VG - Chapter 1 - Dealing with the Locals (rewrite) (Patreon)

Hey everyone. Just wanted to give you a couple notes here:
First of all, I appoligize for not getting anything out on friday. I wish I could say that I had a good reason, but the truth is... I don't. I'm not suffering burn out or anything, I just couldn't focus enough to get anything down, which I found EXTREMELY frustrating. I still don't know what exactly happened, but I seem to be good today.

Second of all: I'm starting an... semi intensive re-write of Venomous gaze. I really liek the story, and the further I get into it the clearer vision I have for the different characters and factions. The main two things I want to change are: House Salvenum aren't straight up crooks. They're vicious and ruthless against those that deserve it, but extremely protective of their own people. Its this viciousness that make the other factions wary. And while they're protective of anyone NOT in the family, the family members are still encouraged to compete, fight and kill each other to ensure the most skilled members rise to the top. It's not a nice family to be a part of.

The other change is goign to be the removal of the maids. They were only meant to be minor parts, to help showcase Dahlia's ability, and the family's infighting, however I'm pretty sure I can tighten that entire section up by encountering Dimitri right as the girls arrive, removing the staff from the equation (and allowing me to put a section in that emphisizes that the staff is completely off limits) I expect I'll have to completely rewrite 2-3 more chapters, and make minor adjustments to 3-4 more, but in the end it'll be a much more satifying story. Hope you all enjoy it!

That's it for now. Thanks for reading all!


My most remarkable discovery didn’t come from that oasis, as I expected, but instead from a rocky outcropping in the deepest part of the desert. 

Pat pat pat pat pat

At first I’d mistaken them for some sort of cactus, but upon closer inspection it became clear that the cluster of plants growing out of the stone was some type of flower. They had long, thorny leaves that wound around the central stem. Whenever I tried to force open…

Pat pat pat pat pat

… the leaves, I’d crush the delicate flower inside. I returned to that outcropping regularly, waiting for the plants to bloom, but they never did. It would take years for me to realize that the brilliant glowing blossoms only emerge during a full moon; that’s when I renamed them: Moonfire Blossoms.

Pat pat pat pat pat

“Will you stop that?” I sighed. “You’re giving me a headache.”

“I can’t help it. I thought we were going to sweep through the district and clean up all the filth at once, so I took a long-lasting reflex booster, so I can’t sit still,” my cousin Kathrine hissed. “I can’t believe that someone called the local authorities to try and stop our raids.” 

“I’m more surprised that someone was stupid enough to accept and act on that report,” I said, glancing up from the journal I was reading. “Either someone took a massive bribe to intervene in our business, or they’re too stupid to realize the consequences of doing so.”

“Probably both,” Kathrine snorted. “I’m just glad that some of the local Greybloods were smart enough to warn us before the raid arrived, so we weren’t completely blindsided.” She stalked over to the nearest window of the tiny hovel we were holed up in and stared down at the busy street below us. “I just wish they’d hurry up and arrive already. We’ve got things to do!”

“Relax, the drug dealers aren’t going anywhere; we can deal with them tomorrow if we need to,” I said, returning to my book. Or at least I tried. As I glanced down, a low crystalline ping echoed out from the Satchel at my feet. 

I frowned in irritation, then reached down and dug through the bag until I found the offending instrument. A smooth, flat, oval crystal wrapped in velvet. I flipped back the wrapping and carefully watched as a series of sigils rapidly flashed across its surface. 

“An update from our informants?” Kathrine asked as she wandered over.

“No, something much worse,” I grumbled, tossing the crystal towards her. 

She deftly snatched the delicate crystal out of the air with one hand and flipped it around to read the repeating message flashing across it’s surface. 

“Is this a joke?” she growled. “The entire family is supposed to report back to the main estate by tomorrow night?”

“It has your mother’s personal sigil, so either it’s legit, or heads are going to roll,” I pointed out.

