Once they were out of sight of the village, Ria closed her eyes and tipped her face up to the sun, enjoying the gentle warmth on her skin. She hadn't realized how much she had missed the sunshine and fresh air in her drive for knowledge. Usually, when she got in a hyperfocus like this, Charlotte would be the one to pull her away from her obsession and get her to eat or take a few minutes outside to recharge.

Her heart ached at the thought of her sister and she abruptly pushed her emotions down, locking them away. She couldn't afford to open up that particular kettle of fish, not yet. Right now, she had two goals. The first goal was to survive and acclimate to her new environment, the second goal was to find a way to return home. If she thought about Charlotte or how much her family must be worried about her absence. One of the first things she'd done once she was alone was try to use the Guide to send a message to her family but of course that had proven to be impossible. She'd allowed herself just five minutes of tears before picking herself back up. She couldn't crumble, not yet.

Letting out a long breath, she returned her attention to the present. Tipping her face back down, she smiled when she saw that Lynne was skipping happily several feet away. She glanced over to find Ward watching her from the corner of his eye, even as he examined something in the brush. She gave him the barest of nods, she really was ok, before moving over and joining Lynne where she was crouched at the edge of the clearing. She found that Lynne had plopped down on the ground and was weaving some flowers into a crown.

Ria knelt next to her a little more decorously, idly taking in the plants that surrounded them. Curious as to what they were, she called up the guide with a lazy flick and easily navigated to the info tab. She hadn't had an opportunity to play with the identify function yet and this was a prime opportunity. She focused on a plant with a lovely purple flower and hit identify. To her surprise, the guide gave her both the name in Audri and listed its properties. In many ways, it reminded her of the earth plant called skullcap. If she remembered her research on botany topics, skullcap was an exceptional herb to help deal with scarring.

Remembering Faye's scar, it was long healed but was still tight and undoubtedly pulled at times, she played around with the idea of possibly making a salve to help ease it. After all, Faye had already done so much for her, if she could do even a little bit to help her it would mean a lot. Pulling her pack from the storage, she started carefully gathering the herb while working on identifying the other plants. If there was one useful one there was bound to be more available.

She had barely finished the task, leaving enough for the plant to thrive, when she heard a rustle from the bushes near Lynne. The hair on her arms stood on end and she shifted to her feet, her hand closing mindlessly around a light stick. She didn't have any time to process her actions when a shape shot out of the bush with lightning-fast speed, aiming for the oblivious Lynne. Ria jumped forward, swinging the stick like a primitive golf club. The branch connected with a sickening crack, launching the, whatever it was, away from them and into the bushes from where it came.

Ward was there a half breath later, his sword drawn and he gave them a scanning look. Seemingly satisfied that they were unharmed, he commanded them to stay put before moving in the direction of whatever it was that she launched. Keeping the stick tightly in her grasp, she turned to the other woman who was staring at her wide-eyed. "Are you ok, Lynne?"

She cursed when she realized that Lynne couldn't understand her but her tone must've conveyed the message adequately. "I'm ok, really, just startled. I'm not sure what just happened, truthfully."

Ria gave her a shaky grin, "Neither am I."

A ping from the guide drew her attention and she looked over to find that it was still up. There was a blue circle on the skill page and she frowned, remembering that it had been blank since she'd acquired the guide. Tapping lightly on it, she was surprised to find a single star adorning the page. Her confusion deepening, she tapped on that as well.

A banner popped up, reading: Quick Thinker

A smaller script read: Beginner skill. You've proven to have the ability to react swiftly in a crisis. Keep honing this skill in order to gain swifter reaction times.

She blinked at it for a moment before dismissing the guide and returning her attention to their surroundings. She might've made a mistake and the creature had been innocent but she would rather apologize than risk being wrong and having Lynne pay for her reaction. Ward could explain it to her later, once they were safely back in the Kiftan home, it would keep until then. Discreetly tightening her grip on her stick so that she didn't alarm Lynne, she scanned their surroundings for any threats.

Ward chose that moment to reappear, his sword sheathed and looking like he was trying to hide a grin. Allowing her shoulders to relax slightly, she raised an eyebrow inquiringly. He joined them, looking over Lynne a second time, closer than the quick scan that he'd done before running off.

Once he was certain that she was unharmed, he finally turned his attention to Ria, "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."

Ria felt her stomach twist. "I killed it?"

He shook his head, "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."

She took a deep breath. "Isn't that why you left the village today? To check for any incursions. Does that mean that monsters are encroaching on the village?"

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."

Ria heartily agreed, it seemed like seven-star monsters were equivalent to an extended natural disaster with enormous loss of life. Composing herself, she abruptly realized that she was still holding the stick and tossed it aside into the bushes. Once again, her worldview had been turned on her head. Not only did she have to learn a new language and try to find some sort of skill, but also monsters that had no qualms about attacking humans were now apparently part of her daily life.

Picking up her bag, she sent it to inventory, no longer wishing to gather any plants until she familiarized herself a bit better with the local flora and fauna. If the animals were monsters that attacked, who knew whether or not the plants would choose to poison her? 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 nodded, his expression thoughtful. "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, "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."

He laughed at that and Lynne immediately pouted, demanding to know what she had just said. Ria felt her anxiety ease a bit. Things had turned out well enough despite the unexpectedness of it, so she'd take today as a win. For now, anyway.