Author's Note:
Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter of Earth's Mightiest Huntsmen. But first, I have a few things to go over.
First, a very special announcement: we are officially on TV Tropes! That's right, this story now has an official page on TV Tropes! This is a dream come true for me, and this was a nice surprise to discover shortly after the release of the previous chapter. This would not be possible without lots of dedication from you guys. I cannot thank you enough. Feel free to add tropes that you see in this story to that page.
Second, as always, it's time to answer some reviews!
superjoeyf721: Indeed. It is these accomplishments that have often made Doom such a hard character to get right.
bjlpcell: Earth's Mightiest Heroes certainly is one of the few instances that has gotten Doom right. We'll see how I do, because he's extremely difficult to get right. As for where the other RWBY characters ended up, I will say that, location wise, one of them is in pretty decent shape compared to the others. But situation wise...yeah, they're all in trouble.
hawko2632: Hopefully not. But we all know what Nora is like.
UA Alumni 1998: More trouble than what RWBY characters could normally handle, considering Doom is probably one of the most dangerous threats on Earth.
GothmogOnslat: I was really looking forward to writing the reunion scene between Ruby, Jaune, and Weiss, probably because of the raw emotions that the characters would feel during it. They had been separated for a week, and the last any of them saw one another, they were at Ultron's mercy. Seeing them reunite and know 100% that they were alive and well was such a heartwarming scene for me to write.
SuperSaiyanFever: No doubt. Doom has consistently been able to match the strongest superheroes on Earth. It's not going to be easy to get Nora and Ren out of there.
Heart of Shepard: I definitely have plans for at least one X-Men related arc coming up here soon, but there may be more in the future.
RXWriter: Is anyone ever prepared for Doom?
the mysterious Mr.E: The important thing to remember is this: there are very few, if any, people that Doom actually respects. Just about everyone is beneath him.
Red Scorpion: I also enjoyed the 2005 Fantastic Four movies despite them not doing Doom right. I just found them highly entertaining. But let's hope I can get Doom here closer to what he should be and not anything like his movie adaptions-both the 2005 version and the reboot-that-must-not-be named version.
dinocam3: I was actually inspired to write this story after reading Hunters of Justice. As for Remnant's Mightiest Heroes, I have not read that, but I'll take your word for it.
Thank you all for your continued support. Seriously-this would not be possible without all of you. Now, let's get back to the story.
Latveria—September 22
"Nora?" A gentle hand shook her shoulder. "Nora, wake up."
Nora Valkyrie let out a small moan. "Mph…tired…"
"Nora…wake up."
Nora finally opened her eyes. "Mph…Ren?" she mumbled.
"Yes," Lie Ren confirmed. "How are you feeling?"
She let out another moan. "My body feels like I just fought an army—but it was just one robot."
"Can you stand?"
Nora slowly crawled to her feet, taking in her surroundings. The two of them were in what appeared to be a barn. Faint moonlight came through the windows, illuminating a few traces of straw lining the ground. Other than Ren and herself, the barn was empty.
"Where are we?" Nora asked. "Did we have to leave Vale?"
"Nora—"
"What about the others?" Nora looked around. "Where are they?"
"Nora, listen to me," Ren said gently. "We're not on Remnant anymore."
Nora tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Look out the window."
Nora stumbled over to the window, her legs feeling like rubber. She looked out at the sky and her eyes widened in shock. The moon was no longer shattered. In fact, it was completely whole. "Okay…" she said slowly. "That's not normal."
Ren joined her at the window. "As I said…we're not on Remnant anymore."
"But—how is that possible?" Nora asked. "And where are the others?"
"As far as I can tell, we are the only ones here," Ren told her. "And, as for how we have managed to be transported to another world, I suspect that the device that Ruby destroyed may have something to do with it."
Nora turned back to look at Ren. "So if we're not on Remnant, then where the heck are we?"
"I suspect this is the planet that Ultron came from."
"Really?" Nora looked around. "I was expecting something a little more…techy."
"It's possible that the people of this world were able to repel him," Ren theorized, "which would explain why he came for Remnant. If that's the case, then we need to find out what weapons they used and find a way to make a deal with them to acquire these weapons."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Nora asked. "Let's get moving!"
