Cassandra read the rules of the game again. They were quite simple, but she wanted to be sure. She didn't aspire to win the contest but to go as far as possible. She had tried to put the cards on the table in many ways and it hadn't worked. That would be her last attempt as she was running low on patience. Victory or defeat, no middle ground.

Every year Nanoware, a big computing and internet services company, did a tournament, with a big cash prize. People could register in a website, or in person in a Nanoware branch office. The first two years it had been a contest of endurance and physical prowess. The third year, to surprise both the contestants and the streaming audience, the day just before the start was announced the new structure. That contest and the next one were about artistic skills and creativity. The fifth year the change upset a lot of people. About ninety percent of the contestants quit in the hours following the announcement.

In the email sent to all contestants, aside from the description of the new structure and purposes, came the instructions of the first task. According to the text that year's tournament was about emotional resistance and bravery. The first task certainly required both. That same day, at midnight, started officially the contest and Cassie would have twenty four hours to complete the task.

She wasted no time. Grabbing her things, she went to the place of her choosing. The description of the task said within an urban environment. She drove to the less inhabited part that could still be considered urban, a housing develoment in the outskirts.

-Hi, I'm QueenBee, and I'm recording the video for the first task of this year's BraveSpirit tournament.- She explained looking at her cellphone, that would serve as camera. The rules said that she had to show her face, but she could use the nickname she had registered as, instead of her real name. The video on the website wouldn't show her real face, as she had requested, but the organizers had to see it.

Still in the car she undressed and used her pantyhose to make a clumsy mask. She'd buy something better the next day. The rules said that she had to walk down a street, completely naked for at least ten minutes, record it with a camera and then send the video to Nanoware. The video couldn't have cuts, it had to be a single sequence. After those ten minutes it could have cuts, but not before. At some point of that sequence she had to show her face and use her voice, to prove that it was her. At all times a part of her naked body ought to be in front of the camera, no hiding behind.

Cassie, naked and with her face covered, left the car. The ten minutes started right then. Despite that the neighborhood was inhabited, nobody used to be in those streets at that time. She should be safe. The rules stated that if she were assaulted, including physical contact, she could stop recording and the task would be considered done. Instead, being talked to, or pointed at, or insulted, or chased, or photographed would not justify stopping the recording. The tournament was supposed to be challenging after all.

As she espected the streets were empty. A few lights in the buildings suggested that there could be people still awake and watching her. She didn't care. Her face was covered and the video would be posted in the BraveSpirit website anyways. She already knew the cost.

Suddenly a car stopped behind her. She kept walking, as calmly as possible. A group of four young men in an advanced state of drunkenness stepped out. Two of them laughed and another one started to record her with the phone. The fourth one approached her until he was walking next to her at the same speed.

-Excuse me, ma'am. Is everything ok?- That was the last thing she was expecting.

-Yeah. In doing this for the BraveSpirit tournament.- There was no point in lying.

-No way! My cousin took part the last year! It's so cool! Do you mind if we take a couple of pictures?- She accepted. One by one the four young guys posed with her. Two of them surrounded her waist with an arm, which made her wonder if that counted as assault.- Thank you! Good luck!- They got back in the car. She waved her hand to say goodbye.

Aside from a couple of some insults and a few people taking pictures she ended her walk with no incidents and could get in her car, to put her clothes on. Somebody saw her redressing in the car and took pictures of the plate, but it was a rental. They wouldn't reveal her name that easily.

The next day she saw the posted videos. There were only ten so far, and only four were women. A triffle compared to the two thousand of last year. None of the participants had been outright raped, but they had been groped and severely insulted, to the point of making them cry. One of the girls was sprayed with dirty water. Cassie either had been lucky, or had chosen a better place. She had been scared for sure. Specially when the car with the four men stopped. She had felt ashamed too of course. But above all she felt proud. At the end she would win or lose, but she had tried.

The time limit to post he videos was at midday. By then only thirty videos with only seven girls had een sent. At that hour the website would block the links to that section, and open the ones for the second task. Cassie was impatient.

---

Not very far from there Jackeline was watching the last videos. She was relieved. Despite several unpleasant incidents, nobody got hurt. As she had suspected there would be few contestants. The costs of that year's activities per person were much higher than average but with so few participants they would be low enough to convince the other shareholders to do a sixth contest.

Jackeline was cofounder of Nanoware and director of BraveSpirit, as well as one of the script writers. The main idea of that year's type of tasks hadn't been hers though. She wasn't sure of it being a good idea. Kids watched the videos. And the kids' parents had lawyers. It was risky. But of course it will be controversial too. Controversies online meant watchers, and watchers meant money. So yes, risky.

Several contestants were of the usual kind, people that needed the cash prize. The ones nicknamed Masochboy and StoryO, probably had different motivations. It was the others that surprised Jackie. All kinds of people actually. The one nicknamed QueenBee for example claimed to be testing herself or something like that. A girl named LadyCumsalot was a real porn actress seeking fame. MisterIce promised to be invincible. Whatever, Jackie thought, and sent the message with the second task.

---

Cassandra read the second message. She had never considered doing such a thing. It would be disgusting. Humilliating. Shameful. A challenge indeed. She'd had to wait until the next afternoon. More than enough to get ready.

The first step that morning was going to a hairdresser to cut her hair in a bob style. Second was going to an adult store to buy a black latex mask, and a light leather collar. Next a hardware store for a padlock. Fourth a toy store to buy glasses that resembled insect eyes. Fifth a clothes shop for a new dress. Fifth a shoe store.

