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nMex wouldn't be a hard sell or any of the others, but I wasn't sure about Nixi. This was her idea, but she didn't seem the type to bend a knee, but she might surprise me.

nEveryone wanted off the island, and it wasn't like I would treat them any differently than I do now. So, the next thing to worry about would be Doa, but that would be coming sooner than later.

nI was just coming out of the last path, so I started to slow as I jogged back to Mex's Keep. I was starting to feel exhaustion starting to set in, and I just wanted to get the girls settled in and then to bed.

nIt was still early, so I could probably sneak in before anyone noticed, but I was almost sure that one person would be awake.

nAs I jogged over the bridge, I hoped that I could make it to bed without an encounter with Lidy. she was going to be pissed at me for missing out on making her eggs and the other stuff, but I was more than worn out at this point.

nThe courtyard of the keep was quiet, and I could see that the Apartment block had stretched out a bit now. There was a building attached to the back of it that was fairly large, so I had to assume that Jilly had made that for the Sphinx.

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"An interesting walk of shame, but I think you should be careful going inside. Lidy is in a mood, and it is best to let her calm down,

" Mex said as he appeared in front of me for one.

nThere was a black line on his shoulder that wasn't there before, and I was curious to just how he got it.

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"What is with the black mark?

" I asked as Hydie let my head go from her barrier.

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"The ogre and I had some words, and things got a bit physical, but I was able to get away. That isn't really important right now; this right here is far more than I expected in one day. How did you manage to get three girls in one day?

" Mex asked me curiously, and I sighed.

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"Without any sleep, but I think that I may have stirred up some trouble out in the water,

" I said to Mex and then explained everything that happened.

nAs I explained, Hydie moved from me to completely cover Missy. Mex put out his arms and took the two of them, but it wasn't like they weighed me down.

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"Really, Karen was waiting for you at the Barracuda village, and then you pissed off the Sea Witch? You have had quite a busy day! Mind you, with your power growing, there will be a lot of creatures and Demons that will want to take that for themselves,

" Mex explained as we slowly started to walk to the apartment, and then I remembered something.

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"So, I found out how I can get you all off the island,

" I said casually, and Mex stopped abruptly and turned to me with an interested look.

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"Do go on,

" Mex said with both of the girls in his arms.

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"The voice in my head, Hero, he told me that I could take you all with me, but I would have to Kill Doa first, and then you will all have to pledge yourselves to me. That means that I will have full control over you, but I will not exert my control like a slave master. I know that this is easy to say now, but I think that you know the type of person I am,

" I explained to Mex, and he nodded as I thought he would.

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"Yes, I can't see anything wrong with that, and it would be fitting if you killed Doa. The question now is, how are you going to beat Doa? I think that he will be coming this evening himself about Jilly, but he won't do anything yet,

" Mex explained, and I frowned at him.

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"Why wouldn't he do anything? I can imagine someone as deadly as the Demon Lord of an island being very lenient, right?

" I asked, but Mex just shook his head at me.

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"As dastardly as Doa is, all Demons follow a code, and that says that they have followed any rules that they state. Doa made a rule when first coming to this island before the ** hit the fan. He promised that everyone would be given three chances, and after that, he would kill them. The warning that you witnessed was her first, but Jilly did kill the last five he sent,

" Mex said with a slight chuckle.

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"Well, I need to sleep before coming up with any plan, but I would assume that I just need to get stronger than him and kill him, right?

" I said as I started to switch feet to lean on.

nMy brain wasn't running at full speed anymore, and I had even lost hold of the Wind Force Pact and the Water Sphinx Totem. Mex nodded to me and then nodded to the apartment.

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"Yes, something like that. Head inside, I just felt one of Nixi's teleportation spells, and that means she listened to me. The old witch thinks she is smarter than me! I noticed something different when you fell from the sky, and I put the pieces together!

" Mex said proudly, and I gave him a weak smile, shaking my head and then turned back to the apartment.

nI headed inside and went straight up the stairs to my room and opened the door quietly. The place was pitch black and silent, but I knew where my bed was, and made my way over to it easily.

nI was already naked, so I crawled into bed but was surprised at the feeling of someone else in the bed already. I hardly had the mind to worry about them, but I was pretty sure it was the Cerberus girls.

nI rolled to face the outside of the bed and then let my heavy eyes finally close, and I slipped into a deep dreamless sleep.

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