Staring at the hiba plastered against the tree, Ward sheathed his sword, biting back the urge to laugh. In all his time on Audrilandre, he'd never seen a monster go flying in quite that fashion before. He was starting to get the definite impression that Ria was a menace whenever she had a stick in her hand. Maybe it was a hobby of some sort, some sort of sport that she played, which is why she defaulted to it out of familiarity and comfort?

Once again, she had thrown his normal out the window and he had the feeling that it wasn't going to stop any time soon. Ever since she had first appeared alone in that clearing, he had a feeling that the world had irrevocably changed. There had never been a single star traveler drop, although that wasn't entirely the case this time around. There had been single drops in five different territories across Audrilandre. All of them had been women and none of them could recall accepting an invitation to come to the planet.

From what the other guardians had shared, none of the women were pleased to discover that they were apparently on a different world, accusations of kidnapping and drugging had been made of all the guardians, so at least it hadn't been just Ward who'd been accused. None of the women had been pleased but Kane seemed to have caught the worst of it as his star traveler had actually attacked him. Ria had only used the branch as a deterrent, not an active threat. If it weren't so puzzling, he would've undoubtedly found it highly amusing.

Thinking of Ria, he turned to make his way back to where the two women were undoubtedly waiting and worried. From what he could recall from other star travelers, most planets did not have monsters or animals that randomly attacked people unless they were sick. But her quick thinking had undoubtedly saved Lynne from a painful few hours, so he certainly owed her his thanks and he needed to scold Lynne as well. She'd been on Audrilandre more than long enough to know the dangers and to always keep a wary eye out when outside the village walls.

Reaching where he'd left them, he carefully scanned Lynne only to find no trace that the hiba even got anywhere near her. Once he was certain that she was unharmed, he turned his attention to Ria. Seeing the clear confusion on her face, he explained, biting back the laugh that wanted to escape, "What you sent flying was a monster called a hiba. It's a low-level monster, primarily an ambush predator and rarely seen in groups of more than one to three. They're not a true threat to anything larger than a chicken but their bite can be quite painful from the paralytic in their saliva. Nevertheless, it's neutralized now and Lynne is safe, thank you."

Instead of his words reassuring her, she appeared to be horrified, her voice wavering when she asked, "I killed it?"

He shook his head, carefully picking his words so as to not upset her further. "You merely launched it, the tree that stopped its flight is what killed it. From what I've learned from other star travelers from your planet, you are seldom attacked unless the animal is sick, so I'm sure that this was quite a shock to you. However, monsters are an everyday occurrence here in Audrilandre."

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He could see her shoving down her panic as she took a deep breath. Still, her curiosity wasn't completely erased, something that made him absurdly happy. "Isn't that why you left the village today? To check for any incursions. Does that mean that monsters are encroaching on the village?"

Amazement swept through him at how quickly she was adjusting to the planet. He'd seen hardened people from other planets pale or weep like a child when they learned that there were monsters here. However, she had taken the information in stride and readjusted her worldview accordingly. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself as he shook his head, "No, hibas and monsters like them are considered common pests. I've found no indication of anything larger or posing a danger to the village in this area. Mother has a book, if I recall correctly, that describes the monsters in this region and their varying levels of danger. A hiba is a one-star monster, not at all dangerous. The most dangerous is a seven-star monster and you'd better pray that you'd never face one of that. Whole villages are eradicated by creatures like that and the massive amount of people needed to bring one down, not to mention the casualty rates are well in the eighty to ninety percent range. Yes, better to never face one of those."

She nodded rapidly in agreement before seeming to realize that she was still holding the stick she'd used to defend them. He hastily swallowed another chuckle as she threw it into the bushes, a guilty expression on her face. He would have to commend her on her quick actions, but maybe later when she did not have easy access to said branches. Better safe than sorry. He watched as she grabbed her bag and sent it away to inventory as easily as if she had been doing it all her life, a complicated expression on her face.

Before he could ask what she was thinking, she asked quietly, "Are you finished with your examination? I think I've had enough fresh air for the day, I need to return to my studies."

He wanted to disagree, she'd barely been out for any time, less than an hour at this point. However, he had the feeling that if he pushed any harder, she would shut down which was the complete opposite of what he wanted. Better to retreat for the moment and try again tomorrow. "Of course. I'll walk you back and then finish my loop around the village just to make sure. However, don't work too hard, you're already making incredible progress. A break here and there will do you no harm."

She gave a wry chuckle, her tense expression easing. "Yes, but apparently the same cannot be said about the local wildlife with my presence. In order to conserve it, I'd best limit my walks until I'm a bit more acclimated."

Her unexpected dry humor caught him off guard and he couldn't help the laugh that burst from him. His pest of a little sister immediately pouted, demanding to know what she had just said. Which reminded him, he had a lecture to deliver about situational awareness of one's surroundings outside the village walls. It would probably end up benefiting Ria as well, although he would make it clear that it was Lynne who was being scolded.

However, he would have to carefully balance instilling caution while still encouraging her to explore her new world. He'd seen the joy in her expression when she'd tipped her face up to the sun and in how she'd carefully examined the plants while Lynne was playing around. He wanted her to gain the confidence to fully embrace her new world.

Still, he'd take it one step at a time.