The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 42: Forty-one
Her legs are probably broken. Her hind legs are laid in front of her and she’s licking them while keeping an eye contact with Jannah.
[Ding!]
[Your companion is in dire need of healing!]
What?! Jannah stared at the system when it showed up before her eyes, a warning sign on top of the text as it tells her that the mother leopard needs healing.
I’m not a healer! I don’t have the power to do so! She hissed in her mind, hoping that the system heard her.
"Move!" The man’s voice had snapped Jannah out of her turmoil.
She looked at the man and saw that he threw the beaten woman inside the cell where the other women and children are huddled up in the corner.
"No one better make a noise or else." The man glared at them, making a cutting motion across his neck, "You’ll end up like Jeoford’s wife."
His threat made the women and children cry, but no sound left their lips, keeping themselves quiet, not wanting to aggitate the man and have themselves end up like their dead friend.
The man scoffed as his lips curled up into an arrogant smirk, liking the authority he has over them.
He turned around, walking towards the staircase and was about to step up, but he suddenly buckled forward, his body slumping against the stairs which created a loud sound that resonated inside the basement.
The women and children whimpered, trembling in fear as they watch Jannah’s concealment disappear slowly.
She walked over to the dead man, pulling the dagger from the back of his head.
[Check your mail box to receive your rewards. To open the mail box, simply press the right side of your head.]
She grew reluctant as she read the instructions given by the system, but she knew that she needed to try because it’s the only one who knows how to navigate through its features.
She raised a hand to her head, pressing where the pulse should be.
[Ding!]
The familiar sound of the system echoed in her mind before a new square revealed itself.
From her perspective, the system appeared as a glowing, translucent square with a series of boxes inside the mail window, floating in mid-air.
The interface was sleek and looked strangely familiar with a minimal design that allowed for easy navigation.
She looked at the series of boxes where the rewards should be. She doesn’t have much time to spare so she looked around the system, looking for the easy way of receiving instead of receiving them all manually.
To her luck, she found an option on the bottom right corner of the mail box.
[Would you like to receive all the rewards?]
[YES] [NO]
Of course, I do. Jannah thought with clear sarcasm, pressing the first option.
She looked like she had lost her mind from the perspective of the captured. She raised her hand and touched something in the air, she looked like she was under influence of something, making the women and children cower away from her.
[You have received new skills! Check your skill window to see the skills and try them out!]
Jannah didn’t waste any time to do what the system told her, opening the skill window and look at the new skills she got.
[Skills:
Active skills:
Command (+)
Concealment (+) 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Elemental Wall (+)
Rebellion (+)
Salvation (+)
Cure Rain (+)
Punisher (+)
Petrify (+)
Passive Skills:
Life Wall (+)
Regeneration (+)
Retaliate (+)
Devotion (+)
Endure (+)
More skills will be added once the player has invite another person to her party.]
Jannah didn’t see anything new in the passive skills so she focused on the active skills instead. There are three new skills and all of them sounds cursed or something that will make everyone around think she’s a witch.
Maybe I really am a witch. Jannah lamented to herself as she stared at the skill of [Punisher] and [Salvation].
[Punisher:
• The skill is a powerful melee attack that can deal massive damage to a several targets at once. When activated, the skill charges up an incredible amount of energy that is released in a single, powerful strike.
• The skill is best used as a finishing move against arrogant schemer or when trying to quickly take down a "sinner".
• It’s a high-risk, high-reward skill that can turn the tide of battle in an instant, but the allies nearby is not safe from it.]
Huh.. So I have a skill that can multiple people at once? In my situation right now, it’s quite convenient. Jannah couldn’t help, but feel like she’s being used, like a puppet, a pet, something that entertain someone.
Receiving skills that would be very convenient in the future situations like this one must be a coincidence. Jannah said to herself, convincing her mind that she’s just thinking too much about it.
But alas..
What a load of crap. Jannah doesn’t want to believe that it’s just a coincidence.
[Salvation:
• The skill is a powerful healing ability that allows the user to restore the health of a person in need. When activated, the caster heals any injuries and rejuvenating their body and mind.
• This skill that is high demand in an ally’s or friend’s energy, getting absorbed by the caster.]
Jannah didn’t have to read the description twice and was quick to go inside the cell, it was left open by the man she killed, kneeling beside the beaten woman.
"Let go of her!" A boy screamed, scrambling to get away from the huddled group on the corner.
Jannah immediately placed her hand on the woman’s head and whispered, "Salvation."
The Countess watched as the woman teared up, opening her eyelids to reveal a beautiful pair of emerald eyes.
Jannah gently wiped the tears from the girl’s face, her heart filled with sadness at the sight of the woman’s abused state. Her skin is covered in black and purple bruises, cuts and scrapes all over her arms, a sign that she has been struggling.
With her activating her [Salvation] skill, she felt a warm, tingling energy emerged somewhere in her body that flowed to her fingertips.
That energy enveloped the girl’s body, a faint red glow coming from her hand.
The woman in her arms looked relieved, like the pain and suffering she felt started to ease, the bruises and cuts disappearing at an astonishing pace.
The girl’s breathing became more steady, her body slowly relaxing as the skill worked its magic, bringing relief to Jannah’s bones.
The woman sighed out, her emerald eyes looking into her red ones before she tucked them behind her eyelids, falling into a slumber.
"What did you do?"
Jannah snapped out of her trance, blinking away her amazement before she looked at the source of the voice. The boy was glaring at her, his tears stained cheeks hollow and pale, as if he was starved.
"I healed her." She answered truthfully, "She’s resting now. She just need to get enough sleep then she’ll be fine."
"How can I trust you? My own father hurt her! My uncle killed his wife and made us eat her arms! For all I know, you killed her!" The boy screamed at her, voice full of pain and anguish, a look of pure hatred in his eyes.
"Dane." A young lady whispered, pulling the boy back, "Stop it. They’ll kill you if they heard you."
"They can eat me for all I care!" The boy yelled, tears escaping from his eyes as he looked at the woman in Jannah’s arms, "Let go of my mother! Give her to me! I don’t trust you! I won’t trust anyone! Not you!"
Jannah could feel his pain. She could only do what the boy told her, carrying the woman in her arms to his spot.
"Here." The Countess whispered and kept her gaze downcast since the women flinched when she took a step towards them, "Stay put here, okay? I’ll get rid of the scumbags up there."
"By yourself?" The boy looked at her, wrapping his frail and birth arms around his mother’s head, "I don’t like liars."
Jannah pushed her lips, ignoring the child’s scorching look and the sneer he kept throwing her way. She walked out of the cell, making her way towards the mother leopard.
Puuuurrrr.
She’s not even three steps towards the mother, yet it already starred purring.
"I’m sorry for coming here late." Jannah apologized, kneeling down in front of the leopard and gently touched her exposed stomach.
"Are you okay? Did they rough you up that bad?" She rubbed the leopard’s stomach gently, with caution, "I’m going to tend to you, okay? I don’t know how it will feel for a leopard so don’t get too alarmed."
"Meoraw." The leopard leaned her nose to Jannah’s arm, "Meoraw."
The Countess smiled softly, her eyes looking at the map for a split second, when she saw that the red dots on the map is still out of the building, she went to work.
"Salvation." She muttered under her breath, the red faint glow in her hand flowed out and enveloped the leopard’s body.
Just like with the woman earlier, the skill worked wonders.
"Meorrawww!" The mother leopard expressed her gratitude by licking Jannah on the face. The chain, that she noticed just now, let out a loud sound as the leopard move.
"Those bastards.." Jannah hissed, glaring at the chains.
