Just Enough

Just Enough

The gates of Ravenhold gradually disappeared behind them.

The horse’s hooves rang steadily against the laid stone as the sounds of merchants and rattling wagon wheels faded into the midday wind sweeping across the low grass beside the road.

The sun hung directly overhead, its heat pressing against the backs of their hands. Ahead, an old stone bridge arched over the river, its dark blocks catching sharp streaks of white light reflected from the water below.

Nyssa leaned forward slightly.

“Why are we heading south?”

“I’m taking you back to the cabin.”

She immediately smacked Zio’s shoulder.

“Hey. What are you doing? Take me with you.”

Zio kept his eyes on the road.

“I’m going to the beast territory. You’re not an Adventurer.”

“And since when does only an Adventurer get to enter a beast territory?” Her voice rose. “Come on. Take me with you. I graduated from the academy. I’m not weak.”

The horse carried them toward the bridge.

Just before reaching it, Zio pulled the reins.

The sudden stop threw Nyssa forward. Her forehead nearly struck his back.

“Hey.”

The horse snorted, a heavy breath escaping its nostrils as it came to a halt.

Instead of crossing the bridge, Zio turned it aside.

He guided the horse onto a narrower road where packed earth replaced the laid stone. Wild grass brushed against its legs as they headed east.

Nyssa remained quiet for a few seconds.

“You look like you already know this way.”

Zio nodded.

“There’s a smaller bridge after we pass the fishing harbor.”

He glanced once at the sun overhead before nudging the horse onward.

Its stride settled into a steady rhythm, then gradually quickened. The dull thud of hooves blended with the quiet murmur of the river flowing beside the road.

The path narrowed as the trees gathered closer, their shadows stretching across the earth. Beside them, the river continued east, and the horse carried them deeper beneath the growing canopy.

***

The dirt road stretched ahead, marked by old wagon ruts hardened beneath countless wheels. To their left, the river flowed broad and steady along the stone banks.

Beyond a bend, a narrow wooden bridge came into view. Its weathered planks sagged slightly between thick ropes pulled taut with age, while water rushed beneath them.

Zio guided the horse across.

The boards creaked under each step.

On the far side, the trees drew closer together. Sunlight filtered through the branches, breaking into scattered patches across the forest floor.

Zio kept his eyes ahead.

Nyssa shifted slightly behind him, settling her balance in the saddle. Her gaze drifted from the dense trunks pressing in on one side of the road to the brush rising waist-high on the other.

The river gradually slipped behind them, leaving only the sharper rhythm of hooves against the hard-packed earth.

Several dozen meters ahead, a small wooden hut stood beside the road. Its roof sagged with age, and a thin ribbon of smoke curled from the narrow chimney. Three Guild members waited outside.

Zio eased the horse to a stop.

One of the guards stepped forward, his gaze moving from Zio's face to the hand holding the reins.

“New here?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see your Guild card.”

Zio reached into his pocket, retrieved the card, and handed it over.

The guard turned it over in his fingers, his thumb brushing across the magical seal before returning it.

“Don't go too deep into the territory. One or two beasts are enough. Unless you're traveling with a larger party.”

Zio slipped the card back into his pocket.

The horse moved on.

The hut slowly disappeared behind them.

The forest closed in. Branches spread overhead until the canopy dimmed the path, and damp earth replaced dust beneath the horse's hooves.

The wind fell away.

Only the steady rhythm of hooves remained.

***

Tall grass swayed gently as the horse came to a halt at the forest's edge. The ground beneath its hooves was packed hard by the passage of countless adventurers, while the cooler air carried the scent of damp earth and fallen leaves.

Zio dismounted first.

Nyssa followed, pausing for a moment as she looked into the deepening forest where the trees grew closer together.

Zio drove a stake into the ground beside a low trunk and tied the horse to it. He gave the rope a firm tug before letting it hang.

Nyssa glanced around.

“The wild mana is dense here.”

Zio faced the forest.

“Yes. There should be one or two beasts ahead.”

She looked at him.

“How can you tell?”

“Instinct.”

Nyssa hummed softly.

“Hm.”

Zio started forward.

“Wait here. I'll return soon.”

“As if.” Nyssa stepped after him without hesitation. “I came all this way just to stand around and wait?”

Zio let out a quiet breath but did not slow.

“You know,” Nyssa continued as she caught up beside him, “elves have keen sensitivity to mana. Many human parties recruit elves for that reason.”

