"We," the symbiote's mouth closed over Eddie's face, "are Venom."

As soon as they introduced themselves, Marth's grip on her sword tightened and her whole posture stiffened. "Then tell me, 'Venom', are you with the Fell Dragon?! Did Grima send you after us?!"

Eddie Brock, in his time as a journalist, had come across many names of superhumans. The symbiote had come across many more, both on its own and with other hosts. Neither of them recalled anything about a 'Fell Dragon'.

"We don't know any Grima."

"You're lying!" Marth snarled. "You were not in Ylisstol in the past! And Lady Naga would never create something as hideous as you!"

More names Venom did not recognize. More questions to be answered. And the only one who could answer them was holding a sword against them.

Venom reached a hand forth as they took a step forward. "Listen to us, girl."

That proved to be a poor choice, as the first thing Marth did was break into a sprint at them with her sword ready to slash, her lungs letting out a challenging cry as she did so. Fortunately, all Venom needed to do was harden the symbiote's flesh and parry the sword with-

It burned! It burned so much!

Venom had to take a couple of steps back as they clutched their wounded arm. When Marth didn't continue her charge, they got a look at it. The human skin beneath was still intact, but the symbiote's had been sliced through, leaving an opening from which drops of it were falling. The symbiote was already patching itself up, but the damage inflicted by the sword was undeniable.

Venom turned back to the girl and got a better look at her weapon still pointed at them. They could not notice anything particular about the blade itself, but the hilt was what drew their attention. It was tear-shaped, with no guard and an opening at the center of the tear. A flickering blue light could be seen within the opening.

"Magic," Venom internally cursed.

"As I thought," Marth muttered. "Only a servant of the Fell Dragon would have such a reaction to Falchion."

Venom had never heard of this Falchion before. But it was clear this girl had to be subdued first.

"And maybe devoured."

"She'll be no good to us dead."

With that internal exchange over, Venom hunched forth and let out a challenging roar at the swordswoman.

"You will not stop me, monster!" Marth growled as she closed in for another attack. A mistake she would soon regret.

Moving faster than she could, Venom shot out a web, used it to grab the sword and started pulling. Marth had to stop in her tracks and resist Venom's pull.

As the two became locked in their respective pulls, Venom quickly came to realize that Marth was surprisingly strong. Stronger than a normal person, especially someone her size, should be. It was nothing like them - or even Spider-Man - but it was easily noticeable.

Such strength presented a problem. Venom could pull more strongly, but there was no certainty that action would not rip her arms off. Fortunately, they had other options.

"Hnnng," Marth weezed out as a ball of web from Venom's free hand struck her in the abdomen. To her credit, she did not let go of her sword entirely, but her grip loosened enough for them to pull it out of her grasp and toss it away.

Martha's eyes widened in shock as her weapon flew away from her. Before she could recover from that shock, Venom leapt, claws outstretched and maw wide open.

The unexpected arrival of the red cavalier Sully and the mysterious archer Virion had been boons Robin could hardly scoff at. That said, just two people against an horde of walking corpses was only a marginal difference. An extra horse-rider was helpful to scatter their ranks and an archer could help provide ranged support, but little else. Especially when these corpses were as sturdy against magic as actual human beings and even more so against regular weaponry that didn't deliver killing blows.

Despite all that, Robin managed to direct the Shepherds into a formation that could withstand this horde. Frederick and Sully made hit-and-run attacks at the monsters' numbers, Virion and Robin covered Lissa whenever she needed to close someone's wounds and Chrom was at the forefront of the formation, Falchion cutting down anything that came its master's way. Frederick had not been happy about that last part, but there was no other option when he was the only foot-locked melee combatant.

Robin was thankful that no undead archer or mage was showing up. And that whatever made those eerie growls was not showing itself. Either of those two would have made the ongoing fight that much harder than it already was.

"It's no good!" Sully shouted. "We keep stabbing these darn things and more show up!"

Which was to say, it already was hard enough.

"Okay Robin, think!" the tactician told himself. "These things can't have come from nowhere. Could there be a cemetery in the woods? Some sorcerer spawning them? Something else entire-?"

A much louder growl from the unseen creature brought a really unwelcome break to his thoughts.

"Look!"

Lissa's shout was another one. But what she pointed at was not.

All of the undead had stopped in their tracks all of a sudden and turned back to the woods from which they were emerging. Frederick and Sully both made another run among their ranks, the former's axe severing one's head from its shoulder and the latter's lance impaling another, before they froze in place and observed the now still undead. Chrom, Lissa and Virion had been ahead of them in that regard.

As quickly as they had stopped marching, the undead started walking in the direction they had all turned to, completely ignoring the six living people behind them. Six leaving people that were left bewildered.

"What the…" Chrom muttered as he lowered Falchion. "What happened?"

