Chapter 188: Showcase, Part Six*
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Zephyra stared at the spellsign floating in the air before her, its complex patterns making her head hurt.
[This shouldn't work,] she thought, running a hand through her raven hair. [This literally cannot work. And yet...]
The magical diagram Melisa made for her was a total mess. Blood Magic symbols intertwined with healing Life Magic designs and curves in ways that should have caused the whole thing to explode spectacularly. Instead, somehow, they... complemented each other?
[It's like she took everything we know about magical theory and just... decided it was more of a suggestion than a rule.]
"Lumi sanguine, vita crescere," Zephyra muttered the incantation, though she didn't channel any power into it. She couldn't, not without making a sacrifice first. That's how Blood Magic worked - or how it was supposed to work, anyway.
But Melisa had just... done it.
No sacrifices, no ritualistic bloodletting, nothing. Zephyra had seen it in action when Melisa used the spell to heal those sick nim, while the two were investigating the Curses spreading throughout Syux. Casting Blood Magic without a sacrifice was just... something Melisa could do, innately.
It was enough to send chills down Zephyra's spine.
[The girl's either a genius or completely insane,] Zephyra mused, tracing one particularly clever bit of spellwork with her finger. [Probably both.]
The way Melisa had effectively reversed a Blood curse's targeting mechanism was... well, it was brilliant. Terrifying, but brilliant. Like looking at a piece of art made entirely of live explosives - beautiful, but one wrong move and everything goes boom.
"How did you even think of this?" Zephyra asked the empty room, shaking her head. "What kind of mind looks at a curse designed to rot someone from the inside out and thinks 'Oh, I'll just make it work backwards!'?"
She sighed, leaning back in her chair. Without Melisa here, she couldn't properly test the spell's effects. She couldn't even cast it herself - not unless she wanted to drag someone into her study and murder them for the necessary Blood Magic energy.
[And wouldn't that be an interesting explanation for the guards? 'Sorry, just needed to sacrifice someone to analyze this illegal spell that our nim prodigy cast on the king. You understand.']
The worst part was, she was actually starting to see the elegant logic behind Melisa's madness. The way the girl had woven the spells together... it was like watching a master chef throw seemingly random ingredients into a pot and somehow produce a masterpiece.
A potentially explosive, possibly reality-breaking masterpiece, but still.
"You clever little nim," Zephyra muttered, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. "You actually did it. You made Blood Magic heal instead of harm... But, at what cost?"
She'd need Melisa back tomorrow to continue the analysis. And probably a very large glass of wine tonight to process the implications of all this.
[At least my job's never boring anymore,] she thought, carefully recording her observations. [Though I might have preferred boring to 'nim girl casually rewrites the laws of magic because she felt like it.']
---
{Melisa}
Melisa's tongue slid along Isabella's shaft, her hands squeezing the kitsune's plump ass as she took more of that fat futacock into her mouth.
[God, nothing beats morning head,] Melisa thought, her tail swishing happily as Isabella's moans filled the room.
"Fuck, Mel~" Isabella's pink tail was wagging like crazy, her ears twitching with each swirl of Melisa's tongue. "Your mouth is so... ah... so good..."
Melisa hummed around Isabella's length, making the kitsune's hips buck. She loved how responsive Isabella was, how easily she could reduce the normally quippy fox-girl to a moaning mess.
The door swung open.
"My, my," Kimiko's amused voice rang out. "Starting the day off right, I see."
Isabella's dick twitched in Melisa's mouth.
[Of course Kimiko would walk in now,] Melisa thought, not stopping her ministrations. [Like mother, like daughter - always showing up when someone's getting dick sucked.]
"M-Mom!" Isabella gasped, her hands tightening in Melisa's hair. "Getting my morning milking, wanna join~?"
"As tempting as it is to watch Melisa drain my baby girl dry," Kimiko smirked, leaning against the doorframe, her own impressive bulge clearly visible through her dress. "We need to get going."
Melisa made a disappointed sound around Isabella's cock. She had been really looking forward to drinking down Isabella's hot cum.
"But Moooom," Isabella whined, her hips still grinding forward. "I'm so close..."
"Don't worry, little Mel's coming with us," Kimiko's smirk widened. "Lord Malachim specifically requested her presence so you can probably just find some point to escape and finish what you've started."
