Chapter 441: Outclassed

There was another benefit to the tattoos, that Belladonna considered as she examined the Orcs set up.

If you had powerful enough ingredients to hold the burden, theoretically you could place a high level enchantment on a low level individual, or even someone utterly devoid of magic, and still have them be perfectly able to cast the spell without any risk of blowback or bodily destruction.

The only issue in that would be the mana requirement, as an individual like that could not supply the spell the right level of mana to activate it. But such an issue could be fixed with charged Mana Crystals, like one used for actual magic circles or ritual casting.

It would probably not be worth it, but the option was there. Especially if you wanted to make use of disposable individuals, load them up with explosive enchantments and turn them into magical sappers.

A rather disturbing thought, if she did say so herself.

Funnily enough, that was the exact issue the Orcs were facing. The lack of mana, not exploding.

Belladonna had found it odd that, despite claiming to use Glyphs and have these markings, she could barely feel any mana from any of the Orcs she had met so far. But that must have been what the organs were for.

They were using them to supplement the mana supply, the exact same way that people used beast meat or D-fuel to supplement their lack of mana absorbing skills.

Still... with so many beasts around, surely they had a better option than Cannibalism, right? Why would they even consider using the blood of their own kind or eating parts of them?

Damn, that really did sound hypocritical.

"I must say," Belladonna said with a sly smile, "I am impressed. The work is crude and rather heavy handed, but it certainly shows potential. However I do wonder for the reasons behind some of your more questionable methods."

"Questionable? Crude?" The Witch slammed the needle point down on the table, whirling around in anger.

She was an older woman, short by Orcish standards, which meant that she still towered more than a foot taller than Belladonna. That was including the curve of her spine, as if she had spent the last few decades learning how to perfectly impersonate a shrimp.

Strands of white, wispy hair clung to her scalp, and her eyes were half milky as they glared at Belladonna and yet still burned with righteous rage.

"Who are you to talk this way of my work? These are the techniques passed down from the Ancestors, and I have spent years of my life studying the tales and perfecting this craft that you call crude?

Who is this impudent, tiny thing you have brought to insult me little Jessie?"

The Witch whipped her head towards the Elder, who flinched in fear as he became the latest target of her rage.

"I ought to rip the skin from your flesh and take back my awful work if that is how you feel about it!" She grumbled, as she hobbled over to the Elder, muttering more about how she knew his mother and that she had been working like this before he was born.

The commanding Elder stuttered madly, tripping over his words as he backed away, raising his hands to defend himself from the elderly woman that was lightly hitting him. He did not doubt that she would actually follow through on her flaying threat.

"I don’t... I can explain if you just... She doesn’t mean... S-she is..."

"She is the Baroness of Blood!" The Young Orc shouted triumphantly, putting his hands on his hips and puffing his chest out like a superhero, before devolving into a serious of giddy giggles.

"She is so cool Elder Jeskal. She is one of the strongest in the entire world. I once saw her kick the butt of this giant Demon, and she even killed a dragon!

She was all like, Woosh! Kapow! Kablowie! Take that and this! Hiya!" The young Orc explained excitedly, as he performed a few very stiff ’kung-fu’ moves that he had seen in movies, before taking a chunk off of the Witches table when he tried to do a jump kick.

The Witch shot him a scolding glare, which made the young Orc shrink back and laugh nervously, as Belladonna chuckled again.

"Yes, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Belladonna Walachia, The Baron of Blood and member of the Fate-Breakers guild. Oh, and as to the source of my ’impudence’, I am also a Glyphborne."

Belladonna said with a silky tone and a sly smile, before turning her back to the Witch and lifting her hair, to expose her pale skin and the intricate magical pattern of Glyphs and spell circuits carved into said pale skin.

The Orcish Witch let out a choked gasp, as she clutched at her heart in fear that it might stop beating. Her milky eyes widened, desperately trying to drink in as much of the heavenly sight before her.

Her knees trembled, before her withered legs finally gave way and she dropped to the floor. Immediately the Witch planted her head against the floor, rambling and muttering to herself about the blessings of the ancestors and so forth, whilst the Elder known as Jeskal looked at her in a mixture of shock and horror.

The Witch might not have been the most powerful person in his clan, but she had access to magic and the wisdom of the ancestors. Her strength was in her mind, and she was easily the most valuable member of the entire clan, so much that even the Elders feared her.

He understood that this stranger was odd, and that she could be powerful. But only the Witch would know for sure.

So seeing this woman, who he had respected dearly for his entire life, grovel like she was seeing a God walking amongst them shook him to his very core, and he realised how incredibly thankful he was that he did not try to harm this stranger.

Gods only knows if the clan would have survived it.

"My time is limited Elder... Jessie, was it?" Belladonna asked in a bored tone.

The Elder flinched when Belladonna spoke, his eyes locking on her in fear as he stuttered, "J-Jeskal. Elder Jeskal."

"Ah of course. Well, as I was saying my time is limited Elder Jeskal. I have something I must attend to, and this little visit was mostly to satisfy my personal curiosity.

I no longer have need for you."

Jeskal’s heart clenched in his chest as he heard those words, wondering if this was the day that the Death Lord would finally greet him now that he was no longer ’of use.’

"After all, I am sure you have many Elder duties to get to. I am sure you won’t mind me taking this one with me, to help me with my tasks, will you?" Belladonna asked, unaware of the miniature heart attack she had given the Elder.

With a subtle sigh of relief, he followed her finger to the young orc that was standing nearby with a befuddled look on his face.

He did not understand what she could possibly want with him, but that one had always been odd ever since he joined the clan, and he was definitely not going to question this woman anymore.

"N-no. Of course not. He is yours to do with as you please."

"Delightful." Belladonna grinned, gesturing for the Orc to follow as she glided across the floor and out of the room. The Witch turning as she grovelled on the floor, to make sure her head was pointing at Belladonna as she passed.