Merchant & Monster Girls Ch. 20

"You probably couldn't tell from the outside, but we are built on the side of a cliff, so we have a few stairs to navigate. As for Miss Selkie, no need to fret! You get to ride in style down the service lift."

Finnian held the door open for Seula as she squeezed into the tight box. "Turn the bigger wheel there, and we'll meet you at the bottom." With a creaky complaint, the pulleys turned to start Seula's descent.

The entire facility looked like a tipped over 'L.' The stairwell had salt-flecked windows looking out across the cannery's main roof. Underneath it, the main production floor extended out like a timbered tear across the beach and toward the water.

"Are all the canneries this expansive?" Devin asked.

"No. This building used to be a dry dock, but it was too small for building the larger merchant ships, so the harbor master put it up for sale to fund a bigger one on the other side of town. We won the bid for it and modified it for our own purposes."

"That explains the roof."

Finnian nodded. "Allows us to work year-round in still water and not have to worry about weather."

"Question!" an excited Azalea declared.

"Yes, Mrs. Fairy?"

"How did this get started? Why did milt and roe become so popular?"

"You ask a question with a lengthy answer rooted in history.

"The Pelagians were already established in this region long before the land-dwellers spread this far north. When they eventually did arrive, they built a sleepy little fishing village and called it Merport.

"And, as it so happens, over the course of time, when you have two groups of people living near each other, naturally, there'd be some interaction. There wasn't much at first, especially with the merfolk. They had no interest in the ungraceful finless or the technology they needed to navigate the environment in which they were already perfectly suited. The ocean provided everything they needed or wanted, or so they thought.

"There was one thing that started garnering their attention: metal. They had knowledge of its existence, but since smelting underwater is impossible and not really needed, it mostly fell out of memory -- until the shore-bornes' arrival.

"Interest slowly grew toward the gold and silver jewelry they sometimes saw humans wearing. The younger generation especially developed a hunger for new fashion, but there arose a problem. They had nothing to buy with. The Pelagians don't have a currency-based economy. The ocean, though, held vast and plentiful resources.

"On occasion, there was maybe some light bartering, but that wasn't sufficient. The shore-borne already did their own fishing, and sea sponges weren't incredibly lucrative, so they turned to pearls.

"The need for naturally produced clam-girl pearls exploded. Their tribe, originally left to their own devices, was suddenly being pampered to produce the biggest and prettiest pearls they could. But it's a slow process to grow one. They needed something more readily available. So they turned to a different, easier to acquire and replenishing commodity, -- roe.

"Demand increased and not just because they needed more buying power. A taste for it developed. Not sure why. Perhaps some landwalker thought, 'If you can eat harpy eggs, why not a mermaid's?'

"Regardless, nowadays, it's its own market. The unique flavor and texture are considered an exotic novelty and culinary innovation. Some people believe it even has certain health benefits, and among those who can afford it, certain roe is regarded as a luxury status symbol."

While slightly warmer inside than out, their descent was especially breezy as the cold air from below mixed with the warm above.

"Glad I don't have to come down here too often. It's quite the climb," Finnian remarked.

"Does that mean someone else manages everything in your stead?"

"There is someone. My job is to organize worker schedules, handle orders, sales, and archiving the endless paperwork from the donors. Processing is handled by Tero Vasskal. In the collection rooms, the management is a little different because they are divided up into squads with group leaders.

"Sorry for the wait, Miss Selkie."

"N... no, I d... didn't wait long."

Finnian held the door open for Seula so she could roll out. "I must say, it's a rare treat to have you. Your tribe is rather aloof."

"Y... ya, I s... suppose we are."

Azalea inquired, "Are there not many of them?"

"Selkies are solitary, nomadic hunters. The only time they come together is to raise a family, and that only lasts till their offspring are grown."

"Seula runs the lighthouse and a restaurant called The Boil'n'Bubble," the fairy offered.

"Does she now? I've heard some of the workers talk about the food there. Maybe I should stop by sometime."

"High Overseer Fiskr, what brings you down here?" A well built sahagin man with greenish-blue scales and long, slightly messy black hair. He wore a loincloth tied with a thick rope around his waist. More likely as a tool belt rather than an attempt at modesty since anything he had to hide was already tucked away inside his body.

His blue eyes sparkled as he flashed a warm smile.

"Supervisor Tero, you saved me the trouble of having to look for ya. I'm giving this traveling merchant and his group a tour."

"Are ya? Begging your pardon, but doesn't that go against clause eight subsection two?"

"Not if we leverage clause forty-five paragraph nine."

"That is a unique interpretation of that. Very good, then. If I'd known we'd be having visitors, I would have had everyone make things a little more presentable."

"No need; it was a spur-of-the-moment decision."

"Well, nice t'meecha. As the foreman said, I'm Tero Vasskal, Miss Fiskr's right-hand fin for processing, shipping and packaging."

Around them, sahagin workers navigated between hills of carefully stacked crates and 'valleys' crammed with sealed barrels.

Devin side-stepped a sahagin rushing by, her bare, webbed feet slapping on the stone floor.

"Do you produce this much in one day?" the merchant asked.

"No, no. Those crates over there are fresh roe ready for the open market. That side will be packed in ice for extended storage. The demand during the warm seasons has increased over the years, so we have to augment our inventory as much as we can before spring.

"We ship all around the kingdom in the warmer seasons, so we are full speed ahead until that time."

"Thanks for your time," Devin commended.

"Not a problem! I better get back to it. Have a good tour."

Finnian continued, "Now, for the heart of our operation, where we turn raw product into tributes to appetite."

The shipping area was within the same room as the production area, separated only by a wall of merchandise.

"It might be a little hard for Miss Selkie to see, so why don't we go up to the viewing platform?"

Devin, with Reina's help, lifted Seula up the steps.

Finnian directed their attention toward the shop floor, "We can't automate any of the processes because roe is delicate. The less handling, the better. It retains its integrity, preserves as much of the original flavor as possible, and maximizes yield by keeping potential damage to the goods to a minimum.

