"Alright, well, I should probably start making my way to the surface." Chris began, getting to his feet. "So, could I get that map?"

Dichonius sighed. "Sure, I'll-" He paused. "Actually, I have a better idea. How about we take you to the surface?"

Chris blinked. "I- suppose? Though wouldn't that be dangerous for you guys?"

Dichonius shook his head. "We aren't going to be trying to eradicate tribes, we're just making our way to the surface. The path we're taking skirts the edge of any major territories, so at worst we'll have to fight off a scouting party or two, maybe some stray beasts. Nothing the two of us can't handle, at least long enough to get into your world if necessary."

Chris paused, before shrugging in acceptance. "Alright, if you say so. Though I think it might be smart to connect you guys to my world anyway, just in case."

Dichonius frowned. "Is that the best idea? Doesn't connecting us to your world make us… subservient to you?"

Chris wiggled his hand. "Eh? I mean, it definitely gives me a level of control over you, but that's more about the fact that I can literally pop you in and out of my world at will, not so much your attitude towards me. All the connection does mentally, as far as I can tell, is make it so you can't just dismiss what I say. It forces you to actually pay attention to my words and seriously consider them. Which, honestly, is what people should do whenever anyone talks to them. Dismissing people without even considering what they're saying is probably one of the rudest things someone can do."

Dichonius raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then why haven't you connected Beth to your world yet?"

"Well… back when I was figuring out what a connection to my world actually did, we decided to wait until we got married for it." Chris explained. "We haven't revisited the subject since, but since all she's doing is taking classes at the moment, I'm not too concerned about it. You, on the other hand, want to go to the Maze with me. People die in the Maze, and a connection to my world would prevent that."

Dichonius hesitated, glancing at Jo. "What do you think?"

Jo shrugged. "I observed a woman connected to his world for a while, and she didn't seem to suffer any major personality alterations. Though considering her personality, that isn't exactly conclusive…"

Chris frowned. "Debra?"

Jo nodded. "Debra."

"Yeah, she's weird." Chris agreed. "I didn't realize you knew she was connected to my world."

"I- may have done some investigating after you showed up at my office with her." Jo coughed, flushing slightly. "Once I discovered her miraculous recovery, along with a particularly graphic short story she'd written about someone she calls 'The Master', it was relatively simple to put together…"

Chris grimaced. "She wrote a story about me?"

"A series, actually." Jo commented awkwardly.

Chris let out a long, weary sigh, rubbing his temple. "I did not need to know that."

"Neither did I, but when you ask questions, you don't get to choose what answers you find." Jo shook her head.

"Fair." Chris grimaced. "So, are you all good with getting connected to my world or no?"

"I don't see why not." Jo shrugged. "It'd definitely be safer."

"If Jo's okay with it, then so am I." Dichonius nodded.

"Okay, then just accept the connection and let's go." Chris replied, opening a portal to the Maze and initiating the connection.

They both gave each other a look, before accepting the connection and following Chris through the portal. "Okay, first we need to figure out where exactly we are." Dichonius began. "Which level is this?"

"Ten." Chris answered.

"Alright, then… have you found a cavern with a waterfall or a shattered tunnel full of mushrooms?" Dichonius asked.

"I know the waterfall cavern, but what do you mean by shattered tunnel?" Chris frowned.

"It's- well, you kind of have to see it to understand. The entire tunnel is cracked and broken, just… shattered. There's no better way to describe it." Dichonius shrugged. "But the waterfall cavern is the better path, so let's head there."

"Sure." Chris agreed, opening another portal.

Dichonius stepped through, taking a quick look around, before nodding. "Okay, this way. If we're quick, we can reach the surface in a little over a week."

*

While Chris made his way to the surface with Dichonius, Jo, and eventually Jello, who insisted on joining the 'family trip' the moment she learned about it, he also worked on getting a recruitment center going with the others. Thankfully, since Chris had both money and connections in this World, the process went much more smoothly than it had in System World. Between the Doppelgangers, the Elves, David, and the Monteros, every possible bit of red tape that could have gotten in their way was gone before they even realized it was there, and they were soon the proud owners of a small office building on the fourth floor of the city.

"Chris, I don't think we can afford this." Victoria muttered as they walked in.

