Await the conclusion.

On the first course of obstacles, it's the ALICE and Tavia who make it to the final trial first, closely followed by Masumi, and then Dajy coming in the rear. This isn't just a one-sided competition, however. It's a team-based challenge. When it comes to the second track, first is Taffeta exactly timed with Storm. Amara is quite close as well, despite her lack of athleticism, and way behind the others is The Edge, wet, embarrassed, frustrated, and fumbling under the weight of such demeaning and unexpected obstacles--so far from his comfort zone, he might as be the one from another world.

As the Trial of Patience appears, both paths merge into one, finally pairing each teammate up with one another as they arrive. Though it's the ALICE and Tavia who begin before the rest, and the epic final challenge of the obstacle course is... card stacking. The two begin carefully placing each playing card down onto a a small table, though after such an exhausting adventure, and with their collars still sharing flustered feelings between their allies, it's far from easy.

"And as you can see, the competitors must make a house of cards four layers tall. When their ally arrives, they must do the same, but neither can touch the other's cards! Both must be patient with one another as they do their best to steady their hands. The wood fence built around them helps against the wind, but that does not mean this will be a simple task!" Juaela announces.

Tavia puffs her cheeks and focuses hard. She may have a natural disadvantage against her android opponent, though the ALICE seems to be struggling far more than first expected. Through her cyan gaze, she can calculate cautiously all she wishes, but the collar continues to send very distracting signals from The Edge. Her cheeks are glowing, and is it were possible, you'd imagine sweat would be pouring down her forehead. Just as she moves to make the last balance in order to secure the bottom layer of her card house, she gasps, and they all fall back down flat.

The ALICE clenches her teeth. Suddenly, a voice bursts from her lips, furious and loud. "Are you honestly not finished yet?!" It's monotone, though ferocious. She's genuinely frustrated, trapped here in the final chamber without her ally present, and not only that, but he's making it actively more difficult.

Masumi leans down close to the table--generous, wet, dripping chest barely held in her team's bikini top--and although it looks as if her eyes are nearly shut with a demeanour of calmness, she goes to work, surpassing the ALICE and matching up with Tavia almost straight away. And with Taffeta taking a step into the room to join her, this bodes poorly for her opponents.

"Sorry," says Storm as he stumbles in to meet with Tavia. "But I'm here now."

"W-Well hurry up," the adventurer mutters. "I can't tell what place we're in with these windbreaking walls around us, and we both need to finish."

Under his breath he murmurs, "In this challenge, I feel like we did almost finish already."

"Don't say something so perverted!"

Amara arrives before Dajy and begins her house of cards. At first, she's dead last, though after another whimper from the ALICE heard easily with her elven ears, that last place position is passed, though she'd have no way of knowing for certain just how much trouble the other was having. The golem girl had been excelling for the entire course, though all she can do now is get increasingly angrier at her own teammate.

By the time Dajy steps in, Amara only has a few cards left, though not far away, this goes for Masumi as well. Tavia is trailing a bit behind her, with Storm moving to meet her. Taffeta seems quite skilled with her hands as well, and the moment her additional, arachnid appendages come into play, things become far worse. They're the perfect pair, her and Masumi, to be challenging such a feat, and with them both present, neither is tantalizingly torturing the other.

What is taking The Edge so long? Well it seems that he's rather uncomfortable being so exposed, and dealing with constant obstacles he's never faced before. Worst of all, he's lingered in the Trial of Snakes so long that he's now become oiled and bound by several automatons, grinding against him, slithering all over, and then another figure slowly slithers into view. This one hasn't been present in any course, though was secreted away in some nearby bushes. You worry at first if this is even part of the contest, but when the long, wiggling figure lifts up right in front of him, and her bright blue glowing eyes peer down upon him, you can tell it's not just an ordinary creature, but instead yet another made by Elok Daven. The tail is long, or rather much of the body is a tail, because this artificially created girl has the body of a serpent, like a naga. Yet her skin appears as a serious of tiny metal plates, like the small, smooth scales of a lizard, with her underbelly a paler colour than the rest. Around her chest is tight navy fabric bound around a pair of breasts like a tube top.

That's a new one. A robotic snake person? It looks as advanced as an ALICE. Maybe more, or just for a different purpose.

"You've taken too long, sssilly boy," hisses the metallic naga. Her thin, very long tongue slithers out from her lips, between a pair of sharp fangs.

"Begone, wench, for I have... aah, I must face my..." Though he peters off as the beautiful, serpentine golem slides over his body. "H-Hold on."

"Jussst relaxss," she says with a grin. Her tongue extends out and drags up his chin. "You're about to lossse, but feel sssomething you've never felt before."

