"You sure you want us here?"

All of Team SAJJ stood at the front of Nikos Academy, alongside Yang and Headmaster Arc, both of whom looked less than thrilled at the prospect of meeting Kasbah's Warchief. Jaune turned his head towards Donovan to answer him.

"I think having my World Champions at my side will do a decent job of competing with the High Priest of Kasbah, don't you think?" He said, a grin appearing on his face as he turned back to face the entrance.

"Okay," Alice said, "but why do 4 Huntsmen compete with a single priest? Aren't they usually pretty old?"

"The other kind of priest," Jahim deadpanned, making Alice turn her head.

"There's more than one kind of priest?" she said, before snapping her attention to a rhythmic sound not unlike that of marching. "You guys hear that?"

"Yup," Yang said, almost sounding angry as the popped the p in her word. "They're on their way."

"Who?" Donovan asked. "The Chief"

"Him and the High Priest, yes," Donovan said.

"No, that can't be right," Alice said, focusing on the sound. "That's… that's more than twenty men marching!"

"Indeed it is, 27 to be exact," Jahim said, making the rest of SAJJ turn toward him. "The other meaning of priest is a type of hammer. My father uses it as a diplomatic trap, getting people to agree to see him and his High Priest, before his personal army arrives with him and intimidates any local warlord that needs to be quieted."

"Something tells me we're being a little loud for his tastes then," Donovan said, pointing to the gate of Nikos, and to the two rows of armoured knights marching through them. Each one was identical, golden plate armour covering every inch of them, with swords strapped to their hips. Once 24 of them were through the door, they turned, and stepped away from another. There was a pause, before a booming voice pierced the air like a javelin.

"MY MEN, WHO WOULD DARE DEFY MY WILL?"

"Only a fool, my Lord!" the knights replied in unison.

"AND WHO WOULD DARE STAND AGAINST MY RIGHTEOUS FURY?"

"Only the brave, my Lord!" the knights replied again.

"WRONG!" The booming voice continued, before a twenty fifth figure stepped into the gap between the two rows of soldiers. He was also clad in golden armour, but his was more ornate, and featured a violet cape, accented with streaks of gold through it in various pattern. He lacked a helmet, unlike his knights, and his head was visible. Were it not for the significantly shorter beard, and him being a few inches shorter, he would be nearly indistinguishable from Tahir Farid. He reached the front of the line, and looked Jaune dead in the eyes.

"Both are fools!"

"Yes, my Lord!" the knights cried out once more. The remaining two knights in the formation came up the part behind him, one holding a chair that he placed behind the man, the wood adorned with more golden accents, and the violet cushions similarly so. The man at the head took his seat, and the other knight then reached him, handing him a cup of tea from a tray he held.

"Warchief Dahabi Farid," Jaune said, his eyes narrowing. "To what do I owe this rare meeting?"

The Warchief took a long drink from the cup, before placing it back on the knight's tray, knocking the cap off the kettle, and taking it into his hand, drinking from it instead. "You know full well what I am here for, Arc. You've arrested my Mansur. My proudest warrior. My son. Why have you done this?"

"Two counts of attempted murder is more than enough to hold him without bond, especially considering his wealth and ability to disappear," Jaune said. "If you've come to negotiate his release, I'm afraid that won't be happening."

"About that, boy," Dahabi said, taking another drink from his kettle. "I took some time to read up on Vale law on the long plane ride here. Did you know that charges can be dropped if they are refuted though a clear show of bias?"

"Both cases were on video," Yang said.

"Yes, but only one had audio," Dahabi said, a grin forming on his face. "I made sure to watch the tapes of the alleged crimes as well. The second one, I shall concede, is indeed impossible to refute. Miss Merletta would not be alive were it not for the fortunate intervention of Mrs. Rose. However, the other charge is merely an inferential one, without any proper testimony. You have no real evidence to properly charge my Mansur of this crime." His grin widened. "And a single attempted murder charge cannot void bail."

"Warchief, we do have witness testimony," Jaune said.

"From who?" Dahabi said.

"From me," a familiarly accented voice said. SAJJ all turned around, to see Nao, and most surprising, Gloria, awake and walking towards them.

"Gloria, you're awake!" Jay shouted.

