Chapter 433

Steve led them from the hot springs without saying another word, though James did take note that Steve carried his drink with him. Ever the alcoholic, that one. Then, after a few minutes of walking in silence, Steve stopped outside of the frozen pond that Rue and James had spent an enjoyable date night on.

“This looks like a good spot.” The man said mischievously.

James shot Rue a glance, wondering if she knew what the man was up to. However, his companion shook her head and shrugged, eyes watching Steve intently. Whatever it was the developer had planned, they were both in the dark.

“What is going on Steve?” James pressed, but instead of answering, the developer simply held up a finger, prompting him to be quiet. Then, Steve pulled up what James assumed was a holo-keyboard, and began typing away rapidly, his fingers moving in a blur. Whatever he was looking over and handling, it had to be intense. After all, Steve had actually set his drink down, the beverage hovering to his side as he worked.

“When this is all done,” James whispered to Rue, “remind me to fill you in on everything that happened in the real world.”

“You better not have had too much fun behind my back.” She said with a wink. “If you’re having fun, I want to be a part of it, remember that.”

James laughed. His pixie was, if anything, consistent. She just wanted to have fun and live life, just like him. Perhaps more, actually, given the fact she’d been locked away for so long.

“Nothing too exciting.” He whispered, “though, I do have a dog now.”

Rue’s eyes widened, but before she could respond, the air before Steve suddenly began to swirl, and a crackling portal appeared above the ice. James, immediately suspicious, looked around the portal, ensuring nothing catastrophic was happening. He had good memories of this ice-skating pond, and he’d be damned if Steve destroyed it.

“Now, if you would be so kind.” Steve said with a grin. “Make your way through the portal, for a big surprise.”

“I’d really prefer if you just told me.” James said with a sigh. The last time he’d gone through a portal without knowing what was on the other end, he’d gotten dumped in a swamp. To say he had trust issues now regarding portals, was an understatement.

“Where’s the fun in that.” Steve said. “Though, if you’re suspicious, how about I go through first?” Without another word, the developer grabbed his drink, nodded in their direction, and stepped through the Portal. His form burst into light, and just like that, Steve was gone, while the portal remained.

“I mean,” Rue looked from the Portal to James, “he is trustworthy.”

“Yeah, but he’s also Steve.” James retorted. “You know as well as I do that he enjoys playing pranks, especially when its on me.”

Rue lightly cupped his chin, leaning close to him, her lips only an inch or so away from his. “Well, you are fun to play with.” She kissed him quickly, and skipped away, laughter filling the air as she neared the portal. “Besides, we’re in DCO, what’s the worst that could happen?” A moment later, Rue, just like Steve, disappeared into the portal, leaving James alone, save for the occasional tuxedo wearing painguin moving about his safe zone town.

“This, is not what I was expecting to deal with immediately once I logged in.” James said with a heavy sigh. He’d been looking forward to easing himself back into the immersed world, spending some quality time with Rue, and filling her in on everything. He had no doubt, Rue was going to be just as curious, and worried, regarding the ‘missing’ mass on the x-ray. And then, of course, he still wanted to prepare something for Z.

Still, Steve worked on Steve’s schedule, and James didn’t really have any other choice than to follow the developer. And Rue had a point, he was definitely trustworthy. Without Steve, James and Rue might not even be together anymore. Hell, without Steve, James would have likely been kicked out of DCO completely, and Xander would still be around. James, didn’t like that thought.

“Here goes nothing.” James said to no one in particular, and he stepped closer to the portal. The way it crackled and swirled, was a little unsettling. It didn’t seem anywhere near as stable as the portals he was used to in the game. Still, it was all just a game, meaning no matter how ‘unsafe’ the portal was, he’d be okay. At least, he figured he would. Steve was eccentric, but he didn’t think the developer would be the kind to do something that could cause them any issue in the game. Then again…he was eccentric…and seemed rather sleep deprived lately.

James took a deep breath, steadied his nerves, and stepped into he portal. Immediately, he felt an icy feeling creep across his skin, deep into his bones, before the world around him seemed to become engulfed in flames. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out as his body felt like it was being burned and chilled, over and over and over again. Had it not been for the lack of actual ‘pain’ in DCO, he figured he would have blacked out. As it was, the intense heat and prickling that raced across his body, told him the portal was, indeed, a dangerous portal.

After a few minutes though, the feelings subsided, and James was able to open his eyes. As he did, blinking, he realized he was in a completely dark room, with a simple pedestal in the center of it. The room was nondescript, poorly lit, and save for Steve, Rue, and the portal behind James, there was nothing else in it. Just the three of them, the pedestal, a crackling portal, and dark walls. James felt more than a little claustrophobic. But, on top of that, he was still reeling from the uncomfortable portal trip.

“What the shit Steve.” James said. “What type of half assed portal did you make?”

Steve chuckled, though James noted the man’s drink was missing. Apparently, Steve’s beverage had not made the journey. Beside him, Rue seemed to still be recovering from the uncomfortable teleportation as well. It had to be one of the more unpleasant experiences James had dealt with in immersion, not counting, of course, his recent encounter with Persephone. Though…that encounter had been unpleasant in a different way.

“I’m sorry. Really.” Steve responded after he finished laughing. “It got implemented into the game, but the actual portal system is still being worked on. What I created for us, technically, was a backdoor.”

“And what exactly is this?” James said, motioning around at the room. Seriously, other than the pedestal in the middle of the room, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“This, is the answer to your prayers my good sir.” Steve said with a grand flourish. He walked over to the pedestal, and motioned for James and Rue to gather around him.

“Is this some, joke I’m not getting?” James asked, his mind trying to catch up with the events happening around him. Rue seemed a little quicker on the uptake, as the moment she got beside Steve, her eyes widened, and she let out a slight sound of surprise.

“They, did it?” Rue asked.

“Did what?” James pressed.

“Yup, it’s going to go completely live in a few hours for everyone, but we got permission to get here early, as long as, you know, I made it happen.” Steve was grinning from ear to ear. “So, what do you think James?”

“I think you either need more to drink, or you’ve had too much.” James was still looking around. Now that he thought of it, the pedestal in front of him reminded him of something. It was similar to the pedestal his avatar’s appeared on, when he was working on them. “What is this even for?”

“This immersion, developers are going to be granted the ability to tour dungeons as actual players, in order to interact with the player base, and prepare everyone for the new event that just got greenlit.” Steve said simply. His statement, of course, just gave James more questions.

“And, before you ask,” Steve said, shaking a hand. “You’ve got to learn about the big event, when everyone gets informed about it. No early access to game related stuff, after all.”

“Then-“ James started, but Steve cut him off.

“However, the exciting bit, is that because developers are going to be granted the ability to visit dungeons, we were able to tweak it, so dungeon cores could as well.” Steve’s words caused James to pause. Had he heard that right?

“And, that means, once you’ve filled out the appropriate forms and such, and we cover the do’s and don’ts for the whole situation, you’ll be able to finally create a DCO character of your own.” Steve’s smile was infectious, as was the news, and his mood. This was great. This was everything James had wanted for the game. Finally, he and Rue, could adventure through their dungeons as actual players. This was the best news ever.

“Alright Steve.” James said, trying his best to hold his enthusiasm in check. “What all do I need to know, before we do this?”