CH49 Dancing Dungeon 2
A very insensitive phone rang out: [Mental resistance has reached level two.]
“Not now, phone! I’ve got to get out of here!” Alex squawked, then covered her mouth with her wings.
The door refused to yield. Alex's attempts to force it open with wings, bites, and claws were futile. Unlike the previous dungeon, this one offered no easy way in or out.
Alex's small panic attack went unanswered by the silent room. "I'm trapped. Is the only way out to finish the dance class?" In the mirror, a charming white and pink feathered harpy wobbled. She seemed bewildered by the mechanics of bird legs versus human legs. As fear began to set in, the mirrored harpy dashed around, tripping and falling.
She was somewhat reminiscent of a headless chicken.
Without arms, the bird-like figure fell face-first onto the dance floor.
“Ooof,” Alex groaned. “Wings are not useful for stopping a fall. Also, what is with these claws? It feels like walking on my tip toes.”
The harpy in the mirror struggled back to her feet (claws? talons?) The wings were not much help in the process. They were about twice the length of a human arm but without hands, the motion just caused feathers to slide along the floor. Also, the flapping tore the sleeves of the harpy’s blouse.
“Darn it!” Alex cursed.
The harpy in the mirror, now sporting torn clothes, had lost some of its initial charm. Its peculiar posture was also noticeable: a hunched stance with its backside protruding. Attempting to stand upright caused its claws to dig into the floor, a motion Alex realized was how birds latched onto surfaces. Walking felt less like normal human locomotion and more like tiptoeing.
"How can I fix this? Can I even use a needle and thread without hands?" Alex wondered. Moments like these made Alex miss Fufi. Despite the pink bird's hidden motives, being stranded in an unfamiliar place was only compounded by the solitude.
Alex glanced at the carriage situated in the corner of the mirrored room. Carefully balancing on one leg, the harpy reached for a waist-high lever and pulled it. A panel slid open, revealing a neatly organized doll-making workspace.
Rose, Lily and Edelweiss sat front and center against the wall. A row of stuffed animals lined the wall, right next to the ceiling. The harpy struggled to remove her torn shirt, and failed.
“Well, I guess this is dance class.” Alex glanced at the completely still marionettes. “I need to get changed, don’t peek.” Using the carriage like a screen, Alex danced. The harpy in the mirror danced. It took a few minutes of stumbles and fumbles before the clunky movements were actually considered a dance by the skill but eventually the three dolls sprung to life.
“Ha! Even harpies can be cute enough to dance.” Alex taunted the harpy in the mirror.
The trio of dolls spun into action, assisting the harpy in shedding her current attire.
Alex focused intently; manipulating the dolls for sewing proved to be an intricate task. Wings fluttering, the harpy paced with furrowed brow.
With cheerful bounces and elegant movements, Lily, Rose, and Edelweiss swiftly exchanged the crafting clothes for the magical girl dress. For a fleeting moment, the harpy's reflection revealed only the panties Luna had given her.
The magical dance softened. The dolls, with delicate movements, began to dress the harpy in the mirror in the designated magical girl attire. However, some aspects presented difficulties. While the lower portion fit without issue, the top was problematic. The sleeves would likely have the same fit issues as the previous attempt. Furthermore, the harpy's significant chest size meant the garment simply wouldn't work; it seemed the corset was the only thing preventing the last blouse from bursting open.
“Alright, miss harpy,” Alex commented to the reflection, “dressing you is going to be like tailoring, but on a much harder setting.” The harpy's dance involved numerous peculiar and awkward movements. As Alex performed a strange interpretive dance, the dolls boarded the carriage and started creating a chest wrap. Mimicking scissor motions, Alex watched as the three dolls cut a length of fabric into the shape of the wrap.
Lily, the most nimble of the dolls, circled the harpy in the mirror a few times. The archer doll bounced up and down, seemingly to secure the breasts in place.
Feeling less vulnerable, Alex experienced a surge of confidence. The harpy in the mirror closed her eyes, her arms moving in motions reminiscent of cutting and sewing.
Creating two new shirts for the harpy in the mirror using only doll control proved to be an exhausting, hours-long endeavor for Alex, unlike some quicker battles or mining tasks.
Once the shirts were complete, dressing the harpy in the mirror was simpler, involving some clumsy wing movements and the dolls' button manipulation to put on the magical girl dress.
Alex then emerged from behind the carriage and collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily, just as a certain phone began to ring.
[Skill increase: Dancing level two]
The buzzing caused the phone to fall out of the skirt pocket and onto the floor of the wardrobe.
Alex held the phone with one claw and poked at it as best she could. The harpy in the mirror’s nose appeared to peck at the phone like a bird. Eventually, after many fat-fingering errors a status screen popped up.