"It's not that simple, Nora," Ren warned.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't believe everyone on this world is friendly."
"What makes you say that?"
"You've been unconscious for several hours, Nora," Ren explained. "I had to carry you here. When I went back to where we started off, there were people there. Soldiers." He looked around and lowered his voice. "They're looking for us. And I don't think it's to help us get home."
"What do we do?" Nora asked.
"Find a city and try to blend in until we know more about this world and its people."
"What did Ultron call the place he was from again?" Nora asked. "Earth? That's a dumb name."
"I don't think they want constructive criticism about what they call their world, Nora. Now, are you strong enough to walk?"
Nora nodded. "I'm good to go."
"Good." Ren grabbed something lying against the wall and gave it to her. It was her weapon, Magnhild. "There's a good chance you'll need this."
Nora held the massive war hammer, staring at its head for a moment before converting it back into its grenade launcher form and clipping it to her back. "How much Dust do we have left?"
"Dust won't do us any good," Ren told her. "It won't work outside of Remnant's atmosphere."
"Seriously?"
Ren nodded. "We're going to have to make do without it."
"So, we're stuck on an unknown planet, we have no idea where our friends are, that big robot thing is doing who knows what to Remnant, and we have no ammo?" Nora asked.
Ren simply nodded again.
"Great."
"We have to get moving," Ren told her. "Those people are probably still out looking for us." He headed for the entrance to the barn. Nora quickly followed behind him.
"I thought we wanted to find people so we could get help," Nora reminded him.
"I don't think these people are the kind that want to help us," Ren explained. "They felt off during my observation of them."
"Then what kind of people are we looking for?" Nora asked.
The barn doors suddenly burst open, and several armored soldiers ran in, aiming their weapons at the pair. "Halt in the name of Doom!" one of the soldiers ordered.
Nora and Ren exchanged a look. "Not them," Ren said.
As the soldiers aimed their weapons at them, Ren quickly analyzed the situation. There were about a dozen soldiers in the barn blocking their exit, and who knew how many on the outside. Escape would not be easy. He and Nora had no choice but to fight their way out.
"Hands in the air!" the soldier in front, obviously their leader, commanded. "Do it, now!"
"Yeah, I don't think so." Nora quickly grabbed Magnhild and extended it into its war hammer form. Before the soldier could react, she swung the weapon into his side with a loud CRACK! He let out a cry of pain, stumbling back and clutching his side.
"They don't have auras," Ren warned.
"Take them!" the captain ordered, and the remaining soldiers began opening fire, pelting the area with bullets and forcing Nora and Ren to take cover on opposite sides of the barn.
"They don't have auras!" Ren repeated to Nora. "Use restraint when dealing with them!"
"Come on, we can take them!" Nora called back.
"I never said we couldn't Nora! Just be careful when engaging them! They're not as tough as people on Remnant! One wrong hit and you could accidentally kill someone!"
Nora gave a snappy salute. "On it!" She leaped out from behind her cover, slamming Magnhild into the closest soldier's foot. As he screamed in pain, she elbowed him in the face, knocking him to the ground before moving on to the next one, who tried to shoot her several times only for every shot to be blocked by her aura.
While the soldiers were focused on Nora, Ren leaped out from behind his own cover and engaged the soldiers closest to him. He briefly considered pulling out StormFlower, but decided against it. He could still fight without them, and this way it would minimize the chance of someone accidentally dying.
He matched the first one blow for blow before grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. He then kicked the soldier into the man behind him before leaping over the two and into a third soldier, knocking him to the ground.
Several shots impacted his Aura, forcing him to quickly switch targets and head for the soldier shooting at him. He slid on the ground, taking the legs out from under that solider. As he fell, Ren jumped back on his feet and moved over, punching the man in the face several times until he was unconscious.
Meanwhile, Nora was swinging Magnhild left and right, slamming it into any enemy that came close to her. As such, the soldiers were keeping well clear of her and her war hammer. But their firepower was getting more focused, and Ren knew that her aura, as well as his own, wouldn't hold up forever.
