Dungeon of Darkness 2 (Elegance/Robotification/Corruption)

“Why am I even here?” Elizabeth muttered. “To drag everyone down? To make them waste their time and energy protecting me until something like this happens?”

Elizabeth was not always in her element as an adventurer. Often times she wondered if she was dragging the party down, even if she did help sometimes. She’d probably be more use to everyone doing research, it was what she’d always done back in the academy anyway. Sure, she sometimes blew up monsters and sometimes her spells helped, but wasn’t she super unreliable? Didn’t it take too long?

The rational part of her mind - and that wasn’t a small part - told her that the split up hadn’t been her fault. After Jess had stepped on that trap and she and Katalina had vanished into the darkness, similar holes had opened up all along the floor and thoroughly split them up. She was a rational person, so this should have been enough. But a loud part of her that worried thought she could have done something - block off the holes with light, make something explode at the bottom so the pressure lifted them again, something.

“Why am I so useless.” she groaned. “The girls back home were right, I should have just stayed cooped up with my books…” She had scoffed at them then. Hoped they’d underestimated her. That was why she was now running through the halls of the dungeon alone and afraid, looking for where any of her friends could have gone. If she were a better mage she’d have a tracking spell or something. Without any idea how deep the dungeon ran, it was anyone’s guess where the tunnels had taken them; she’d have to get lucky, or wait for them to find her…

She gasped as she turned a corner and nearly walked into a pair of what looked like people made of silver. Gleaming, shiny silver bodies reflected her shocked face back at her as they turned to face her. “H-Hello…” she stammered. “I’ll, just, uh, be going now…”

She bolted. She was sure her more heroic allies might have fought them, probably beaten them too, but she was scared and alone and she was sure they’d catch her if she tried to cast something. So she ran like a coward.

The golems pursued her, but not fast. They weren’t in any rush as they followed her at a light jog even as she sprinted with all her stamina. It wasn’t long before she started to get tired, to slow down, and she could still hear them behind her. She cursed her own cowardice making her waste energy like that, but her adrenaline wasn’t going to let her stop soon. But still, she felt her legs and lungs burning. She couldn’t go much further.

She had to hide, somewhere, anywhere! She ducked into a side room, the first door she saw. It didn’t matter if it was trapped, it was better odds than if she waited around! She pushed the heavy oak door aside and closed it behind her as she stumbled into the room.

She waited, quieting her breath as best she could, as the heavy metal footfalls of the golems got closer and closer. They paused. They were close, right out the door even. She tried not to breath at all. Tried not to even think too loudly. After what felt like an agonizing hour but must have been less than a minute, the footsteps resumed, getting quieter as they left to search elsewhere.

It was only when they were completely silent that she allowed herself to breath. She’d escaped, somehow. She couldn’t believe her luck - they’d decided not to check the door. She wondered why that was? Standing, Elizabeth cast herself a mage-light to try and see where she was. She gasped as soft white light filled the room.

It was… a temple? It was a big room, the walls adorned with tapestries and statues. At the end of it, the curving wall had been covered in mirrors. Lit up as the room was she could nearly convince herself she was in normal place of worship, like one might find in the village nearby.

The dungeon hadn’t always been a place of evil; once it had been a border fortress for an ancient kingdom, so it made sense there was a temple for the soldiers staying long term. But everywhere else in the place had been corrupted. Why wasn’t this place?

She walked through the room. It couldn’t have been disturbed in who knew how long,  but at the same time, it seemed shockingly clean. There wasn’t so much as a spot of dust. Elizabeth decided to take a rest there. It was probably the best place she’d find, and she didn’t want to leave when those golems might turn around and she could run into them.

She was just about to sit down when she noticed something in the mirror. Normally, this wouldn’t be odd; generally speaking if one is looking at a mirror, they’ll see themselves. But what was strange was that she wasn’t seeing herself. She was seeing a woman clad in white, with almost shiny blonde hair and a soft white glow about her.

Elizabeth nearly jumped out of her skin, she was so shocked. She looked around, but saw nobody in the room with her. “H-Hello?” she whispered aloud.

