Wandering of Coins and Company

A Short Story - Wandering of Coins and Company

Penulis: Grace Prikasih – UKI

Wandering of Coins and Company tells of a mercenary and a sorceress whose fateful meeting leads them into adventure, where steel and magic unite against danger. Whispered silences and fleeting touches, their struggle begins to stir something deeper—companionship, trust, and perhaps more.

Meeting at Mokarreth

The border tavern of Mokarreth throbbed with noise. Tankards clashed, dice rattled, and a bard by the hearth sang of foolish knights and wayward lovers. Mercenaries bellowed, merchants haggled even over drinks, and laughter rolled like smoke across the timbered ceiling.

Machi Yato sat apart, his usual place in the shadowed corner. A man of few words, he let others press him for tales of Meadwynne’s roads and monsters. His replies were curt, practical, never dressed with the color of bards. Still, his golden eyes held enough weight that even silence from him could quiet a table.

The tavern door creaked open. A woman stepped in, trailing dust from the road. She was small in frame but carried herself with a quiet resolve, void, black eyes scanning the room before she approached the counter. Kaffu Chino. She ordered a room for a night and, with a voice soft but steady, asked the innkeeper about the roads east.

Machi’s ear caught the word. East meant caves—caves that devoured the careless and the weak. Without much of a word, he rose.
“Heading for the next town?” His voice was low, soft, and even, but it startled her all the same.
Kaffu turned, clutching her staff and nervously look down at the ground. “A-Ah y-yes. I was asking if there’s a shortcut…”

“It’s not safe.” He bluntly say, voice cutting through the tavern like a blade.

Her lips parted, uncertain how to respond. His bluntness pinned her, but before the silence grew too heavy, Machi added: “I know the path well. Let me escort you.”
Her head shoots up, looking at him with slightly wider eyes under her dark bangs. “Escort me…? B-But… I… don’t really have gold to pay you…” Shaking her head, she look up at him.
He shrugged, a man unwilling to dress kindness with pride. “It’s safer together. No need to pay me, I offered first.”

Something softened in her expression, though her cheeks warmed as she nodded. “If… you don’t mind… then… I’ll accept the offer.” Smile grace her face as a slight blush crept in.

When dawn paint Meadwynne sky with a new hues, they began to embark on their way.

Whispers Between Steps

The world beyond Mokarreth was quieter. Their footsteps crunched along dirt paths, and the wind teased the leaves overhead. Kaffu adjusted her staff, stealing a glance at her companion. Machi walked with calm strides, the weight of experience in every step. The silence between them starts to grew before she decided to break it.

“Have you… traveled long…?” she asked at last, her voice almost lost in the breeze. Soft and curious.
“Years,” he answered without looking back. Not with coldness nor indifference, just someone who share experiences. His eyes trained on the road, but it glance towards her once in a while.

“I see…” She mutters softly, fingers fiddling with her staff.

“What about you?” His eyes look to her, voice matching her soft tone. “You look… fragile.” He tilt his head “But your magic says otherwise. I can feel it.”

She blinked. Meeting his eyes as she caught his curiosity and amusement “I… You’re preceptive, I see…” She smile “Relic finding. A solo expedition in Frothosia cave… I was able to study it… although some things didn’t… go as planned…” She say quietly.
He hold his gaze steady on her. Violet eyes trained on her. “You came back alive. That’s
what matters.”

The simplicity of his words soothed her more than any long speech. She smiled faintly, though when she realized he was still looking, her face flushed and she quickly turned away to hide a blush.

The day passed in uneven silences. Sometimes they spoke—about roads, about food, about the weather. More often, silence stretched, not cold but tentative, as though each was still learning how to fit in the other’s presence.
At one point, Kaffu tripped on a loose stone. Machi’s hand shot out, steadying her by the elbow. Their eyes locked.
“T-Thank you,” she stammered, pulling back quickly.
He nodded once, and steady her. But the faint heat in both of their cheeks lingered long after.

Soon, they reach a cave. A shortcut. The cave mouth yawned before them, its breath damp and cold.

