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in: Sea Devil, Comics, Carnage Vol 2,
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Carnage Vol 2 8

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Quote1 It offers both great rewards and greater risks. Just remember, in the end you don't use the Darkhold. It uses you. Quote2
—The Darkhold Dwarf

Appearing in "Sea Devil: Part Three"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

  • Caspian Sea (a freighter) (First appearance)

Events and Eras:

Synopsis for "Sea Devil: Part Three"

In Jakarta, Indonesia, a trio of Darkhold cultists run through the night on their way to a meeting. One of them hears a noise and stops, wondering if the rumours are true and that the Red Slayer has come and is following them. Another cultist dismisses the stories as a mere fairy-tale, but is interrupted by Carnage, who kills two of them. Pinning the third man down, Carnage demands he tell him where he can find Brother Gregori, the leader of the local branch of the Darkhold cult. When the man protests that he doesn't know, Carnage says he'll let him go if he gives him the answer, then kills the man when he pleads ignorance.

A voice remarks that the man really didn't know, and Carnage looks up to see a diminutive man who introduces himself as the Darkhold Dwarf. Carnage remarks that the newcomer's name is the same as the book he's seeking answers about; and asks if he shouldn't just interrogate him, reaching for him with tendrils. The Darkhold Dwarf remarks that he's not there to provide answers but to issue a warning, repelling Carnage's tendrils with a flick of his wrist and causing the symbiote to recede. As Cletus reacts in confusion, the Darkhold Dwarf states that the Darkhold is a book beyond mortal comprehension, offering great reward and greater risks, and that the people who seek to use it end up being used themselves.

On a private jet over the Pacific, Victoria shows the Anti-Carnage taskforce a photo of the Darkhold, which Eddie and Manula confirm is the same book Carnage had. When Eddie asks what the book has to do with Carnage, Victoria tells them the history of the Darkhold, which can be traced back to before the fall of Atlantis, and that attempts to transcribe representations of it found in a pre-Babylonian tomb in the 1920's drove the researchers insane. John skeptically asks if what she's saying is that the ancient carvings and the Darkhold come from the same source and that reading it drives the person insane, but Victoria says it's more complicated than that.

She states that the Darkhold was written before the origins of mankind by an elder deity who was part of a pantheon who ruled the cosmos before creation, which Eddie derides as blasphemy on account of his hardline Christian beliefs. Victoria asserts that regardless of his beliefs, the Elder Gods exist and the one that wrote the Darkhold is called Chthon. Victoria states that the Darkhold first empowers and then destroys its reader, but that its true purpose is to awaken Chthon from his eternal slumber and unleash him into the world. Manuela asks how Cletus Kasady fits in, and Victoria states they found Barry Gleason - or what was left of him - and that there was no sign of the Darkhold. Claire remarks that she doesn't care about any of that and asks why they're headed to Jakarta, and Victoria states that Cletus needs an alter to Chthon to use the Darkhold's full power and that the page Manuela tore from the Darkhold reveals the location of an alter in Indonesia.

In Jakarta's old town, Brother Gregori meets with the captain of a freighter to charter his ship to an unmarked location in the Timor sea, which the captain protests is only open ocean. When asked when they want to leave, Gregori remarks that the one they're waiting for has almost arrived. One of the cultists, Eka, remarks that three of their members are missing and that the Red Slayer is hunting them, but Gregori states that all was foretold to him. The Darkhold Dwarf appears and tells the cultists where Carnage is. In the Menteng Market, Cletus sits and struggles to read the eldritch text of the Darkhold, crudely asking a passerby to help him translate it. The man protests that he doesn't understand, and Cletus angrily transforms into Carnage, snapping that he was promised answers but that all he's gotten is a stomachache from too much fish soup and the urge to kill everyone around him. Carnage is abruptly attacked by a group of Darkholders wielding katanas, spears, and chains. When Carnage sneers at their choice of weapons, one of the Darkholders retorts that they are inscribed with eldritch text, enabling them to easily defeat and restrain him.

At the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Victoria states that her agents have identified the leader of the local branch of the Darkhold cult as Brother Gregori. When Jameson inquires why a Russian would be in Indonesia, Victoria states that it is an alias chosen to honor a Russian werewolf whose decendants once possessed the Darkhold. As Jameson demands to know why he wasn't told werewolves were involved, Victoria's Indian associate, Yuvraj Singh, approaches and tells her the Darkholders have captured Carnage and the Darkhold. Alarmed, Victoria tells the taskforce Carnage is being loaded onto a freighter in Jakarta's old town and that they may already be too late.

At the dock, Carnage regains consciousness and asks where he is. Gregori responds that he's where one who has been touched by the word of Chthon belongs: in the hands of the Brotherhood and on the path to fulfilling his destiny. Carnage snarls that the last high priest to say those words choked on his own guts, but Gregori dismisses the threat and explains that Carnage's blood was transformed by the Darkhold, but that that power comes with a cost: vulnerability to weapons and objects marked by Chthonic sigils. As Gregori proclaims that the Red Slayer is helpless against Chthon's will, Carnage bursts into laughter, asking if by "the Red Slayer" they mean Carnage. Gregori affirms this, so Cletus retracts the symbiote into his body and slips free from the chains, diving into the water.

As Gregori looks on in horror, Carnage erupts from the water and dismembers the cultists, quipping that magic weapons are useless if there's no way of wielding them. Gregori pleads for his life, but Carnage replies that he came halfway around the world to chat with him. Taking the Darkhold, Carnage tells Gregori that he has questions about the book and wants answers, and Gregori immediately says he'll tell Carnage everything he wants to know. When Gregori states there's a secret island with an alter, Carnage recalls that Roger Felwood, Jr. mentioned he'd need an alter to make the Darkhold work and demands to know more, forcing the cult leader onto the freighter as it prepares to depart.

The Anti-Carnage task-force arrives at dawn to discover the dead cultists. When Manuela asks how it's possible that Carnage could have become immune to sonics, Victoria remarks she has her suspicions and asks to examine the weapons. Singh reports that the freighter docked at that location was the Caspian Sea and was headed southeast. As Victoria tells Singh to charter a fast ship, the Darkhold Dwarf perches on a nearby shipping crate with a maniacal smile on his face.

Solicit Synopsis

• Carnage’s adventure across the high seas continues, and he’s leaving a trail of bodies in his wake!

• Who is Victoria Montesi and is she friend or foe! Toxin, Man-Wolf and Co. will find out soon but they may not like it.

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