Chapter 432

James laid his head down into his immersion pod, Dagger laying obediently at the side of his immersion pod. In the dark room, curled up as he was, he looked perfectly like a real dog, and James couldn’t help but marvel, once more, at his parents work. Surely, Dagger was the pinnacle of some sort of project of theirs, and he had to wonder just how long the dog had really taken them to create. Was Dagger a prototype? Was he a modified version of a project they were currently working on for the government? Whatever it was, all he could think, as he prepared to enter into immersion, was how grateful he was to have the dog. With Dagger at his side, he had nothing to worry about in the real world. At least, nothing pressing. He was still anxious about his dad’s strange message, but also knew, there was nothing he could do with regards to that.

Strange mystery spot in his mind aside, he was eager to get back to immersion, and Rue. During his time in the real world, approximately 15 days had passed in DCO. That meant not only was his research accelerated, but he’d be coming back to, no doubt, some changes made to his dungeon. As much as he asked Rue not to make any major changes while he was away, the pixie had a terrible habit of doing just that. Then again, given the fact she wasn’t an AI, but a real human being, one who’s entire life was trapped in the digital world, he couldn’t really blame her. This was the only freedom she had, and when he wasn’t around, she had to think of ways to keep herself entertained. And, if he was being honest, none of her changes had been bad.

After all, Rue was the reason there was dicken racing on his first floor. She was also the one who’d put in the fast paced roller coaster on his third floor, and had played a major part in Dinosaur fight club. Everything she did, was for the betterment of their dungeon. James would have to be dumb, to hold any actual anger towards her in that regard. She was helping him keep his dungeon fun, exciting, and engaging. And if she was going to do extra work on it, while he was in the real world, he couldn’t really be mad. But, still, part of James did get irritated knowing he didn’t have full control of the world. After all, he was the Dungeon Core. It was his burden, his responsibility, to make his dungeon the best it could be for the town. And Rue doing things on her own, at times, made him feel like she was invalidating his position.

Granted, James figured that was also likely some hidden insecurities he’d not processed. After all, he was used to playing solo, or even when he did party up, doing his own thing. He wanted to be perfect. Wanted to prove himself, to maybe not just himself, but the world around him. And DCO had been an opportunity to prove himself to his parents, and maybe get closer to working with them. So, knowing he couldn’t take full credit for his dungeon’s success, stung, weirdly enough, in a small way.

James sighed and closed his eyes. Now was not the time for such deep introspection. Now was the time for excitement. In a few moments, his mind would once again be transported to DCO, and his true home. The world where he had decided, he actually belonged. The world that held the love of his life, the world that thrived and pulsed with joy. The world that, honestly, was much kinder than the real world.

Listening to Zach’s story, and thinking about Rue’s situation, and even that of Fel and Alex, had solidified that in James’s mind. The virtual world, was so much better than the physical one. In the virtual world, there were no secret organizations, or dangerous groups threatening him. Players got to be who they wanted to be, when they wanted to be. In immersion, you could do whatever you wanted, experience whatever you wanted. And as a Dungeon Core, James got to do not only all he wanted, dungeon wise, but also could watch players as they pushed through his dungeon. He could see their happiness, their struggles, their triumphs and defeats. And all of it, no matter how dire, the players always faced with a smile on their faces, because even if they failed, it wasn’t game over. Unlike the real world, the players could try, and try, and try again. There was no defeat, no end in sight. Just joy, happiness, and shenanigans. In essence, James was more than happy to close his eyes once more, let his worries fade away, and welcome the darkness of immersion, as his mind was whisked from his body, to the place he called home.

James felt the smile on his face even as he opened his eyes. The sensations flowing into him, the smells swarming around him, and the soft, loving touch, of Rue’s hand on his face, as he reentered the world of DCO. For normal players, they’d be in the Zone for the next 24 hours. Meaning it was just James, and Rue, in their DCO world together, for the next…

“Morning sleepyhead.” Steve said. “Boy, do we have an exciting immersion ahead of us.”

James sat up with a jolt. Rue was at his side, but she was dressed more modestly than normal. Which, was obviously due to Steve’s close proximity. What timezone was the man in? James couldn’t quite peg down Steve’s immersion hours, though he figured the developer likely had special access to immerse whenever, given his importance towards the game. Still, the man casually drinking coffee, apparently waiting for James to come to in the world, was more than a little creepy. Also, James had been looking forward to some extra alone time with Rue, to not only enjoy her presence, but fill her in about the Zach situation, and everything else.

With a sigh, James acted like he was rubbing sleep from his eyes, as he let his mind take everything in. They were on the fifth floor, near the hot springs, as always. Steve was seated not in the springs, but instead at one of the tables that existed around it, coffee in one hand, and what looked like cheesecake on a plate. Rue, was at James’s side, a scowl on her face. If he had to guess, Steve had shown up just a few minutes prior to James arriving, likely planning his little ambush, and ruining whatever plans Rue had in store for James when he woke. Really, James was going to need to have a long talk with Steve, about boundaries.

“What do you want Steve.” James said with a groan. “And, can it wait?”

The developer grinned and set his coffee down, his eyes dancing with excitement. “Only if you want to miss out on the next best thing since immersion. Seriously, you’d think you’d have more consideration, considering all the work I put in on this task on behalf of Rachel and Matthew.”

James perked up at those names. What had BLANK been up to? And what had they asked Steve to do? James had a few ideas, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“I’m listening,” James prompted. “What exactly have you done?”

“Instead of telling you,” Steve said, obviously enjoying the moment. “How about I show you?”