With the battlefield now cleared, the others took the change to converge back to his position, first among them Frederick. "My lord, it would appear we were granted a respite from our assault. I would suggest we retreat to Ylisstol and report of these creatures to Her Grace."

Robin was embarrassed to admit he still hadn't figured out who 'Her Grace' was. But even so, his focus now went more toward Chrom shaking his head.

"Not a chance, Frederick," the lord told his knight. "If we let them be, there's no telling what kind of destruction they could cause. We must pursue them!"

That...was not a good idea.

"No wait, Chrom," Robin intervened, drawing the group's attention to him. "What if this is a trap? They could be luring us into an ambush." If their chosen methods of attack were anything to go by, these crrìeatures were not that smart. But looking at the way they wielded axes and swords, it was clear they weren't mindless animals either.

"So what do you propose?" Chrom replied, brow furrowed. "Just let them be?"

"I didn't say that. I just...uhm…"

Robin's gaze went to the woods in which the last of the monsters had retreated. They could run faster than most, but it was doubtful they could outspeed a horse. And with no ranged weaponry, they would not be able to cut off one of their two cavaliers in time. Although Frederick would no doubt be slowed down by his heavy armor.

Robin turned to the redheaded woman. And red-eyed. And red-armored. And- not the point.

"It's Sully, right?"

The cavalier arched an eyebrow from atop her horse. "Yeah?"

Robin pointed at the forest. "Think you can scout ahead and tell us what's going on?"

The knight let out an amused snort. "Seriously, squirt? Just scout?"

...squirt?

"I need to know if they've bunkered down or are just walking around aimlessly before I can make a plan."

Robin hoped more for the former. If they'd stayed in one place, all he needed to do was coming up with a strategy to beat them. Hopefully not one that involved setting fire to the forest. But if it was the latter, Chrom's worries were more likely than even he thought.

"You can trust him, Sully," Chrom intervened. "His tactics have helped us in Southtown before and I'm sure they'll do the same here."

Sully gave Chrom a dubious look that she soon turned over to Robin. After a bit of that, though, she said, "Arite, suit yourself." A moment later, her steed was galloping after the undead.

That left the five of them to wait for her return. As such Robin took the chance to ask Chrom and Lissa, "So what happened? Frederick and I felt the ground shake and then we saw that...thing in the sky."

"We are not sure," Chrom replied. "Those things came out of whatever that eye was and attacked us as soon as they saw us."

"Oh, and that swordsman!" Lissa intervened. "Don't forget about him!"

"Right," Chrom said, nodding at his sister. "One of them almost attacked Lissa when a man in blue with a mask appeared and protected her."

"A bandit, my lord?" Frederick intervened.

Chrom shook his head. "I don't think so, Frederick. His armor was of a better quality than-"

Whatever Chrom was going to say next was cut off by the sound of trotting coming their way. The group turned and saw Sully coming back to them, a bewildered expression over her face.

"Sully!" Chrom said as he rushed at her side. "What happened?"

"I…" The knight hesitated as her eyes kept blinking. "I...think you need to see it for yourselves."

That was not good to hear. What could a knight have seen that startled her so?

Having Falchion pried out of her hands had shocked Lucina so much that she was not able to notice Venom leaping at her until it was too late to get out of his way. As such, the black monster tackled her to the ground and then lifted her up as his clawed hands held her by the forearms, her face mere centimeters away from his fangs. All her attempts to break free from his grasp were for null as they met a hold stronger than anything she could have ever imagined.

Fear was not something Lucina was a stranger to. All her life, ever since her parents died, she had lived in fear of the Fell Dragon's forces. But as a leader, she had learned to hide that fear from those she was supposed to lead. In doing so, she had learned to suppress that fear, focus only on what she needed to do. As such, as she stared at the face of the one that would soon devour her, it was not fear of her fate that she felt. No, it was anger that she would not be able to fulfill her mission.

To her worry, though, Venom's maw did not descend on her right away. His slithery eyes narrowed at her as they examined her face. After that, his mouth did open, but only for his concerningly long tongue to come out and caress her hair. That disgusted her, but nothing more. Was he going to toy with her?

"What are you?"

Poison etched Lucina's next words. "Your master should know very well."

Venom let out an annoyed hiss. Lucina's expectations he'd toy with her proved valid as the monster's face retracted to reveal the frowning human head beneath.

"Look me in the eyes."

Lucina refused to meet 'Edward Brock's' gaze. Venom answered by tightening his grip so much so that she had let out a pained cry.

"I said look!"

With no other choice, Lucina did as she was told. What she gazed upon were...human eyes. Scrutinizing and full of rage, but human nonetheless. That there was a human soul behind the actions of the spider-like monster unsettled her.

"Now," Venom growled, "what do you see in my eyes when I say we don't know who Grima is?"

Lucina was not sure what Venom expected her to say. All she could see in those eyes was still just anger. Not whatever kind of amusement he was probably having by insisting with his lies. What kind of point was there in showing her he was angry at not being believed?

Unless…

"This can't be…" Lucina muttered. "You really don't know of the Fell Dragon?"

Venom furrowed his brow. "We come from New York. We have never heard of this Ylisstol before. So tell us, where are we?"

Lucina was at a loss for words. If this monster really wasn't with Grima, where could he have come from.

Before she could ponder that further, Venom suddenly let go of her as he let out a wince. As she hit the floor, Lucina noticed the hilt of an axe sticking from behind Venom's back. And looking past him, she finally saw it: the Risen Chieftain. A much taller corpse than the rest of it brethren, with a large axe in its right hand, a smaller handaxe - similar to the one stuck in Venom's back - by its hip and at least half a dozen other Risen by its side.

Lucina was half-expecting Venom to fall over dead and leave her to fend for herself. To her shock, he did none of that. He called out his monstrous maw again and turned to the group of Risen. After a plop sound, the handaxe fell off of his back, the damaged spider symbol on his back patching itself together on its own.

"We told you there were monsters lurking around," Venom stated, without turning to her. "Hide, but don't go anywhere. We have many questions for you."

"I do not hide, Venom," she rebuked. "I've fought these monsters for most of my life. I'm not running from-"

"Without your sword, you're useless. But we are not."

Moving before she could retort, Venom raised his arms and shot two webs that attached themselves to the Chieftain's arms. The Risen had a moment of hesitation when it noticed them, but Venom did not wait to see its response. Using his webs as ropes, Venom pulled himself toward the Risen, his feet at the head as they connected with the undead's abdomen and pushed it several meters away. Before the black creature could pursue, though, the other Risen were on top of him.

As she watched the fight unfold beneath her gaze, Lucina could not help but feel that Venom had gone easy on her. Despite their superior numbers, the Risen quickly proved no much for him, as their weapons mostly bounced off of him while he tore them to shreds as easily as he had the previous three, his claws cutting through their armors, his fangs biting off limbs and heads alike and his punches running them through.

Not only did Venom take care of them easily, but he also did it so quickly that by the time the Chieftain was back on its feet, Venom was the only one left standing. Lucina had always thought the Risen were unable to feel fear, but the way the Chieftain hesitated rather than attack right away as it normally would made her think otherwise.

As if to further prove that point, the Chieftain rose its head to the sky and let out a louder groan. And shortly after that, Lucina saw more Risen coming out of the bushes and surrounding Venom. Many more.

Venom did not look worried about the number of his opponents. If anything, as the Chieftain and all the Risen began rushing him, his grin seemed to widen. And when they were on top of him, the black substance covering him sprouted out tentacles that pushed away the first wave of Risen. After that, Venom was tearing through their ranks again.

Lucina could just stare in disbelief as she watched it all unfold. The closest thing she had ever seen to it was whenever Yarne was fought in his transformed form, but even he could not take so many Risen on by himself. Or fight with such mindless savagery.

Lucina's staring of the scene, though, was broken when she heard the gallops of horses and the clanks of armors. Turning to where they all came from, she saw them: her father and her aunt. Sir Frederick, Sir Robin, Dame Sully and Lord Virion had joined them. And all of them were staring at Venom as he mauled down on the Risen, faces set into various levels of shock.

By the end of it all, the Chieftain was the only Risen left standing against the now dirt-covered Venom, the two creatures matching each other in height. Despite its superior durability compared to other Risen, the Chieftain still proved no match for Venom, who bit down on its arm as it came for a swing of its axe and forcibly ripped it in two. The Chieftain was unbothered by the loss of its limb, but before it could try anything, Venom's maw landed around its neck and tore it open. It wasn't long after that the Chieftain dissipated.

Venom took a look around himself as it let out a final victorious roar. And Lucina had to suppress a wince as his eyes landed on her father and the Shepherds and narrowed. It was even worse when he took a step toward them and they all raised their weapons, for Lucina knew if a battle were to break out with that monster, not even her father could match him.

Lucina had known from the beginning that she could not interfere with the past more than necessary. That said, she had hoped to give her father at least some clue of the disasters that were to come. But making sure he'd survive this monster's wrath was much more important.

"Venom!"

The dark creature stopped in his tracks and turned to her.

"If you want your answers, let them be and follow me!"

A low guttural hiss escaped his jaws as he stole one final side-glance at the Shepherd of the past before striding toward her. Before he reached her, Lucina gave a final glance to the Shepherds. To the father she had hoped to come across during her mission but would have to turn away from because of Venom. And she suppressed the tears she felt coming as she turned away from them and started sprinting toward the woods. Venom's stomps followed her as she did so.

So yeah, I ended up deciding to continue this. No promises how often I'll update, though, I don't have some grander plan past the intial premise as of now and I want to keep it as a side project to fall back on if I get stuck on Underdogs.

Thanks to Softandhappy for betareading. You can find us at the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at: 9XG3U7a

See you all next time!