"What exactly do you want from me?" - Asked Heider - "And, for that matter, you know for a fact that I'm not really allowed to leave..."
"Oh, but you are." - Said Deborah, smiling - "At any time, you can just walk past that door, tell them Hiro is no more and be as free as before!" - She sang that last part, the usual poison in her voice adding to the singsong impromptu rhyme - "BUT! But... Doctor Heider... You will not do that."
"You couldn't legally..."
"Yeah. I'm very much worried about the law and I'm sure your relatives would miss you after you erased the mouth of one of them. Yes, I could hurt you. A lot, to be precise. And suffering, really, minimal consequences, mainly because someone likely has my back on account of you being an asshole! Newsflash: people don't miss people like us, doctor. They won't miss you. They won't miss me." - Said Deborah - "And yet... AND YET... This isn't why you won't leave. You won't leave because you are the great and wonderful Doctor Heider, because you are so, so sure you're such a badass that you'd not be able to take it if you fail to save Hiro Hibiki."
"What...?" - Asked the doctor, a sense of dread finally setting in.
"Yes, Doctor Heider. That's what's outside that door. Defeat. You. Defeat and you. You not being a good doctor, you not being a good magic user, just you. Just the obnoxious little jerk that came into power by the luck of the draw, used it to torment people in little ways and can't do anything that he thought he could back when he thought he was just. So. Awesome. So, Doctor Heider, you are free to walk through that door at any time. But tell me when you're about to do it, because I want to watch."
"...dammit." - Muttered Heider.
"Yup." - Said Deborah, smiling - "You know, I didn't think my experience as a social worker would be of use in this new life of mine..."
"You? YOU were a social worker?" - Asked Heider, disbelieving.
"Yep. Don't give me that look. It's rare, not impossible. I got to help children that were abused and to make the abusers suffer. All the while being admired by society. Win-win-win." - Said Deborah, smiling - "I have a soft spot for children. Don't give me that look, I'm not a complete monster. You see, I really, really dislike seeing children cry. It's why I accepted this little assignment."
"Uh... What are you talking about?" - Asked Heider.
"You once made a kid cry by turning his mother's skin green for a bit." - Said Deborah, impatiently.
"When? Oh, the bus thing..." - Said Heider, uncertainly - "...right?"
"No, you were in your office..." - Said Deborah, an edge to her voice - "But, you see, that's superb. Because going But For Me It Was Tuesday is precisely the kind of thing that gives me an excuse to keep this little exercise of ours... Awesome Doctor Heider... So... Awesome... So, so awesome..." - She said, sarcastically.
"Stop it." - Said Heider.
"Or what? You'll use your awesome powers of awesomeness to... Fail to harm me? Will that be before or after you fail to save the person responsible for keeping the entire civilization running? Do your job, Heider." - Said Deborah.
Heider just groaned and looked at the organic computer.
Autumn Town
"Okay. This is getting boring." - Said Lucas, to herself - "Wings! Any other settlements or places with people aside from the cities?"
Wings pinpointed a few.
"Ooo, dark cave with living beings! I love Dungeon Crawling! I wonder how many hit dice they have!" - Said Lucas, smiling a rather crazed smile.
Years on and she still was that kind of person.
Arachne's Den
Arachne felt... something. It was intangible and curious. It was a new definition. In that world of fantasy, Arachne was sort of a constant... Except she now was no longer just Arachne.
When the mind of a gamer begins affecting your own definitions - as Selene learned upon becoming and being Neruite - things change a bit.
She was still Arachne, but no longer just Arachne.
Lolth was "born".
Somewhere
