Alan fidgeted nervously as he walked towards the Doppelganger headquarters, flinching slightly every time a protester shot him a nasty look through the chain link fence. “Are- are you sure this is a good idea?” He asked, glancing at his friend Erica as she boldly marched next to him.

“Of course it is!” Erica declared firmly. “We're going to be immortal, Alan! How could that not be a good idea?!?”

“But what about…” Alan gestured vaguely towards the protestors.

Erica stopped, turning towards him and crossing her arms. “Alan, what have I told you about forming opinions without looking at the primary source?”

“It's- uh, exceedingly unprofessional?” Alan replied.

“Exactly! And if you'd actually watched the interview these idiots are getting their opinions from, you'd know that Christopher Vincent never intended to support the Doppelgangers enslaving humanity. If anything, he would work to prevent it!” Erica rolled her eyes.

“But he literally said he was okay with slavery!” Alan protested.

“No, he said he can't interfere unless slavery is actually causing people harm. He took the admirable position that, despite his abilities, he is not the arbiter of what is right or wrong, and if people want to be slaves, who is he to stop them?” Erica shook her head. “Do I need to give you another lesson on media literacy?”

“No!” Alan exclaimed immediately. “I mean, I- I don't think that's necessary… but even if he isn't in support of slavery, you can't deny that his ability is kinda slaver… ish?”

Erica waved her hand dismissively. “There are trade-offs in any situation. Getting immortality in exchange for a bit of influence seems like a pretty good deal to me.”

“But we don't need immortality!” Alan retorted. “Maybe once we're eighty or dying of cancer or something we could consider it, but why should we give up our freedom now, just for a story?!? Why can't we just interview some people who've already connected to his world?!?”

Erica gave Alan an almost pitying look. “Do you really see this as giving up your freedom? This is gaining freedom! The opportunity to truly make something of yourself! Do you know the biggest limitation a person has? Time! We have to split our time between work, training, education, hobbies, relationships, everything we ever want to do takes time, and our time is so, so limited. But if we're immortal, we get infinite time! Even if Christopher Vincent demands ninety-nine percent of our time, which I highly doubt he will, that one percent will still be infinitely more than we would have had otherwise! Time to do whatever we want! Why shouldn't we take advantage of that? And if we get a good story out of it, even better!”

Alan hesitated. “I- guess that makes sense?”

Erica smiled. “So there's no problem! Come on, let's go!” Alan sighed, following her into the building. The things they did for a good story.

“Hello! How can I help you today?” Jello greeted the new guests happily. She loved running the front desk! She got to meet so many new and interesting people, and sometimes she even got to toss them out! Her smile widened as she took in the two humans with no Doppelganger accompaniment. Humans trying to force their way into the restaurant with no Doppelganger were always the most fun to handle!

“We'd like to join the Eternal Tribe, please!” Erica announced confidently.

“Oh.” Jello looked disappointed for a moment before perking up. “That's fantastic! Have you already familiarized yourselves with the Tribe's tenets?”

Erica nodded. “Of course. Who would join something like this without doing the proper research?”

“You'd be surprised.” Jello smirked, glancing at an embarrassed looking Alan, which only made him even more embarrassed. “Here's a pamphlet.”

“Uh, thanks.” Alan coughed awkwardly.

Erica turned to frown at him. “In the past week and a half, you haven't taken the time to familiarize yourself with one of the biggest developments of all time?!? How can you call yourself a journalist!”

“I'm a photographer!” Alan protested. “I don't need to know anything, I just need to take interesting pictures!”

Erica grimaced at him. “Your insistence on keeping yourself willfully ignorant breaks my heart.”

“You're journalists?” Jello asked curiously.

Erica smiled. “Indeed we are! I'm Erica Poloma from City Weekly! And this is my partner Alan Trevor.”

“Huh…” Jello cocked her head. “Are you just not that good then?”

Erica blinked. “Why- why would you say that?”

“You're joining the Eternal Tribe, aren't you?” Jello replied. “People usually don't do that if their lives are going well… unless you're really sick or something?”

Erica shook her head. “I believe many people haven't fully comprehended the benefits of the Eternal Tribe. One of my goals in joining the Eternal Tribe would be to document these benefits and provide a first hand account of their efficacy.”

“And I'll take pictures.” Alan sighed. “And video. But mostly pictures.”

“You're joining the Eternal Tribe… to write a story?” Jello asked skeptically.

“I'm joining the Eternal Tribe because I think it's one of the best decisions I can make.” Erica retorted. “The fact that I can get a story out of it is just a bonus.”

Jello smiled. “Well, we never turn anyone away! As long as you understand what you're getting yourself into, at least.” She glanced at Alan. “You keep reading that pamphlet.”

“Right.” Alan muttered.

“You want to join now?” Jello turned to Erica. “Or would you prefer to wait for him?”

“He shouldn't take too long.” Erica replied. “It isn't that complicated.”

“This doesn't say anything about what we'd actually have to do.” Alan frowned, looking up from the pamphlet. “It's just these three… rules? Ideologies?”

