For a moment, the guild hall remained frozen in the wake of their departure, as if the very air had been scorched by their presence. But the silence, brittle as glass, eventually cracked.

It started with a cough. Then a chair scraped back. Someone muttered something about needing another drink.

And just like that, the noise returned—hesitant at first, then rising like a tide.

“Might as well enjoy the quiet while it lasted,” someone joked, prompting a few strained chuckles.

A muscular adventurer with a dented pauldron strolled past Rydan and gave him a solid pat on the back. “You’re braver than you look, kid. Or dumber.” He grinned, his breath thick with alcohol. “Either way, drinks are on me next time you survive something like that.”

Rydan blinked up at him. “Branz, right? Toasted Boars?”

“Damn right.” Branz chuckled, his thick arms crossed over his round belly. “Even old dogs like us felt that tension.”

Behind him, a taller, leaner man trailed a few steps behind, swirling a wineskin as if considering the viscosity. “Rydan,” Fizz said, voice cool and dry, “next time you plan on staring down a walking catastrophe, maybe give a bard a heads-up. That tale alone could’ve paid our bar tab for a month.”

Rydan managed a laugh, tension finally draining from his shoulders. The two older adventurers moved on, their easy banter trailing behind them like the scent of old wine and fire magic. Around the hall, others started talking again—chatter building, tankards clinking, and the rattle of dice resuming at one of the far tables.

Life at the guild carried on, as it always did. But something had shifted. People had seen Rydan hold his ground, and that counted for something.

Except the one he wanted to show off for was still busy at the counter, chatting about her quest.

***

"Just to make sure... I don’t need to go near the water?" Sandra asked, her tone cautious.

Eluviel, finally free from the earlier tension, giggled and replied with a simple, “Yup.”

A beat passed.

Sandra shifted slightly. “So… just to make sure. No salted water involved, right?”

Another cheerful, “Nope.”

A longer pause.

“…Like, at all?”

Eluviel nodded, still smiling. “Just above the sand. Promise.”

Sandra, after confirming for the third time that the quest involved no contact with salted water, finally turned around with a quiet nod—though she very nearly asked a fourth time. She took a few steps toward the exit to begin—then stopped.

There, slouched on a bench, was an unusual sight: Rydan, looking like he'd misplaced his confidence. A far cry from the bold, reckless guy from earlier.

“You okay?” she asked.

Rydan blinked. “Huh?”

“That punch you threw back there,” she said coolly. “You looked like an idiot.”

A short giggle followed. Light. Unexpected.

Rydan stared, caught off guard. Not by the insult, but by the sound. He’d never heard her laugh before. Not like that.

He scratched the back of his head. “Wait… you saw that? I thought you were too busy with your quest.”

Sandra shrugged.
“Obviously I sensed it.”

He blinked. “You… sensed it?”

She tilted her head, as if that should’ve been obvious. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one with common sense?”

“Normal humans don’t have eyes on their back,” Rydan muttered, still staring at her.

Sandra noticed the way his stare lingered—longer than necessary. Her brow creased slightly. “What?”

He didn’t answer.

Her brow furrowed. “What?”

Rydan stammered, then chuckled and looked away. “Nothing. Just... didn’t expect you to laugh.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned after coming to this place,” she muttered, eyes shifting forward again, “it’s that I hate being stared at.”

He raised his hands. “No staring. Got it.”

She turned and walked toward the exit in silence.

Behind her, Rydan scratched his cheek and smiled to himself. “Still kind of cute, though,” he whispered.

“Hey, wait for me!” he called, hopping to his feet to catch up.

***

The two walked side by side along the white sand path, the warm breeze teasing at their clothes and the distant crash of waves filling the silence between them. The sky stretched open and cloudless, the kind of eternal blue that made Ever Summer Beach live up to its name. People passed by in light beachwear, some hauling fishing gear, others with baskets full of shellfish and seaweed. It was lively, but calm. Perfect questing weather.

Sandra kept her pace steady, eyes locked ahead, scanning for anyone who looked like they knew a thing or two about clams. Her steps were purposeful, her brow lightly furrowed as if she were preparing for war rather than a simple gathering quest.

Rydan trailed just a little behind, unsure if he’d managed to fix his smile. He casually swung his surfboard across one shoulder like it weighed nothing, trying to show he was already over the incident.

He seemed so lively now—it was as if the tense, shaken version of him from earlier had been nothing more than a mirage… or was it?

“You know,” he started, tone light and almost sing-songy, “I do know this beach better than most. If you wanted a good clam spot, all you had to do was ask.”

Sandra didn’t even look at him.

