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nWaking up was a completely different experience, and I wasn't really sure what to do. The sun hadn't come up yet, but I could see that the dark night was breaking, and the sky was starting to lighten, but I was pinned in place.

nMary had coiled herself around me and was wrapped in my arms, but the loss of circulation was the thing that awoke me. As cute and adorable as she was, I needed to get free, and I tried to start wiggling around to loosen her up.

nBad idea and Mary began to constrict me more, but then something cold and wet started to sniff and tickle my feet. My eyes bulged as the girls casually tried to kill me with kindness, and started writhe trying to get free, finally waking a grumping sounding Mary.

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"Be ssstill, or I bitesss you! I am ssstill tired!

" Mary hissed at me, but I grabbed her face and turned her head towards mine to get her to look at me, but then I remember that she was blind.

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"Mary! You're… crushing… my legs!

" I wheezed out, and the pressure stopped, but then my legs filled with pins and needles.

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"Sssorry, but I am going back to sssleep! Ssso, SSSHsss!

" Mary hissed at me as she coiled up on the bed.

nI swung my legs over the edge of the bed, but I had to wait for the feeling to come back into my legs before I could get up. The girls came over and lazily rested their heads in my lap, and I took turns stroking each one of the girls' dog heads.

nOnly the eyes and the ever-present glow showed in each mouth; besides that, there were only gems on their collars. They still seemed tired, so I decided that I would leave them be for now and head down to the kitchen to get some breakfast going.

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"You girls stay here with Mary, and I will go make some food and bring it back from you all, okay?

" I asked, and all three-headed nodded in understanding.

nThe feeling had come back to my legs and feet now, but I declined to put my shoes back on. Something told me that if I was going to get stronger, it would need metal-plated boots to get any life out of them.

nIn the end, it would be better to caveman it and just let my feet get stronger. It seemed that hard work was the key in this world if I wanted to get stronger, but that didn't mean I could ignore my stomach.

nI walked down the stairs, and the lower room was empty, but Jilly was probably tired like the girls. I headed out and walked down past Nushi's room and slowed, but then kept going; I would be back once I had some food.

nNushi was the first person I wanted to talk to after the way her father had acted last night, but something was off with the way Mex acted. I walked down the grass carpet stairs and reveled in the wait it felt under my feet as I did, but also pondered Mex's worlds.

nThe horns on Nushi's head were connected to her emotions so that just meant that I would have to find some way to crack her tough shell. Maybe a little bit of alone time would be good for me to get to know her better, but there was also the question of if she could become one of my charges.

nThat seemed to be what Mex was getting at before we came back, but I didn't know if the System would register a demon as a monster. With the new skill that I just got, it made me question it.

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nGood, that answered my question, and now I was at the kitchen door, but I was surprised to find that Mex was in there talking with Lidy and Spel. The friendly guard looked different now, and he was only wearing shorts, and Mex had on the same.

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"Kazz, good to see you,

" Mex said, but he didn't sound like his usual cheerful self.

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"Good morning. What happened last night? After your daughter's room?

" I asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

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"Oh? Is that where I went? Emperyal Great Demons! I probably need to apologize to her now!

" Mex said, clutching his head.

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"What was up with you last night?

" I asked as I walked into the kitchen.

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"Let's go for a walk, and I will show you the area behind the keep. Spel and Lidy will get the food ready, and you can cook when you come back. I am sure that the girls will be asleep for a bit yet,

" Mex said, waving me to a door at the south end of the kitchen.

nI followed him, not really sure what else to do, but I could understand why he might not want to talk about it around the others. Mex opened the back door and led me out into a wide-open area that only had three large trees in the space, spread out.

nThere was a large bare patch in the center that was about ten meters in diameter. The rest of the grounds were covered in beautiful light green grass that looked freshly cut.

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"About yesterday,

" Mex said as he turned around to face me.

"I had been drinking after Nixi allowed Clesh to tell me about her little lip reading talent and that Nixi knows about my plans with you.

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nThe sun was starting to burn the night from the sky as it slowly rose, on the very cusp of breaking up.

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"And? That's all that she was allowed to tell you? No threats to stop or that she was going to do something horrible?

" I asked in confusion as the sun slowly broke the castle wall.

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"No, that was it, and that alone stressed me out more than any threat could have ever. The unknown is the only thing that I truly despise, and the lack of control I have over it,

" Mex said, clenching his first.

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