The final night of the festival felt… quieter.
Not empty—never that—but subdued. Wagons creaked as merchants packed up by torchlight, eager to gain a half-day's head start on the road. Lanterns still glowed, music still drifted through the streets, but the sharp edge of departure hung in the air.
Jax walked with the Vixens through the thinning crowds, half-listening as they continued to debate the finer points of the home he planned to build.
"I'm serious," Nyxian said, hands gesturing broadly. "A master bath. A real one. A shower that fits at least five people. Or a bath that holds ten."
Bunny's ears flicked. "And a pool. You promised. Standing water. Clean. Deep enough to float."
Jax smiled faintly. "Both noted."
They passed a small cluster of children near a sweetbread stall.
One of them—a fox-eared boy—froze when he saw Jax.
Then his face lit up.
"Hey!" he called, tugging at the sleeve of a larger beastkin woman. "It's him!"
The woman stiffened, wary at first—then nodded slowly as Jax approached. The children didn't hesitate. Two ran forward, stopping just short of him, unsure.
"Thank you," one said quickly.
Another only bowed.
Others watched from a distance, eyes cautious, measuring.
Jax knelt anyway. "You doing okay?"
The woman nodded. "Better than we were."
That was enough.
As they moved on, Jax felt it—the looks. Not curiosity. Not admiration.
Resentment.
Nyxian noticed too. "There's a lot of vitriol aimed our way."
"Yes," Llandra murmured. "More than before."
Jax's voice was calm. "They're angry. Not threatening. As long as it stays that way, they'll be fine."
The emphasis didn't go unnoticed.
That was when they saw the notices.
Messengers moved through the streets, pinning fresh postings to walls and lamp posts.
EMERGENCY TOWN HALL – TOMORROW – 10AM
Bunny tilted her head. "What's that about?"
Nyxian snorted. "Isn't it obvious? Slave merchants lost money. Influence doesn't like losing coin."
"It's political," Llandra said quietly. "They'll try to control the narrative."
Jax folded the notice once, pocketing it. "Let's get drinks to go. We've got a few stops tonight."
Morning came like it always did—with Jax buried beneath limbs.
An arm across his chest. A leg thrown over his thigh. Bunny's ear brushing his neck. Someone's head tucked against his shoulder.
He didn't linger.
No morning ritual today.
He carefully disentangled himself, washed, dressed, and wheeled in breakfast while the hotel staff wisely kept their distance.
By 9:30, he was finished eating, already using tele-stones to make calls.
"Meet me there," he said simply.
The town hall was packed.
More packed than it had ever been.
Jax arrived at 9:55 and took his place at the back. Standing room only.
At the front stood Mayor Halvren Thistlefox, foxkin, well-groomed, calculating eyes sweeping the crowd. He wore the practiced expression of a man who survived elections by sensing where the wind wanted to blow.
Near him stood a tight cluster of humans.
Too many.
Jax recognized them instantly.
The merchant who'd nearly enslaved himself with his own greed.
And the five off-duty soldiers—now very much on display in Empire armor.
The mayor cleared his throat.
"It has come to our attention," Halvren said, "that an individual purchased a significant number of slaves yesterday and immediately freed them."
Murmurs rippled.
"This act," the mayor continued, "while occasionally tolerated at small scale, presents a risk. Criminals. Debtors. Those who may return to harming the public."
Bunny leaned close. "That's not what happened."
"No," Jax murmured. "It's what they want people to believe."
A human voice cut in from the front. "Do we want criminals roaming our streets?"
Another added, "How many scams will they run now that their debts are forgiven?"
The mood shifted.
Jax stepped forward.
Whispers followed him like a wave.
"I am Jax Darquebane," he said clearly. "The one who purchased those slaves."
He met the mayor's gaze.
"I am a merchant of Solmere. A business owner. A future resident. And I have no intention of seeding this town with criminals."
He placed a stack of documents on the table.
"The bill of lading from the Slave Guild. No criminal designations. No debt annotations. As required by law."
A guild representative sputtered. "Those records were… incomplete."
Jax's voice sharpened. "And the crimes of the eleven children under ten years old?"
Silence.
"They were children of criminals—"
"Without proof?" Jax cut in. "What is Solmere's punishment for kidnapping and unlawful enslavement?"
"That's slander!" someone shouted. "Where's your proof?"
Another guild member raised his voice. "We propose new laws! No immediate freeing of slaves! Only registered guild buyers!"
Jax didn't hesitate.
"And I propose abolishing the slave trade in Solmere entirely."
The room went dead quiet.
Mayor Thistlefox slammed his gavel. "We are not here to discuss abolition."
"That changes today," Jax said calmly.
He turned to the crowd.
"I own contracts governing twenty-five businesses in this town. If this stands, I move them. Every one."
Gasps.
Merchants shouted.
"Our revenue tripled!"
"Four hundred percent!"
Brannic's voice boomed from the side. "We'll move."
Merriweather nodded. "All of us."
Then a small imp stepped forward.
"Jax," Pex said nervously. "You can't move the Neon Moon. I own eighty percent."
Jax smiled. "Then buy me out. Twenty times my purchase price. Per our contract, I'll take the staff and the recipes."
Pex froze.
Nyxian crossed her arms. "Funny how power feels different when it's pointed at you."
The mayor saw the tide turning.
"Who supports regulation by the Slave Guild?" he called.
Scattered ayes.
"Who supports abolition in Solmere?"
The hall erupted.
The soldiers moved.
Jax moved faster.
One finger stopped a sword mid-draw.
"This," Jax said evenly, "is democracy."
The soldier could not draw his sword despite the 1 finger holding in its sheath.
The Vixens flanked him.
The other 4 soldiers were surrounded by the unarmed Vixens.
The soldiers contemplated whether to attack.
The mayor slammed the gavel.
That caught everyone's attention.
"Solmere will draft a law abolishing the sale of slaves. Effective immediately, pending ratification."
The hall exploded with cheers.
Visible rage filled amongst the Slave Guild.
Jax exhaled slowly.
He'd made enemies.
But Solmere had chosen.