Deal with them

Heroes are going to flock to you regardless of whether they need a reason to or not. With that in mind, you make sure your traps are properly set up and hide yourself in the shadows near the door just as it's sent flying off its hinges.

"See?" An arrogant voice calls out. "Who needs a thief when I can just blast the door off?"

In walks another mage who you quickly dash towards and push into your pitfall. He doesn't die, but you consider that a plus as you quickly vanish once more across the room to see that Madi is at the front of a group of adventurers consisting of what looks like a standard warrior decked out in thick, if somewhat rusty, armor, and two rogues, one wielding a bow and arrow and the other a pair of short swords.

"Well?" The warrior asks, fear in his voice. "What are you waiting for?"

Madi turns her head and opens her mouth to say some sort of retort, but is cut off as you dash forward and lift her off the ground close to your face.

"Play along," you say softly as you bring her face close to yours before manipulating the shadows along your arm and firmly thrusting your palm into her abdomen. The shadows creep under her robes, giving you the chance to gently run them between her legs before coming back up her body and bursting out the back of her top, creating the illusion of having stabbed her. The shocked gasp that escapes her lips as you pull them back, rubbing her down, adds to the effect before you toss her away into a nearby wall where she slumps to the ground feigning unconsciousness.

Turning incorporeal, you advance on the remaining three, dispatching them with ease as their attacks pass through you while you blast them with bolts of darkness. You hiss as you get too close to the pitfall, however, and a ball of fire slams into your leg, reminding you of the mage you have trapped down there. Backing away from the hole, you once more take control of the shadows, causing the darkened pit to be filled with crisscrossing spikes that eviscerate the mage in no time at all. With the adventurers taken care of, you hear the increasingly familiar chime, but ignore it as you approach Madi and begin gently encircling her in tendrils of darkness.

"W-what are you doing?" Madi asks shakily as you make sure to place your tendrils over certain areas you instinctively know will provide stimulation.

"I hurt you," you say softly as you activate your Dark Ichor. "I'm sorry."

Madi moans softly as her HP begins to return while your tendrils move ever so slowly all over her body. She closes her eyes and writhes gently at the euphoric feeling of having her health recovered and you would smile if you had a proper mouth.

"Thank you," she huffs uncertainly as you release her. "That was... kind of you."

"We are working together to achieve our respective dreams," you reply with faux innocence. "As a result, it's my responsibility to keep you safe. That's why I have something for you."

Madi pushes herself to her feet and cocks an eyebrow at you as you activate your aura and use it to augment her. Gasping at the influx of power she must have felt, you watch as she opens her stats screen and a wide smile appears on her face.

"My... my stats!" She exclaims happily.

"It's an ability I recently discovered," you reply. "As I grow stronger, so too do my friends. I know you don't want to tell me what it is about your circumstances that make you different from other heroes, but I still wanted to help considering how much you're risking to help me."

Rather than answer, Madi rushes over and wraps her arms around you, burying her face in your shoulder as you return the embrace. Not only will she now begin to associate you with the slow ecstasy of your Ichor, but by providing her with the increased stats you have given her the independence she thinks she wants, all while binding her ever more closely to you. Before you have a chance to react, she quickly pulls away her face burning so brightly you could almost expect it to light your small chambers.

"I will repair your robes," you declare, turning towards the crafting table, where your little wisp has left a rather substantial pile of cobwebs alongside the shattered remains of your door lay.

"W-what?" Madi stutters, shuffling up behind you.

"You can't return to the other players looking like that," you explain while transforming the cobwebs into thread. "They will ask too many questions. Now, give me your robes."

"B-but. . . I don't have any other clothes!" Madi protests as you turn around and stare at her. "E-exposing myself in front of you, Anari. . . the Order would -"

"Is it any worse than what you're already doing?" You ask. "Luring other players here to their deaths?"

"Th-that's completely different!" Madi argues. "Players do that kind of thing to each other all the time for-for better loot and more experience. B-but Anari is the Goddess of purity! To do something like. . . that. . ."

"Would it make you feel better if I extinguished the torches?" You ask, working hard not to reveal your thoughts about the fact that players treat each other nearly as bad as they treat monsters. "No one would be able to see you then."

Madi considers it for a moment before nodding, blushing somehow even harder as she looks at her feet and whispers her agreement. It's a good thing your body, made up of shadows given form and little else, doesn't have discernable features as you would be unable to hide the smug feeling of superiority as you step forward and reach out to place one of your long, spindly fingers under her chin, raising her head to look into your glowing, purple eyes. "Speak up, Madi."

Madi's lips quiver as she stares at you with wide, blue eyes. She's panting slightly and her knees are shaking, as if your one finger under her chin is the only thing keeping her standing. She licks her lips as you keep staring and struggles to find her voice. "O-o-okay," she whimpers. "I'll do it."

"Good," you reply, your tone warm even as you make your voice deeper. Smoother. Stepping back, you use your control over the shadows to wrap the twin torches on either side of your room in little balls of darkness, rather than extinguish them, as you had no way of relighting them yet, and the long, flickering shadows they cast helped you move around in combat more easily, providing a better advantage than the straight boost in your abilities that darkness granted.

Secure in thinking that nobody can see her, Madi begins to take off her robes, either forgetting or not knowing that you, as a creature of darkness can see perfectly well no matter how little light there is. Without her robes, you now have a prime opportunity to examine her and appreciate what will be yours before long.

The habit she wore was knocked off when you threw her, and you can now see that she has long, blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, blue eyes that are wide with embarrassment, a slim nose, and soft lips. Considering the almost comical proportions of many female players you have seen during your long cycle of **** and rebirth, calling Madi petite would be more than an understatement. Rather than breasts the size of her head, an ass big enough to smother a gnome, and legs that looked like they could crush a dragon's skull between them, Madi is all soft curves and smooth lines. Every inch of her skin is smooth and so pale it perfectly contrasts your umbral form. She looks so delicate that you are torn between your sudden desire to see her ravished and broken, and a growing need to crush all others who would share that desire.

"H-here," she murmurs, holding her robes out in front of her blindly. "Y-you can l-light the torches again, if you need to. Just. . . just don't look at me while you do."

"That's okay," you reply, taking the robes and placing them on the table with your thread. Your crafting menu pops up and you easily combine the two items in order to repair the garment, before 'blindly' reaching out and stroking Madi's back, causing her to shiver violently as you hand back her clothes.

With the torches 'relit', you send Madi on her way once more enjoying the small smile she gives you before leaving, and decide that it's time to get back to work.