185 Stressed Out
Abel pulled Arad away, “Let’s leave, we have work to do.” He glared back at the bard. “Next time I’m going to break your lyre.”
GAH! The bard sat up, shaking his face and blinking as he regained his composure. That was a sold punch and his eyes are tearing up.
“Come on, man.” He growled, lifting his lyre. “That was a joke, this isn’t.” DRING! Pulling on the strings, the bard opened his mouth.
“CHICKEN!”
Arad saw a wave of magic emerge from the lyre and the bard. Forming into a hazy cloud and rushing at Abel. When it hit, no effect happened.
“What?” The bard gasped. “CHICKEN!” He cast the spell again and again, but it kept failing.
Abel looked back at the bard with a grin, “What’s up? Can’t even cast magic?”
[That’s a simple spell that forces the target to believe something. The bard tried to make Abel believe he was a chicken. But since he’s a devil, it keeps failing.]
Arad approached the bard. “Can you cast it on me?”
The bard was getting frustrated with Abel, but he blinked the moment he heard Arad. His head quickly turned and he sighed. “You sure? I wanted him to look like a fool, not you.”
“I rather being a fool here than on a battlefield.” Arad smiled. He wanted to see if the spell could work on him.
[You’re immune, but you since it’s a mental resistance. You have to fight for it.] Mom explained. [Imagin it like Aella waking up in the morning. She can wake up, but she still needs to use some will to stand up and move.]
^If that was the case, why is it called immunity?^
[No resistance means you fall on the spot. Like you took a heavy hit to the head knocking you unconscious.]
[Having resistance means you take a while for the spell to work. In that time you can try destroying the source of magic. Like hitting the mage or drinking a potion to help.]
[Having immunity means that you can negate the magic with your will. Or with an outsider stimulation like pain or voice. With the incubus, you needed Sara to wake you up from it. Like you wake up Aella in the morning.]
The bard cast the spell on Arad.
Arad felt a fog accumulate in the back of his head for a moment. ^No,^ He growled inside and the fog faded. “Yeah! It won’t work!”
The bard stared at his lyre for a moment, “I need to get back to practicing.”
“That’s it Arad!” Abel cheered Arad, smacking his back. “I knew you would resist it! Even the incubus couldn’t take you down.”
The bard stood. “I heard it was your sister keeping him awake.” he stared at Abel.
For a moment, Abel was about to get angry but calmed. What the bard stated was a fact. “Yeah. I guess he got better in the meantime.” Scratching his head.
[You didn’t. You didn’t know how to use your mental immunity.]
The bard sighed. “Well. Let’s be real, even I won’t pass out to an incubus. If your sister was rubbing her chest on my back.” He giggled.
“You bastard!” Abel lept at the bard, swinging his sword. The bard dodged to the side and took off running, “Come back here!” Abel chased him across the training ground.
“Why does he keep triggering Abel off?” Arad sighed. The mage woman from earlier approached. “He and Abel are old friends. Or let’s say, Abel used to hire him to sing at the elephant trunk.”
Arad turned his head and looked at Merida. “And why are you silent? Standing alone in the back.”
Merida gasped. “Me? Sorry…It’s nothing.” she walked toward him, looking down.
Arad looked down at her and sighed. “Lift your head, or do you have a bump on your head?” He was taller than her. Looking at her with her face pointing down made him only able to see her upper scalp.
“Sorry,” Merida lifted her face, averting her eyes away from Arad with a faint blush.
The mage looked at Merida and she smiled. Her lips curled like a cat’s. “Hey Arad, how about we talk a bit? Merida seems to need some time alone.” She tried to lean on his arm.
CLING! The mage froze in place, sensing the cold steel on her neck. She started sweating as she looked at Merida. She already pulled her long sword, “What did you say?” Merida growled with a passive face, glaring directly at the mage’s eyes.
The mage gulped. ^If this was a fight, I would have lost my head. I was out of her range, wasn’t I?^ she gasped, looking at Merida’s blade. It was twice the length of a normal sword.
“Sorry, I mean how about you two have some time alone?” The man looked at Merida with a pained smile and a sweating face. “I will excuse myself now,” She turned and ran away.
“You scared her.” Arad looked at Merida with a passive face.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Merida panicked.
“That was some impressive speed. But you lacked control.” Arad smiled.
Merida remembered. She swung at the mage out of instinct, It was Arad who stopped her sword with his palm. Otherwise, the mage could have been wounded.
“Sorry. I intended to wound her a bit. Nothing that healing magic can’t fix.” Merida looked down.
“I don’t think you need to attack everyone that triggers you. Try to be calm, or talk to me about it.” Arad sighed.
Merida nodded.𝗼𝐯𝐥.𝗻𝐭
“You two, let’s leave.” Abel approached them, panting. “That bastard is going to pop a vein in my skull.” He walked past them, grunting like an angry cat.
“Abel!” The bard shouted. Abel stopped, taking a deep breath. “Feeling less stressed?”
“Yeah, thanks, man.” Abel sighed.
The Bard stood, taking a deep breath as Arad, Abel, and Merida left. The mage approached him. “Like the old days? He’s still traumatized.”
“I can’t blame him. Got both his legs broken, and his ribs shattered before he could know it.” The bard remembered the day Abel tried to hit on Nina as Arad did. That was before he opened the brothel.
Nina fought Abel and wanted to end it without harming him. Her plan was to pin him down.
The moment the fight started, she rushed at him, kicking his ankles to drop him to the ground. Of course, they shattered alongside his calves and knees. Abel fell to the ground, and Nina jumped on top of him to pin him down. But that fall broke his ribs and cracked his spine.
Abel couldn’t walk for four months. And couldn’t shit alone for seven months and had the maids at the lord’s house help him.
“I guess seeing Arad make the same mistake as he stressed him out. I could see his knees shaking the moment Nina walked off her desk.” The bard sighed.