"That's right," Gloria said, crossing her arms. "I woke up just after the finals. Nao told me what happened, and I contacted Mr. Arc over here. We agreed that I'd be a target if someone wanted to come bail out Tahir, considering I was the lynchpin holding him here." She chuckled to herself. "Lipreaders were able to piece together some of what Tahir said, and my testimony matched it, and added even more. It's more than enough to put his bigoted lil arse behind bars for a long time."

Jaune turned back to Dahabi, his stern look unchanging. "I expected better from someone of your position, Warchief. Behavior like this is why Kasbah isn't the world power it could be." He placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his hip. "You and your militia are no longer welcome on my school's grounds. You have a week before Tahir's trial, and there are numerous hotels that you and your entourage can board in until then."

"Arc," Dahabi said, the smile gone from his face. "There is one other matter I am here for. While you hold my son captive, you harbor a criminal from my nation, one I have been searching for for years." He stood up, towering over Jaune as he set the tea kettle down, and looked him in the eyes. "Where is Hamr ā?"

Jaune was quiet for a brief moment. "I don't know anyone of that name here-"

"DO NOT PLAY WITH ME, BOY!" Dahabi shouted, his voice deafening up close. "You know full well she stands directly behind you!"

"There are three women behind me, but none of them are this Hamr ā you're looking for." Jaune allowed himself a small smile, which made Dahabi's eye twitch in anger.

"You are harboring someone I hold legal dominion over as father! I have a legal right to take my child back!"

"Well," Jaune said, pulling out his scroll and opening his student database. "Of all my students, only two bear your surname. Tahir Farid has you listed as parent, but Jahim Farid does not. His legal guardian is currently listed as, well, would you look at that, Jaune Arc." Both Jahim and Dahabi's eye's bulged. "It seems that he had Tahir Farid as his guardian formerly, but his arrest voided that position. Then, it looks like this handsome-sounding Arc gentleman legally adopted Mr. Farid, giving him legal dominion over him until his eighteenth birthday." Jaune put away his scroll, before looking Dahabi in the eye once more. "Even if I were to condone the blatant disrespect and dehumanization of my student, the conditions described by him to me are hardly fit for livestock, let alone children. You will not be taking, nor disrespecting Jahim any further." Jaune pulled his sword very slightly from its scabbard. The glowing blade brilliantly shone, illuminating the entire square. "You will leave my school now, or I will remove you personally." Jaune's tone was angry, something none of SAJJ had ever heard before. "And you will never hurt my friends or family again!"

Dahabi stood firm for a moment, before backing up a step. "Well played, Arc. Well played." He snapped his fingers, and the tray and chair were carried off, before his knights once again assumed formation. "Do not think for a single second this is over."

Dahabi turned with his knights, and the group left the way they came, the marching fading into the distance. Jaune replaced his sword, and turned to Jahim, his face still twisted in shock.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier Jahim, but this was for the best," Jaune said. "If the information had somehow leaked, Dahabi's actions would have been unpredictable. This way, we know to monitor him, and he's so close that it won't be an issue. I know I should have asked your permission first, but it was the easiest way to make sure he had no legal way to take you. And hey, it's only 'til you're 18, which is in like 3 months anyway, so if you're uncomfortable with it, it won't last long at-"

Jaune was cut off by an abrupt hug from Jahim. "Thank you…" he managed to mutter through his tears of happiness.

"You're safe now," Jaune said, reciprocating the hug. "You all are."

"So is this all finally over?" Nao asked, her grip firmly on Gloria's hand.

"No, Dahabi's likely to try again," Jaune said, releasing Jahim. "But I… we are not gonna let him hurt anyone again without going to formal war, and he can't do that without sinking his empire. I'll make sure you're all safe for the remainder of your stay at my school, that I promise."

Everyone nodded, and Jahim looked at Jaune. "So, er, do I call you dad now?"

The entire group laughed, and Jaune put his hand on Jahim's shoulder. "You don't have to call me anything new, just Headmaster Arc is still fine." He reddened slightly. "I mean, you can call me dad if you want, but that's not important. What's important is what do we call you? 'Cause I'm betting you wanna get rid of that last name."

