Giana jumped as Chris appeared next to her, opening a portal for Victoria a moment later. Giana narrowed her eyes at them. "What do you want with me now?" She'd been rather confused by this whole situation. First, there was the man who confronted her the moment she appeared, almost as if he'd been waiting for her, which should have been impossible! The jump between worlds was completely random! Even she didn't know where she'd end up beyond a few parameters. Somewhere dry, with solid ground, unenclosed, within fifty meters of a human, but further than ten. Other than that, she had no idea where she'd show up.

The fact that he'd proceeded to capture her was expected, though his method was not… she still wasn't sure how he'd managed to shut down her ability. Then there was this pocket dimension they'd shoved her into, the mind reading, the demonic gods conversation, and finally they'd dumped her in some caves with a bunch of imps! After the fourth time she'd almost gotten caught in one of their traps, she'd elected to sit in the middle of the room and wait for whatever these Eternals had planned for her.

"We have a few questions. First, if you were on Azza, how easily could you get back to the Dearthmare Mountains?" Chris asked.

Giana blinked. "It- would depend on how close I was? I can't just teleport there, if that's what you're asking. Without ability energy to burn, my teleportation is limited to my surroundings, and with all the ability energy I've burned, barely even that." She grimaced at her own powerlessness.

Chris clicked his tongue. "Damn. Well, then our next question is what's up with the Damir?"

Giana frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know, what's their deal?" Chris elaborated, poorly. "What are they about? What do they do? What do they care about?"

"I- I don't-" Giana stammered.

Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose. "Chris, you're terrible at this." She groaned, before refocusing on Giana. "Okay, let's start with this. What's the political system of the Damir?"

Giana gave her a weird look. "We're… ruled by the Council of the Eldest? A Damir needs to be at least a millennia old to be eligible, and after completing certain feats, they become a council member."

"What kind of feats?" Victoria asked curiously.

"To be personally involved in saving the lives of over a hundred Damir, to lead over a thousand Damir to successfully accomplish a goal, and to solo kill a Dragon." Giana listed.

Chris blinked. "But Dragons are just kobolds and kobolds are people. Are you saying every member of your council is a murderer?"

"Chris, as a people they mass kidnap humans to breed for their blood supply. I don't think murder is on their radar." Victoria rolled her eyes.

Chris paused. "Point taken."

"Hold on!" Giana interjected. "We are not murderers! The Draconic Primacy terrorizes our lands! We kill them to survive!"

"Draconic Primacy?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"It's the… I hesitate to call it a nation, but it's how the Dragons organize themselves. If you can call a system based purely on whose stronger organization…" Giana muttered, her expression twisting distastefully. "It's a group of overgrown lizards literally throwing their weight around, with little to no concern over who gets crushed beneath them."

Chris frowned. "Well. That does sound problematic."

"It's always something." Victoria sighed.

Chris paused, narrowing his eyes. "Yes. It is always something." He muttered thoughtfully. Worlds seemed like they were designed to continually cause problems for the people living within them… Chris frowned for a moment, before shaking his head. He couldn't exactly say it was the World doing it. Maybe it was just people being people, and the World was just sort of… shoving them towards the bad things? That then begged the question of whether people being people was an excuse to let bad things exist… but then stopping the bad things would mean limiting people's ability to be people, which was bad on its own. If he could shove everyone into his world, he supposed he could at least limit the consequences of people being people… but then again, others would be exacerbated. Unless he watched over everyone… he needed to think this over more.

"Alright, let's get back to the Damir." Victoria commented. "So we have the council, all of which are badass dragonslayers. What kind of factions are we looking at there? I can't imagine they all agree on everything. In particular, are there any factions that are against the Damir kidnapping humans?"

Giana frowned. "There are factions that push for better treatment of humans, but- well, to stop kidnapping humans would be to damn the Damir to extinction. We rely on a steady supply of ability energy to defend ourselves from our enemies, including the Draconic Primacy. Without that. We would be overrun and destroyed."

"Wait, so, do you need to drink blood to live, or just to get stronger?" Victoria asked, frowning slightly.

"To- get stronger? Why would we need blood to survive? It isn't exactly the most nourishing substance." Giana replied, giving her a weird look.

"I don't know, why do you melt in sunlight?!? I don't expect this fantasy shit to make sense!" Victoria threw up her hands in frustration.

"We melt because our cells are naturally receptive to energy and sunlight overloads them, causing them to break down… violently." Giana grimaced.

Victoria blinked. "And that makes sense to you?"

"Why wouldn't it? It's the truth." Giana replied, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Because everything is energy! If sunlight is melting you, then you should die from loud noises or something!" Victoria retorted.

Giana rolled her eyes. "If our cells broke down from absorbing kinetic energy, we wouldn't be viable as a species. Our cells are sensitive to the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing us to make sense of our surroundings even in complete darkness, but the full spectrum of sunlight overloads them. It's like when you humans go blind from staring at the sun, except it's our whole body."

