The trip back to the castle went by fast, and I was surprised that I could keep up with Mex on the way back. The man ran incredibly fast, but I was somehow able to barely keep up.

We only slowed down when we reached the place where we first stopped to talk, and Mex had tried to test me. After slowing down, I was able to walk comfortably with him, so I decided to grill him a bit. ​​

“You said that I couldn’t hold my breath long enough. Does that mean that you think I will be able to rescue someone in a single breath of air?” I asked, trying not to sound incredulous, but failing.

Mex didn’t answer me at first, but I could tell that he was thinking about something, so I left him be. There was no point in trying to badger him for the information, and after a short moment, he began to speak.

“When you go to meet with Jessabell, there will be something at the center of the Maze that will help you. The item you will be looking for will be the Cloak of Manta Ray, and there will be some other items in there as well, but they are all just barely above the rarity of common! It is really just a place I put things that don’t have a purpose for,” Mex explained as we walked through the dark forest that moved to create a path for us.

“So is Jessabell one of those things that didn’t have a purpose?” I asked curiously.

“No, well, maybe. Minostien’s are an uncommon breed of Minotaur, and their milk is highly sought after, but Jessabell will not let anyone near her. So, Yes, I suppose you’re right, but I don’t think of her that way. If you can find a way to tame her and can milk her, then I will reward you greatly,” Mex explained as the road to the Keep slowly started to become visible through the trees.

The moon was bright tonight, and when the two of us stepped out of the forest, we were both bathed in silver moonlight. I could see the bridge and Keep that was done the road away as we started to walk back.

“So tomorrow, when I am done with training, and I bring the girls back, I am supposed to go deal with Jessabell?” I asked, but Mex shook his head.

“No, you need to go take care of the Mantiken first,” Mex told me.

“What about the Sahuagin women? Are we just going to leave them to the Barracuda women?” I asked, but the Mex stopped and rounded on me, and he looked mad.

“You can only do what you can do! Or you can not listen to what I say and go and DIE! I thought that you would be understanding by now that I am trying to help these people! I know that they are down there, and there is nothing that either of us can do, so I don’t need a constant reminder that there is nothing we can do!” Mex thundered at me, causing me to take a step back.

I wasn’t scared of him, but I was shocked by his words and their meaning. I had just assumed that Mex only had ulterior motives in mind, but this reaction said that these people meant more to him than he was willing to admit, even to himself.

“You’re right, and I am acting like a child about this, thinking that I can just fix everything right away just because I think that it’s wrong. You have been dreaming about this for far longer than I have, so I will stop asking the same baseless questions. I just have a hard time hearing about women being hurt or abused,” I explained as we reached the bridge.

“Yes, We will save them, as long as you understand that, listen to what I say, and do as I request. I placed these other 2 in places that they would be safe for now, but the safety for the Mantiken is not going to be there forever. At some point, her father will get to her, and all the work I have done to keep her safe will be for nothing!” Mex raged, stopping just before that bridge.

“What made you help this girl? I can understand the others, but you have aligned interests with the Magma Spider and the Minostien, but what does helping the Mantiken do for you?” I asked, not trying to be rude, but Mex had said himself that he never did something without a reason that would profit him.

“This is personal,” Was all Mex would say, and then he turned back to the Keep and started to walk across the bridge.

I followed him; at this point, I had learned enough to know if he wanted me to know or I needed to know, he would tell me. This seemed to be one of those things, so I decided to leave it be for now.

“Welcome home, Great Demon, Lord Mex, and Kazz!” The Nice guard that I hadn’t learned his name yet called to us as we walked up to the gate.

“Thank you Spel, how is Lidy doing? Close to popping out your little junior?” Mex asked with a smile, all traces of the stern expression had left him, and now he seemed to be back to his carefree self.

For a Demon, Mex was turning out to be pretty human, and I was glad that I had made a choice to come to this castle. I would probably be in the bottom of some old ladies’ stomach right now if I hadn’t met him.

Trig just waved at Mex and received a nod from him in return, then we headed to the Keep. The castle grounds were empty, but the place was bathed in silver moonlight as we walked up to the Keeps entrance.

“If you take a right around the fountain and then keep going straight, there is a large pair of swinging doors that lead to the kitchen. Tell Lidy that I sent you, and she will show you everything that you will need to prepare food for the girls. She will also be able to tell you the type of foods the girls will like,” Mex said as he opened the Keep door.