Side Story 5 – Bullies

(Third party’s POV)

(This story is during Adam’s childhood, related to chapter Despair and Hope)

At the village’s playground, three boys and one girl stand against four boys in a battle of wits.

“He puts a frog inside my shirt. It is so slimy. Please help me remove it!” (Lillie)

“Okay, stay still. I will cover you and remove the frog. Also, thank you …erm, what the name again?” (Adam)

“Brandon” (Brandon)

“Larsen” (Larsen)

“Don’t forget our names ever again” (Brandon and Larsen)

Two boys help Adam to take the front cover against the four boys’ harassment.

Adam uses his relatively large body to cover the back of his sister as he tried to grab the panicked frog from jumping about. The frog tried to climb inside Lillie’s pants, but Adam managed to catch the frog just right before it slips in, and release it into the forest.

Adam, Amanda’s brother, Brandon and his good friend Larsen are still very young. Adam has just joined with Lillie’s family a week ago, and he’s yet to know the way of things in the village.

Brandon is a kind-hearted boy that usually seen helping his sister harvesting herbs and doing household chores. He is always by the village playground and can be seen helping those in need. He’s basically like a big brother to all the young kids there.

Larsen is a quiet kid that likes to make his own toys and play alone. He has an air of justice around him, and will try to mediate issues that seem biased or unfair. This, however, always got him into trouble with the adults. That has been the cause of Larsen’s drawback from mixing around, because he has been staying cautious to avoid any potential trouble for his family. However, after an incident where Adam and Larsen both managed to argue with an adult until his admission of mistake, where the adult bumped into a girl and stepped on her bag of beans but just ignore her. Since then, Larsen has opened up to the other kids through Adam and Brandon.

Adam, though, is a new kid in the village. His wits and knowledge is already like a young adult, and the adults like him, and take his words earnestly. But Adam now also earned the ire of meddlesome adults and spoiled kids. Now, the highest pecking order among the kids are having an opposition with these up and coming kids trio of Adam, Bandon, and Larsen.

The highest pecking order is the bob-haired boy, which is the grandson of the current village head, the two cousins of that grandson that is adopted into his family, and a yes-kid follower who always follows the order of the bob-haired boy. They can sometimes get new followers into their group, but the core members are these four kids.

“Get your dirty feet off Brandon and Larsen!” (Adam)

“Hehe, such a sissy. Hey, it’s them, and not you that I step on. Why are you making noise like a dog? They can endure it, don’t you see their faces? I’m just playing with them, what’s it got to do with you?” (Bob-haired village head grandson, stepping on the feet of Brandon and Larsen)

“Go piss off, abandoned kid” (Cousin 1, pinning down Brandon)

“Nobody wants you here, get loss” (Cousin 2, pinning down Larsen)

“Draka-sama’s words and action are absolute.” (Follower, supporting Draka)

The kids got into a heated argument

“I said get off.” (Adam push off both the cousins and Draka, together with his supporter, with a bit of help from strengthening magic)

“Yeah, get off from us” (Brandon)

“You guys just force yourself upon us, we don’t consent to your games” (Larsen)

“Draka is a nasty kid” (Lillie)

Someone threw a stone at Lillie, and Adam managed to intercept it because there is little strength behind the throw. Brandon and Larsen cannot take it anymore and lunged forward, kicking the two cousins down and go straight for Draka.

“Guahh!!” (Cousin 1)

“URghhk!!” (Cousin 2)

“Help me, idiot. HEY! TELL THE ADULTS” (Draka)

“HELP! NAUGHTY KIDS ARE HITTING THE VILLAGE HEAD’S GRANDSON!” (hired followers by the sideline)

The loyal follower of Draka tried to stop both Brandon and Larsen, but got pushed aside

“Open your eyes. Draka is not someone worthy of your support.” (Larsen)

“Hey, someone needs to set this straight! Draka keeps saying he’s just playing, but he throws stones. What if someone got seriously injured? Who’s going to be responsible?” (Brandon)

Adam molded some of his mana in preparation. It’s Lillie’s first time seeing Adam seriously preparing his magic.

“Hide behind me, Lillie” (Adam)

Lillie obediently hides behind Adam.

As Draka’s loyal follower defends Draka from Brandon and Larsen’s furious attacks, he pushes Draka away, towards the two fallen cousins on the ground. The other kids shouted, cheered, and booed at the fight. Three of them wanted to join in and help Draka by sneakily try to punch and kick Brandon and Larsen, but they managed to evade them and shove them aside. Suddenly, from the back of the building, four sharp bamboos fly at great speed towards the direction of both Brandon and Larsen, intending to pierce them.

Adam utilizes the only effective method to quickly and solidly stop the attack, which is by erecting a mud wall. The earthen and water magical phenomenon is invoked at the cost of mana in both his right hand and feet, together with the magic stone in his hand. Adam will need to rest 3 days to regain the mana to utilize spells again. The water from yesterday’s rain is mixed with the soft soil to form the mud necessary to stop the sharp attack. The thickness of the mud is properly placed at the trajectory of the bamboo’s attack, so it just narrowly managed to stop the attack. Altering the trajectory is dangerous, there are many kids around, and it will come right at Adam if he doesn’t stop them from the front, and hit Lillie that is right behind him.

“Oh, my poor kid. Why the village kids need to bully my poor Draka? His parents are busy in the military, so please don’t treat him badly. He needs friends” (Village head appearing from right behind the wooden building)

“Ah, what happened to you kids? What did you do, Adam?” (Adam’s parents, came from the village square)

“You brat has caused havoc again, do you? Now you have done it! Draka’s parents are out there serving the kingdom, and you dare to bully him when he’s alone? Be prepared for some caning” (Brandon parents, with Amanda)

“No dinner tonight. I will whack until you remember who is the one that feeds us and keep us well and alive.” (Larsen’s grandpa)

“Sob, sob, sob. Grandpa. They bullied me. The three of them hit me when I tried to make friends with Lillie. I am afraid of them, Grandpa. They also make fun of me because of papa and mama not here with me” (Draka)

“It’s okay now, Grandpa is here. No one will bully you anymore. AHEM! To stay in this village under my jurisdiction, I expect everyone to be fair and generous.

“Say sorry to Draka. NOW!” (All parents and grandparents except Draka’s)

“I don’t like this one bit” (Brandon)

“Draka is lying” (Larsen)

“The magic just now is meant to kill or cause grave injuries. You guys all saw it right. Who else can conjure them?” (Adam)

The three boys got good slapping and caning on the spot until they are forced to say sorry to Draka in front of the village head and Draka. Draka shows a sad and crying face, but his heart is laughing and quivering greatly out of joy and ecstasy. Even though the village head shows a calm smiling face all the time, but his eyes are as sharp and venomous as a snake. Lillie tried to explain what exactly happened to her parents, but they made a sad face. The other parents all showed distrust towards Lillie’s words, and they don’t believe her.

The only person capable of such magic is the village head, as he is well versed in wind magic. Both his children are also talented in magic, and that’s why they are selected to be important people in the military. The other villagers don’t dare to offend or defy him.

This issue runs deep, but there is not much the kids can do in their current condition, as the adults are the one running the show now. The kids survive another day of life-threatening incident yet again, and the gulf between them deepens.