After winter break the school year took a turn for the worse. Not that it got harder or anything, but things started happening that caused many issues for everyone. I wish I knew the origin of the issues but I can tell you one thing, Ghostrun Academy would never be the same.
My first day back was the first issue that arose. Adam on break had broken another beast master's body in multiple ways. Adam profusely proclaimed he was defending himself only and that he was jumped by multiple kids from another academy. I also found out that Adam had grown up in an area where basically all his neighbors went to Muhlhauser Academy. Ghostrun and Muhlhauser were both rivals from location being on opposite sides of the same major city but also their own self proclaimed prestige.
The arena at both academies were also considered top notch so both were utilized all the time. Events were held so often that the arena had its own live-in staff and in the second semester of the school year there was constant travel between the two. This also meant that Adam's neighbors would be on campus or we would run into them on their campus for the rest of the year.
To make matters worse the kid who was broken had a cousin in the third year that grew up extremely close. Devin Manrow melded with a water eagle known for their support roles as their spells are mostly healing and boosts to attributes. This meant he wasn't going to directly mess with Adam but get everyone else around him in the third year to mess with him.
It started at lunch when Adam's tray of food was suddenly knocked out of his hands by a third year. "Oops!" the third year mockingly made as he then flexed his cobra scaled arms as two other third year stood behind him flexing their muscles as well, one having a rhino and the other having a spider beast. Their abilities would be significantly more honed than ours being 2 years older and most likely bronze level beasts.
Adam looked at the three with an intense stare, he had no intention of fighting anyone but it seemed that he didn't have a say in the matter anymore. I really wanted to know what it was that happened that winter break but he never told me other than the overview of being jumped and winning. Adam sighed and resigned himself to go grab a new tray of food. The professors now closely watched the three third year students for causing a scene with a 1st year.
Travis, Joey and I were all done eating by the time Adam was able to get to us with his own food. We sat and watched as the three that antagonized him were seated at a table with Devin. "Hey man, forget about them, they will move on to other people in no time." I tried to cheer him up, man was I wrong with that statement.
Dinner same thing, same three, different this time with the rhino doing the "Oops!" while the cobra boy had switched to reinforcement. Adam smirked at them as he knew exactly what he was going to do the next time they pulled this off. Adam walked back to the end of the line and grabbed his second round of food for the second meal but this time with a grin all over his face.
That night Adam told me his plan and I agreed to help out knowing we could pull it off. Joey pleaded with us not to invoke the wrath of a third year but both of us knew what we were doing and we also figured it wasn't going to stop if they continued to do it to us the next meal which is what we were planning on accomplishing. Travis asked if he could help but Adam only needed one thing from me.
I found it comical that they were so predictable that they would try again that next morning. Spider boy went to knock Adam's tray but Adam was waiting for it to happen. He had grabbed a salad and a drink of water knowing both would be hitting the floor. As soon as the word "Oops!" was made I placed an arcane barrier right behind him as Dante grabbed both of the kids' legs from below. Cobra and rhino boy tried to react as they saw Dante manifest below the tray and grab their friend's legs with both of its maws but it was to no use. My barrier stopped their lunges forward which made both of them unexpectedly stop mid-air and fall straight down crumbling as neither were ready to hit a barrier.
I had worked so hard on the barrier as I knew it was going to be the difference between life and death one day. This particular barrier I made the edges expand way out to the sides so that the arcane purple edges that made it more obvious would be out of sight. I honestly thought it would just slow their attacks so that Adam had a chance to run away after humiliating spider boy. Instead everyone was laughing at the three and Adam was standing there in shock not expecting what he just witnessed.
Dante only made contact with the pant legs grabbing the cloth only and pulled the boy's pants down exposing the fact he didn't wear underwear. The two boys who lunged and crumbled against my barrier had both stood up knocking into the third's naked mid section causing both to react drastically as soon as they saw their friend's naked mid section.
The entire scene only lasted a couple seconds but I can still relive that scene in my head over and over in all its details. The laughs of everyone, the look of embarrassment on all three of the boys and then looking at Devin to see his embarrassment made it so much better. Devin hadn't done anything to me thus far but I already hated him for what he was trying to do to Adam.
Adam walked back to the end of the line and before he could even make it half the students waiting to get their own offered their spot to him. It wasn't often that bullies' karma came back to them but when it did it was always awesome to watch. Those three stopped bullying Adam after that moment but Devin wasn't done. He had noticed that Travis, Joey and I were always with him at meals so he changed his tactics and his personnel.