"We have space for four production lines. Starting there, we first organize by color."

She indicated rows of wooden buckets full of black, dark green, yellow, orange, and red gloopy mermaid eggs.

Azalea flew to the railing and sat down. "Why don't you mix the same colors together?"

"Because each bucket is from a different donor and the quality varies, determined by the 'picker,' that man there."

The picker was a burly sahagin man with grayish-blue scales. Belying his obvious physical strength, his vocation seemed a rather dainty one.

"His job may be the hardest. He's responsible for determining the quality or grade of each. He'll first assess the contents visually. Then he'll pick out a single egg and squeeze it between his fingers to test for firmness before tasting it for flavor."

The picker went from pail to pail with an astute sahagin woman by his side, inclining her ear to his verdict. Once decided, she placed a lettered flag in the pail.

"She's marking where it's to be taken. We have three categories in which we differentiate which grade a batch is classified. Those are based on size, firmness, shape, and sometimes color."

"Grade C is our most inexpensive. With a lot of imperfections, the quality doesn't matter much because it's used as an ingredient for other dishes.

"Grade B is our highest seller and is used in everyday cooking and sometimes as a garnish.

"But, where presentation is paramount, you want the highest quality, grade A. For a donation to be selected and worthy of such a ranking, the roe must be only the largest, most perfectly round eggs, with a bright, uniform color and the firmest texture. You want each individual pearl to pop in your mouth for a burst of flavor.

"Once that's ascertained, each grade will be mixed with their associated rank and color into those barrels there where they continue on their journey to the 'sifter.'"

A pair of sahagins hoisted the now full barrel, transported it across the floor to mesh nets laid out in a square, and carefully poured the contents.

"The odd-sized and malformed are filtered out, and the remaining contents fall onto those finer cloths and are given a bath of clean, cold water to remove excess mucus.

"After all that is done, they either go straight onto packaging or salted for preservation."

"Where does your salt come from? You must have access to a good supply if you can afford to use it on Merport's roads," Devin asked.

"We have to import the majority of it for our use, but we do a little cost-cutting by producing some in those large copper vats."

Six metal steaming canisters with interconnected pipes glowed brightly as workers kept fires fed and occasionally shoveled out a fine white substance.

"The water is boiled off, leaving the brine. The evaporated water is recaptured in those smaller tanks and recycled for bathing the roe."

"Sounds like you're doing a good job being more self-sustaining," Devin complimented.

"We get by."

"You must burn through a lot of fuel, though."

"We use oak and try to keep them running as long as possible, nearly twenty-four-seven, and as you could guess, it's a large money sink. We try to keep a steady low heat to offset this.

"If you don't have any questions, we'll move along to the part Mrs. Fairy has been waiting to see."

Azalea buzzed around excitedly. "I'm ready!"

Even before they reached the door, Reina perked up her ears. "Is that singing I hear?"

Devin cupped his. "Sure sounds like it."

As they drew closer to the sectioned-off room, a chorus of voices floated from the other side. Melodic sopranos and contraltos blended pleasingly with tenors and baritones in the mix.

Crossing the divide, Devin and Reina nearly lost their balance as they stepped onto what they thought was solid ground.

Finnian called out,"Careful! Hang onto the rail if you need to."

The room was filled with water with floating wooden gangways around the perimeter. Interspersed every five feet were round, loosely connected landings that jutted out toward the middle where sahagin workers were preparing to work.

On the water, pampered and floating on half clamshells and cushioned with odd-looking pillows were the owners of the mellifluous voices -- Azalea's long-sought-after merfolk. They lounged while being served drinks by dour-faced sahagins with their tails trailing in the water. They weren't even singing, yet the timbre of their collective voices had aptly bestowed upon them the moniker 'a lure of merfolk.'

"That's quite the master/servant dynamic." Azalea assessed.

"Lazy, spoiled miscreants is what they are. They'd rather braid baubles into their hair than do something productive."

"You don't sound as if you have a high opinion of them," Reina observed.

"Not high, no, but not too low, either. It would still be nice if they made some kind of effort to do any of the work for why they are here."

The scales on one mermaid's tail glistened with aqua blues, gray, and purples. Likely more than coincidence, her motions and positioning seemed purposefully enacted to flaunt the strategically placed jewelry covering her body.

While one could make the argument they were naked, that would have been only semantics. Strings of pearls fashioned together acted as tight-fitting bras, making already large breasts look even bigger as if they were about to burst out.

Mermaids who weren't so generously endowed used jewelry to accentuate other parts of their bodies they were most proud of. Chokers wrapped around dainty necks, bracelets clasped slender wrists.

And as if this wasn't unfair enough, the mermaids' physical attractiveness was not to be outdone. With their hourglass bodies and enchanting features, they flirted freely with intensely handsome mermen with broad shoulders and firm abs.

Far from having a subdued presence, each gender's thick tails added the most to their individual identities. Nearly twice the length as the rest of their body, they sported a multitudinous measure of scale patterns and colors -- a mix and match of sandy yellows, abyss blue, coral reds, and a few sunset pinks. Some had symmetrical tail fins with sharp truncated edges, and others were asymmetrical with emarginated or flowy, lunated curves.

Additionally the merfolk were cumulatively decked out in a pirate's trove worth of baubles and trinkets. Gem-encrusted rings, necklaces, brooches, earrings, anything and everything both natural and craft-made adorned their bodies.

"How's this, Mrs. Fairy? Do they meet your expectations?" Finnian teased.

All Azalea could do was nod, mouth agape.

"While our fairy finds her voice, I'll say in her place that tales of their beauty are certainly not overrated," uttered Devin, leaning on the railing.

"Or their modesty," added Reina. She provided a platform for the enchanted fairy to stand on while they all drank in the scene before them.

Nearly all the mermen were sporting erections longer than Azalea was tall. Their penises were slim and smooth, with a tapered tip small enough for even her lips to fit around. Some were only partly peeking out above the water's surface, but many more had grown to full mast with the visual assistance of the no less fertile and enticing mermaids.