That got Melisa's attention. She pulled off Isabella's cock with a wet pop, ignoring the kitsune's protesting whimper.
"Malachim? The merchant guy?"
"The very same," Kimiko nodded. "He wants to speak with you personally."
[Ah,] Melisa thought, wiping her mouth. [I get it. My name's getting around after the whole 'saved the king' thing. He probably wants me to endorse something.]
"Fine," Melisa sighed, giving Isabella's cock one last kiss. "But you owe me that load later."
Isabella's tail wagged.
"Promise!"
---
The walk to Malachim's shop was... interesting. Isabella kept trying to grope Melisa's ass while Kimiko pretended not to notice, though her smirk said otherwise.
[At least she's not mad about the interrupted blowjob anymore,] Melisa thought as they approached the massive storefront.
And massive was the right word. Malachim's Magical Merchandise took up nearly half the street, its polished windows displaying everything from enchanted jewelry to floating orbs of pure light.
The merchant himself burst out of the front doors like an enthusiastic puppy, his round face beaming.
"Ladies! Welcome, welcome!" He swept into an elaborate bow that made his expensive robes swish. "Please, allow me to show you around! We've just received the most fascinating shipment of self-cleaning chamber pots..."
Malachim led them through his shop, proudly pointing out various "revolutionary" items he'd brought to market. Self-warming blankets, never-ending ink pots, and yes, those fascinating chamber pots. All enchanted by the finest mages in Syux, he promised.
Finally, he clapped his hands.
"Ah, Gregor!" he called to a nearby servant. "Would you mind showing Lady Summer and young Miss Summer our new crystal collection? I'd like a word with Miss Blackflame."
Isabella shot Melisa a concerned look, but Kimiko just grabbed her daughter's arm.
"Come along, dear. I'm sure there are plenty of... interesting things to examine."
Once they were alone, Malachim's jovial demeanor shifted slightly. Not in a threatening way, but... more serious.
"Tell me, Miss Blackflame," he said, leading her to a quieter corner of the shop. "Are you aware of your position in Syux?"
Melisa's tail swished uncertainly.
"I mean, I know I'm getting kind of popular after the whole saving-the-king thing..."
Malachim actually laughed.
"Popular? My dear girl, that's not the half of it!" His eyes sparkled with genuine excitement. "Do you have any idea what people are saying about you? The conversations you've sparked?"
[Um, no? I've been too busy getting railed by various hot ladies to pay attention to gossip.]
"When you saved His Majesty," Malachim continued, "it wasn't just a magical achievement. It was a nim, using magic, saving the king of the very nation that has her people enslaved!"
He began to pace, his enthusiasm building.
"And then! Then you spent the quarantine healing sick nim, despite the risks to yourself. The stories spread through every tavern, every market - 'Did you hear about the purple girl? The one who can use magic? She's helping people!'"
Melisa blinked.
"I... didn't realize people were talking about that."
"Talking? They're practically shouting!" Malachim gestured expansively. "The abolitionists are using you as their prime example. 'Look!' they say, 'Look at what nim can do when given the chance!' Even some of the most conservative nobles are starting to question their assumptions!"
[Holy shit,] Melisa thought. [I was just trying to help people and get laid. I didn't mean to start a social movement!]
"That's... kind of overwhelming," she admitted.
Malachim's expression softened.
"That, my dear, is why I agreed to host your friend's showcase." He lowered his voice. "The winds are changing in Syux. I've been in business long enough to recognize when the tide is turning. And I..." he straightened his expensive robes, "intend to be on the right side of history."
He smiled, and for once it wasn't his merchant's smile.
"I look forward to seeing where you go from here, Miss Blackflame. Something tells me you're going to keep surprising us all."
[No pressure or anything,] Melisa thought, her tail curling nervously. [Just accidentally became the face of nim rights while trying to build a harem. Totally normal.]
From somewhere in the shop came the sound of something expensive breaking, followed by Isabella's distinct "Oops!"
"I should probably go check on that," Melisa said quickly.
"Indeed," Malachim agreed, his merchant's smile returning. "Though do consider what I said. You have more influence than you realize."
As Melisa hurried toward the crash site, she couldn't help but wonder what other changes she might accidentally cause.
[Well,] she sighed, [I did say I wanted to be important.]