“Well, you don't have to do anything.” Jello shrugged. “The Eternal Tribe is a tribe, not a job. All you're really expected to do is participate in it like you would any other community. A lot of us like to hunt in the Maze, but there's also quite a few of us who just work in the town or here. However you want to contribute is fine. If you want to contribute by spreading how great the Eternal Tribe is, that's all you really need to do.”

Alan blinked. “Really? You aren't going to make us work or force us to fight in the Maze?”

Jello cocked her head. “Big brother might call you to do things sometimes, but that usually just involves cleaning up bodies. He can be pretty messy when he hunts. Though I don't see why he'd call you… He has plenty of people to help with that already.”

“He could have us cleaning up bodies twenty hours a day and I wouldn't complain.” Erica commented.

Alan shot her an uncomfortable look. “I wouldn't be comfortable with that and neither would most of the people in the City. We're trying to get an accurate representation of what being a member of the Eternal Tribe looks like, right? Then we should focus on the reality, not your ridiculous ideas of what is acceptable. You're weird.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I'm not weird, I'm practical!” Erica snapped. “Anyone who says working twenty hour days in exchange for immortality isn't worth it has a poor grasp on what infinity means!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Alan rolled his eyes, turning to Jello. “I'm comfortable joining the Eternal Tribe now. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.”

“No problem!” Jello replied cheerfully. “That's what I'm here for! Now, let's get you connected!” She waved for them to follow as she bounced over to one of the side doors, opening it to reveal a portal straight to the town in Chris's world. “Just step through here, say connect, and don't resist.”

Erica confidently strode through the portal. “Connect!” She announced, before yelping as the pressure descended, resisting almost instinctively before forcing herself to relent, allowing the connection to form.

“C-connect.” Alan hesitated slightly as he called for the connection, blinking as he found the process surprisingly smooth, barely even feeling anything before the connection formed.

The two stood there for a moment before turning to Jello. “Now what?” Erica asked.

“Explore the town!” Jello waved them on excitedly. “You have to visit the Diner and try the foods from Earth! So much better than what the City has.” She paused. “Ah, right, don't tell anyone who isn't a part of the Tribe about Earth. That's a secret. But you should visit Earth too! Particularly since you're human. You'll fit right in! If you need anything else, just call big brother!” She waved, before heading back through the portal and closing the door.

Alan and Eric shared a look. “So… the Diner?” Alan offered tentatively.

“Seems like the place to start.” Erica nodded, looking around. “This way!”

“Are you basing that on anything, or…” Alan frowned.

“I hear people that way. Even if we don't find the Diner, we can at least get directions.” Erica shrugged.

The two of them made their way over to where Erica heard people, finding a large group sitting around a small ring. “Everyone place your bets!” A man with unnaturally large eyes called out. “Today Ka'lypso is yet again challenging the no ability champion Dyrdek! Will she finally be able to dethrone him? Or will our favorite goblin prove once again that abilities aren't everything!?!”

“Ten points on Dyrdek!”

“Twenty on Ka'lypso!”

“I got five on a draw!”

People yelled out bets and a few attendants noted them down as Dyrdek and Ka'lypso climbed into the ring. “You're going down, toad.” Ka'lypso growled.

“Bring it, lizard.” Dyrdek smirked.

“Ready? Aaaand, fight!” The big-eyed man called out, signaling the two to rush at each other.

Ka'lypso swung at Dyrdek and Drydek ducked under it, only to be surprised by an uppercut as Ka'lypso's first blow turned out to be a feint, sending him tumbling backwards. Ka'lypso pounced forward to take advantage of the opening, yelping as Dyrdek kicked at her knee, causing her to stumble into him, which allowed him to knee her firmly in the gut. Ka'lypso growled as she grabbed his knee, lifting him up and throwing him over her back, falling backwards and slamming him to the floor, before continuing to elbow him repeatedly. Dyrdek got his legs around her head, squeezing and twisting as he flipped her over, sitting on her head as he rained blows down on her kidneys. Ka'lypso flailed for a few moments before letting out a frustrated growl and slapping the floor.

“Haha! Victory!” Dyrdek crowed, hopping off her.

Ka'lypso sent him a nasty look as she sat up. “Rematch! I almost had you!”

Dyrdek chuckled. “You know the rules. One challenge a day.”

“Tomorrow then! Next time you're going down!” Ka'lypso snapped.

“Bring it!” Dyrdek laughed. “Dinner?” Ka'lypso grunted in agreement and two made their way off the stage.

“An excellent match between two excellent combatants!” The big-eyed man cheered. “Now, for our next match-”

“Hi there!” Erica yelled after Dyrdek and Ka'lypso as she ran to catch up with them. “That was a great fight! Are you both heading to the Diner? We're new to the Tribe and we aren't sure where everything is yet.”

“Welcome to the Tribe!” Dyrdek greeted them. “I'm Dyrdek, the Chief's first subordinate.”

“The Lord's weakest subordinate.” Ka'lypso snorted.