Jahim nodded. "Well, you did give me a good out," Jahim said. "I'll try Jahim Arc for a little while."

Gloria nodded. "Fits you well, love," she said.

"I think so too," Jay said. "And, it doesn't even mess up our team name."

"Oh, gods you have no idea how hard it was to get that!" Jaune said, the exasperation in his voice bringing laughter back to the group. "I seriously think it may be the hardest part of the job. It's like a newspaper puzzle from the underworld."

The group laughed, and found their way inside, their newfound safety offering comfort for the first time in what felt like forever.

"He's a lot different than I thought," Jay said. "I was expecting a drug addict to look a little more… drug addict-y?"

The group had returned to their dorm, lounging on their beds as the contemplated the recent events at the square. "Yes," Donovan said, "opium is not a kind drug. I would have though he would be more frail than the mountain of a man we stood opposite."

"That's his semblance," Jahim said, staring into the ceiling. "My fa… Dahabi's body regenerates itself extremely rapidly from any damage, permanent or otherwise. It's why his rule has gone unopposed for so long, he's very difficult to kill. In Kasbahn, our native language, he's called Najl Khalidat Alqamar, or the Immortal Son of the Moon."

"I didn't realize you weren't a native speaker," Alice said. "You have no accent at all."

"Oh, I don't speak Kasbahn. The women I was raised by only knew Common, save a handful of the older ones. Kasbahn is a Holy language, reserved for respectful titles and nobles to converse in so the common rabble don't understand them."

"Okay, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Jay said, rolling her eyes.

"Still, be thankful you're a native speaker," Donovan said. "It's harder than you think to not be one."

"You're not a native speaker?" Jahim asked, sitting up to look at Donovan.

"My tribe had its own language, Cirrostra, the name of our people in the tongue as well. I have no idea how many speakers of it are still alive, but I would imagine it will die out within a few hundred years. I certainly don't plan on teaching it to anyone."

"That's pretty interesting though," Alice said. "So, what's it like, not being a native speaker."

"I have to take anything said to me, and translate it into Cirrostra. It's why it can take me some time to understand things."

"Well, we're not gonna treat you any differently for it," Jay said.

"If it's worth any sentiment, your language is far more interesting than mine. So much more broad, yet so concise at the same time. So many words with so many meaning." Donovan chuckled. "I may have been a linguist, had I not walked this path."

Jay chuckled. "I could see you as a professor. You got that air about-" Jay abruptly stopped, the pause lasting for a brief minute. "Everyone down!" she suddenly shouted, tackling Alice down and covering her with her own body as the large window above her's and Alice's beds shattered, spraying broken glass over Jay's form as a golden arrow flew in and embedded itself in the door opposite them. Donovan immediately leapt to the window, using his bionic eye's infra-red sight to attempt to spot the attacker. The only figure he saw was one more than a kilometer away, who was fleeing. Donovan cursed under his breath, before looking down, and gasping with Jahim at the sight. Jay groaned as she sat up, her exposed back, arms, and upper wings covered in cuts from the broken glass strewn over her. As she moved, Alice crawled out from under her, completely spared of the window's assault.

"You okay?" Jay said, pain in her voice evident. Alice nodded, and Jay sighed in relief. "Thank the Gods."

"Jay, we need to get you to the infirmary, now," Jahim said.

"Wait," Jay said, pointing at the arrow. "Check it, there's a message on it."

Jahim looked, there was a curled paper skewered on the arrow's shaft. "How did you…"

"Future sight, remember?" Jay said with a weak chuckle. "Alice, please carry me to the hospital now."

Alice nodded, picking Jay up into a bridal carry, the blood on her back staining her white shirt. "I'll stay with her, make sure she's safe." Donovan nodded, and Alice walked out of the room, before beginning to run to the infirmary. Jahim yanked the arrow off the wall, and withdrew the message from it. He uncurled the paper, and his eyes bulged at not just the sight of what it said, also at the unmistakable signature and handwriting he had seen for years.

Jahim

You will come to the clearing in the Emerald to meet me. You will come alone. If you do not come by midnight, or if you tell or come with anyone of this, people will begin to die in Vale. And they will not stop dying.

You are not safe from me. Not now, not ever.

Tahir Farid.