The more delicate sex all had large, swollen bellies stuffed heavy with unfertilized eggs.

Finnian snorted. "False modesty, maybe. We encourage them to get themselves ready and would prefer it to speed up the process, but it's a hassle." She made a wordless gesture toward another sahagin attendant having trouble with a mercouple.

A blonde mermaid with teal scales and rainbow-colored fins was floating on her back. Her dark-haired partner, or maybe friend, was caressing her sizable stomach with one arm. Together, they made dismissive gestures toward the impatient employee and made it well known that if they wanted the merman prepped before his donation, they could do it themselves.

The fishman acted as if he expected everything to be done for him. Pampered to a degree that'd make an aristocrat envious, he maintained his relaxed position and kept talking with the mermaid in front of the sahagin woman. Seeing that anything else she was going to say would be futile, the attendant yanked the floating shell closer, dug her fingers into his genital slit, and fished out his penis.

Azalea could tell by the slightly stiffer movements and more firmly set jaw that the woman was silently balking at such silliness but maintained their composure and professionalism. "They don't seem very proactive about the whole process."

Finnian clicked her tongue. "Don't let those soft-fin scale-polishers' proud, over-inflated demeanor fool you. As much as they would like you to think such 'carnal' pleasures are below them, they like finning off as much as any other person. Impressions and perceptions are always foremost in their mind. They won't contribute anything to the process lest other merfolk think them boorish, but they secretly enjoy it all the same."

Having worked the male's shaft mostly out of his body, the attendant had just started rubbing the tip with her thumb to get him to harden up when two other sahagin employees, one on each side of the room, coincidentally called out the couple's numbers simultaneously.

Hearing it, she happily left him at half-mast, shoved one shell toward one side of the room, and ferried the other to its destination.

"Why go to so much trouble? Couldn't they just stimulate themselves in private and dispense with all the pretense?" asked Devin.

"Simple. Vanity. This public setting affords them an excuse to show off their latest tacky knick knacks."

"You mean their jewelry?" guessed Reina.

"Yes. They are worse than magpie harpies. Shiny baubles and trinkets catch their eye faster than a seagull harpy poaching a picnic sandwich.

"The market must be rather lucrative if they can afford them just by selling their eggs and milt."

"It's the only thing they care to buy. We don't pay them with normal coinage. We issue them these wooden vouchers." Finnian pulled a colorful marketing pamphlet about the vouchers from her bag.

"So the only reason they donate is to buy jewelry?"

"Essentially. Each donor that comes in receives a number. When the number is called, they swim over and receive a quick physical by one of our chirurgeons, and any pertinent information is collected to update our records."

"How many come in per day?" inquired Devin.

"Depending on the season, but around seventy plus."

"Is that a lot?"

"It's a fraction of the population. Merfolk can produce year-round, but the warmer months are their true spawning season. The numbers can double or even triple."

Beyond caring about his attitude, she dragged him by his tail off his shell onto a partially submerged net attached to a hand crane, hoisted him up, and maneuvered him over the gangway.

"We technically could milk them in the water, but with the method we employ, it's better if they are out," Finnian commented.

With the placement of the net's anchor points, his weight arched his back and thrust his penis downward, making sure it was well clear of meshing and fully accessible.

Devin noticed that the task wasn't a one-person job. Each platform had a unit of three. Of the three, two were sahagins, and a third was a type of demi-human Devin didn't know. A woman with a long, flat, frosty silver body and a tail with a frill along the entire length, top and bottom. Most likely middle-aged, her hair was in a tight bun, and her stern expression made one question if she had ever smiled her entire life.

She circled the merman, poking and prodding certain areas of his body while asking questions as one of her assistants wrote down the answers. Satisfied with the merman's health, the mystery woman made herself ready.

Devin expressed his puzzlement, "Is she some kind of sea lamia?"

"Very good guess, Mr. Ebonplume, but no."

Azalea and Reina both shrugged their cluelessness.

"She's a Morayan - an eel-woman. They have a bit of a reputation for being curt and brusk, though we don't specifically hire them for their bedside manner. Our prerequisite is something else."

"Oh?"

"Among their kind, some are born with the unique ability to produce lightning... sorta."

"Really?!?" Azalea jumped in.

"Well, it's not actual lightning, but it's something of similar effect. She's one of the milkers."

They watched with newfound interest as the purposeful eel-woman slid underneath the dangling cock and held out her hands as her assistant poured a generous amount of clear liquid from a flacon onto her group leader's hands.

"That's Kelmari lubricant -- very useful because it's not water-soluble."

Apparently knowing what was to come, the merman grasped the net firmly as she wrapped her slender fingers around his shaft and sent a low but steady stream of 'lightning' through her digits.

While the activation was invisible, the effect was not. His cock jerked, hardening rapidly with every leap and spasm as it danced to attention. Overhand, underhand, both hands encircled the turgid member. The eel woman twisted and pulled at the streamlined penis with the determined effort of a quota to meet.

Azalea leaned forward, curious how fast this woman could get him to ejaculate. "She certainly doesn't waste any time. It's like she's trying to wring it out of him."

As a fellow reader of body language, Azalea recognized the woman was of no passing skill. No doubt, countless years of milking cocks taught her that the process could be more than just a sensually tactile experience.

She was using nearly all her senses to observe the merman's every flinch and huff, his expressions, the tiny groans and gasps, and the compelled wiggles as he squirmed within his restraints.

Azalea bit her lip. "I can only imagine what that must feel like."

"Like nothing you've ever felt before."

"You've tried it?"

"Of course. Part of my job is evaluating our employees' skills personally. Eelyth there is particularly proficient with hers. She can adjust the intensity and strength not just in her hands but any part of her body."

The morayan slowed her speed. While maintaining long, firm strokes with her left hand, she jacked the tip rapidly with her right. Not allowing her assistants to sit idly by, she barked a reminder to the younger sahagin who were transfixed by the way her hands worked the needy cock.

With a start, they hurriedly took their places. The one with the bigger chest went to the front of the net and placed the moaning man's hand on her breasts, letting him grope her while the other fetched a collection jar.