"We already own it." Chris shrugged. "The Doppelgangers and Elves chipped in. They're planning on using our organization as part of their reveal. Currently they're too… dispersed for any sort of coherent presentation. They need a face to present for everyone to direct their questions and whatnot at, and everything they're involved in is tied to other things. We, on the other hand, aren't tied to anything and I'm a human descended from both an Elf and a Doppelganger, which essentially makes me the perfect mascot."

"Wait, if you're revealing your parentage, won't that mess things up with the Monteros?" Andrew commented.

"The Monteros? No. The fact that I'm technically related to them is the only hold they have on me, and I doubt they'll give that up. They don't actually care about whether we're related." Chris shook his head. "Belinda might be a little miffed though… She seemed pretty attached to the idea that I'm her sister's son. But I haven't actually done anything to take advantage of that relationship, so it should be fine?"

"I suppose?" Andrew agreed tentatively.

"Man, it would suck to piss off the one Montero you actually like." Greg chuckled.

Chris rolled his eyes. "I just think she might not be a bad person. If she gets pissed, I'd be disappointed, but I wouldn't say it'd suck."

"Okay, back on topic, we own this building already?" Victoria interjected. "And now we're going to be the public face of the Doppelganger reveal?!?"

"Yes." Chris nodded.

Victoria scowled at him. "I feel like I should have been consulted at some point."

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "Why? It isn't like you're involved. This is more of a me thing."

"Because you're using our organization for it! It means we can't present ourselves however we like, and we have to be mindful of how our image reflects on the Doppelgangers!" Victoria retorted.

Chris frowned. "But our image is fine? We're a group with powerful abilities who can make people stronger and immortal, looking for people who want to help us beat the Maze. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but what about the other things we might do? Like your healing, or Greg's crafting, or offering to be mercenaries, or anything! If we're going to be the ambassadors of the Doppelgangers, we can't be trying to run a business at the same time! We need to be more… humanitarian about it, focusing more on ingratiating ourselves with the City, rather than making money, you know?" Victoria explained with a grimace.

"So… we do things for free?" Greg shrugged. "Not that big a deal, really. We don't exactly need money."

"I'm not saying it is, I'd just like to have been informed that that's what we were doing!" Victoria snapped.

"Okay, but the only reason you're complaining right now is because you've been informed, you just weren't informed as early as you'd like." Chris pointed out. "We haven't done anything yet, so chill."

Victoria glared at him, before looking away petulantly. "Don't tell me to chill." She muttered grumpily, crossing her arms.

"Alright, so, how do we want to arrange all this?" Greg asked, sending smoke into the building, preparing to make alterations.

Victoria sighed. "If we're being ambassadors, we should make something welcoming, but not casual like in System World. How about… a restaurant? A fancy one where people sip wine and there's a live piano player or something…" She muttered thoughtfully.

"And who would we have running the restaurant?" Andrew asked. "I mean, I guess Greg and Chris can provide the food, and we can use Chris's subordinates as servers… but I know we don't have a piano player."

"Beth plays the piano." Chris commented. "But she probably won't be available to play… at least not often."

"So not helpful, got it." Andrew rolled his eyes.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I didn't mean we needed an actual piano player, I'm just saying that's the type of vibe we should go for. Somewhere people can relax, but also gives off an impression of civility, you know?" Victoria explained.

"I think the restaurant is a good idea." Greg commented. "But I like anything involving food."

"Okay, but weren't we trying to not run a business?" Andrew countered.

"We don't have to charge people." Victoria pointed out.

"So people just eat for free?" Andrew replied. "Wouldn't that get a little… messy?"

"It would." Victoria muttered with a frown. "We'd need to have some sort of limit… but we want people to come in, so it can't be a high-bar. Which… is usually where money comes in, shit."

"Oh, oh, I got it!" Greg clapped. "The point of all this is for people to get used to the Doppelgangers, right? So, what if we make it so that everything is free, but the only way to get in is if you're with someone of the other species!"

Victoria nodded slowly. "I like that, but how do we police it? I mean, couldn't two Doppelgangers just claim one of them is human? Or a pair of humans with a shapeshifting ability like Penny?"

"We just have to have a Doppelganger or slime man the door." Chris shrugged. "They can recognize each other."

"Okay then, that works, but we'd still need something else to go with it, an outer area where people can hang out and possibly meet someone they might eat with." Victoria muttered.

"Well, we'd need a place for recruitment, so how about a lobby area? Some couches for people to sit and talk along with a reception counter for the Eternals." Andrew offered.