“Our entire extended family is going to be in one place. Heads are going to roll regardless of whether the message is authentic or not,” Kathrine grumbled. “We’ll have to confirm the authenticity; It’s rare for Mother to send out an unencoded message, but you realize that if it’s authentic, we won’t be able to finish our cleanup tonight.”

“It’s fine,” I replied, slipping my book into the satchel. “I would have liked a chance to scour the drug labs and look at whatever materials they have inside, but the Brethren can finish the job without us.” 

Kathrine glanced back over her shoulder at the dozen other people waiting silently on the other side of the room. Each was wearing an identical black feathered cloak pulled up over their head, a crow-nosed mask, and black leather armor. None of them spoke; they wouldn’t say a word unless Kathrine or I addressed them directly. They were far too disciplined to engage in idle chit-chat in the middle of a mission. 

“I have no doubt about that,” Kathrine grumbled. “I just wanted to be there so we could search for evidence of who was behind everything.”

“We both know who’s behind it,” I said. “There’s only one person stupid enough to use the family’s resources to pull this crap.”

“I know, but I want proof,” Kathrine muttered. “We’ve been putting up with that buffoon’s antics for far too…” 

I held up my hand, cutting her off. The sound outside had changed, the crowd was dispersing, and there was the sound of several dozen boots marching in lockstep. “They’re coming,” I declared, jumping to my feet and scooping up my satchel.

“How can you tell?” Kathrine asked, slipping over to the window.

“I can hear them,” I replied, tapping one of my ears. “The perception-boosting elixir I took earlier hasn’t worn off yet.” 

Kathrine nodded, then glanced at the Brethren. “If you want to take an elixir, do it now; otherwise, grab your weapons and head to the doors and prepare to intercept our ‘guests’.” As the Brethern filed out of the room, Katherine nodded towards me. “So, Dahlia, do you want to take the lead, or…”

“Do you even have to ask? You know I don’t like to deal with people, and besides, my features are extremely memorable,” I said, gesturing to my amethyst colored eyes and similar colored sheen in my black hair.

“And you think I’m any less recognizable? My mother is the head of the family,” Kathrine scoffed. “Only an idiot wouldn’t recognize my auburn hair and emerald eyes.”

“Yeah, but you like dealing with people and attracting attention,” I replied as I reached into my bag and pulled out a mask identical to the ones the Brethren were wearing. “I’ll support you from the rear, like usual.”

“Fine, but when this is all over you have to write up the report,” Kathrine said as she strode past me and towards the nearest door.

“What else is new,” I muttered, before throwing on the mask and following her.

“Everyone stay alert, but dont act unless they make a hostile move, or I give you the signal,” Kathrine declared as she stepped up to the front door. “But if that happens, show them no mercy.”

As everyone nodded in silent agreement Kathrine turned and looked at me. I closed my eyes for a moment, concentrating on the sound outside, focusing on the footsteps. After a moment, I held up a couple of fingers and gave her a silent countdown.

The instant I dropped my last finger Kathrine kicked the door open and stormed out into the middle of the street, cutting off the large group of people wearing heavy grey greatcoats and carrying muskets that was just stepping off the stone bridge at the end of the street. 

It seemed like a lot of the locals had seen the Greybloods coming, and wanted nothing to do with them. Most of the shops on the other side of the street were in the midst of closing up, slamming the heavy wooden security shutters closed and barring the doors. The civilians on the street were running for cover, or escaping down the streets as fast as they could go, desperate to get out of the large group walking lockstep towards us. They were all wearing heavy grey longcoats and carrying rifles, which meant there weren’t any elites in the squad. It also meant this operation probably wasn’t authorized, which would make things much easier.

As they approached the end of the bridge, Kathrine stepped out into the middle of the rapidly emptying street, the rest of our squad spreading out around her.

“What’s this? I wasn’t aware that house Salvenum had requested help from the local constabulary,” Kathrine declared, raising her voice theatrically so everyone in the area could hear her. “Or perhaps did you think you could march into our territory unannounced without us noticing?”

The Greyblood detachment came to a screeching halt, and a tired, scruffy-looking man at the front of their formation stepped forward. “Out of the way, carrion scum, we have business here!”