Reina looked away from the curious spectacle to behold the same thing happening to many other mermen. Each 'milker' performed with their own techniques and methods. All employed a steady intensity that was well practiced at draining every drop of milt.

Seula was beside her, covering her blushing face with her hands, peeking through her fingers at the unabashed scenes.

The Whitehorn empathized with the shy girl. Nudity was one thing, but this was probably well outside the bounds of what she was used to witnessing. Not that she was used to seeing such commercialized semen extraction either, but she was less shocked than she would have been before meeting Devin and Azalea.

While musing on the subtle changes in herself, a particularly loud and low groan brought her attention back to the merman. The tingling prickles coursing through the crackling webbed fingers were overstimulating his nerves, making him extra sensitive to even the lightest touch.

"It's best if our milkers work in conjunction with the body's natural rhythms and make the collection process as relaxing as possible, but sometimes, a sacrifice of gentleness is needed for speed and efficiency."

While the merman was thoroughly enjoying the handjob, manipulating the engorged member by itself wasn't progressing his climax as fast as the eel-woman would have liked. This was no slow, sensual play at lovemaking. She and he had a job to do, and she would make sure they kept to schedule.

Switching hands, she continued to pump with her right while reaching behind his genital slit to a smaller hole. Wiggling her way inside, she crooked two of her fingers and pressed down. He grunted and bucked his hips as she circled the spot, sending pulse after continuous muscle-clenching pulse with palpitations to drive the signal through his nerves that it was time to cum.

Eelyth's assistant proffered the collection jar just in time for the first shot to blast the side, and subsequent ones quickly filled past the three-fourths line. Spreading her fingers, she timed her pulses with his contractions, ensuring each hidden ball was fully drained.

With the final tug of his exhausted penis, the merman squirted once more and fell limp as Eelyth released the rapidly retreating penis.

Azalea swallowed. "How much can you drink from them? I mean... how much do they produce?"

Finnian smirked at the slip-up. "Merman testicles are very hard workers, so we can milk a lot per session. One milking sees an average of about a pint, but that's a small volume compared to the larger Pelagians."

Even though she had just eaten, Azalea hungrily watched as the sahagin assistants assessed the pearly white liquid writing it down in the merman's records.

A higher-pitched moan from the other end of the room reminded Azalea the mermaid from earlier was having her turn and redirected her attention.

The woman was suspended in a similar manner as the male, only a larger hole had been cut in the netting to allow for her ripened belly to hang through.

It was hard to tell before when she'd been floating below the water line, but now that she was fully exposed, her stomach was substantial even compared to the other woman in the room.

"That lady looks as if she's carrying a pumpkin," Azalea marveled.

"You can almost tell the age of a mermaid by how big they get. From adulthood on, they produce more and more eggs as they get older -- probably as a way to compensate for their already poor fertility. There is a cutoff point, obviously, but she's at the peak of her fecundity."

"Poor?" Even though they produce so many?" Reina pointed to a bucket nearly full to the brim with lustrous, dark emerald eggs from a previous donor.

"It might come as a surprise, but merfolk aren't especially prolific. Despite the quantity, only a few eggs are viable. It's impossible to tell which ones are, so it's a numbers game. We drench them with as much seed as possible and hope for the best".

"Even a fraction of that many, how do they carry them all?"

"They don't. If fertilized, it's done internally and laid after a few weeks. After mating, there is, maybe you could call it a bonding ritual of sorts, where the male will massage the female's belly to ensure that her eggs are well mixed and marinating in his milt."

"Interesting. I was going to ask if overpopulation was a concern. Maybe it never was with how vast the ocean is."

"It's a non-issue either way. Just like harpies, they'll produce eggs year round so they are left with a lot of excess. You could say a beneficial side effect of the cannery's existence is keeping the ocean clean." Fillian laughed. "It's annoying during spawning season to have your neighbors' eggs just floating through your living room."

"I can imagine," laughed Reina. "The process seems more gentle than it was on the male."

Notwithstanding her round belly adding to her curvaceous figure, two frilly sets of fins formed a 'V' from her hips to a point below her belly, its only function likely to direct the eye, or in this case hand, of a morayan woman where to use the flat of her palm to get her pussy ready, and ready she must have been for the mermaid's juices were not even dripping, they were trickling down the eel-woman's arm.

Azalea didn't think much time had passed while they watched the merman, but there was a substantial puddle on the floor. Her pussy, normally a long, thin, inverted slit, had engorged to such a degree that the pale inner blue of her vagina was visible whenever the eel-woman dipped her fingers in to stir her insides.

"They certainly get very wet!" observed Azalea

"They do. Well, all pelagians do. Not that anyone could notice when we are in the water."

Dipping her middle and ring finger as deep as they'd go, the eel-woman pushed up and curled them. Digging into a spot that felt especially good if the throaty moan and small squirt were any indication.

"Harvesting the eggs is one of the trickiest aspects of any of the other processes in the facility. A task most benefited from the morayan's gift. It's useful for more than just forcing you to have a stronger orgasm. If she adjusts it right, it can reduce nerve sensitivity to block pain. It improves wound healing, and most importantly, it's uniquely suited for relaxing and reducing muscle cramping -- a common side effect of older mermaids when their bellies grow to that size.

"Eelvira there is well practiced at balancing between inducing their contractions and avoiding damaging the eggs."

"They can't lay them on their own?" Asked Azalea.

"If they were fertilized, yes. The egg casing thickens and toughens up for later laying, but they aren't, and on top of that, we are expediting the process."

"Why do you, um, stimulate them?" queried Suela timidly.

"Expelling the eggs pre-maturely requires a little coaxing to loosen their cervix. How we do it masks any potential discomfort from that procedure."

Standing off to the side was a sahagin assistant holding a strange asymmetrical but conical funnel. Given the signal, she came over and knelt next to her superior. With the drippy pussy spread wide, she slowly worked the tip in until the entirety was firmly inside the now gaping fish-woman.

