Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 761: Scary Stream
Previously on Demonic Po*nstar System...
The private wing grew more hushed with the departure of the team.
Kira and Rika had settled at the long table where equipment had been laid out an hour prior. Tablets, phones, two mugs of tepid coffee they'd prepared themselves, as neither knew where anything resided in this kitchen. The gear vanished, the team departed, leaving only the live feed projected from their interface.
They had witnessed broadcasts before. Thousands. New Dawn's content division produced an abundance of awakened combat spectacles, each meticulously filmed from multiple angles, complete with commentary overlays and polished post-production. Rika had personally edited the majority of these. Kira had managed the schedules and distribution. They were well-acquainted with the appearance of combat footage.
This instance was distinctly different.
The feed presented a first-person viewpoint. Kaiden’s perspective, unadorned, devoid of overlays or commentary tracks, lacking the safety of professional detachment. When the Granite Tyrant charged, the camera did not transition to a wider shot. It remained fixed on his eyes as forty tons of armored predator filled the frame, and the audio was nothing but the grinding of stone and Luna shrieking something anatomically creative at a monster incapable of comprehension.
Rika winced as Calypso absorbed a blow that propelled her sliding across the creature’s formidable back. Kira’s hand found her sister’s beneath the table.
They had never held hands during a New Dawn broadcast. Not once throughout their years of producing combat content.
"They're unharmed," Kira stated.
"I'm aware."
"Luna is amused."
"I can discern her mirth."
On screen, Kaiden adjusted his stance, and the siphoning field transformed the Tyrant's open wound into a gushing torrent. The chat scrolled by with excessive speed for comprehension.
Forty-one seconds later, the Granite Tyrant succumbed, collapsing into Bastet’s fiery pool, and the twins simultaneously released their breath.
"Understood," Rika declared, withdrawing her hand and adjusting her posture in her seat. "We must commence our tasks."
"We have been occupied all morning."
"You have not," Rika's gaze located her sister with pinpoint accuracy. "You concluded your makeup duties early to trail the boss around the facility like an affectionate puppy."
"That constitutes legitimate assistant responsibilities! That is fundamentally part of the role."
"Your responsibility was assisting me in preparing six women for a combat mission. You attended to Luna's makeup, who, within moments, informed you that your presence disrupted her concentration, whereupon you abruptly had pressing secretarial matters to attend to."
Kira prepared to speak, and a highly plausible rebuttal nearly escaped her lips. Then, she observed Rika’s expression, and the argument wisely retreated to its secure confines.
"...Very well."
"Therefore," Rika slid a tablet across the table. "You will undertake the forum audit. The moderation team identified forty-odd posts overnight requiring review."
"Forty?!"
"Indeed. Extract all pertinent information and condense it into easily digestible points for me."
"Ugh!"
Kira accepted the tablet and submerged her frustrations in the act of scrolling.
They proceeded with their duties.
The live feed persisted on Rika’s display, now a secondary screen rather than the primary focus. Every few minutes, an auditory cue would draw their attention back. The wet thud of Calypso’s axe. A deep rumble indicating the next adversary possessed strong opinions about being pursued. Luna's voice piercing the pandemonium with language that would have resulted in significant repercussions at New Dawn had it found its way into the video released post-stream. Here, it was merely another highlight among many.
Their eyes would dart to the feed, they would flinch, and then return to their respective tasks.
The door to the private wing opened with a gentle sound.
Alexandra entered, carrying a tray. Cookies, still warm, arranged artfully around a small pot of freshly brewed coffee. She was attired for her duties, her hair neatly secured, her movements quiet and purposeful.
Kira looked up. "Oh, there's no need! We are merely employees, after all. Do not trouble yourself."
Alexandra offered a smile and placed the tray between their tablets.
"You are laboring diligently for the well-being of my friends."
"It is simply our occupation," Rika commented, although her gaze had already been captivated by the cookies.
"When was the last occasion either of you experienced a full night's sleep?"
The twins exchanged glances. The truthful response involved a figure that would only reinforce the maid's assertion, so neither uttered it.
Alexandra’s smile remained unchanged. She merely nudged the tray a little closer.
They accepted the cookies.
"Do you observe the feeds?" Kira inquired, taking a bite. Her eyes widened. These were exceptional.
Alexandra shook her head. "I cannot tolerate the violence with ease."
She stated this plainly, without apology, and proceeded to collect their empty mugs.
The twins did not probe further. They were aware of Alexandra's identity. They knew what she had endured and who had intervened to save her. Alexandra did not wish to witness the brutality. Her focus was centered on ensuring no one returned to an empty dwelling.
On the feed, Kaiden's team located their subsequent adversary. The chat counter advanced past two million concurrent viewers.
Kira and Rika indulged in their cookies, sipping on freshly brewed coffee that far surpassed their own attempts, and continued their work. ... The hours flowed by unnoticed. Rika’s production grid expanded across three tablet screens. Kira’s compiled forum summary evolved from simple bullet points into a document she felt a quiet sense of pride in, though she’d never confess that the original forty posts had swelled to sixty-two once she began delving deeper into the threads. The coffee pot was emptied twice. Alexandra, without a word, refilled it on both occasions, her appearances and disappearances so perfectly timed that the twins couldn't help but wonder if she possessed spatial abilities herself. The mod team was performing exceptionally. Kira could observe the chat activity through the analytics dashboard, and whoever these three women were, they ran a highly efficient operation. Hateful comments vanished within seconds. Waves of enthusiasm were expertly generated at precisely the right junctures. Leia even contributed an analytical breakdown of the team’s hunting patterns mid-chat, which sparked its own comment chain, four thousand messages deep. Membership messages, that is. Kira made a note of it for the summary document. Rika cast a glance, read a couple of lines, and gave a slight nod. In the background, Alexandra hummed a gentle, absent-minded melody as she went about dusting the shelves, the kind of tune one carries without conscious thought. ... As the sun began to set, the door burst open. Luna entered first, speaking before she was fully inside, her voice resonating with the fervor of someone who had been battling monsters for eight hours and had found no reason to cease. "- and then it ROLLED, Cali, it actually rolled on top of you, and you just held its whole body up with one arm while Kai carved through its spine from below, that was the sickest thing I’ve ever -" "Darling was magnificent," Calypso followed her in, her axe resting across her back, dried ichor powdering her armor with each step. A bruise, as large as a dinner plate, marked her left shoulder, yet she wore a smile as if it were a badge of honor. "The way he transitioned from Gluttony into Wrath mid-grapple... I could feel the heat from across the beast’s back." "Stop simping." "Never!" The remainder of the team followed them in. Bastet and Nyx were engaged in a debate about the timing of a spatial compression technique, while Aria held Kaiden’s hand as they walked, her hair catching the fading daylight from the corridor windows, her expression conveying that even if she were walking through a sewer, it wouldn't matter as long as her fingers were intertwined with his. They were battered. Exhausted. But the atmosphere was undeniably charged. The group found their way to the private wing like an incoming tide. Armor pieces began to be shed. Luna collapsed onto the couch with a groan. Calypso leaned her axe against the wall, the metallic clang echoing. Then, the immediate need for sustenance took precedence. "Blondie Bestie." Nyx turned towards Alexandra, who had been observing the group's arrival with a pleasant smile. "What’s for dinner?" Alexandra blinked. Her warm smile shifted to one of feigned innocence. "Nothing?" A hush fell over the room.