At the afternoon she arrived to the place ten minutes early, as she had already gotten dressed at home. The raincoat she wore in the few meters from the car to the backdoor of a bar was removed quickly as soon as she entered. There she found another six people, four men and two girls. The rule about dressing sexy was either only for women, or men had it very easy. While the girls had expensive looking dresses or tight pants, lots of make up and high heels, the boys merely tight jeans and tank tops, except for one that had slacks and a silk shirt half buttoned. Fortunately for him he had muscles to show.

Cassie for her part had put some effort. The dress was primrose and gauzy, with spaghetti straps on the shoulders and not long enough to hide the bottom curve of her pussy. The black satin of her underwear was almost completely visible. The platform shoes made her a bit taller. The insect glasses above the mask, kept in place by the padlocked collar, were meant to be related to her nickname. She had painted black stripes around her torso for the same reason, visible through the fabric of the dress. Aside from Masochboy, MisterIce and LadyCumsalot all were wearing some kind of mask, or at least ample sunglasses.

About nine minutes later a man with an apron opened the door. He repeated the general rules just in case somebody hadn't read the email well. Then he guided the contestants to the bar itself. There were inside around twenty clients and one bartender, eighteen of them men. He told the contestant to go to the bathroom one by one to show their faces and do the salutation, similarly to that of the first task.

When all were done with that formality, and they were all together in the bar, the apron man pointed at a clock on the wall. The party was about to start. Curiously only four more contestants had arrived. It wasn't about being the best at something like other years. It was just about being there. The tasks would get worse and worse, and only those willing to debase themselves would see the end. Whoever endured the worst along the two weeks of the contest would win. A beautiful irony.

-So again. Don't damage the merchandise, but don't be kind either.- Explained the apron man.- We start in ten, nine, eight...

LadyCumsalot, who had been on a bitter mood so far, suddenly showed a big smile and went to talk with a group of five men on a table. Masochboy got on all fours and crawled to another table. StoryO removed her meager short dress and laid on a table open legged. Providing oral sex was mandatory but could be replaced by vaginal sex, if the contestant was willing. All the rest of the contestants did something of the kind, to offer their services, except for MisterIce, that simply stood there and Cassie that was feeling too awkward to do anything. Yet, when she saw that all the clients were busy with any of the other contestants she realized that passivity was not recommendable.

The rules didn't specify any mandatory number of sexual interactions, as long as there were at least one, but they did specify that she had to show eagerness. Even MisterIce had found somebody. Cassie looked around her and didn't see anybody available. Suddenly a hand grabbed her forearm at her side. It was the bartender, a slim teenager with acne. She smiled. He should be easy to manage for her first one. She took him to a chair and made him sit. Then she squatted down and put his penis in her mouth.

She was both right and wrong. He was certainly easy to manage, but her youth made him also resistant to exhaustion, so it took a while. When she finished with him, always showing a smile, she got up ready to find another one and when she turned around she found the two women, one of them was quite masculine, in the sense of having muscular arms, hairy armpits, and a crew cut on her head. She had no experience on that front but she did her best. Doing both women took more than forty minutes, that in addition to the teenager, did about half of the time. They weren't happy with her performance, but the rules didn't say anything about skill, only about eagerness.

Next came the apron man. She wasn't sure if he was supposed to take part. She expected that he would just watch. She shrugged her shoulders and complied anyways. That one proved to be more difficult, as he grabbed her head and forced his penis into her mouth, almost choking her a couple of times. Internet language called it skullfuck among other therms and she didn't enjoy it in the slighest, but the rules accepted it, as at any moment he had damaged her. It was unpleasant, uncomfortable and painful, but not really dangerous, and that was exactly the point of the whole competition, to be challenging. It wouldn't make sense if it were easy.

After that most of the clients had had their share and the party got much more calm. A specially creative client signaled Cassie to get closer. LadyCumsalot was on her knees in front of him licking his flacid penis in broad strokes. He asked Cassie to kneel next to her and do the same at the other side. For the first time in her life Cassie found herself in an unwanted threesome, where two women were licking the same penis. Eventually he got hard again and used Cassie mouth for release, claiming that LadyCumsalot's had already been tested. For the teenager she had shallowed, as he had been more or less respectful, but for the apron man and the threesome man she just spit it on the floor.

After that he asked the girls to tongue kiss, which Cassie had no intention of doing because it wasn't in the rules, but LadyCumsalot eagerly did it. She was a good kisser so Cassie didn't complain. When the kiss ended he asked the girls to lick his penis again. He didn't get hard though so after another ten minutes, probably out of shame, he asked them to stop. Along the next half an hour Lady Cumsalot massaged slowly and sensuously Cassie's breasts while she did the same with the other one's inner thighs. Nobody approached them anyways. The time passed and the apon man told the contestants to go to the back room. In there he coldly congratulated them and told them to go home to wait for the next email.

In the way back to her car Cassie bumped into LadyCumsalot again that was typing something on her phone. Her smile had completely faded as soon as they had left the area under the cameras' watch. They talked a bit while Lady waited for the cab. She was there because both her manager and her usual producer had forced her. Turned out that Cassie had enjoyed the afternoon more, even if LadyCumsalot had been smiling all the time. They parted ways in a friendly tone, despite being rivals. Cassie had doubts about repeating similar conversations with the other contestants. LadyCumsalot had bills to pay and needed the money. Maybe the others had similar or worse issues. In comparison Cassie's motivation was much more selfish and she felt bad.