Ceasing her assisted masturbation, the eel-woman re-positioned her hands so her right was flush with the woman's taut belly, and with the left, she ground her palm on the mermaid's budded clit while her fingers pushed against the woman's mound, massaging the area in little circles.

"Now for the hard part. With one hand, Eelvira has to cause her cervix to relax enough to allow entry. The other has to carefully manage the muscles of her uterus to help squeeze out any eggs too stubborn to come out with gravity."

From the mermaid's perspective, her entire reproductive system was enveloped in a titillating web of agonizingly sweet pleasure that refused to yield up nor let her cum. In addition, a steady pressure from the cone against her womb sought admittance.

This was the most drawn out part of the process. The slow, direct, and steady pulsing tingles from her attendant's fingers made her tail curl and twitch in exhilaration like a windchime flapping in the wind. So undignified! Coupled with the almost imperceptibly relaxed yielding of her cervix made her drool and produce such lewd sounds. She wished it could last forever.

She hoped none of her peers were watching. They'd think it so unbecoming of her to give in to such wanton pursuits.

Just a little longer, and she could cum. Even though she wanted that so bad, she couldn't. The woman below her had complete control of her muscles and nerves.

She bit the net. Every time she donated, she worried about her eggs being dull-colored or coming out small. She was sure people would gossip about it for days. Fortunately, she wasn't like those poor small-bellied girls. She produced the most out of anyone in her social circle.

Almost there. The funnel was just about to go in. Not only would she get rid of the weight that made it hard to swim gracefully, but she'd recieve a wonderful stipend to buy the latest jewelry. She hated not being part of the newest trend. Right now, back in the city, many of the mermaids were yapping about some new thing that was all the rage with the landwalker royalty. Some kind of jewelry that rested on a lady's maidenly parts covered them but decorating them at the same time.

What a wonderful idea! Though she wondered why. She once saw a naked human woman and was surprised to see that her genitals were so very different. All kinds of folds and grooves. So striking and captivating compared to her plain and boring slit.

Wait, was the shore-borne royalty human? She couldn't remember. Whichever. Either way, she'd buy whatever the new thing was. Just because she wore 3 necklaces, a ring on almost every finger, and several fin piercings didn't mean she should not make sure that every part of her was worth flaunting.

The increasing pressure pushed her thoughts back to what was happening. Any minute now, and it'd... aaaaah! She gasped as the resistance suddenly gave way, and the tip sank into her most secret place, but that wasn't all! Any second, and they'd...!

The sahagin attendant, feeling her tool enter the mermaid's womb, gently twisted, spiraling the interlocking point to open the woman's body fully.

The mermaid cried out in a sexier way than she intended as her womb's entrance stretched around the nearly impossibly fitting instrument -- wide enough for a flood of shining, slimy, red eggs to come gushing out.

The relief was instantaneous as she felt herself deflating like a pufferfish girl.

She had a moment to breathe a sigh, but only a moment. As soon as the last egg had plopped into the bucket, the intensity of Eelvira's ministrations surged, making her moan loudly. Even though she knew to expect it, the sudden thrumming of all her erogenous zones, coupled with the many minutes of edging, brought her to an instantaneous orgasm.

A very welcome but also embarrassing moment. She couldn't keep herself from squirting, drenching not only her fresh eggs but Eelvira as well. The eel-woman didn't seem to mind. She wiped her face and handed the bucket off for processing.

Finnian leaned forward on the railing. "Such a generous amount! I'd wager around two and a half quarts, and look how big they are! That's surely going to be A-tier quality!"

"They are certainly pearly," affirmed Azalea.

"You want to try one?"

Azalea cocked her head questioningly.

Fillian winked. "I'll be right back."

She left them and returned a moment later with a small handful of the fresh roe, cold and still sticky. Popping one in her mouth, she raved, "Perfect! This'll sell very well."

She offered the rest to Devin, Reina, and Azalea.

The fairy held the glistening, squishy red gem in her tiny hands. Perfectly round, it was the size of a large grape, making her cheeks bulge as she stuffed it into her mouth and bit down. It popped, releasing the salty and briny flavor that was common in red roe. A bit strong by itself, it would have gone better with something like a cracker, but aside from that, it tasted clean and rich.

"Most delicious!" she declared, eating the rest and licking the mess off her fingers.

"A wonderful conclusion for the first third of the tour. Shall we continue?"

------

If the merfolk's room was likened to a social soirée, the delphins were having a full-blown carnival.

Scaleless, sleek demi-humans, as gray as a winter squall, were engaged in all manner of play. Several groups leaped and frolicked as they raced around the dowdy workers.

"Sorry for the chaos. The delphins live a carefree and hedonistic lifestyle."

"They certainly are energetic and physical in their merrymaking," Reina noted.

"Can I go play with them?!?" Azalea begged.

"Azalea, love, remember, this is a business," Reina admonished.

"It's alright. Work and play are one and the same for them. Be my guest. They'll be ecstatic for a new playmate."

"Yay! Here, hold Oozi, Life-mate."

Azalea deposited her bosom buddy into Devin's hand. "Um, maybe I should remove my clothes in case they get wet." Azalea, emboldened by so many technically naked demi-humans, shimmied out of her coat and dress and hurried toward two delphin groups tossing a ball to each other over a horizontal net.

Finnian scrutinized the watery blob. "Is that thing alive?"

"Unfortunately," Reina answered.

Devin interjected, "It's something of a pet, I suppose. We acquired it at a place we stopped at before coming to Merport."

"Well, wonders never cease. Land seems to have as many mysteries as the sea. Vaguely resembles a Jellarae." In response to the blank looks, she added, "I think landwalkers call them jellyfish? Though I don't know why, they don't even look like a fish."

Devin laid Azalea's clothes over Oozi, hoping it might act as a temporary Azalea substitute. "Are the merfolk and delphins closely related?"

"Not at all. They are different in almost every way except swimming -- social, culturally, and perceptually. Unlike merfolk, they don't equate looks with self-expression. Their identity is all wrapped up in play. They spend their lives having and pursuing fun. Everything is a game to them. It's how they learn and socialize with each other."

