Round 2: Not Cat but rather...
The four emotionless participants stood at the edge of the cliff, their gazes locked on the deep pit below. In order to fulfil their master's wish, they were prepared to sacrifice themselves without hesitation.
Just as they were about to leap, one of them noticed something shiny glinting in the sunlight on the cliff's edge. Turning their heads in unison, they saw it was a red key. A rare smile spread across their faces as they carefully retrieved the key.
They turned and made their way back to Marie, their mission was completed finally.
Meanwhile,
Approaching the cliffside from another direction, one could see solitary figures clinging precariously to the rocky wall.
ssssssssshhhhhhh
The figure's white hair fluttered in the strong breeze, each strand dancing wildly. Not only did the hair catch the eye, but two long white fox ears atop the figure's head twitched and swivelled.
"You are... a fox?" Eli asked in a mixture of amused and surprised tones. He held one hand on his pitchfork, which was stabbed into the wall, while his other hand gripped something soft and warm figure...
A tantalizing allure, with her striking white-grey hair cascading in luscious waves, accentuating her enchanting fox ears that added an exotic charm.
Her sultry, teary ice-blue eyes were a mesmerizing blend of mystery and allure. Clad in a sleek, off-shoulder black top that teased a glimpse of bare skin, her figure was both graceful and enticing.
The distressed jeans hugged her curves with effortless sensuality, complemented by a belt cinching her waist. Her slender legs were wrapped around Eli's hips, her hands clinging to Eli's neck for support, while her magnificent stiff, fluffy tail flowed wildly behind her, a testament to her otherworldly beauty.
Most striking of all was her bright red face. "W-What!!" she screamed, her voice tinged with panic as she looked at herself, realizing her illusion spell had dissipated when she fell.
Eli's expression was one of amused curiosity as he leaned closer to her cute, fox-like face. He whispered gently, "This is my first time seeing someone from the fox tribe.... You are really a cute one, aren't you?"
"!!!!" The girl's face turned an even deeper shade of red as she pushed his face away with desperate urgency, "NOOO!!! Get off me!!" she screamed, her voice echoing against the cliff walls.
'Slip'
Eli's pitchfork, their tenuous lifeline, suddenly slipped, causing her to hug him tightly again like a scared cat clinging for dear life.
Eli smirked as he looked at the frightened fox. He couldn't help but feel a surge of mischievous delight. Seeing her vulnerable ignited a strange desire in him to make her cry, to see her reactions. "You damn cute little foxy. 'Sniff', you smell so nice~"
"!!!" The girl's fox ears fluttered as she glared at Eli with a furious yet embarrassed expression. She wanted to push this jerk away, but doing so would mean falling into the deep pit below.
She pouted and huffed, "I am gonna tell my mother that some pervert took advantage of me!!"
"HUH!! What do you mean by advantage? Okay, Missy Foxy, I literally saved your ass and yet—" Eli, who was about to defend himself with a gentlemanly demeanour, was abruptly cut off.
"Then why is your hand fondling my 'ASS', You asshole!!" The girl gritted her teeth, her face a vivid shade of red. She was already envisioning the suffering she would inflict on him once they escaped... she just needed to endure this for now.
Eli glanced at his hand, feeling the undeniable soft sensation. 'He's doing whatever... Damn her ass is soft and warm' he thought, stopping his hand from groping her butt, but he didn't voice his thoughts.
"How should we escape now?" he asked, shifting his focus to their immediate predicament.
The girl gritted her teeth, her mind racing as she pondered for a moment before saying, "According to my intelligence, there should be a red key around this cliff wall."
"What are you talking about?" Eli frowned. He wanted to escape this dangerous situation, not search for a key that some fool might have placed there, 'Only idiots would do these cringe things!' he thought.
'Acchhoo!' Vito, the first examiner, sneezed as he continued to monitor the footage.
Anyhow,
The girl said, "If we find that key, we could be instantly teleported to the next round before we even hit the ground."
Hearing that, Eli nodded in understanding. He then asked, "You seem quite knowledgeable about this?"
The girl smirked, her expression turning haughty. "Of course. Who do you think I am? I know everything!"
Seeing her like that, Eli couldn't help but lean down and whisper in her ear, his breath warm against her skin, "You are really cute, foxy~"
"!!!" She flinched, her ears twitching in response, before shouting, "Stop whispering!!" Eli laughed. The temptation to nibble on her delicate fox ears was almost overwhelming, but he controlled his urge; now was not the time to indulge in such desires. His hands started to feel heavy, and he asked her to pick up the key which was in his pocket.
"Why?" she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
"First, you use the key and escape while I search for the other key," Eli said, his tone firm yet gentle.
"...." She hesitated, her expression uncertain and conflicted.
Eli smirked, leaning closer so their faces were just inches apart, "What? Already worried about me?"
She looked annoyed, her cheeks flushing with a mix of emotions, as she said, "Worried? Fuck off!! I just feel like I should have used the key when I escaped instead of acting all goody-goody!"
Veins popped on Eli's forehead as he responded, "You know what? You are heavy, fucking heavy, that's why I want to throw you down!!"
Her face turned beet red, a combination of rage and embarrassment. She sneered like a fox, baring her teeth, before biting his neck... not metaphorically, but literally!
"OUCH!! It's hurt, you idiot!!" Eli shouted, feeling the sharp pain.
"Who are you calling an idiot, pervert?!!" she retorted and bit him again, harder this time.
"OUCH!!"
'Slip!'
Suddenly, both of them calmed down when they almost slipped again. They looked at each other with a mixture of frustration and reluctant understanding before nodding. She then hesitantly inserted her hand into his pocket, her touch sending a shiver down his spine.
"Where is it?" she murmured, her fingers searching.
"Go deeper," Eli instructed, his voice strained.
"Hmm... Ha! I got it..." Her face brightened as she grasped something, while Eli's face turned pale, a wave of nervousness washing over him as he flinched.
"Hmm? Why is the key soft and long... wait... it's hard now--"
"STOP!!!!" Eli screamed, his voice cracking, making her flinch.
"Don't move, just calm down, take a deep breath... 'Deep inhale,' 'Deep exhale,'" Eli coached with utmost seriousness. The girl followed suit, her breath coming in shallow gasps, not knowing he was doing it more for himself.
"Just calm down, just calm down... JUST CALM DOWN!!" he repeated, his voice almost a plea.
"I am calm, you idiot!!" the girl shouted back, her voice trembling with a mix of irritation and confusion.
After a few seconds, Eli told her to slowly and gently pull her hand out, his heart pounding.
"What happened?" she asked with a frown, her eyes searching his face for answers.
Eli sighed with immense relief before saying, "I think it might have fallen due to... a hole in my pocket."
"OH!!" She nodded in understanding, her gaze shifting to his old, tattered clothes, 'Must be a poor fellow....' she thought sympathetically.
Slowly but surely, her face morphed into one of horror as she asked, "T-Then what did I touch?"
"...." Eli avoided looking at her, his silence speaking volumes. It was enough for her to freeze like a statue, her fox ears and tail turning stiff with shock.
'Slip'
She let go of Eli like a broken toy, and fell down like a statue!
"FUCK!!" Eli immediately released his pitchfork from the wall and fell, his body plummeting before he managed to catch her and stab the pitchfork into the wall again, halting their descent.
'SSSSNNNGGGGGGGGG!'
They finally stopped, both breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush.
The girl took a minute to gather her thoughts before muttering, "OH MY MOTHER!"