“It’s been so long since anyone’s come here…” the figure said.

Elizabeth just about screamed, but kept herself quiet. Instead she swallowed hard and continued the conversation. “I-Is that so… what even is this place?”

“It’s a sacred place. A temple to a great Goddess.” The figure in the mirror said. “The Goddess of Beauty… such a generous being…” The figure sighed happily.

Maybe that was why it wasn’t corrupted like everywhere else. It was holy and the darkness that had tainted the place couldn’t touch it. That seemed likely. “I hadn’t heard of her before… there are some fertility goddesses that I know about…”

“Oh, but she is the greatest, surely,” the priestess-looking figure said. Maybe she was a soul trapped in the temple? She seemed devout enough to be that kind of thing, and it wasn’t unheard of for particularly fervent priests to become bound to their places of worship after death.  Elizabeth didn’t want to ask, afraid to be rude as she always was. “You’ve certainly felt her touch - you try and hide it, but you are very beautiful~”

Elizabeth blushed. She didn’t look that good. She wore thick rimmed glasses, and really baggy robes. Everyone at the academy had always said her boobs looked fake or said she’d be better in a brothel than in a library before she’d done that. “I’m nothing special…” she muttered. “You’re, uh, very pretty. Much better looking.”

She was, too - whether it was her goddesses blessing or just how she looked, the priestess was drop dead gorgeous. Elizabeth blushed a bit more as she realized just how true her statement had been. “Thank you~” the priestess said. “As thanks, shall I offer you my goddess’ protection? Surely it would be welcome in a place like this.”

Divine protection sounded really good right about then. “O-Of course, I would be honored… I still need to find my friends…”

“Excellent.” the mirror-woman said, clasping her hands together. She walked off the mirror, gesturing for Elizabeth to follow. The mage stared blankly for a moment before realizing she must be moving into the next room.

It seemed to be some sort of dormitory - a spartan bedroom appropriate for a religious figure living in a temple. Besides the bed, the only furnishing was a simple cabinet and mirror. On top of that cabinet was an array of what looked to be fresh… beauty products? It was the kind of stuff Elizabeth had seen in the city markets, but never really thought she had a use for. She looked in the mirror, finding the priestess there again.

“A goddess of beauty’s blessing naturally takes the form of beauty, doesn’t it?” she asked, seeing the mage’s confusion.

“I… are you sure? It’s just makeup.” she said. “I’m not sure what that will help with - I want to find my friends, not, uh, look pretty?”

“Go on. It will make certain no monster here dares to attack you.” The priestess smiled serenely as she spoke, and there was something familiar in her voice that made Elizabeth want to trust her. It was fine. A priestess wouldn’t lie to her, right?

She wasn’t sure how to put on makeup, but the priestess in the mirror seemed to be planning to help. In the mirror she had her own version of the assembled products, and started to apply it carefully but thoroughly. Elizabeth followed the movements, a little stilted but still getting it across. With a little bit of effort she conjured a floating mirror to her side so she could get a better look - what with how the priestess was occupying where her reflection would normally be. She wasn’t sure if she was doing well since she had no experience, but the priestess nodded encouragingly.

The foundation went on surprisingly smooth, and she already felt a bit better about herself. It wasn’t that hard, was it? At least not with instruction like this. As the makeup settled, the bags under her eyes seemed to fade, the marks of long nights of study vanishing like they were never there. “Good job. Keep it up~”

Despite herself, Elizabeth found herself liking the improvement. She wasn’t that pretty she thought, but just not looking like she’d had no sleep for the last couple days was an improvement. Following the directions of the priestess she added another layer of makeup, feeling herself grow more confident in the skill as she did so.

There was definitely magic in it. As a mage, it was impossible for her not to notice. But it was just the ‘blessing’ the priestess had told her about, right? So she didn’t need to worry about it. Or notice how in the mirror, her robes had begun to shift around, how her hair was growing darker at the tips. All she had to focus on was the makeup and the priestess’ smiling face as she kept mirroring her movements.