Trial in the Depths

The cavern swallowed their torchlight. Water dripped steadily, echoing in the distance. The air was heavy, damp with the scent of moss and stone.

Then came the hiss.

From the shadows burst the Lacthydra—serpentine heads lunging, venomous saliva glistening in the firelight. Its armored scales clattered as it surged forward.

Kaffu raised her staff. Fire crackled, lightning hissed—but her spells sputtered under pressure.

Fear hollowed her chest, and her aim faltered.

“Focus!” Machi barked, his blade flashing as he blocked a lunging head.
“I—I’m trying!” Her voice broke. Every failed spell carved her confidence thinner.
Machi’s jaw tightened. With a growl, he charged recklessly, carving into the beast’s hide. One head shrieked, recoiling—but another darted in, fangs grazing his side. He staggered, blood staining his tunic.
“Machi!” Kaffu cried, rushing toward him in panic. Hands trembling as she cradled him
He shoved her back. “Don’t—fight!”
But she couldn’t. Fear rooted her, magic slipping through trembling fingers as the Lacthydra closed in.

Her eyes frantically search around before she find a narrow crevice, torches dimming as she drag him into safety temporarily. Kaffu pressed her hand against his wound, jaw clenched. Kaffu knelt beside him, hands shaking as she tried to channel healing light. Tears blurred her sight.

“I can’t… I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I’ll drag you down. I’m not strong enough.”

Machi exhaled, slow and steady. Then, with surprising gentleness, he flicked her forehead.
She blinked at him, startled.

“Enough,” he said, voice even despite the blood on his lips. “We’re alive. That’s all that matters. No apologies. Not now. If you falter, we both die. So don’t think—trust. Yourself. Me.”

Her breath caught. For a heartbeat, she saw not a mercenary but a man whose belief in her was
absolute, even when her own wasn’t. Her heart hammered—fear, yes, but also something else.

She nodded, wiping her eyes. “Together, then.”

They stepped from the crevice side by side. The Lacthydra lunged. Machi’s blade caught one head, steel ringing against scale. Kaffu’s fire seared another, forcing it back. Their movements, once scattered, now fell into rhythm—his sword carving openings, her magic striking through them.

Another head lunged—Machi deflected, giving Kaffu the angle she needed. She sent a bolt of
lightning into its skull, and the beast shrieked. He faltered once, nearly falling, but her hand brushed his arm, steadying him. Neither spoke of it, but their eyes met for a breath before turning back to the fight.

At last, with one final surge, Kaffu raised her staff. Fire and light spiraled together, her aim clear at last. She struck the creature’s heart. Light exploded. The beast convulsed, then collapsed in silence.

The cave stilled.

Echoes of Trust Beneath the Stars

Night wrapped the world when they staggered to the riverbank. They collapsed by the fire they coaxed from dry wood, Machi leaning heavily against Kaffu.

“You’re heavier… than you look…” She mutters as she help his weight against her. She’s trembling with exhaustion and worry but try to lighten the mood.

“Hnh… Blame the armor…” His lips twitched upward, a small smile gracing his battered face.

She laughed softly, the sound strange after so much fear. When silence settled again, it was easier than before. She sat him down gently as she cast a healing magic under the both of them. The circle pulse in calming energy as it slowly ease their wounds.

They stay silent for a while.

Until Machi finally spoke. Voice solemn, “I’m sorry I was reckless… I… just wanted to protect you—and nearly killed us both.” His eyes casted down to the ground.
Kaffu shook her head, voice trembling and soft. “…I’m… sorry I froze… Fear… consumed me… I was… scared… when my magic defied me… But you believed in me. Even when I didn’t.” Her voice softened. “Thank you.”
Their eyes met the fire before they finally look into each other. Heat touched both their cheeks, but none of them look away this time.

Morning found them still by the river, wounds bound, spirits steadier. Machi rose carefully, then offered his hand.
“Ready?”
Kaffu slipped her hand into his. Their fingers lingered. She blushed, looking away, but didn’t let go, even as she has steady herself. Neither does him.

The road stretched before them, endless and uncertain. But no longer mercenary and sorcerer, nor escort and traveler.

They walked as companions. And perhaps, in time, as something more.

*****