Plants. The fool wanted to ask about the local [i]plants[/i], after taking so long getting here. That was...  pointless. There were far more interesting and concerning things afoot, such as the presence of ruins within a days' walk from the guild... that nobody had ever heard about. 

"Squirrels, monsieur. Ze guild is only a few miles zat way... and if you 'ave never stepped outside eet, why are you 'ere? For zat matter, why are [i]any[/i] of us 'ere? How is it zat we 'ave never 'eard of zis place before?" the spider asked, continuing to look around at the camp, evaluating its setup, "And 'ow dare ze academy put a student in charge... as a professor I would [i]never[/i] do such a zing."