Another layer of makeup - some blush to draw the eye to certain features, a bit of shadow in other places, and so on. It didn’t seem like much, but she was feeling good. She was following the priestess without direction now, her hands moving automatically in synch with the woman in the mirror.

The image in the mirror shifted subtly. She took on the same changes that Elizabeth was undergoing, with her hair darkening and lengthening and her dress growing lighter and more fancy. Or maybe it was more that she wasn’t hiding it anymore, now that Elizabeth was too deeply entranced to notice. In fact, the woman in the mirror now looked quite a bit like Elizabeth, especially as they matched each other’s movements.

The changes continued as Elizabeth put on another layer of makeup, this time mostly in her clothes. The soft cloth had gained a shine as it’s material shifted, and clung tighter against Elizabeth’s body. Elizabeth couldn’t help but feel good, swaying a little with a self-satisfied smile as she painted her face and as her newly latex dress/robes gained a wide slit down the leg. Her hair had darkened considerably now, mostly black or dark brown with a crown of blonde remaining at the top of her head. Though the ‘priestess’ no longer spoke, she heard clearly a voice instructing her to keep going, to make herself ever more beautiful.

And she was pretty, wasn’t she? No, that was wrong. She was gorgeous. The makeup wasn’t huge - it was a few layers, carefully applied in the right places. But it made her practically glow, it brought out the beauty she’d tried so hard to hide. Why had she been ashamed before? Clearly, those girls in the academy had just been jealous. And she could hardly blame them; if she saw a girl so blessed with beauty as she, she would have been jealous too!

Her dress had shifted to be almost full latex by then, clinging tightly to her figure with a heart-shape cut out of the chest to display her ample bosom. No longer were her clothes a disguise to hide herself, her outfit was meant to emphasize and exaggerate her best features, to make sure people wouldn’t be able to look away! There was no longer any delay between the actions of the woman in the mirror and Elizabeth, as she applied one last stroke of crimson lipstick to complete the look; why would there be, when it was simply showing herself?

The Goddess of Beauty whispered in her ear. Telling her that beauty was all, and welcoming her into her embrace. And Elizabeth couldn’t be happier. She was a bombshell, and she loved it. And someone like her should worship the Goddess of Beauty, spread her word…

When Elizabeth returned to the temple proper, it was different. It was covered in mirrors, with icons of lust and desire strewn about the place. The young priestess grinned as she looked around at her domain - Elizabeth, though, was too plain, too dull, a name for someone like her. Perhaps… Lady Eliza, yes…

Lady Eliza looked up as she heard the voice of her Goddess again. “What would you have me do, oh Goddess of Beauty?” she asked to the empty air, and in her mind she heard the reply. There was someone nearby who did not belong. The nearby golems had been assaulted. An affront to the beauty represented by Lady Eliza. And… it was one of her friends.

She smiled brightly. Oh wonderful! She had to go find them and make sure they were safe! After all, it simply wouldn’t do for them to fall to the dangers of the dungeon before she had a chance at them!

Justine wasn’t overly worried about being alone in a strange, monster filled place. If anything, the barbaric knight was enjoying herself, swinging around her axe with wild abandon and loving the crunch that it made when the golems tried to come at her. It was so much fun to be able to cut loose and not worry too much about potentially hitting something she cared about. If she was the only one there, she didn’t have to protect anyone or give a crap about collateral. Freedom!

That said, she was still doing her level best to find her friends. As much as she loved to fight alone, it was more fun to fight with friends, and she’d hate for them to have too much fighting without her and let her miss all the excitement! Or to get hurt because she wasn’t there, that was of course also a concern.

She crushed another golem, kicking away the body and looking for the next target, when she heard someone behind her. “Justine! Justine, I’ve been looking for you!”

Justine turned to the voice, smiling brightly. “Liz, you doing alright?” she asked. Elizabeth seemed none the worse for wear, thankfully! The mage always kind of worried her, really - she was one of the more fragile members of the party. And, well, she’d been worried that once they split up she’d break down; Justine had been trying to build her confidence but she wasn’t taking to it super well, even if she was better than when they’d met.