Checking the status page it read:
Name: Alex Parker
Class: Magical Girl
Sex: Female
Race: Harpy
Strength: 12
Constitution: 8
Dexterity: 17
Intelligence: 7
Cuteness: 16
Skills:
Cleaning: 2
Cooking: 1
Dancing: 2
Tailoring: 3
Toymaking: 1
Feats: Empower Doll
Spells: Animate Doll
Lesser Grow Plants
Traits: Mental Resistance: 2
Harpy Alex possessed significantly higher cuteness, a crucial magical girl attribute. Her strength improved, while her constitution decreased, reflecting the apparent frailty of bird girls. Dexterity also saw a one-point increase. These stat changes aligned with typical harpy characteristics.
Unexpectedly, the somewhat imprecise nose controls allowed access to a log within the character sheet menu through either a firm press or a swipe.
Saving throw failed versus disease: Infected with bird flu.
Saving throw failed versus disease: Transformation progresses. Feminization 60%-> 80%
Saving throw failed versus disease: Feminization 80% -> 100%
Saving throw failed versus disease: Transformation progressed. Harpy 0% -> 20%
Saving throw failed versus disease: Harpy 20% -> 80%
Saving throw failed versus disease: Harpy 80% -> 100%
Saving throw succeeded versus mental: Mental degradation resisted.
Saving throw succeeded versus disease: Bird flu infection overcome.
Reviewing the records, Alex saw details about nymph transformation. The screen displayed numerous successful resistance attempts, but with so many entries, the transformation eventually reached 100% nymph. Alex blamed the deliciousness of apple pie.
Leaving the phone in the carriage, Alex observed the marionettes. Their positions varied, making Alex wonder if they had been dancing. Additionally, the ratio appeared different; three fewer female marionettes were present, and three male ones had been replaced with doll-sized versions, which seemed suspicious.
Trying to remain unconcerned, the harpy in the mirror moved towards her previous dance partner. He stood ready, extending his hand, having remained motionless the entire time. The implicit message was to accept the marionette's hand and resume the dance.
The harpy in the mirror did just that. She placed her wing in his hand and the other one along his arm. It didn’t fit as well as being hand and hand and arm in arm. If a harpy put the tip of a wing in a human’s hand then his other arm wouldn’t be long enough to read around her back and let her lean into it. Also, a wing didn’t have the same range of motion as an arm. Alex could see things going poorly for the harpy when the lead pulled the wing in a way it wasn’t meant to go.
As they started with the basic step, the marionette seemed to sense the harpy’s unease. He barely used the arm to lead her at all. Almost everything was apparent from the steady leading hand on her back.
Step, step, triple step.
Alex’s skill activated. The three dolls came out and paired with the marionettes of the same size. Fully extended, Alex’s… er… the harpy in the mirror’s wings would go all the way around the marionette’s back.
The instructor noticed the problem and moved the wings to be half extended and resting along the same spots a hand would be. “Remember, your lead is being foundational, the follow is the focus of everyone’s attention. Stick your tail feathers out, bend your legs and make the most of your opportunities to show your moves off.”
The three dolls gracefully danced with their partners, moving in sync with their guidance.
Alex found it charming to watch the little dolls dance in pairs throughout the mirrored room. It reminded her of an elementary school dance, but unlike the limited two-step of the old world, these dolls possessed a repertoire of dance moves.
The remainder of the class continued smoothly, with the dolls practicing swing, balboa, and ballroom dancing.
“Congratulations class, you have completed my course. May your days be filled with exciting dance partners.” The instruction marionette bowed and vanished, strings pulling him up into the ceiling.
The other marionettes all vanished a second later, in a similar fashion.
A gold-trimmed treasure chest appeared in the center of the room. Alex danced up to the chest and with the help of three cute dolls placed the chest in the carriage.
“Let's get out of here ladies.” Alex walked in a stylized fashion to keep the dolls active. Edelweiss and Rose hopped into their spots and Lily stayed out.
[Alex’s phone rang out: Level up! New feat acquired!] Now level 3 magical girl.
Feat Name: Dance Partner
Duration: One minute per intelligence
Cost: N/A
Components: N/A
Effect: Become the perfect dance partner for a single target. The user of this mirrors their stats and can follow the lead of the target letting them react in such a way as they are the dance lead and the user is the follow.
As the carriage returned to card form, Lily collected it. Alex took Lily and headed out the now-opened door.
The receptionist bid them a good day and they headed out of the portal.
Alex walked up the stairs into the common area and was greeted with startled shouts.
“Oh no! Another harpy!” One human shouted, chair tumbling to the floor.