“If I'm so weak, beat me in a fight!” Dyrdek retorted.

“Let me use my ability and I'll melt you!” Ka'lypso snapped.

“All I need to do is mutate and my ability will be just as good as yours!” Dyrdek countered.

“Uh… the Diner?” Erica interjected.

The two blinked at her. “Right, it's this way.” Dyrdek waved for her to follow.

“What are your abilities?” Ka'lypso asked as they continued to the Diner.

“I sense vibrations and Alan here walks on walls.” Erica replied.

Ka'lypso snorted. “Noncombatants. Why is every human who joins the Tribe so weak?”

“Anyone with a decent combat ability either joins one of the military branches, or a Family, or has some other high status position which ties up their loyalty. They wouldn't be free to join the Eternal Tribe, at least not without a lot of thought.” Erica explained.

Ka'lypso rolled her eyes. “Humans make things so complicated. How could it not be obvious that serving under the Lord is the best decision anyone could ever make?!?”

“The ‘serving under’ part is what makes it complicated.” Alan sighed. “People don't want to be controlled. It makes them uncomfortable.”

Dyrdek scratched his head. “Why? Having someone to take care of you is a good thing. Fending for yourself is what's uncomfortable. The feeling that one slip up could result in your death, or worse.”

Ka'lypso nodded. “I would much rather serve than go back to worrying about humans wiping out my tribe. Again.”

“Well… humans don't really have to worry about that stuff, so I guess it's different?” Alan shrugged.

“Ah, but the only reason humanity doesn't have to worry about that stuff is because we serve under the law.” Erica commented. “Without the law, we'd be no better than the tribes in the Maze. Historically, security always comes with a loss of control, and since Christopher Vincent's world provides the ultimate level of security, it also requires you to give up a requisite amount of control.”

“That's fair, but not everyone is going to be comfortable with that, and that's okay.” Alan retorted.

Ka'lypso clicked her tongue, rubbing her temple. “Talking to humans always gives me a headache. Everyone should just serve the strongest! What's so hard about that?”

“Strength isn't the same as competence.” Erica commented.

“Of course not, but if the strongest always leads, then they will face the problems first and either succeed or die trying, leaving it to the next strongest. Eventually one of them will be competent.” Ka'lypso shrugged.

Erica blinked. “That… is a theory, I suppose.”

They arrived at the Diner a moment later, Dyrdek and Ka'lypso moving to join a table with a few members of their squad, leaving Alan and Erica standing at the entrance awkwardly. “I- guess we're done talking.” Alan muttered.

“Come on, let's sit with them.” Erica pulled him towards a table in the corner where a cloaked individual was sitting, the rest already taken by fairly large groups that would be hard to insert themselves into. “Hey there! Mind if we join you?” The cloaked person glanced at them, before gesturing vaguely in agreement. “I'm Erica and this is Alan.”

“Giana.” Giana replied with a vaguely depressed sigh.

“How long have you been a part of the Eternal Tribe?” Erica asked. “We just joined.”

“I'm not.” Giana shook her head. “I'm a prisoner here.”

“You're a prisoner?” Alan asked incredulously. “Why?!?”

“I've spent the last few centuries kidnapping humans from Earth.” Giana shrugged. “Chris has a problem with that.”

Alan blinked. “And- and he just lets you wander around?”

Giana snorted. “Why would he care? As long as I'm in his world, there's nothing I can do. I can't escape. I can't kill anyone. I can't even drink any blood! No matter how free I am, I'm completely helpless!” She gritted her teeth in frustration, before letting out a sigh. “But I suppose I can't complain. I can finally try Earth food. It's better than I expected… I always thought the humans just liked to complain.”

“Okay, what is Earth, and how is it related to humanity?!?” Erica asked.

“Earth is a different world dominated by humanity where abilities don't exist.” Giana explained.

Erica blinked. “What?”

“It's a different world-” Giana began to explain again.

“I heard you, I'm just- there's an entire world full of humans?!?” Erica asked incredulously.

“About seven billion, last I heard.” Giana confirmed. “You people breed like vermin when given the chance.”

“I take it you aren't a fan.” Alan commented blandly.

“On the contrary, such fertility is an admirable quality.” Giana grinned, showing off her fangs. “For prey.”

“Yet you're a prisoner, and we're immortal.” Erica retorted with a petulant sniff.

Giana clicked her tongue. “How could anyone have predicted your species would give birth to a fucking god, let alone four of them!?! I suppose there's something to be said for probability, but still, it is utterly ridiculous!”

Erica paused. “Four?”

Giana cocked her head. “You don't know about the others? The smoke man? The ability killer? The mind reader?”

“We- know there's a man with a smoke related ability associated with the Doppelgangers…” Erica frowned. “I wouldn't put him on the same level as Christopher Vincent though.”

Giana shook her head. “Naive. Chris is powerful here, but out there… It's the other three you have to worry about.”

Erica gave her a weird look. “I'll have to take your word on that.”

Giana cocked her head, grinning slightly. “I don't think you will. They've just arrived.”