“Now that you’re here, of course I am!” The blonde mage said, pulling up her robes as she stepped over some debris left in Justine’s wake. “I’m so glad you’re ok, I’ve been very worried!”

Justine dramatically flexed. “How could I not be? None of these metal ladies can touch this!”

Elizabeth nodded, smiling at her friend. “True, true…” she said. She started getting close. Really, really close. “My hero~” she said softly, as she pressed up against Justine.

The rough woman wasn’t really used to… that sort of affection. She blushed, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. “O-Oh… it’s, it’s nothing, really…” she stammered. What had gotten into Elizabeth?

“You know, Justine… you’re very pretty. Beautiful, even…” Elizabeth said, her chest pressing into the barbarian’s body.

Justine swallowed hard. “I… uh… thank you…” Had Elizabeth been thinking of her like that? “You’re very pretty too… you just need to have more confidence…” Justine said. “But maybe that should wait until we find the others-”

Elizabeth grinned up at Justine - she wasn’t short, but Justine was rather tall. “Maybe. But I don’t want to.” she said. She stood taller, going on her toes…

Justine blushed, but… she didn’t want to refuse her. So she closed her eyes and leaned down… and heard a soft click as something closed around her neck.

Her eyes shot open, in time to see the illusion fading. Elizabeth’s face was the same, but the rest of her seemed to melt away, shifting and changing. Her modest robe becoming a tight, form-fitting latex dress, her hair turning black and wavy, her face caked in makeup and a wicked grin on her lips. “It’s so nice to have someone who understands my beauty~”

Justine tried to pull back, but found her movements slow and sluggish. An amulet that had been put around her neck pulsed softly with pink light. She stumbled, finding herself dazed as Elizabeth advanced on her again. “I… what… Liz…?”

“I was so worried that someone else would get to you before I did… I don’t think Mistress J or Katalina would treat you nearly as kindly as I…” Elizabeth said, pressing close again and sliding a few more bits of jewelry on - rings to Justine’s fingers, reaching up and clipping in an earring… “It’s for the best. This way, a disciple of the Goddess of Beauty can make you shine~”

Justine’s mind raced even as her body slowed. What had happened to her friend? What was she on about, with this ‘goddess of beauty’ and ‘Mistress J’? She must have been hypnotized or brainwashed by a trap or something - she was never this confident, let alone about her own attractiveness. Which, outside of those frumpy clothes… Justine couldn’t help but admit was quite significant.

“Mmh~ Don’t worry about those rough girls…” Elizabeth practically purred, producing some makeup products from nowhere as she started to apply them. “They don’t know how to treat ladies like us.”

“L-Ladies like…?” Justine groaned. That didn’t sound right. Ladies like them… what did she mean by that? Justine was a tough, strong woman and Elizabeth… well, she had the durability of parchment. Did she mean nice?

“Beautiful, delicate ladies like ourselves~!” Elizabeth finished for her. “Lady Eliza and Lady Justine - it’s so hard to maintain our beauty, we can hardly afford to get our hands dirty! We have people for that. You should know that better than anyone, no? You were a noblewoman before you came here, hm?”

“O-Of course, you know that… I never liked them though…” Justine muttered. Of course. For all her barbarian style, she was a noblewoman - she had more names than she cared to recite, and her family owned a castle with more people in it than some villages. But she’d never really been one for the courtly lifestyle. She was a much more physical kind of person, much more hands on.

As she thought, she found that her thoughts were getting muddied and confused. At the same time, Lady Eliza had finished with the jewelry, and a layer of makeup. “Of course. All that talk about noblesse oblige and how you have to earn your title… it’s like they didn’t even know what really matters to a noblewoman, isn’t it? So naive…”

That… was right? Wait, that didn’t… Justine swayed on her feet as Lady Eliza’s words filled her head, slowly replacing her moral code and noble goals with those of a pampered princess. Why did she have to care about that stuff anyway…?