Victoria frowned. "I don't know enough about physics to call complete bullshit on that, but I'm still calling bullshit."

"To be fair, Greg did start to melt in the sun." Chris pointed out. "Whether her explanation is accurate or not, the fact is the sun kills them. Possibly due to unique rules that only exist in this World."

"I guess, but… it just sounds like the type of explanation someone who was trying to sound scientific would come up with, while knowing literally nothing about how light actually works!" Victoria groaned.

"And how do you know your understanding of light is correct?" Chris retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. "Maybe whoever thought up your World didn't understand how light works, fucking up your reality?"

Victoria's eyes widened as she grimaced. "Don't put that evil on me, Chris! I can't handle my reality being a mess!"

Chris shrugged. "My point is that within a World, the rules are the rules. There is no right or wrong, there's just what is, and what isn't."

Victoria paused, considering that for a moment. "I suppose you have a point… fine, light makes vampires cells breakdown. Sure. Whatever."

"Damir." Giana growled.

"Right, yes, Damir." Victoria sighed, shaking her head. "Okay, back to factions. We have the Damir for the Ethical Treatment of Humans-"

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Giana's eyes widened. "How did you know they were called that?!?"

Victoria blinked. "Fucking really?" She muttered incredulously.

Chris cocked his head. "I don't get it."

"It- ugh, just forget about it." Victoria groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "So besides DETH, which fucking why, what other factions are there?"

"Well… there's the military faction and the isolationists. The military faction is obviously always pushing for more and more investment into the military, while the isolationists want to find a way to escape the situation entirely, somehow hide ourselves from everything. They've never actually figured out how though, so they're a relatively weak faction." Diana explained.

"Couldn't you just go underground, like humanity?" Chris offered. "I'd imagine it'd work out even better for you, since you don't need the sun in the first place. We had to make UV lights."

Giana's eyes widened. "You- humanity lives… underground?!? How!?! How do you survive?!?"

"We made a Maze for resources and we use abilities and technology to farm." Chris shrugged. "Not that hard. Well, it was pretty hard at first, but we had people with strong abilities that got us over the hump… then technology picked up the slack."

"Maze?" Giana mumbled dumbly.

"Yeah, a giant labyrinth between us and the surface, full of creatures to hunt. Basically weak creatures filter down from the surface, while strong creatures rise to get better resources." Chris explained. "We essentially farm the lower levels for what we need."

"Ah…" Giana nodded slightly, not sure what to make of that. The isolationists had suggested plans like that before, but they'd been dismissed as unfeasible. The fact that humans had actually done it… She shook her head. Compared to everything else she'd heard from these people, she probably shouldn't be all that surprised. It was just… she could get weird, super powerful beings mucking about with reality. It wasn't something she liked, but she understood it. But humans designing some sort of underground society beneath everyone's notice?!? That didn't make any sense at all! They were just so- so- weak! They were little better than goblins!

"So it sounds like DETH and the isolationists are probably the ones we want to focus on." Victoria muttered. "Unless there are more factions?"

"There are, but none of them would be better to focus on." Giana replied. "The innovators push for more funds for research and development, then there's the back and forth between the capitalists and the socialists…"

"Yeah, I don't think any of those would necessarily care about helping humanity." Victoria muttered. "Though they wouldn't necessarily not care either… what if you wanted to support the military, but also petition for better treatment of humans?"

"Then… you do that?" Giana replied, giving her a weird look. "There's no reason you can't support two factions."

Victoria paused. "Well, that makes sense."

"Is that all we needed to know?" Chris asked.

"I think so…" Victoria muttered.

"Alright, well, we can always come back, so shall we head back?" Chris offered.

"Wait!" Giana interjected. "You- what are your plans for me? Just- keeping me here and asking me questions?"

"Do you have any other ideas?" Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "It isn't like we can let you go. Cause you're a kidnapper. You're free to explore the town which is out that tunnel, but you'll want to wait until it's dark, probably. What else can we do with you?"

"I- don't know?" Giana grimaced. She honestly wasn't sure what she expected. She almost wished they'd treat her like an actual prisoner. Just dumping her here and telling her to do whatever she wanted… What was she supposed to do with that!?!

Chris paused. "Well, I could connect you to my world, making you one of my subordinates. Not much of a change, but it'd mean you could go into the Maze and kill things if you want. Also, you wouldn't have to worry about dying. And we could give you the system. Tons of benefits, really. Here, this explains everything." He handed her a pamphlet. "Read it. Think about it. Get back to us later. Or, since you're already in my World, just think about being willing to do anything for me and it'll happen."

Giana just stared at the pamphlet as Chris opened a portal, Victoria and him heading back to the plane. This had been a very confusing day.

*

"Hey guys." Chris greeted Jo and Dichonius as he appeared at the table.

