The return to Solmere should have been triumphant.
Instead, it was confusing.
Mostly for the guards.
Tele-Stones had carried news ahead of them for days.
The Crystal Cave had been cleared.
A new record had been set.
The Vixens had become heroes.
Jax Darquebane had apparently acquired enough crystal to destabilize local economies.
All of that had been reported.
What nobody had reported was that the victorious heroes would be arriving behind two gigantic shadow bulls the size of small buildings.
So when the caravan rolled toward Solmere's gates, the guards did what any reasonable guards would do.
They panicked professionally.
Twenty soldiers assembled in formation.
Weapons weren't quite drawn.
But they weren't exactly sheathed either.
One guard stared at Grim.
Another stared at Steed.
A third looked between them several times.
"Are those alive?"
"I don't know."
"Should we stop them?"
"You stop them."
"I absolutely will not stop them."
The caravan rolled to a halt.
Nobody moved.
Then somebody knocked on the door.
Inside the dimensional space, Jax felt the barrier notification pulse through his system.
He groaned.
Slowly, carefully, he untangled himself from four sleeping Vixens.
That process took longer than expected.
A leg was removed.
An arm relocated.
Someone made a sleepy noise and pulled him back twice.
Eventually he escaped.
Mostly.
He found a pair of shorts.
That seemed sufficient.
Moments later the side door opened.
Jax stepped outside barefoot and shirtless.
The guards collectively forgot whatever speech they'd prepared.
The captain recovered first.
Barely.
"Ahem."
Jax smiled pleasantly.
"Good morning."
The captain blinked.
Then blinked again.
"Identification?"
"Jax Darquebane."
Recognition flashed instantly.
"Oh."
The captain looked relieved.
Then immediately looked concerned again.
He pointed toward Grim and Steed.
"What are those?"
"Transportation."
"They look dangerous."
"They are."
The captain waited.
Jax waited.
The captain sighed.
"Are they safe?"
"They're safer than Bunny."
The captain had no idea who Bunny was.
A moment later he learned.
"Are we there yet?"
Bunny stepped out of the caravan stretching dramatically.
She yawned.
Looked around.
And smiled.
"Oh. Home."
Llandra emerged next.
Then Zee.
Then Nyxian.
Nyxian was losing a fight with her shirt.
The shirt was winning.
Several guards looked away immediately.
Several others tried to.
One poor soldier walked directly into a wall.
Nyxian squinted at everyone.
"Why are there so many people?"
"The guards are inspecting us."
"Why?"
Jax pointed toward Grim and Steed.
Nyxian nodded.
"Fair."
She waved lazily.
"The heroes have returned. We'd like to continue being unconscious now."
Then she turned around and walked back toward the caravan.
The guards stood frozen.
Later that day every guard on duty would tell a different version of what happened.
No two stories matched.
All of them insisted Nyxian had nearly caused a legendary wardrobe malfunction.
None of them could prove it.
The gate captain finally cleared his throat.
"Open the gates."
The soldiers jumped into motion.
The caravan rolled forward.
And Solmere welcomed its heroes home.
The second surprise waited outside the city.
The Vixens didn't understand why Jax refused to explain where they were going.
Every question received the same answer.
"Five more minutes."
After the sixth five-minute warning, Bunny threatened violence.
Jax remained confident.
Mostly because she couldn't catch the hovering caravan.
The city eventually faded behind them.
The road curved.
The lake appeared.
And everything stopped.
The Vixens stared.
The lake.
The same lake.
The place where Jax had killed Dante.
The place where their story had truly begun.
Only now something stood overlooking the water.
A house.
No.
A mansion.
Three stories of stone and enchanted glass sat atop the bluff overlooking the lake.
Sunlight reflected from enormous windows.
A fountain sparkled in front.
Gardens stretched along the hillside.
A massive workshop and storage barn stood nearby.
And behind the house—
A steaming infinity pool overlooked the water below.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Then Bunny screamed.
Not in fear.
In excitement.
And took off running.
"POOL!"
Zee wasn't far behind.
"THAT'S A REAL POOL!"
Llandra actually laughed and sprinted after them.
Nyxian remained frozen.
She stared at the house.
At the lake.
At the pool.
At the home.
Then she looked at Jax.
"Is this real?"
Jax smiled.
"If you want it to be."
Her eyes widened.
"Our home?"
"If you'll have me."
That lasted approximately three seconds.
Then four Vixens hit him at once.
Hugs.
Kisses.
Laughter.
A little crying.
A lot of talking.
And absolutely nobody listening.
Jax eventually escaped long enough to point at the front door.
"You should probably go inside."
The Vixens disappeared.
A moment later screams echoed from the house.
Happy screams.
More screaming followed when they found the bedrooms.
And the bathrooms.
And the closets.
And the pool.
Especially the pool.
Jax stood outside watching the sunset reflect across the lake.
The same lake where everything had begun.
Back then he'd arrived alone.
Confused.
Lost.
Unsure if he would survive.
Now?
He had a home.
A purpose.
A future.
And four women currently arguing over which bedroom had the best view.
The shouting somehow grew louder.
Jax smiled.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he wasn't returning to an inn.
He wasn't renting a room.
He wasn't passing through.
He was home.
And somehow that victory felt bigger than clearing an A-Rank dungeon.