The ball players, noticing the tiny fairy looking interested in their game and excited over the prospect of a potential new friend, beckoned her over.

Cognizant of their new friend's size and the fact she was flying, they switched to using their hands to bat around an oiled leather ball to help accommodate their new member.

Azalea didn't really understand the rules, though she did deduce one: don't let the ball touch the water. Despite her lack of mass, Azalea figured out that if she used her feet to spring off the deck, she could angle and kick it when it came her way. That's what she did to pass the ball to her teammates and let them do what needed to be done with it.

Finnian smiled. "She's really putting her all into it."

"She aims to please in everything she does," bragged Devin.

"They certainly are more rambunctious than the merfolk. Doesn't that make it hard to keep things organized?"

"Not really, Mrs. Whitehorn, this is just the way they like doing things. It's chaotic and spontaneous, but they somehow get done what needs to be done."

Such exertion was more than what Azalea had bargained. She kept going for what seemed like an appropriate amount of time. Then she thanked them for including her and looked around for what to do next.

A ways away, she spotted a different pocket of people who were flirting with everyone and anyone. Or maybe they were dancing. It was hard to tell.

Male delphins leaped and cavorted, twisting their bodies, making a show of presenting their long and lively prehensile cocks in graceful acrobatic displays. The females returned the overtures, flashing their genital slits, flushed pink and quite obvious next to the drab gray of the rest of their bodies. They encouraged or dissuaded any advancements with how enticing or how lewd the gestures they made with their hands, hands, lips, or with whichever body part they felt most confident in to do the job.

Azalea thought she had a much better grasp of what was going on here; seductive dancing with an emphasis on arousing others without actually doing anything too provocative.... or something like that.

She immediately joined in.

Azalea looked like happiness incarnate. She was smiling and laughing, performing sprightly arcs through the splashes of water. She floated like a leaf on the wind from one amorous person to another. Sometimes twirling around a male's 'pole' like a dancer, raising her leg to flash a quick peek at her hidden place before blowing a kiss and somersaulting away to seductively walk up a nearby female's tail, making some lewd motions with her tongue and fingers to demonstrate what her skillset was.

On more than one occasion, the woman would titter with delight before humping up into her, bumping the fairy skyward to float down onto the next person.

"Your fairy seems like a very congenial girl."

"She's certainly the most social among us -- always curious and interested in new things and meeting new people."

"Then they'll get along swimmingly. delphins are very clever and inquisitive, always chasing after some new form of stimulation or improving upon others. They talk fast and think faster, sometimes acting impulsively, and as you can see, they are very... physical with themselves and their environment -- so much so they've been called by some 'the pixies of the sea.'

"Sex is just another form of play to them. As long as it doesn't involve copulation, almost anything goes as long as both parties are consenting. They learn about each other's compatibility, and for the more serious relationships, it promotes bonding and establishes and reinforces relationships."

"I don't see that many distinguishing markings. Are all delphins in here from the same, um, family? Group?" Reina inquired.

"Their families are called pods, though I use the term 'family' loosely. They are open with their relationships and free to enter or change pods when they want.

"They don't have as strict a hierarchy as other demi-humans. Status is determined by one's contributions to communal enjoyment. The greatest is bestowed with the title of 'pleasure-crafter.' It's their duty to ensure that gratification doesn't come at the expense of others. They maintain the balance between self-indulgence and community well-being.

"As long as there is mutual joy, they can indulge as much as they want -- though that doesn't always stop them from being mischievous. Sometimes their teasing hinders our work, as that man is doing over there."

A delphin man was on his back near one of the attendants, his cock flopping back and forth as if signaling he was ready to donate. The nearby attendant made several attempts to guide him into the net, but each time he floated just out of reach, his challenging smirking indicating that if she wanted to meet her quota, she had to come get it from him.

The eel woman, perched on one of the floating docks, shook her head in exasperation. Without showing any indication of what her plan was, she waited for the next time he drifted close. Judging he was in range, she dove at him, grabbing the hand of her surprised sahagin underling, using her as an anchor. Desperate not to lose her balance, the sahagin girl grabbed the arm of the other assistant. Together the chain of arms held their boss so she wouldn't fall in the water as she leaned far out and grabbed at the annoying man's penis and dragged him into the net. This seemed to be what he wanted. Laughing as she shook her head at his antics.

Finnian stifled a laugh. "He certainly has it out for Morayla today. As I mentioned before, collecting from delphins is a very disorderly affair, and as you can see, they like to tease and prank, much to the consternation of some of our workers. We don't use numbers with them because they don't ejaculate all at once. They just drift by repeatedly, over the course of several hours, until they have nothing left to give."

The delphin man wasn't done just yet. Doubling down on making Morayla exert the most effort, he wrapped his lengthy and highly flexible penis around the eel-woman's hand as she attempted to jack him off.

Fed up with his shenanigans, she called for something. Dutifully following orders, the assistant brought a long, hollow metal rod slathered in kelp lubricant. Grabbing the end of his cock, Morayla stuffed his urethra with it, keeping it straight, and impatiently started jacking him off using both hands to zap the unruly penis into submission.

The delphin moaned, turned on by the rough experience, his impaled cock sputtering and writhing like a gagging lamia deepthroating.

"He shouldn't take long. They are all quick shots, and especially not with metal conducting the jolts and zaps shunting the sensation to the deepest part of his body."

There was no more use fighting it. Morayla had him in a vice grip both inside and out. A continuous tightening and compressing of the muscles would make him cum, forcing him to give up his seed for the woman he secretly had a crush on.

Just a moment longer, and he'd... the building pressure suddenly halted as she ceased her efforts and pinched the tip of his penis. The look on his face left no doubt that he was feeling the denial.

The lack of his urgently needed release wasn't lost on the eel-woman. As a slight form of revenge, she would make him work for it just as much as she had to up to this point.

He bucked his tail, trying to hump the slimy hand. His body begged for her to continue. She sternly said something to him they couldn't hear, and he nodded his agreement. This time, she let him finish.

