Demonic Pornstar System

"I'm glad to see you five back in pristine shape," Talia greeted Kaiden and his ladies.

She received nods from five different heads in response.

"Will your guards not join us at the table? I've always wanted to meet the infamous artificer twins…" Tessa inquired, sending the tanned Rae and lab-coat wearing Riven a glance.

The fact that even guild leaders treated them with curiosity went to show just how well-known they were in the higher echelons of the awakened world.

The twins stayed in the car, which was parked out of earshot. Rae was busy poking fun at Riven because the woman once again forgot to put on proper combat clothes while the recipient of her words ignored the girl as if she didn't even exist, busy fiddling with her tablet.

Tessa's rather casual, friendly attitude contrasted greatly with Talia's stiff posture and practiced expression. After all, it was not Nova Circuit who were in big trouble but Runewoven. She was just here to see how the talks went and if she could gain any more benefits from Talia's troubles.

The pair were friends, yes, but business was business. Both understood this facet of their lives very well. As guild leaders, their job was to prioritize their guild's success over personal benefits and relationships.

"I asked, but they said they don't want to," Aria answered the woman's question with a little sigh, leaving her lungs. "Rae said she doesn't want to fall asleep just yet, and Riven has better things to do."

"I understand… Their job is to keep you alive, not to be your friends," Tessa replied with a bit of disappointment in her tone.

"Who's hungry?" Talia spoke up again, moving the topic back to where she wanted it to be headed.

As the servers unveiled the spread, a wave of exquisite aromas rolled through the garden. Unlike how it was for normal meals of Earth, here each dish was a trophy of danger and skill, ingredients only obtainable by braving the wild, lethal dungeons.

Plates of monster sashimi carved from ocean biome predators, fried slime chitin tempura, spectral root salads, an array of dark-glass bottles containing chilled dungeon grape wine, among many other such delicacies, promised an indulgence like no other.

Bastet's golden eyes locked instantly onto the sashimi.

The Ra-Blessed Felinid all but vanished from Kaiden's side the moment the food was unveiled, her feline grace turning into a blur of movement that reappeared at the nearest seat, one that hadn't even been formally offered yet.

She planted herself down with seamless fluidity and seized a fork and knife in both hands, gripping the utensils. These were foreign tools she was determined to master.

Bastet didn't need them, of course. Her instincts screamed to claw and tear, to bite into the mana-rich flesh with teeth and teeth alone. But she'd watched enough human behavior to know they had an odd fixation on using these dainty implements before eating. So, she adapted.

Her golden eyes refused to be torn away from the glistening sashimi, each slice a masterpiece carved from monsters slain in the oceanic biomes, monsters that swam deep below the surface, felled by elite awakened hunters risking death for a prize that now sat seductively within arm's reach. The elemental mana still lingering in the raw cuts made her ears twitch and her mouth water. Her fork-hand trembled.

But she did not eat.

Despite her obvious hunger, despite the wild sparkles in her eyes and the drool she swallowed back down, Bastet kept herself still. Because she knew. This wasn't just a meal. This was politics. Negotiation. Status. She absolutely refused to make things worse by lunging at the table like an animal. No, she would wait for her master's permission as the good girl she was.

Bastet wasn't good at diplomacy, so she had resolved not to speak unless spoken to, and not to act without a signal. She didn't want to be a burden on Kaiden. She wasn't here to embarrass him.

The tanned feline might still be getting used to the world of humans, of etiquette and restraint, but one thing she did understand perfectly well: she was no longer a monster, or at least couldn't be allowed to be perceived as such.

Monsters were enemies of humanity, wild and hateful, always ready to cause a tragedy. If she wanted her master to have no problems due to owning a previous boss monster, she had to act the part.

That's why she was his subjugated companion, his pet, his alien lover, whatever the proper term was as long as it wasn't 'monster'. And she would not forget her place.

Well… Despite the best intentions of the Ra-Blessed Felinid, her actions were still ridiculously unfitting for such an elegant event. Especially once her swallowed drool inevitably returned to the surface, and this time she forgot to swallow.

Aria noticed it immediately and let out a happy giggle, not embarrassed by her friend one bit. She reached into her purse, pulled out a lace-edged handkerchief, and dabbed Bastet's chin with a fond sigh, finding the woman beyond adorable. "I thought you said you weren't hungry?"

"I didn't know we were going to have such a legendary feast! I said I wasn't hungry because I wanted to do more research on my master's phone, but he cruelly dragged me here anyway… And I'm so glad he did~"

Meanwhile, Nyx's gaze slid past the raw platter and locked onto the more thoroughly prepared dishes, especially the roasted shardboar slices glazed in venomfruit honey and the tall, dewy bottles of deep-violet dungeon wine.

The wine was what snagged her attention hardest. She remembered how, back during the Monster Cooking Stream, they hadn't had enough money to buy dungeon drinks, meaning it was going to be the first time she ever got to taste such a thing.

A tiny rumble escaped her stomach, drawing a few glances. Nyx flushed slightly but raised her voice before anyone could comment. "Miss Talia, you read my mind. I suggest we get down to business right away."

Luna had to snort when she realized 'business' meant devouring a feast to the Space Valkyrie.

Across from them, Vaelira had a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she observed the two visibly hungry women. She didn't speak, but the disdain was obvious in her narrowed eyes and arched brow. Sasha, less subtle, simply leaned toward Jack and whispered something behind her hand before giggling in that sharp, snide way of hers. The message was clear: what a bunch of peasants.