[View of Calabro, the Manticore and Mex, the Ex-Demon Lord]
"This will only get worse if you keep this up, you fool!" Mex yelled at the Manticore, Calabro.
The Manticore was now in a more anthropomorphic lion man's body with wings and the scorpion tail still, but none of those things seemed to slow Calabro. He would get Mex for the wrong that he never did to him.
Calabro was sure that Mex had stolen his love, Candice, from him. The Manticore had known the Sphinx girl's parents before they had been killed.
Their deaths occurred when Dao and Mex landed on the island, but Mex was the one to save them.
No story is ever that simple, and now the story will rewind time back to the point when the men first met. This is the tale of Mex and Calabora when Mex first arrived on the island.
During the first landing on the island, Calabro had hidden while Candace and Veronica's parents had been killed. Yet, he still assumed that he had been wronged by the Demon Lord who had killed his own kind to save the girls.
Mex had always known about Calabro's fragile personality and his cowardly nature from their first meeting. Shortly after things settled down from the first assault to the island, the Manticore had tried to attack him.
Calabro had waited till Mex had left the Demon encampment to go and explore the island.
Mex had known about him the entire time. Instead of attacking him or calling the creature out, Mex decided to wait to see what he would do.
The result was the Demon Lord leading himself into a cornered place. Mex has gotten sick of waiting after three hours of walking and no attack attempts.
Calabro jumped at the chance, proving how simple the creature was. The Manticore drove from his poor attempt at stealth, a bush smaller than him, to block Mex's escape.
The creature had been a laughable sight for the most part, but it was still a deadly creature that could hurt him. The problem was that when it blocked the exit, the Manticore had not attacked.
"Give me the girls back, and I will let you live, you wretched beast!" The Manticore had shouted and tried to look menacing.
Mex had sensed his presence when he had saved the girls and had seen where the beast had hidden while the girl's parents were killed. The ones that had made the killing were Demons very similar to himself, so Mex had no right to Judge the creature for hiding from certain death.
"And what will you do when I do?" Mex asked as he crossed his arms, staring at the beast.
Calabro took a step back, unsure of the words he had just heard. He could have sworn that the monster had told him that he would give the girls back but didn't understand why it mattered to him.
"What does it matter after I have them? I will take responsibility for them!" Calabro shouted at Mex in defiance, but Mex blew up at that moment.
The Demon Lord's form expanded, and suddenly he towered over the Manticore, causing the creature to jump back in a mixture of surprise and fear. This was not what he had anticipated, and the monster looked angry.
"And will you take responsibility for them when someone like me comes to take them away from you? Or will you just run and hide? I saw you, small creature! You are a coward in the face of danger! If you are too blind to see the same, you will just get them killed! I can protect them, and if you can lose this attitude that you have, I would see that you stay in their lives!" Mex growled at Calabro, whose hair was pinned back like an angry massive winged cat.
Calabro's mind twisted and warped the words in his mind after years of torment and abuse from other island monsters. The Manticore had been attacked and almost eaten more times than he could count, and years of torment had caused mental breaks.
"You are just saying these things! You are just trying to lull me into a false sense of security!" Calabro shouted as he backed away quickly, and Mex groaned as he rubbed one hand over his face.
Before Mex could say anymore, Calabro turned and jumped into the air to escape Mex. The Demon Lord could have easily caught up with him, but Mex didn't see the point in it.
From this point, Mex had established his keep and control over his island area. He had kept the girls with them at the castle, but Nixi started to question what Mex was planning to do with them as they got older.
Mex had cleared the labyrinth for the girls and helped them make a home as best he could. Over this time, the Demon Lord had begun to get closer to Candace.
Fifteen years later, Calabro showed up on his doorstep covered in blood and holding a bundle up with a strange child in it in his mouth. Mex found him passed out, and he had Lidy and Clesh help him with the little girl that would grow into Tiga, the Mantiken.
Mex had been sorely tempted to leave Calabro to die, but from the traits of the little girl, he had a rough idea of what had happened. Still, Calabro had saved his daughter from her mother, the Witch of the Sea, meaning half of her power was sealed in the child.
Mex had Clesh confirm that the child was who he thought. After that, he had the women bring the Calabro back to health.
When Calabro awoke on a pile of straw, he had been confused but started to look for his daughter. Only Mex was in the room, sitting on a chair with one leg crossed over the other, sipping a cup of tea.
"What have you done with her?!" Calabro shouted, but Mex gave him a pointed look.
"Your child is fine, but that is not your concern right now. I have questions that you ARE going to answer before I say more, then she is safe and healthy! You have no idea what you have done, you idiot! How did this happen, and how did you get away from her?!" Mex demanded in a tone that reinforced his words, making Calabro look away in embarrassment.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om