She glanced at him.

“So don't worry. I won't be a burden.”

Zio answered with silence.

A few steps later, his hand rose slightly.

Nyssa stopped at once.

Zio stared through the trees.

“Three,” he said quietly. “Small.”

Before Nyssa could speak, he moved.

His stride stretched into a blur. Mana flowed around his feet, propelling him through the grass and undergrowth. Within seconds, the trees swallowed him from sight.

Nyssa froze for only a heartbeat before rushing after him, following the faint trail of mana lingering in the air.

The forest grew still.

Grass parted.

A rapid footstep.

One clean slash.

A body struck the ground.

Silence.

Then two more cuts followed in quick succession.

Swift.

Precise.

Quiet.

Nyssa quickened her pace. Thin branches brushed against her arms as she pushed through the undergrowth. Moments later, she stepped into a small clearing.

The smell of blood reached her first.

She stopped.

Three wolf-shaped beasts lay motionless across the grass. Their heads were gone, and dark blood seeped slowly into the earth.

Zio stood among them.

Nyssa stared.

For a brief moment, she had expected to witness magic.

Instead, the battle had already ended.

Zio crouched beside one of the corpses and rolled it onto its side. With a single clean cut, he opened its chest. His hand disappeared inside for only a moment before emerging with a dull mana core resting in his palm.

He examined it briefly, then slipped it into the pouch at his belt.

He repeated the process with the remaining two beasts, each movement calm and unhurried.

When he finished, he stood and walked toward Nyssa.

“We return.”

She remained where she was.

“We only just arrived,” she said after a moment. “Why not look for more?”

“This is enough.”

Zio turned and headed back toward the horse.

Nyssa let out a long breath.

“Annoying,” she muttered.

Even so, she followed.

***

Zio turned away from the trail leading back.

Nyssa frowned.

“Your horse is that way.”

“Washing my hands.”

He kept walking.

Nyssa clicked her tongue under her breath but followed without another word.

A light breeze stirred the leaves overhead and sent the grass whispering softly. The scent of damp earth drifted through the trees, carrying with it the faint trace of fresh blood.

Zio walked without hesitation until the quiet murmur of running water reached them. Beyond a patch of low brush, a shallow stream wound between smooth stones, its clear current flowing steadily.

He knelt at the bank.

His hands went into the water first. For a brief moment, crimson swirled through the current before disappearing downstream. He scrubbed between his fingers until the last stain was gone.

Next came the one-handed blade.

He lowered it into the stream, lifted it, wiped the steel clean with his thumb, then rinsed it once more.

The mana core came last.

He turned it beneath the water until every trace of blood had washed away.

Nyssa stopped a few steps behind him, watching without moving closer.

“You knew there was water here?”

Zio wrung the water from his hands.

“Instinct.”

Nyssa let out a quiet breath.

“You sure you're still human?”

Zio gave a small nod.

He rose to his feet. Water dripped from the edge of his glove as the blade slid back to his hip in one familiar motion. The cleaned mana core disappeared into the small pouch at his belt.

Nyssa's eyes lingered on the pouch.

“You're washing the cores too?”

Zio fastened it shut.

“Blood smell.”

Nyssa shook her head and turned away first.

Together, they made their way back through the trees.

The forest settled into silence once more.

Zio loosened the reins, gave the saddle a quick check, then mounted. Moments later, the horse set off, its hooves fading into the distance as the tall grass slowly closed over the trail behind them.

***

The ride back passed in silence.

The forest gradually thinned behind them, giving way to firmer ground as the afternoon sun drifted west, its light stretching long across the road.

Nyssa sat quietly behind him, one hand resting lightly against the saddle.

After a while, she tilted her head, trying to catch a glimpse of his face from the side.

Zio noticed.

He turned his head just enough to meet her gaze.

Nyssa looked away at once, pretending to study the trees lining the road instead.

Without a word, Zio faced forward again.

The reins remained steady in his hands. The rhythm of the horse's hooves never changed.

The road slowly hardened beneath them. Larger stones emerged through the dirt, and each step of the horse drew a soft ring from its iron shoes. The trees stood farther apart now, opening the view ahead.

Soon, the eastern gate of Ravenhold rose before them. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the stone road.

They passed beneath the archway.

The quiet of the forest gave way to the sounds of the city.

Neither of them spoke.

Side by side with the flow of travelers, they rode back into Ravenhold.