Victoria cocked her head, before nodding. "That works. Let me draw something up real quick." She closed her eyes, opening a design window using the system. It didn't take long for her to rearrange the floorplan, then make a blueprint and hand it to Greg. "There you go."

"Aaaand…" Greg trailed off as everything but the structural supports turned to smoke, swirling around them, before settling back into walls. "Done." Greg nodded with a grin.

"Alright. Let's get this place set up." Chris nodded, opening a portal for his subordinates, who marched out carrying rocks for Greg to work with to make furniture.

*

Belinda took a deep breath as she stared at the unassuming office building before her. "Why are we here?" Daniel asked, looking around with a frown. Belinda had just pulled him out of his advanced combat class and told him to come with her with no explanation! Now they were standing in front of some random office building just staring at it!

"We're here to meet your cousin." Belinda replied.

Daniel blinked incredulously. "Cousin? You pulled me out of class to meet a cousin?!? I can meet my cousins anytime!"

"Not this one." Belinda shook her head, before taking another deep breath and nodding, stepping forward. "Come on, let's go." Belinda walked to the front door, hesitating a bit before steeling herself and knocking firmly.

Greg opened the door, since his smoke was everywhere at the moment and forming a body right there was the easiest option, looking the two of them over. "Sorry, we're not open yet. Check back in… days? Probably?"

Belinda blinked at him. "I'm- not here for whatever this is, I'm here for Chris."

"Chris?" Greg cocked his head.

"Chris?" Daniel muttered, frowning slightly.

"Wait… do I know you?" Greg frowned at Belinda.

"I'm Belinda Montero. We met a few days ago." Belinda replied.

"Right! You! We thought you'd show up at some point, come on in." Greg stepped aside, waving them inside.

Belinda and Daniel followed Greg inside, looking around as Chris's subordinates ran around setting up furniture and decorations. Greg led them back to the restaurant area, where Chris and the others were sitting at a table, directing the subordinates as they set up. "Hey, Belinda. Hey, Daniel." Chris greeted them with a short wave as the Greg with them turned back to smoke. "Have a seat."

"Wait, that's Chris!" Daniel exclaimed. "Chris, Chris! Is- are you saying Chris is my cousin?!?"

"Only technically." Chris waved dismissively.

"Marco never acknowledging you doesn't make you any less a Montero!" Belinda snapped.

"That's not- I mean, I also disagree with that too, but I'm actually only technically related to you because of genetics." Chris replied.

Belinda frowned at him. "That- is how relatives work, yes."

"No, I mean- it's complicated, but… okay, my mom wasn't actually Isabel, but a shapeshifter who took her place after she died in the Trial." Chris explained. "So technically I'm not your nephew, despite having the genetics of your nephew."

Belinda just stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. "You- she- what?!?"

"My mom-" Chris began again.

"I heard you, I just-" Belinda cut off with a groan, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why are you telling me this?!? How do you even know this!?!"

"I'm telling you because, one, I don't want to build a relationship on false pretenses, and two, the truth of my parentage is coming out soon, so you'd have learned it anyway. And I know because my dad told me. Both my parents had to fake their deaths for reasons, so they're still alive." Chris replied.

"I'm so confused right now." Daniel muttered, rubbing his head.

Belinda took a deep breath. "Okay, let me get this straight. Your mother pretended to be Isabel after her Trial, so that… why? She left the Monteros! Why would she steal an identity just to abandon it?!?"

"For me, basically." Chris shrugged. "She knew she might have to abandon her identity, like she did, and she wanted me to be taken care of. Sort of backfired on her, didn't it?"

Belinda's expression twisted as she cursed Marco, then hesitated as she considered whether he may have done the right thing, since Chris wasn't actually Isabel's son, but then he thought he was, so it was still awful, plus you couldn't blame a child for what their parents did… Belinda blinked. "Ah, it doesn't matter. You're still my nephew." She nodded firmly.

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "But… I'm not?"

"You are." Belinda insisted. "Despite… whatever your parents did, you were still our responsibility, a responsibility we failed. Even if your mother wasn't Isabel, everyone thought she was, like- like we adopted her, in a way. And by extension, we adopted you, making you my nephew."

Chris cocked his head. "A sort of implicit adoption? The idea that while you thought she was Isabel, she actually was Isabel?"