"The individual amounts are much smaller than that of the mermen, but the total is roughly the same. Once the consistency is recorded, it is added to a larger batch."

"Do you not collect a donation separately from each person?" asked Devin.

"Unless it's milt (from the mermen) or from a person possessing affinity or some other extraneous circumstance, it's a bulk commodity."

Reina stage-whispered, "She's on the move again, Herd-mate."

They turned to see the gleeful fairy thanking her playmates and wing her way to a calm group of female delphins on a floating platform, huddled together, mutually masturbating each other and chatting while sahagins hand-milked their breasts.

Fillian admired the fairy's antics. "Looks like all that fun put her in the mood!"

"I don't think she's ever not in the mood. It's just a matter of degree," Devin added.

"Is that so? Well, they'll take care of her one way or another. In delphin culture, self-masturbation is frowned upon and is seen as being withdrawn and selfish. It's encouraged to let someone else do it for you."

Azalea wished to make the most out of every new experience she could while she was here. She wanted to learn more about the delphins, but she was horny, too... hornier than her baseline horny. Fortunately, these ladies seemed to be the answer to both desires.

Azalea was needier than the women around her, but she was doing her best to maintain her composure and try to answer all the questions she was bombarded with.

One of the women, noticing the leaky situation between the little fairy's legs, had proffered a helpful finger, an offer Azalea was more than willing to accept.

It was more than a sexual act. Whenever one of the women orgasmed, if they were particularly vocal about it, the conversation would pause and then continue.

Wishing to reciprocate her kindness, Azalea relocated to the woman's lower belly. Laying on her side, she propped herself up on her arm, raised her leg, indicating she'd like the fingering to continue and promptly began to explore her first delphin pussy. She'd seen the outside of many during her flirting a little while ago, but this was her first time looking inside!

Her slit, like the rest of her skin, was firm yet springy and maybe a little... squeaky? Not as soft as her own, it was nonetheless slick. Peeling her apart, the inside was fleshy with thick pink folds, and upon further exploration, to her surprised delight, she saw something that looked like a clitoris! Although it was inside and a little harder to access, she committed to giving it most of her attention.

"Miss Fiskr, this might be considered a strange thing to notice, but since we arrived, delphins are the first pelagian I've noticed with nipples. Do most of the others not produce milk?"

"A very astute observation, Mrs. Ebonplume. That is correct; only warm-bloods have them and produce milk. It's very rich. Very tasty in cooking, though I wouldn't recommend it plain right from any pelagian."

"So for everyone else, the breasts are just aesthetic essentially."

"I suppose so. Never really thought about it. They do feel good when touched. I personally play with mine when I'm stressed." Finnian ran her hands over her own bare chest and gave her nipple-less mounds a little squeeze.

A sudden stir of waves from the opposite side of the room caused a sudden cessation from all activity. Two giant bodies from the oceanic entrance tunnel quietly glided into the middle of the room and crested the surface.

A male and a female demi-human, with bodies easily four times the size of the delphins and covered with blotchy, broad black and white markings, wiped the water from their faces and looked around the room.

The male was slightly bigger than his companion. He was muscular, with scars across his upper body, and exuded an air of menacing authority. The woman, no less threatening, also had scars (but fewer) and appeared more than capable in a fight.

"Who's that?" whispered Devin.

"Veikko Miekkavalas and one of his mates. He's the leader of the biggest Orcarii gang in the western trenches. A recent pact was made with them. One of the stipulations for annexed territory was for him to donate a few times a year, primarily because he has affinity. I don't know if he's been to others, but this is his first time visiting this cannery. It's your unlucky day he chose today of all days.

"Why?"

"This is my first time seeing him in person, but there are many stories about how merciless they are during their seasonal turf wars and not to be trifled with. So the atmosphere is probably pretty much ruined."

With an air of intimidation, or maybe just used to everyone getting out of their way, they swam toward Azalea's corner of the room. Delphins scattered, giving them a wide berth. The females that Azalea had been in the center of also made a hasty retreat. Azalea, head still buried in delphin snatch, was whisked along with them to a spot further away.

Confirming the purpose of his visit and that he wasn't going to leave till it was done, he rolled onto his back. Although the equipment was not designed for someone his size, he made himself somewhat comfortable in the partially submerged crane net, using it as a hammock chair to keep his upper body propped up.

His mate moved behind him and leaped out of the water, causing the wooden platform to sink low. She pushed up her massive breasts as if to further establish that she was at the top of the size chain.

The trepidation was palatable. Even the sahagin assistants and their morayan group leaders seemed hesitant to perform their duties on these scary people. Looks were exchanged about who would take on the task.

Azalea, wondering what was going on and who these people were, was caught off guard as the most monstrous cock she'd ever imagined began to emerge from this strange man's body.

As a distant relative of the delphins, the male orcarii likewise didn't need any stimulation or even to be aroused to extend their normally retracted penis.

He easily dwarfed even the largest centaur in every way. More and more of his phallus appeared, and it wasn't until the humongous member was fully laid out across his stomach that she pinched herself to make sure her horny, addled brain wasn't imagining things.

The only sound in the room was the lapping of water. No one dared to say a word for fear of being noticed and called over.

Azalea still wasn't sure what all the fuss was about or why everyone was so fearful. Sure, they were imposing but he had his cock out, so wasn't it obvious he wasn't here for trouble? In her opinion, a bigger concern was not servicing him. Keeping a person like him horny and upset wouldn't be good for anyone, especially for one who seemed used to getting his way.

Taking stock of the situation, an idea formed in her mind. Whether it was a good one, she was sure, would be debatable by everyone in the room. Its success would hinge on her acting skills and charisma, but if this worked, she might be able to help her family procure more funds for their debt and trip!

Whatever possessed Azalea to want to make contact with these people that everyone else clearly wanted to steer clear of was lost on Devin and Reina as they watched with extreme concern as she alighted from the female delphin and approached the massive demi-humans.

Everyone in the facility held their collective breath as she chose to land somewhere nobody would conceive, much less recommend she land.