“Is that so? I’m pretty sure we didn’t receive a request to enter our territory,” Kathrine replied coldly, before storming up to the captain and jamming a finger into the middle of his chest. “Perhaps it’s because you thought you could get away with raiding one of our facilities without us noticing.”

A murmur ran through the greyblood formation, and several of the younger members on the front line didn’t look as confident in their actions as they had been just a few seconds earlier.

“The Covenant clearly states that the noble houses have full authority to handle all law enforcement within their own territory,” Kathrine growled.

“Brighthome is a neutral city,” the captain snarled, resting one hand on the magelock pistol on his belt. “You filth have no authority here.”

“Then you’re as ignorant as you are stupid,” Kathrine snarled right back. “The Alchemical quarter of every city is considered house Salvenum sovereign territory, just as the clockwork districts belong to House Venci. Don’t even try to pretend you’re that you’re so ignorant that you were unaware of that fact,” she stood up straight and even though she had to be several inches  shorter than the officer, she had a far more intimidating aura. ”I’ll give you one last chance to take your troops and go home, if you don’t… there’s going to be an incident.”

“We have the right to protect…” the captain blustered. 

Kathrine turned on her heel, leaving the man sputtering in the middle of the street. “Dahlia?”

I stepped forward and slipped a vial of the bandolier on my chest. “I think most of the civilians are clear, enough to minimize collateral damage,” I said, flipping the vial in the air a couple of times. Several greybloods backed up, breaking formation for the first time, while a few others stood frozen in horror, their eyes tracking the vial. “What do you think I should start with? Neurotoxin or Acid?”

“Balls to this!” one of the older greybloods declared. “I was told this was authorized; I’m not going to throw my life away pissing off the crows.” 

As soon as he walked away, the rest of the Greyblood formation fell apart. Many of the younger officers slunk away, seeing this as a valid excuse to escape, and as the formation thinned out, even the more senior officers saw the futility of their actions. Soon, it was just the captain left.

“Did you honestly think you could arrange a raid upon our territory without us noticing, Captain Garrett?” Kathrine asked, stalking up to the captain. “You’re a bigger fool than I thought.”

“I’m doing my duty,” he growled. 

“No, you were sticking your nose where it didn’t belong and preventing us from doing our job,” Kathrine replied, turning away from the captain and flicking her hand dismissively. As she did, I saw her slip a hand into her coat and pull out a long needle. 

Without warning, she pivoted around in a flash and plunged the weapon deep into the side of the man’s neck. It was so fast that I was confident that no one else had been able to follow exactly what she’d done. In fact, the only reason I was able to catch it all was because of the perception-boosting serum.

“You’re going to have a nice long talk with my friends here, and by the end of it you are going to tell us who put you up to this. We don’t take kindly to people inferring with our business,” she growled, yanking the needle back. As she did, the man collapsed like a puppet with it’s strings cut. “Take this filth away. Find out what he knows, then hang him up outside the precinct as a warning.”

“Was that really necessary?” I asked as I sauntered up to her. 

“Not really. It will leave an impression on the locals, though, and hopefully it’ll make our job easier in the future,” she replied.

“What did you inject him with anyway?” I asked.

“Undiluted Karitum toad venom,” she replied, flashing me a wicked smile. “It’ll leave him paralyzed for the rest of the day, but it won’t kill him.”

“It’ll also give him permanent nerve damage,” I said.

“Exactly! It’ll act as a long-term reminder to everyone what happens when they mess with us,” Kathrine snorted. “Do you think we have enough time to hit any of the other suspected labs tonight?”

“Not a chance,” I replied. “At least, not if we want to get back to the estate by tomorrow night, as your mother ordered.”

“Ugh, I’d rather face a bog wraith than visit my mother,” Kathrine muttered.

“Knowing your mother, she might actually throw us to the bog wraiths if we’re late, or even worse, to other relatives,” I replied. “So let’s not keep her waiting.”

Kathrine grimaced. “You’re right. Let’s go.”