“So that’s what this is about?”

“Seems to be. I haven’t been that close to a god before, but I can’t sing in triple pitch, in the kobold language, about things that are happening so clearly and plainly. Mind conjuring up something sticky? My throat hurts.”

Rhys did so, generating something called “ramune” from his selections.

“Ooh, that’s nice. Always wanted to try one of these, especially with the marble stoppers on the bottles.”

Guiying opened the bottle surprisingly well, then took a swallow before sitting back against the entranceway to the kobold lair and sighing in relief.

“So. Population of about fifty kobolds, with twenty of them in one stage or another of pregnancy. No healers or apothecaries among them, and I’m really wishing I knew half of what my mom did on that front. But she’s got a natural gift for being an alchemist and midwife, and told me flat out I’d do more harm than good trying. Damn, still feeling homesick. Curry please.”

“Not this time, Guiying. I’m sorry, but I’m getting a little worried about our food reserves. As you said, we’ve got a present population of fifty-two, with a potential population of seventy-eight. Multiple births seem to be relatively common among kobolds. In addition, you just gave a prophecy that every free kobold tribe is going to be on its way here. Not all of them will make it, and not all of them will be willing to bend the way your friend Zuk did, but I expect we’ll easily have a population of five hundred in this valley when all is said and done, bare minimum.”

“Wow. They really are a threatened species.”

“Beside the point, Guiying! We need enough food to last until we can develop a steady agricultural system!”

“Oh, that.”

Guiying looked out at the celebrating kobolds, the party finally winding down as they began to gather up the mess they had made and readied to put out the bonfire.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gone hungry for a few years for a better cause, Rhys. I’d rather enjoy my curry tonight, and worry about where the next plate is coming from in the morning.”

Rhys sighed, and relented. She was right, one extra plate of food wasn’t going to make a difference on the scale he was anticipating, and they had a bit of time to build a reserve before it was tested.

Guiying took the “elevator” down to the core chamber, and from there to her apartment for some rest. Parties were fun, but took a lot of energy. Reminded her of her older siblings’ wedding, actually.

Heh. Mom was so annoyed that day. Not sure why, but she mostly calmed down when the food started being served.

She held tears back, even here where no one but Rhys could see her. There was no going home, he made that pretty clear when they met. Her mother could get here in three centuries if she teleported… and would be long dead because she could hold her breath for about five minutes. Also, she’d never make it because of radiation scattering.

Some of the weird stuff in her head she wished she didn’t know, sometimes.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Tears escaped in spite of herself, and she woke up to a damp pillow and an unusual lethargy.

And no one’s interested me enough for baby-making, so thankfully it isn’t that.

Tired, she plodded to her kotatsu and ordered breakfast.

“Tea>Matcha>Hot. And just some rice porridge in miso broth today, I’m not too hungry.”

“Not too… oh. Seems you’ve caught a cold. Wrong season, but the kobolds are likely carrying a dormant strain your body’s not…”

A light fwumph sounded through the room as Guiying fell on her back. Breakfast forgotten, Rhys went over the kobolds as they started their morning.

No signs of illness or lethargy, even among the pregnant females. All 24 pregnant now. Microscan, microscan… Ah, no good! Why can’t I get that low?!

“Because you’re not the core you were three hundred million years ago, Rhys.”

Okay, that was scary. But the flame-wreathed portal that appeared near Guiying’s door was scarier.

“So this is where Ara-”

“Best not to speak names here, Xiang. Rhys wouldn’t survive the experience.”

“Ah, of course. Sorry, too used to high-level cultivators, I suppose.”

“Yes, and we’ll need to talk about that later. You and Kaoru both, really, but for now your daughter and her new people need your help.”

“Why would they need… oh.”

The distracted-seeming woman finished coming through the portal, and rushed to Guiying’s side. By her looks, Rhys could only guess that this was Guiying’s mother. Darker skin tone, more vividly pink hair with red tips at the ears, soft maternal features… but the same basic profile, especially in the eyes. But where Guiying’s were always wide and soft, full of wonder, this rabbit’s were determined and challenging. This was a bun of war.

Offhand, Rhys tried checking her stats, only to be bounced off.

“Don’t bother… Rhys, is it? I’m too strong for your world’s system in every respect. Part of what ascendance literally means, that those who accomplish it escape the boundaries of their world’s limitations. We’re a highly monitored and regulated bunch as a result, and pray your world never spawns one. Do you have any green tea and miso rice porridge? Those are her favorite sick foods.”

As Rhys hurried to spawn Guiying’s breakfast order, she stirred.

“Mama?”

“Shh. Don’t worry baby. The gods found out you needed a healer, and sent the best they had available. Your immune system isn’t used to the germs on this world yet, so I’m gonna give you a boost there. Beyond that, it’s just an ordinary cold. You’ll be fine in a week, and back to full energy in a month. Bet the red bar on your screen’s gone down a touch.”

“Huh… yeah. How’d you know?”

“I’m stronger than the system, but that just means I can see it and work out what you don’t understand a little. The red bar is your health, roughly estimated in a percentage. Green bar is stamina, same deal. Blue bar is your mental fatigue. They’re just a visual aid, don’t try to quantify them overmuch. Same with your stats, really. Skills and class levels are what you should pay attention to. One’s attached to the other, and I’ll help your new people gain a few basic ones so they’re not as dependent on what you still lack.”

Guiying… just nodded and leaned against the wall of her room, eating her porridge and drinking her tea.

“Poor thing, you’re not even well enough to talk back. I’ll head upstairs and let the kobolds know what’s going on, see what I can gather for medicines. Better if I work with what you have here first, both for Rhys and for the kobolds. The fewer ingredients come from another world, the less damage done to this one. And don’t worry about conveying me, Rhys. I can find my own way around.”

And with that, Guiying’s mother was suddenly in the alcove typically reserved for Guiying’s “elevator” to raise and lower, and she was briskly talking to kobolds about what was going on and what she would do about it. By that evening, Guiying was settled into her futon, sweating out her fever, and every kobold in the tribe had at least one level in the healer class.