Belinda frowned. "Not exactly… more like the fact that we don't get to dismiss our poor behavior just because someone else messed up first. If we'd discovered your mother's deception before her supposed death… maybe things would have been different, but the fact remains that her death placed you in our responsibility, and the truth of the matter doesn't change that."

Chris considered that for a moment, before nodding. "I can accept that. Besides, as an orphan, you're kind of forced to recognize the fact that genetics don't determine who your family is."

Belinda's expression twisted. "Yes, I suppose you would be."

"Mom, you- you can't be serious!" Daniel exclaimed. "This man admitted that his mother stole your sister's identity and now you want us to just accept him for it?!?"

Belinda gave him a look. "The fact that he admitted it only makes him more worthy of our acceptance. The moment he stood to benefit from the misunderstanding, a misunderstanding that wasn't his fault and has only caused him pain, he corrected it. How can we not accept him?"

Daniel grimaced. "But- but- he's the one who stole Beth from me!"

"Fucking hell, dude." Greg shook his head.

"Women aren't objects you can steal or own." Victoria growled, glaring at him.

"Honestly, not a healthy mindset to have." Andrew agreed.

"That- that's not what I meant!" Daniel protested. "I just- if it wasn't for him, we would have been together! He ruined everything!"

"Beth wasn't interested in you way before I came along." Chris shook his head. "That's why she dragged me to that party in the first place. She was sick of all that high society crap, and I was a way for her to avoid it. Of course, she chose to bring me because she liked me… but if you even had a chance with her, I never would have been in the picture."

"Also, just because he's family, doesn't mean you can't hate him." Greg chuckled. "That's like half of what family does."

Daniel's expression twisted. "This is weird, and I hate it."

"We could pop into my world and kill each other a few hundred times if you like." Chris offered. "Might be cathartic."

Daniel blinked, cocking his head thoughtfully, before Belinda interjected. "You two are not killing each other, no matter how impermanent it may be! You don't have to be friends, but you will treat each other with respect!" She demanded.

Chris frowned. "What does killing each other have to do with respect?"

Belinda leveled a glare at him. "The desire to cause each other pain is what's disrespectful! No one should desire to treat another person poorly."

"I dunno… there are a lot of assholes out there I love to treat poorly." Greg commented.

Belinda gave him an incredulous look. "Was that a sex joke?!?"

"What? No! No, I mean like psychotic assholes, not physical assholes. You know, like people who steal lunches from the company fridge." Greg explained. "I greatly desire to stick needles under their fingernails and make them fistfight each other for my amusement. Nothing lethal, obviously, but they should suffer." He chuckled evilly.

Belinda frowned at him. "One person's poor behavior is not an excuse for your own."

"Then how do you justify fighting in the Maze?" Greg retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. "You exterminate whole tribes just for existing, nevermind their poor behavior."

Belinda frowned. "Our extermination of the creatures in the Maze had nothing to do with their behavior. They threaten us, and we respond in kind."

"Well, lunch thieves threaten my meal and I respond in kind as well." Greg shrugged. "You want to profit off my suffering, I'll profit off yours."

"I would hardly call stealing a lunch profiting off someone's suffering." Belinda snorted.

"Isn't it?" Greg retorted. "Someone spent resources to make that lunch, which you stole so that you wouldn't have to make your own lunch, hence profit. This also deprives that person of their lunch, forcing them to either go hungry or expend further resources to replace that lunch, hence suffering. It's a minor sort of suffering and profit, sure, but does that make it any less cruel? In fact, I would say that the ease with which a person could replace a lunch highlights the cruelty, because it shows how easily one could avoid hurting someone else, and yet they do it anyway." Greg paused. "Shit, I talked myself into wanting to kill them now… maybe just cut off their hand? Classic punishment there."

Belinda paused, frowning thoughtfully. "Appropriate response or not, it's the desire to cause pain that is the problem." She finally stated. "It's one thing to believe another person is worthy of suffering, but it's another to want them to suffer. One is justice, the other is revenge."

Greg considered that for a moment. "Okay… but what if I'm doing it for justice and I just happen to enjoy it? Like with eating, you do it to survive, but you still enjoy it, because you can't help it. What if I can't help but enjoy another person's suffering?"

Belinda gave him an apprehensive look. "That- as long as you don't seek to cause others harm unduly, it's- incidental?"

Greg nodded, grinning slightly. "Cool, we're on the same page."

Belinda stared at him for a moment. "You worry me."

Victoria sighed. "He worries all of us."