Chapter 438: Not easy being green

Belladonna had to resist the urge to grin when the Orcs all yelped in fear and frantically whirled around to face her with their eyes wide.

Even with the spears being pointed at her, and the guards barking orders at her, it was hard not to be amused by giving them such a fright. She really understood why Bai Yin enjoyed sneaking up on people like this, even if she cheated by teleporting as soon as they started talking about her.

It was devilishly fun.

But she couldn’t smile, not just yet. She was being mysterious, and to suit that mysterious and ominous appearance, Belladonna had altered her outfit.

The shorts and top she had previously might have been perfect for raiding tombs, but they didn’t suit the ’Dark Mistress’ vibes she was aiming for. So instead she took inspiration from the one true Dark Mistress she had met.

The Matriarch.

Her living armour had shifted into a long, flowing black dress that draped right down to the ground. It was sleeveless, showing off her powerful and deathly pale arms, and was low cut in both the front and the back with a loose frill to it like it was ripped from a roman stola.

That low cut went all the way down her stomach, stopping just above her belly button, and was the same length in the back. It seemed like an impractical outfit choice, especially when you had so many spears pointed at you, as it exposed the most vulnerable parts of her body to attack.

But that was just the point. It was almost inviting them to stab at her, to pierce the pale flesh, and find out what would happen. Any smart Elder would understand that there was only two types of people who would wear this outfit when appearing in an enemy camp.

It would either be a complete idiot who did not understand the danger, or someone who was strong enough to simply not care. Someone who had the strength, and the confidence in that strength, to know for a fact that whatever the Orcs could do or try would be hopeless against them, to the point that wearing armour was utterly pointless.

"It is rude to point your weapons at a guest." Belladonna announced to the crowd, condescension filling her tone as she once again took on her persona of the great Baroness.

"Will you tell them to lower their weapons, or will I be forced to lower them instead?" She turned her attention towards the Elder, who was still staring at her with a mixture of fear and uncertainty.

She did note, however, that her little speech gained more attention that she was expecting, as many of the surrounding Orcs gave subtle gasps or muttered amongst each other simply about her speaking.

Curious.

The Elder eventually straightened up and cleared his throat, puffing out his chest in a display of dominance that Belladonna could not care less about, before gesturing to his men.

"You heard her, she is a guest. We are not the savages they claim. There is no glory in killing the unarmed, even one as bold as this."

The guards exchanged some looks, before lowering their weapons and returning to a neutral stance, although their fingers still twitched as they were ready to spring into action at any moment.

"Lovely." Belladonna cooed, "Now, I apologise for what has happened to your man. I simply needed to find your people and I did not have time to waste."

More mutters sounded, that the Elder silenced with a wave of his hand. He glanced down at the restrained hunter, who was still muttering the same thing over and over, whilst his dog stood by the gates completely mindlessly, before he turned back to Belladonna.

"You did this to him? He might be green, but he is still one of ours and deserves his mind. Release him."

"Very well, as a sign of good faith. It would hardly be fair to go into a conversation with one of your men under my control, now would it?" Belladonna sighed, before raising her hand and lazily snapping her fingers.

A few sparks of lightning crackled from the runes on her finger tips, adding to the mystical effect of the completely meaningless gesture, as she mentally severed the control she had over him. Oh, and the dog too.

The Hunter blinked, glancing around in confusion.

"W-where am I? Back at camp? But I... What happened?" He muttered deliriously.

"See? Good as new." Belladonna said with a condescending smile, waving her hand towards the hunter.

"Although I have to say, it is odd you call him green. You all look rather green to me."

That comment gained even more mutters, ones that were much louder and bordered on outrage than surprise. But the Elder waved his hand angrily, immediately silencing his people before turning back to Belladonna and speaking lowly, his voice the epitome of calm.

"Yes, I suppose we would look that way to you." He muttered, his eyes locked on her hand with a look in his eyes that Belladonna found very interesting.

But her assumption that it was because he had, somehow, never seen magic before was washed away by what he said next.

"Come, You must see the Witch. You have much to discuss with her."

The Witch? Hmm, yes. That did sound like someone she would love to meet.

The Elder gestured for his guards to remain, before striding past Belladonna. Close enough that she could strike him down if she wished, an intentional move on his part no doubt as a sign of trust. He kept his eyes ahead, and let out a soft sigh of relief once he was passed her, and she was following him.

Just to keep up her mysterious allure, Belladonna used a subtle casting of her Air Skates to glide along the ground with every step instead of walking, which was helped by her long dress hiding her movements.

Once they were far enough away from the Guards and the rest of his people, the Elder leaned closer and spoke lowly to her.

"If you do not mind me asking. Which Tribe has adopted a warrior such as you? Surely I would have heard of such a warrior at the last Grunsh meeting."

"Which Tribe?" Belladonna asked, breaking her mask to frown softly,

"I come from no Orcish Tribe. Why do you think that?"

"You don’t? Then... how do you speak our language, and where did you learn to bear our Ancestral Marks?"