As fun as it would be to overpower her with your no doubt superior strength, you want more than that.

You stare at her for a few seconds, before saying in a voice layered with false confusion, “What? Aren't you going to help?”

Your voice seems to break her out of her freeze, and she snatches her hands back, blushing furiously. “That is not what I thought you meant!”

You cock your head at her. “What are you getting at?”

When she doesn't offer a response, you cover your *CENSORED* and sigh, drooping your head and half turning away. You half whisper, just loud enough that she is certain to hear you, “And I was sure a cleric of all people would be able to help me.”

You hear a gasp of indignation and turn back to find Amanda, still sat down, staring at your with disapproval, her hands on her hips, seemingly forgetting that her *CENSORED* are still on show. “I don't know what you think clerics do, drakeling, but it's not... not...” She seems to remember what she's angry about, and her blush returns in full force. She manages to squeak out the end of her sentence. “Not things like that!”

Keeping the look of faux confusion on your face, you stare at her until she starts to fidget nervously. Just as you sense she's about to speak just to break the silence, you interrupt. “I thought Clerics were supposed to be able to break curses?”

Whatever she had been about to say died on her lips with a whining “Huuuuhh?”. You very carefully do not smile as you shift position, 'accidentally' revealing your *CENSORED* to her once more. Her eyes leap to it, but you pretend not to notice, just as you pretend not to notice her gulp. Instead, you sigh and look off into the middle distance.

Eventually, she finds her voice. “That's a...” she pauses to clear her throat, “a curse, is it?”

you focus your attention back on her. “Oh indeed. A Gobliness bitch, I mean witch, left me with it. There's only two ways of dealing with it.”

She starts to reply, eyes still fixed on your *CENSORED*, before you distract her.

“And-” she starts, before trailing off as you deliberately twitch your flesh. You had to smile at how your Monstrous Appearance worked. A short conversation, convinced you weren't planning on attacking her, and the little de-buff went away. Made no difference to a player of course, but to an avatar, specifically Amanda, you appearance had recently skyrocked to above that of an average human.

She shook herself a little and made a visible effort to look you in the eyes. “And what would those be?”

You sigh despondently instead of answering immediately and shake your head. “No no, now I see you there's no way you can help me. I'm sorry for wasting your time, I truly am.”

“Don't say that!” Amanda responded instantly, shaking her head and leaning forwards. “I'm sure I can do something! I told you I'd help and I'll keep that promise!”

“Well...” you drawl, shifting again to draw her attention back to the correct places. “You'd have to be a level twenty cleric and cast Remove Curse spell. That's really all that can be done. No, I'm afraid I shall just have to deal with the constant pain until another cleric comes along. I just hope they'll be as kind as you and give me a chance to talk to them before they kill me.”

Amanda looks downcast at the mention of the level requirements for the Remove Curse spell. “It hurts?” she asks softly, when you're finished.

“Only a little for now,” you say. And you're not lying either. “But I'm told it will grow steadily worse until I find a way to remove the curse.”

Amanda mummers a soft “Oh,”, then crawls over to you. You eye her, warily, but are pleasantly surprised when she places a hand on your neck and softly rubs it. “I'm sorry I'm not a good enough cleric to help you. Maybe I could go and level up?”

“That's very kind of you,” you laugh, leaning into her touch a little, “But that would take you a very long time. No, there's nothing that can be done.”

Amanda goes quiet for a few moments before she speaks up again. “You said there was two ways of ending the curse. That's only one,” she sounds confused. “What's the other?”

You cough delicately. “It's not for the ears of a proper young lady such as yourself.”

She frowns at you. “Hey! I'm not some weak little flower that has to be protected you know? I'm an adventurer! I can take it! Give it to me!”

You smile, both at her unintentional double entendre and at the hint of fire in her.

“Someone would have to... help me in a more traditional sense,” you reply, tactfully.

“What do you...” her hand, still on your neck, stills. “O-oooh...”

“Oh indeed,” you murmur. Mentally, you start a count down.

Five... Four... Three... Two...

“Does it have to be a certain kind of help?” Amanda asks, her blush now threatening to start dealing fire damage.

You shake your head, not looking at her. “So long as I was able to *CENSORED* , the curse would be lifted.”

“And if someone were to help you in this way,” she says, as her hand leaves your neck, “That fact would remain-”

“Totally private, of course. I would not want it known that I was susceptible to such magic.”

“I see.”

Both of you are staring across the road, at a small rock. You blink, slowly.

*CENSORED*

Her blush deepens, and she lets out a shuddering moan. “I can read you know? There's all sorts of books out there,” she says, her eyes half closing.

Acting on a hunch you reply “And here was me just thinking you were a natural at *CENSORED* .”

*CENSORED* Amanda's eyes wavered, twitched, and then closed. A small pop up drifted up from her face, backwards, so it could be read by her absent player.

You have fallen unconscious, and there is no party member to revive you. Re-spawning in town in 10 seconds

Sure enough, ten seconds later, she vanished in a flash of light, leaving a small sack behind her. You grinned triumphantly as your *CENSORED* went with her.

That will be a nice surprise for her to wake up to.

After giving yourself a minute to recover, you went to see what loot she had dropped.

In the sack was a small health potion, a small box that smelt like paint, and a blood red crystal.

Interesting...

You load your spoils into your own, meagre inventory, noting that you had gained 80 experience for your defeat of the level three woman, and then begin to walk.

I think I know what I'm doing with that crystal...