She walked right past a family building a sandcastle and approached a group of older women sorting through their morning haul of shellfish under a sunshade.
“Excuse me,” she said, her voice polite but firm, “do you know a good spot to dig for clams?”

One of the women looked up with a cold, uninterested expression. “And why should we share our spot? So we get more competition?”

It was a fair point. Sandra understood—she wouldn’t share her own hunting grounds either. Without protest, she simply turned and continued her search, looking for someone more willing to talk.

Rydan blinked. “Seriously?” he called out, now keeping pace beside her. “You asked complete strangers but not me?”

“You looked like someone who was about to cry,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Me? Cry? No way,” he defended, hastily fixing his face with both hands. How can she be so insightful when it's unnecessary?’

He scoffed to mask the awkwardness. “I’ve hunted sea monsters in every corner of this coastline!”

Sandra ignored him, scanning the beach as they walked. Rydan trailed behind, arms crossed and fuming.

“This is personal now,” he muttered.

Then, like a sun-dried miracle, an old fisherman, sitting half-asleep beneath a straw parasol, lifted his wide-brimmed hat and squinted at them. “Looking for big clams, eh?”

Sandra nodded instantly.

“Try the dark rock outcrop past the tide pools. They like to hide there in the early morning.” He pointed with a calloused finger, and even offered a toothy grin. “Not many know, but if the sand there’s a little warm, dig deeper—you’ll find the fattest ones.”

Sandra looked toward the spot, then over her shoulder—just enough to make eye contact with Rydan. Her expression didn’t change much, but the glint in her eyes, and the faint upturn at the edge of her lips, said everything: Told you I didn’t need your help.

Rydan threw his hands up. “Unbelievable.”

She walked off, sand crunching underfoot, leaving him to trail behind in disbelief.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Next time you need to fight a jellyfish, don’t come crying to me.”

***

At the edge of the rocky beach, the sun shimmered over low waves and hot sand. Sandra crouched near a tide-worn boulder, eyes narrowed as she scanned the ground. Around her, the occasional shell peeked through the grains, but nothing worth digging yet.

Her gaze drifted away from the tide pool, toward the distant direction of the guild. Beyond that, the vast sea stretched endlessly, its surface calm but hauntingly unpredictable.

A soft whisper slipped from Sandra’s lips, barely audible over the gentle surf. “Is it really safe?”

She dug the edge of her foot into the warm sand, the unease lingering like a shadow beneath the sunlight.

Rydan stood quietly behind her for a moment, then suddenly popped out with a loud “Boo!” But Sandra didn’t flinch—instead, she just shot him a sharp glare.

“You really have eyes at your back,” he said, impressed that she really could sense him.

“Still worried about the sea?” he added, trying to sound casual but with a hint of nervousness.

Silence stretched between them. Sandra’s gaze remained sharp and dismissive, like she was looking at something worthless. Rydan wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and quickly tried to shift the mood.

He pulled a small wooden rake from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers as he cleared his throat.

“Hey, Sandra, you forgot these,” he said, holding out the tool with a teasing smile. “Say ‘please,’ and I might even let you borrow them.”

As if he were a lost cause, Sandra glanced back toward the sea, then down at the sand. She dug the edge of her foot deeper into it, pressing firmly.

The grains shifted.

Rydan leaned forward, curious. “Wait, what are you—?”

A cluster of clams burst through the surface as if pushed up by unseen hands. The tide rolled lazily nearby, but the water hadn't done this. The sand had obeyed her.

“You can do that?!” he asked, stunned.

Sandra turned just enough to throw him a smug look before beginning to collect the surfaced clams into her bag.

Rydan gave a soft, defeated laugh. “Guess I’ll just keep holding this useless rake, then.”

He watched her work for a moment, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement.

“So… what class are you, anyway?” he asked, his tone casual but curious. “Some kind of sand mage?”

Sandra paused for a moment, recalling what a certain elf had told her once about her class. Without looking up, she answered simply, “Druid.”

Rydan raised an eyebrow. “Druid, huh? That sounds... pretty rare.”

He smiled, leaning slightly forward with a playful glint in his eye. “Do you have some cool transformation or secret power? Like turning into a giant sand monster or something?”

Sandra didn’t answer.

Her fingers moved steadily, gathering clam after clam.

The question hung in the air, unanswered — like a secret waiting to be told, but not yet ready.

Rydan shrugged, smiling softly to himself. Whatever her secrets were, he’d find out soon enough.

***

Author’s Note:
Thanks for reading! I’ll be posting one chapter a day for the next week to catch you up, then I’ll settle into a regular schedule of one chapter every Tuesday. Also, I’m currently illustrating our main heroine, Sandra — stay tuned for the finished version! Here is the rough version: