Glorybringer: The Nightmare Within

My Boy...

"Impossible," Venom exclaimed quietly, refusing to believe what he was seeing. He saw it. He saw it. He saw it! He saw his son burn up. He saw as the thing he created suddenly burst into flames with a scream. He saw the look of betrayal in Carnage's eyes as he was consumed by the flames. 

And yet, there he was in front of him. Those traces of black on his otherwise red body a mark of his lineage as he stalked toward them a maniacal smile. 

"What a happy family reunion!" Twisted mused, but the symbiote could hardly listen. He was nigh mesmerized by his son's supposed revival.

"Carnage," he said softly, taking a step towards his child. "I-its me."

Carnage's eyes turned soft, and Venom smiled. "It's daddy," he said, reaching to touch his son for the first time in years. Of course, it was his son, he would never--

It all happened in a blur. Carnage grabbed Venom's hand and pulled the symbiote towards himself as if for a hug. The red klyntaarian's hand suddenly morphed into a blade and he quickly thrust it into his father's stomach. Without missing a beat, Carnage whipped around, ripping his hand out from the side; his other hand morphed into a similar sword, and he brought it down onto Venom's neck.

Fortunately, the symbiote's shock allowed Deathbringer to take control, and the nightwing jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding decapitation. What he couldn't avoid, however, was when Carnage dashed toward him with a deranged grin. The bodyguard barely had time to block before he was hit with enough force to send him flying back.

Deathbringer ricocheted off of a tree trunk, rolling to a stop on the forest floor. However, he barely had any time to rest. He rolled out of the way moments before Carnage slammed down, cracking the ground underneath him. The ex-assassin rolled to his feet and managed to find an opening, punching with all of his might, but his fist was stopped inches from Carnage's face.

"Venom..." Deathbringer cursed as the red symbiote recovered and sent him flying back once again. 

"That's not your son anymore!" the nightwing tried to convince Venom, but the black klyntaarian refused. Surely his son hadn't meant it! The Carnage he knew was too sweet for his own good! He shared his rations with those who wanted it, he fought an impossible battle because he wanted others to be happy! 

Carnage came at them again and again, faster and stronger than the two heroes. He ran circles around them, seemingly attacking from all angles at once!

"You know you can't win, right?" Twisted questioned as Deathbringer was knocked down once again. "Klynntaarians grows stronger every generation. Not only is Carnage Venom's son, automatically giving him the advantage; but he's not holding back."

"What did you do to him?!" Venom demanded as Carnage trapped him, pressing his father's head into the dirt. 

"I did what you failed to do," the fox replied simply. "I saved him."

"LIES!" Venom roared. "I SAW HIM DIE!"

Twisted cackled, coming down to meet Venom. "That's very true. You did see him die, but let me tell you a little story. Due to your pathetic choice of a first host, Carnage turned out just that, pathetic. He was barely even a Nightmare! However, while he lacked the mentality of a Nightmare, physically, he was by far superior to all of your children! After it was all said and done, one of the guards just so happened to find a small red splotch. We took it, and from it, we grew a clone. Now, with a competent host, he's the Nightmare he was meant  to be."

"Aren't you proud, papa?" Carnage teased. Deathbringer looked to Venom for guidance, but the symbiote was shocked into dormancy. The nightwing was on his own... and he had no idea what he was going to do. It suddenly occurred to him that, with no way out, it was very possible he would die here. He roared and began thrashing in a futile attempt to preserve his own life, but it was pointless. He was trapped under Carnage, and he was going to die...

Some flew in the air from the horizon and landed on Carnage in a huge globe. There was a violent hissing sound, and the red klyntaarian let out a high-pitched screamed of pain and stumbled back, letting go of Deathbringer in his agony. The bodyguard spun around and kicked Carnage into the forest. He turned back around just in time to see him lunge at Glory. 

The nightwing jumped with all his might, colliding with the fox mid-air. Twisted spun around mid-air and threw Deathbringer to the ground before landing on his feet. His arm became engulfed in flames.

"I told you," he growled. "You can't beat me."

"Maybe not," Deathbringer admitted. "But I can keep you here as long as I can."

A wicked grin spread across Twisted's face. "You know, I was once like you," he said, but the nightwing didn't care for another monologue. He lunged at the world-destroyer, but he dodged out the way, grabbed his tail, and swung him into a tree before stamping down on his neck. "Naive, emotional... weak."

Deathbringer roared and threw his foot off of him, rolling up and lunging again. With unmatched speed, the fox spun around brought the heel of his foot into the nightwing's jaw; the bodyguard's body snapped to follow the head as he tumbled to the floor.

"Now, you may be wondering," Twisted continued to Deathbringer's annoyance. "How did I go from being a beta male cuck like you to the absolute chad I am now? Well, it was a kind of... assisted revelation..."

Deathbringer ripped a tree from the ground and threw it at the fox, who reduced it to ash within seconds with his green flames. The energy extended beyond the tree, scorching the nightwing's scales with unnatural power.

"I was captured by the Nightmares," he went on, not waiting for Deathbringer to stand before he kicked the queen's guard in the head. "They didn't want me, so they ran an experimental procedure. Most put through it had died, right, but they had nothing to lose... And I survived. Infused with such power, it took a toll on my mind. I tried to fight it, I tried to resist. And that's where the 'assisted revelation' came in." 

He picked the nightwing up, then slowly began to galge his eyes out. Deathbringer screamed in agony, writhing and struggling. "Killing is fun, and mercy is a weakness. Why try to resist when it felt so good? You must have felt it, right? That rush when you first killed under Venom's control? Even before that, when you killed your targets."

The queen's guard just continued to scream and struggle against the fox's grasp until he pulled his hook out, allowing his eyes to heal. "You're a monster," Deathbringer growled.

"Yes, yes I am," he said with a sinister grin. His hook burst into flames and he reared it back, ready to strike. 

"Dragons of the kingdom," Glory's voice spoke over the intercom. "We are under attack. Evacuate completely to the edge of the rainforest toward Jade Mountain, immediately. Only take what you need, get out as quickly as possible!"

"Well, I'll be damned!" Twisted mused, throwing Deathbringer to the floor. The fox ranted about something, but Deathbringer wasn't listening. Even with his healing factor, he was in so much pain. 

When I saw him... I really thought that... that maybe I had a second chance... Venom admitted sadly. 

"You do," Deathbringer whispered. "Just not with the Nightmares. With us. I was given a second chance with Glory, and I think you were given one with me. We were given a second chance, now let's take it!"

Venom was silent for several long moments. You know we can't beat him, right? he questioned. Deathbringer confirmed. Alright then... Let's kick his ass.