“But you understood. You understood so well you came out here with your servants to find what mattered. Eternal beauty…” Lady Eliza sighed, as she added a special necklace to the jingling jewelry, the gem in it’s center glowing bright blue. She had magic, and the blessing of her Goddess; her own beauty would never fade. But Justine was just a human, she’d age, and rot… at least, she would if it weren’t for what she’d found there…

Justine groaned as the magical gem glowed and suffused her with its power. It sank through her clothes, into her chest. Silver and brass spread from where it had entered her body, the former on her skin and the latter in her clothes.

Her outfit - a barbaric, unfashionable ensemble of furs and leathers - shifted and changed. The practical pants fused into one piece, flaring out as they rose up and up to her knees in a skirt. Her leather top brightened to a shiny brass, shifting to hug her figure as it did, clockwork designs spread across it. The furs became a silken cape trailing after Justine, an elegant garment appropriate to her status.

This was accompanied by a shift in her skin, in her body. She got shorter and shorter by the second, first matching Lady Eliza’s height and then getting even shorter until she was an even five-foot nothing. Her figure shifted, moving the emphasis to her bust and bottom. As silver claimed her skin, and crept inside to replace more and more of her body, the magic gem seemed to spread it’s power across her body, thin blue lines of magic running across her skin and dress.

Her mind wasn’t unaffected either. As her face turned to silver (her hair following, growing long and curly), her mind was beginning to be… edited, just a bit rewritten. Her human brain turned to a machine’s mind, and Eliza was easily able to warp it to her desires. Justine was a noblewoman - and she looked and acted the part, a classy lady who’d never get her hands dirty. Why would someone like her ever do something so boorish as fight up close? She had people for that - the very idea of lifting such an uncouth weapon as an axe was abhorrent. She’d rather have her servants do it for her, perhaps singing them encouragement and magic…

Right, she was a bard, no? That was her role in the adventuring party that had brought her to this wonderful place after all. A beautiful bard singing beautiful songs, a role that fit a dainty and delicate lady like herself…

Lady Eliza was almost giddy seeing how her friend was coming along, the beautiful machine in progress looking utterly perfect. Ah, but she was so lucky to have such a beautiful friend… and such a shiny one, an important benefit of Justine being made of metal being that Eliza could see herself reflected in her perfect skin~ She pressed up close, caressing Justine’s chin as she did. “That’s right… that’s who you are… my beautiful Justine, perfect noble lady and bard~ We’re so lucky to have found this gem… with this, you can be beautiful forever and ever…”

That was… right… Justine’s mind accepted Eliza’s words as truth, filling in the gaps. They’d found the gem in the dungeon, and it had done exactly what she wanted… it preserved her shining beauty in shining silver. Justine would never age, never grow old and wrinkled. She’d be perfect forever…

And that wasn’t the only thing. She remembered now… here was where they’d met their beloved Mistress… where they had devoted themselves heart and soul to her… to guard this dungeon, and spread her influence…

Justine’s eyes flashed blue as her transformation completed. The barbarian knight was gone, and in her place was a metallic beauty, cast in silver and brass, with a clockwork dress that emphasized her femininity and dainty figure. She grinned a smug smile, and leaned in to give Lady Eliza a kiss. “Mmh~ Thanks for reminding me who I am, cutie~” she giggled as she withdrew.

“Of course, Justine~ Your mind must have been a bit strained, is all. It’s hard work, being so beautiful.” Lady Eliza said, already forgetting who Justine had once been.

“Don’t be so formal. Just call me Justy. It’s a cuter name~” Justy said, before looking around at the smashed golems and scowling in distaste. “Ugh. Slackers… what’s the point of commanding the golems if they fall apart on you like this?” She snapped her fingers, and another group of golems turned the corner and started to clean up the bodies.

“Justy it is~” Lady Eliza said, before offering an arm to her best friend. “Come. We’ll be wanted soon down below.”

Justy took Eliza’s arm and pulled her close. “Of course~ I’m sure it’ll be fun~”