“So we just hear each others’ languages due to being contracted to Rhys? Makes sense, kobolds don’t have the right face or throat structure to make humanoid sounds properly, and speaking in their tongue left me with a sore throat.”

“That would’ve been because you were starting to feel sick, but yes. There’s a couple of skills that will work around those limitations, though. And you have the ability to pick them up with some practice.”

Guiying listened to her mother, feeling stronger but still not well enough to leave her room. Zuk sat in the corner, having insisted on visiting her when he’d learned she was ill.

“So the legends of those who could speak and understand every language are true?”

“Yes, and the skills are called ‘Gift of Tongues’ and ‘Interpretation of Tongues.’ Learn them, and language barriers are no longer an issue. But you need to have a very well-rounded set of mental skills before advanced sets are unlocked. As-is, Guiying’s the most well-educated permanent resident of this planet, just by having our world’s basic literacy, philosophy, and mathematic skills.”

Zuk stared, jaw open. He’d known his mental stats were only half of Guiying’s, but that there was an entire world of people at least as smart as she was?

“No, Guiying’s brighter than most, if a bit tuned out of our reality. Education doesn’t directly connect to intelligence, it just gives you more potential ways to use what you have. Guiying’s ability to identify plants is abysmal, for example. Study would improve it a little, but she doesn’t have the right mental knack for telling which plants can be eaten, which used as medicine, and which would simply kill her. Which is why I never taught her my own trade as an alchemist and midwife. You’ve got a good knack for hunting and fighting, and a true talent for leadership, but you don’t have the right mindset to fully learn the oral traditions and genaeologies of your people. So you’re an excellent hunt leader and will be a strong chieftain one day… but the path of the memory-keeper isn’t for you.”

Zuk nodded. This he’d known about himself and understood. Much like he’d learned a great deal about dealing with hunting injuries from Mistress Xiang, but had no skill for learning the medicinal herbs and potions she had described. Still, knowing a little about what she called “first aid” would make hunts far safer, and the skills he had picked up had advanced him closer to the next level in Warrior.

“So… getting another class level in Monk?”

Guiying winced and held her forehead as Zuk blinked. He hadn’t even seen that strike.

“Hasn’t changed in the slightest, and you’ve been slacking off. You have three younger siblings who are approaching their Mastery, and you’re still an Expert in only one element.”

“Well, I just don’t-”

“Energy is energy, Guiying. You use elemental attunement to ground yourself in the early stages, but you won’t get any further if you limit yourself to electricity the way you have. Consider Rhys’s power issues to be a good learning experience on the subject. Elemental Attunement is a whole set of skills here, so work on collecting them until you’ve mastered them all. From there, you should be able to break into the next level.”

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Guiying pouted a little, but it was clear she was mostly just getting tired. Zuk offered another bowl of the porridge, but she just pushed it away and crawled into her bed.

Zuk quietly gulped, and was grateful that the species difference damped some of the attraction he had for the young rabbit girl. Shaking his head, he put himself in the small alcove set aside for transport between the core chamber and the main dungeon and let Rhys return him to the surface.

Things were changing here.

It hadn’t quite been a full week since their tribe had settled into the dungeon, but the original cave had already been turned from a welcoming new home for tired kobolds into a proper series of death traps against invaders. The real entrances and exits were scattered across the mountain, sized mostly for kobolds and camofluaged against all but the most observant of invaders. Only the main entrance, several meters below and to the left of the obvious one, was large enough to allow most hominids inside. They needed a place to bring in food and supplies, after all.

The caves were tunneled out, creating a proper warren with plenty of room to expand the chambers and tunnels as needed. Plans were already in place to essentially hollow out the entire mountain, starting with the seam of hard coal directly overhead.

And the more they touched, the further Rhys’s influence spread. From his original 100-meter influence range, he could now reach out half a kilometer in any direction, almost the entirety of the mountain and the valley the kobolds were clearing out for agriculture.

Speaking of… apparently Guiying’s mother knew a few tricks there. She was having them build terraced fields, reservoirs, and talked about something called “permaculture” to drive home how to maximize the efficiency and longevity of their growing space.

She also helped them set up hidden sentry points at the valley’s approaches, and was every bit as quick as the kobolds to set up disarmed traps on the roads and within the fields, so they only needed a moment to turn the entire valley into a hellscape in the event of a war. She even used designs that were disturbingly effective but easy to maintain, earning the kobolds’ respect and trust on her engineering sense.

Zuk relaxed a little, knowing that they were as secure as they would get, and would be ready for a full thousand kobolds to join the Ruby Scale at the gathering of the tribes. He knew Rhys only expected half that, and was inclined to agree, but it never hurt to be overprepared. Besides, the hope was that they would grow into the space quickly, as new generations were born and came of age. Ideally, these new generations would only rarely become warriors or gatherers, instead producing raw materials or processed goods through the higher professions.

Of course… such ideals were never perfect. Zuk knew there would always be those like himself, called to protect the tribe from enemies with whatever weapons they had. There would always be a need for those who could gather herbs, berries, and mushrooms from wherever they were at, and know what was safe to eat from what wasn’t.

He laid in his bed, now given a personal room as a hero of his kind, and let his mind wander. It was good to have goals, but Mistress Xiang was also teaching him how to let go, to reach beyond his mundane needs and constant thoughts of others into what he personally wanted.

A brief flash of dirty pink hair and a bright expression crossed his mind, but he shook his head and set that aside. Right now, it was just a distraction.

…Wasn’t it?