Taffeta and Masumi are nearly both done when Amara finishes. Dajy, however, has dropped her cards a few times. She may appear as a gorgeous, elegant woman with a sultry figure that could kill a virgin with but a shake of her hips, yet this has become a challenge for her.

"And with the game coming quickly to its conclusion, let us make things even more difficult! Good luck, everyone. This is your final challenge. Keep it together, stack those cards, and make it exit with your partner to finally be free, and seize victory!" the bard announces to a thunderous applause, though the competitors are rightfully concerned.

"Ohh..." Taffeta mumbles, sounding and looking for a moment as if she had just gotten food poisoning. Though that warmth wasn't only happening to her. Her nearly finished stack of cards falls down, almost as if having so many limbs has come back to bite her--more chances of error, now that something else has begun. Her collar, as well as the collar of everyone else, has started to glow and hum at a gradually increasing rate. It seems to be having an effect.

"S-Sweetie, you need to keep it together," says Masumi, already finished. "I think this sensation is only going to grow, so we better move swiftly."

"I'm trying!" the spider barks back. "I-I just fumbled. Sorry."

Meanwhile, Tavia knocks hers over as well, and then Storm messes up next. It seems some competitors are worse at dealing with the unexpected than others. Though the worst of all is the poor ALICE, who is not only dealing with a gradual building arousal, but suddenly she lets out a yelping moan in shock and pleasure.

"What is this feeling?" she speaks quietly to herself. "A tongue--?!" Just then, she falls to her knees with her hands between her legs, and her whole face glowing. Something is definitely occurring over where The Edge is trapped.

"Wow. That tongue," comments Fang beside you. "That's really impressive."

"After everything, I guess he deserves some solace," you add.

"I wouldn't mind some of that solace."

Suddenly it's come down to Dajy finishing her stack, though she's having trouble. The arousal is a small part of it, though that's affecting her partner more, though it's more that she frankly isn't very good at the task at hand. She looks up to her elven ally who is flushed in the face. After finishing her cards, she's had to take a knee, yet that's for more reasons than that. The longer she takes, the more she makes her struggle. "Stay strong, darling!" she calls out to Amara. "This is... Grr!" With a pound of her fist, she knocks down the few cards she had.

"Do not worry about me. You can do it," says Amara in a sweet voice, with a warm, caring smile. She may be sitting there, shifting and twitching as an orgasm tries to find its way through a body unable to receive it, but she harbours no ill-will. "We cannot assume we have already lost. Please keep trying and do your best, as we may still win, and if we do not, I do not believe any others among us will be upset."

"... Yes. Of course." Dajy slides her long nails back through her hair. "Don't make me blush, dear girl, or I'll come over there and rip your collar off myself."

"And if you wish for any healing--" She takes in a sharp breath and bites her knuckle. "W-Well, I think I can handle some more, so please ask."

"I don't need healing."

"O-Okay, but just ask if you do."

It's come down to this. All Taffeta needs to do is finish her house of cards and their team wins. Storm and Tavia are both unfinished, though they get closer every second. So if Dajy can finish next, that'll be first place locked in. It seems that, by the appearance of the ALICE on her back rolling back and forth, moaning and trying to cover her face, that last place is already locked in anyway.

Mistress Dajy, the high succubus and leader of a harem within your own, versus Taffeta, a spider-like woman with the talent of a ninja. As they reach their final cards, you meet eyes with Lady Vex who stands not far away. It's piercing. Intense. You can feel her competitive nature screaming out for her companions to succeed, first internally, and then a shout as she cups her hands up and screams in cheer.

Not to be outdone, you cheer out as well, hoping the two can hear you.

Three more cards. Two more cards. One more card. Arousal building. Climax coming.

Then, with a sharp, sensual gasping moan through the soft lips of Masumi the kitsune--hands between her legs as she stands with a strange bashfulness--a surge of distraction causes Taffeta to twitch, and such a chain reaction seals her fate as she drops the card, knocking over the edge, and her eyes--all of them--widen in terror as the next one falls, and then the next. She tries to catch them with her many arms, but it's too late. A moment after, Dajy places the final pyramid together, finishing the house of cards with a rooftop, and as she does, both of their collars power down.

Dajy scoops Amara up bridal style and they proceed out, followed by Tavia and Storm walking together. After another few moments, Taffeta and Masumi exit. Though the ALICE remains laying in the final chamber, begging the game to be called.

Juaela giggles. "Well folks, I think perhaps we have our ranking." And although many people would probably prefer her not to end things, she raises up a hand and announces, "Congratulations to Team D for finishing first! It was close, but next was Team C, and then Team B. Coming up in last place, Team A. Sorry, you two!"

With the collars powering down, the ALICE lays back relieved. Meanwhile, the robotic naga rises up and rolls her tongue back up into her mouth.

The Edge doesn't move even after the snakes retreat and the game concludes. He seems a little... dazed.