head down into the basement.

There is a large passage in the floor that leads down into a wine cellar that the owners had carved into the earth. This is where the ghouls are hiding, so we go in.

In the darkened wine cellar, three ghouls come out, and snarl at us. I get my blade ready, but suddenly feel over taken by fear...

An hour later...

Ghouls are one thing, but this ghost is a problem. I know it is getting close to true death because Kendle has been wailing on it! Two of the three ghouls have been taken care of, and as I send a flaming dagger into the heart of the third I hear a bone chilling sound.

"Grayson..." Edith moans my name, and I turn in time to see the ghostly visage slide into her body like my blade into the ghoul. Edith looks terrified at first, but soon her face twists into a dark smile.

She has been possessed, and moves to attack Kendle. Gorth seeing this too, wraps Edith into a grapple, and squeezes her tightly.

Kendle runs up, and starts to punch Edith in the stomach. I regain my senses, and run to stop the assault. Edith is bleeding, and hauntingly laughing at Kendle, while struggling against Gorth.

I run over, and push Kendle out of the way. "STOP IT! YOU'RE KILLING HER!" I will protect her with my life.

"We have to get the ghost out!" Kendle flings back at me. She stands, and moves towards Edith again. I stop her, and stand at the ready.

I feel a pounding on the back of my head, and the room goes dark.

When I come to consciousness, through my blurry vision I see Kendle crying on the ground being held by Gorth. I crawl over to find Edith's body.

"NO! No... no..." I push over to her.

"She attacked you, and turned on us. When we finally got the ghost out Edith collapsed. We killed it, but it killed her." Kendle tells me between sobs.

I knew in an instant that I had a choice to make. I could let my love die, or I could give up my search for my parents. I know that I can't let her die. I take the resurrection stone from around my neck, and hold it close to my heart. "Goodbye."

I put the stone to her, and recite the only incantation I know, and we wait. After what feels like an eternity, Edith's body bolts up, and she breathes again.

We all sit there for a moment, and rejoice. Kendle can't stop saying sorry, and I sit there staring at the changed stone in my hand. It no longer glows deep blue, now it is a cold clear color.

Edith follows my eyes. "Grayson... what happened to your necklace?" She coughs out.

"He saved you. It was a resurrection stone this whole time." Gorth tells her.

"Can you still go home with it like that?" Edith asks me with worry in her voice.

"No. I can't." I say stunned by how this whole day has turned. Wasn't it just last night I was the happiest I have ever been?

"You sacrificed your family for me?" She asks, shocked.

I looked at her, and knew if I didn't say this now I would never have the courage. "I would do anything for you."

Edith attempts to stand, but isn't strong enough yet. Gorth picks her up, and we start to head up stairs.

"I will handle payment. Take care of her, Grayson." Kendle goes off to find the owners, and we take Edith upstairs.

Gorth delivers her to our room, and Edith feels strong enough to walk if I help her, so Gorth goes to find Kendle.

I sit her on our bed, and she looks at me with tears in her eyes. "You saved my life. How can I ever repay that?"

"No need to. As I said, I would do anything for you." I half smiled at her, and held out my hand to her. Inside is the necklace.

"That is yours." She starts to argue, but I lean forward, and put it around her neck. Pausing inches from her lips.

"Now it's yours. Looks better on you anyway. Besides, I have this family." I stare at her luscious lips.

"Grayson, thank you, for saving my life today." With that Edith leans in even closer, and brings her hand to my chest. "I can't ever repay that. I am in your debt forever."

My heart stops as her warm hand presses against my chest. I swallow down a hard lump in my throat. "Well, ummm, I couldn't let you die." I am so nervous being this close to her.

"You could have, many would have. Thank you." Edith leans close, and tilts her head to one side slightly.

My eyes go wide, and the moment seems to go in slow motion. Is she really going to kiss me? She closes her eyes, and moves her hand up my chest to grab my face. I stay absolutely still, unable to move in my shock at what is happening.

Her lips press against mine. They are soft like silk, and warm. I close my eyes, and reach out to her. As my arms close around her waist, she scoots forward onto my lap. She is sitting on my growing erection.

I pull back for a moment. "Are you sure this is what you want? You don't have to do this just because I saved you."

She looks at me with narrowed eyes. "I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't what I wanted."

"I just want to make sure because I know-" She cuts my off by pressing her lips to mine again. Edith places a leg on either side of mine lifting her skirt, and holding onto my face.