"Damn it, Chris!" Dichonius cursed. "What did I say about this the last time?!?"

"That I didn't know what you might be up to, but I do know, so it's irrelevant?" Chris replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

Jo gave Dichonius's hand a squeeze as she interjected. "Do you need something, Chris?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, I was wondering if you guys knew a way through the Maze to the surface."

Dichonius grimaced. "Chris, don't you think it would defeat the point if you cheated your way to the surface? The point is for humanity to reach the surface, under their own power, not for you to copy our routes and sneak your way up."

"That's fair, but one, my humanity is pretty eh-" Chris wiggled his hand at him. "-in the first place, and two, we have things to do on the surface unrelated to beating the Maze. I'll still have my subordinates do it the 'official' way, because they need the experience anyway, but getting to the surface is a priority at the moment. Also, Greg wants to switch up the official paths to make things harder for any invading Elves."

"That… we were planning on collapsing the tunnels after the Elves fully committed to the invasion, trapping them inside and dividing them." Dichonius commented.

Chris paused. "That's a good idea. I'll let Greg know. But that means you do have the routes, yes?"

"Yes, the Doppelgangers have a rather complete map of the Maze." Dichonius sighed.

"Outstanding. That should be very helpful." Chris nodded. "I'll see you guys later then."

"Chris, wait." Dichonius stopped him. "You can't keep popping in whenever you need something from us and leaving immediately. We aren't your subordinates, we're your parents. You can't simply treat us however you want." He stated firmly.

"Dichonius!" Jo hissed, looking between him and Chris. "We abandoned him! He can treat us however he likes!"

"No, he's right." Chris sighed, sitting down. "I have a tendency to treat people like tools, and it's good to be called on it every now and then." He paused. "So, what have you guys been up to? Not that I don't already know, since you've been living in my world this whole time…"

Dichonius snorted. "Chris, I didn't mean you had to force yourself to make small talk with us. I just meant that if you're going to use us, you should make yourself available as well. Don't just pop in and leave the moment it's convenient."

"That's fair but… you know I'm always available, right?" Chris pointed out. "All you have to do is call for me, and I'm here."

Dichonius sighed. "Just tell us what you've been up to."

"Okay… Well, we're setting up the transportation network on Earth, and we caught an Abductor. Turns out they're something called a Damir, basically vampires, and they're collecting the humans to breed, like you thought. Apparently they can increase their ability energy by drinking blood, and humans are the best option they have."

"Then… they're from Azza?" Dichonius asked, and Chris nodded. "Strange… I've never heard of the Damir before."

"Have you heard of the Dearthmare Mountains?" Chris asked.

Dichonius frowned. "No…"

"How about the Draconic Primacy?" Chris offered.

"That I've heard of, but that's not saying much. The Draconic Primacy is just how Dragons decide who gets to be in charge when they meet. Which essentially amounts to the two Dragons discussing who they've fought to determine who's stronger, and if they can't tell, they fight to see. Theoretically there's some Dragon out there who could order all of them to do something, but they lack the organizational structure to actually take advantage of that power." Dichonius commented.

Chris frowned. "Then… how could the Draconic Primacy be terrorizing anyone?"

Jo snorted. "Because the Draconic Primacy terrorizes everyone. Dragons do what they want, whenever they want, and everyone else just has to deal with it."

"Ah, I see." Chris nodded, before pausing. "So Dragons are kind of a major problem up there, huh?"

"Well… they're more like a persistent nuisance." Jo sighed.

"For the Elves." Dichonius rolled his eyes. "Not all of us exist under the protection of a godly artifact. Not even Dragons are stupid enough to risk the ire of the Blood Bow."

"And the Doppelgangers have their Behemoths to protect them." Jo retorted. "Don't pretend your people are defenseless."

"Yes, but the Dragons see the Behemoths as worthy opponents, seeking them out whenever they want a good fight. They know the Blood Bow is death, so they avoid it." Dichonius countered.

"Well, they're still a nuisance." Jo grumbled.

Dichonius rolled his eyes. "Like complaining about the rain while watching someone drown." He muttered under his breath, before turning back to Chris. "I'm sorry, I can't help you with the Damir. I don't think they live on this continent."

"Unfortunate, but I'm pretty sure we can handle it. I know how to make a plane now, so we can probably just fly there." Chris shrugged.

Dichonius frowned at him. "Chris, what were we just talking about?"

Chris cocked his head. "Dragons?"

"And what do Dragons do?" Dichonius sighed.

"Cause problems?" Chris replied, giving him a weird look.

"They fly, Chris!" Dichonius exclaimed. "They fucking fly!"

"Oh, that. Yeah, I assume we'll die a few times on the way, but so?" Chris shrugged. "It isn't like death is all that big a deal for us."

Dichonius paused. "Well… that's fair."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure Greg would literally kill someone to get his hands on some Dragon DNA." Chris added.

Jo froze. "That… is terrifying."