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”Oh ho ho. I told you this pixie was going to get you in trouble.” Xander folded his arms into his robes. ”How about we place a bet on whose core gets destroyed first in Dungeon Wars. If BLANK wins, you step away from DCO, permanently. Furthermore, you will obviously still be held to your previous NDA's, meaning you will never be able to speak with anyone about what you know of DCO, or of my experiment.” James didn't like where this was going. He really, really didn't think it was safe to place such a bet.

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”And IF,” the way Xander emphasized the word, James could tell he wasn't even viewing it as a possibility, ”BLANK's core is destroyed first, I will promise to never interfere with you again. Hell, I'll make the deal even sweeter. If you win, I will let you choose a new person to oversee your instance of DCO, taking my place over you.” Alright. That, that was definitely something James could get behind. Xander, was a dick. Xander, was the sole thing that was tarnishing the joy James had playing DCO. If he never had to worry about the developer ever again. That would be amazing.

”Anyone?” James saw the familiar flash across Rue's eyes as she asked her question. She had an idea.

”Anyone you would like.”

”Deal.” The pixie motioned towards Xander, and a wooden desk appeared before them. On it, a blank piece of parchment, with a quill.

”Rue, don't you think-” The pixie raised a finger, silencing him.

”Trust me, James.” She used his real name. She never used his real name. All he could do was nod and stare at her blankly, as his mind tried to process the situation.

”Well then, let's make this bet official, shall we.” Xander picked up the quill and pressed it to the parchment. It was, of course, an unneeded action, but James knew he was doing it for dramatic effect. A moment later, a dark crimson flash appeared on the parchment, and suddenly it was filled with words.

”My legal team, has of course, drafted that document to be legally binding. Everything, the terms, and conditions, have been written in accordance to the legal precedents established by the Peoples Legislative Office of Technology in 2049. Because of the NDA's you have already signed, this document really was quite easy for the team to make. And, once you lose, I can finally remove you without fear of repercussions from above.” Xander clapped his hands together in joy, even as his signature appeared on the form. ”You have no idea how happy this makes me.”

”I'm sure.” James skimmed over the document as he picked up the quill with his tentacle. Once again it was a pointless task, as every person digitally created a signature that would legally act as their binding confirmation when they completed their first immersion. The P.L.O.T. had done all it could to ensure there were rules and guidelines within immersion, in order to make sure the virtual world did not become a completely rampant and abused system. Obviously, in James's eyes, they hadn't done a good job.

He sighed and signed the document. He was hesitant, and scared. This bet had the risk of costing him everything. Sure, James could do without DCO in his life. It would suck, because he really enjoyed being a dungeon core, but he would survive. What he didn't want to lose, was his time with Rue. However, she was a part of DCO, and if he lost this bet…

”I'll be going then James.” Xander grabbed the parchment greedily the moment James's signature appeared on it, and like a child that had just won its first competition, let out a gleeful laugh. ”I was wrong about that pixie James. She really has brought me the best of luck today.” He chuckled and disappeared, contract in hand.

”I really hope you know what you are doing.” James muttered, suddenly feeling a lot more tired than he had expected. Funny how much heavier games felt when there were real world stakes on the line. ”If I lose, I lose everything, including you.”

Rue wrapped her arms around his form, resting her chin atop his core as she did. ”I believe in you James.” Her voice was soft, full of warmth, kindness, perhaps even something more? ”I know you will win, especially with me on the line.”