Perching on the base of his cock, she folded her arms and pretended to inspect his phallus. Ok, she didn't need to pretend; she really did want to study it. Just when she thought she'd seen the biggest penis she could imagine, a new one came along and smashed the record of the previous. This whole side trip was providing a wealth of new and wonderful opportunities to add to her anatomy sketchbook book!

The texture was interesting. Rigidity -- solid but flexible. Coloration -- black base with a mottled transition to a ruddy pink. Length? The size truly was astonishing. She walked the distance up his shaft, trying not to lose her balance as it pulsed and throbbed under her bare feet. 'Eighteen, nineteen, twenty... about twenty-one fairy steps long. So about six feet (1.8m)!'"

How the owner of such a magnificent member felt about Azalea's actions was apparent in his expression. He looked down on her like a judge scowling at the audacity of a person already tried and convicted.

Azalea ignored the ire being aimed at her, though. She strode right up, assumed a cocky stance right on the tip, introduced herself, and then pointed to Devin and Reina.

He seemed on the verge of lashing out at her, metaphorically and physically. Even his tough-as-nails companion seemed to think he actually might and intervened, putting a hand on his shoulder. But he didn't. He brushed his mate's hand away.

Azalea was too far away to hear but as she talked, she made a sweeping gesture toward him before putting her hands on her hips, challenging him for a response.

Whatever he said in response, she countered with some retort and several lewd but dismissive hand motions. She assumed a power stance, still straddling the head of his genitalia with her legs set wide and her arms pushing her breasts up as a silent battle of wills waged between them.

And then, a final question was asked. He pointed toward her pussy and said something. She smirked and used her fingers to measure the air before spreading her arms as wide as she could. Amused by her answer, he burst out laughing. A fearsome, gravelly laugh shook the room.

All tension popped. Time felt like it was moving again. With a nervous chuckle spreading across the room, everyone gradually returned to what they were doing, albeit with a little less vigor and more wariness.

The Orcarri gang boss beckoned a morayan woman and her two sahagin assistants. There seemed to be some debate on what was said next, so one of the girls dove into the water and swam over to inquire of Finnian.

"What happened?"

"No idea, Mr. Ebonplume, but we are about to find out. Levitha, can you explain what just happened?"

"They came to an agreement."

"Who did?"

"That fairy and orcarii."

An irritated Finnian pressed, "Details, girl, speaking fuller sentences!"

"That fairy took it upon herself and asked to be allowed to milk him since she saw the rest of us not keen to. He thought she was an employee mocking him that they wouldn't send a bigger person to service him, but she put a challenge to him that if she made him give up his seed, she'd be allowed to take half of it to sell. What should I tell them?"

"Oh, dear."

"Miss Fiskr, I'm very sorry for Azalea and..." Devin began.

She held up her hand. "Seeing as she stepped up and is only requesting half, it'd be disgraceful if we didn't cooperate with such an offer."

"Are you sure? This is highly unusual," the sahagin contested.

"Do you want to be the one to say no to him? I didn't think so. You are to assist her if, and however, she asks. Got it? And tell her thank you."

The assistant rushed back. With everyone happy with the arrangement, Azalea took command, strutting up and down the orcarii's penis like a sea captain directing her crew. This was going to be a group effort. They had a lot of cock to cover.

The eel-woman would do what she did best. She wrapped both hands around the girthy base and employed her ability to caress his insides... or at least where she approximated them to be. The two sahagin girls, meanwhile, were tasked with the middle of his shaft, an extensive and daunting job for even four hands. Azalea, as the head, would also manage it.

With how he was positioned, she was actually standing on the underside, not that it mattered much since it was uniform all the way around. Her role was going to be difficult. She could vibrate her body, but she wanted to keep that reserved for only people special to her.

A full-body job was her only option. Straddling the head, she laid flat and slid her body back and forth, hoping her boobs and the general softness of her body were doing something. She couldn't detect anything that resembled a frenulum, so she maintained a more general approach. There was also a lack of precum -- an oddity she had noticed from the delphins, too. Maybe they didn't need it since they lived underwater.

Building to a steady pace, she happened to glance past him at the female orcarii. She was finally receiving the help she was wanting. She popped out her inverted nipples, her fingers getting sticky with milk.

Stretching herself out, she held herself up while her breasts dangled above the sahagin woman attempting to two-man the process. Two per breast.

Azalea wanted to talk with her. Later! The mighty organ throbbing under her body needed her full attention. This whole situation was challenging her in other ways. When not exuding hostility, he maintained a stoicism that made him hard to read or at least tell how close he was.

Also, she had no idea how much he might cum. Hopefully, the sahagin girl standing nearby knew. Azalea had reservations about the bucket she held -- a barrel or cask might have been the safer option.

The focused fairy looked behind her, nodding in approval at her helper's fervor, but by her estimations, it wasn't quite enough. She called for an increase in speed. She hoped he was getting enough stimulation with three girls straddling him and another more or less massaging his balls. He maybe felt a little harder than before, and she definitely could feel an increased heart rate through his shaft.

Azalea put her trust in the other women and readied herself for an impending explosion. She didn't have long to wait. Unable to maintain his facade, he groaned and gripped the ropes of the net holding him up.

His penis jerked up, but Azalea was ready. Fluttering her wings hard, she redirected the giant phallus toward the proffered bucket just in time for the first fountain of cum to erupt. The torrential volley nearly knocked the bucket from the sahagin girl's hands.

Azalea had never seen so much semen before, from one person, in one place! Spurt after powerful spurt filled the bucket in seconds, and she was nervous about it spilling over. Yet, as suddenly as he started, the flow slackened with a few thick globules oozing from the tip.

She was unable to resist sampling a taste, so she collected some from the drippy cockhead onto her hands and brought it to her lips. She coughed. 'That... that was certainly an interesting flavor.' Maybe it was an acquired taste. With a job well done, Azalea stepped off the gang boss' penis as it withdrew back into his body. She strode over to thank her helpers. Noticing the female orcarii was looking her way, she also wanted to take this opportunity to make her acquaintance.