He turned his attention to the next closest solider, which happened to be the leader of the soldiers. He pulled out a sidearm and attempted to shoot him, but Ren was too fast, knocking the weapon from his hand and striking him in the stomach, taking him down in an instant.
He heard the sound of electricity crackling and realized that another one of the soldiers had drawn some sort of baton that sparked with electricity. This solider tried to stab him with it, only for Ren to grab his wrist and force the baton from his hand. He caught it in his own and proceeded to stab the solider with it. He went down, spasming.
"Nora!" he called, throwing her the baton. She caught it and stabbed herself with it. She grunted slightly as the electricity surged through her body, but then grinned, tossing the baton aside and staring down the remaining soldiers.
"Who's next?" she asked, slamming a sparking fist into her palm.
To their credit, the remaining soldiers stood their ground, continuing to try to fight against the pair. But now that Nora was powered up thanks to her Semblance, they didn't stand much of a chance. Within another minute, all the soldiers had been knocked unconscious.
Once they were done, Nora let out a laugh. "If this is what passes for huntsmen on this planet, they have to be disappointed that two huntsmen in training were able to beat them all without breaking a sweat."
"I don't think these were huntsmen, Nora." Ren knelt next to one of the soldiers, checking to confirm that he was still alive. "For that matter, I don't think there are Grimm on this world."
"Really? What makes you say that?" Nora asked.
"If there were Grimm around, they would have no doubt attacked by now." Ren stood up. "Grimm are drawn to negative emotions, and these men certainly exhibited those just now."
"A world without Grimm?" Nora shook her head. "That's crazy."
"Perhaps. But it would be unwise to believe that this world would be exactly like Remnant." Ren moved to the barn door and peeked outside. "It doesn't look like there are any more soldiers outside. We should go."
"Go where?" Nora asked.
"Just go. More soldiers will no doubt show up before long. I don't think we should be anywhere near here when they do."
Nora nodded, converting Magnhild back into a grenade launcher and clipping it to her back. "Then what are we waiting for?"
Castle Doom—September 22
"Report."
The servant knelt in front of the throne. "My lord, I'm afraid that…the trespassers have escaped."
The shadowy figure on the throne didn't move an inch. "Explain."
The servant gulped. "My lord—your personal guard tracked them to the outskirts of Doomstadt. Twelve of your best men went to apprehend them. But they were defeated."
The shadowy figure grunted slightly. "Casualties?"
"None, my lord. The intruders left them alive and fled."
The shadowy figure slowly stood up, his green cloak flowing behind him as he approached the trembling servant before him.
"They—they'll no doubt be heading for the city," the servant stammered. "It's the only place they could ever hope to escape Latveria from."
The shadowy figure ignored him, moving past the servant to stand before a large map of the country.
"My—my lord?" the servant questioned hesitantly.
The shadowy figure remained quiet, seemingly lost in thought. "It is paramount we capture these intruders—alive," he eventually said. "If they are what I believe them to be, then apprehending them will be critical to the future safety of Latveria." He turned back to the trembling man and pointed at him.
"No more mistakes," he told him. "Release the Servo-Guards. Have them hunt these aliens down. And when they are captured…have them brought to me."
The servant nodded. "As you wish, my lord."
"Then go."
The terrified man was happy to comply. As he ran to fulfil the wishes of his ruler, the shadowy figure slowly returned to his throne, taking his seat once more.
He had been lucky enough to detect the strange energy readings right when they happened and block them from outside detection, particularly from the watchful eyes of the Avengers. He did not want Earth's protectors to come rushing into his country to investigate something they didn't understand.
No, he wanted to investigate this matter personally. If there was a threat approaching, he wanted to be prepared for it as soon as possible.
Nothing could be allowed to prevent him from saving the world.
The Outskirts of Doomstadt—September 23
The two of them had been walking for who knew how long when the sun began to poke out of the horizon.
"The sun is rising," Ren noted. "We should stop to get some rest."
"Come on, we can keep going," Nora told him.
"We need to keep our strength and our auras up if we're going to fight off another attack," Ren warned, sitting down next to a tree and leaning against it. "Get some sleep, Nora. I will take the first watch."
Nora gave him a look. "Ren, you can barely keep your eyes open. You've been up keeping watch all day yesterday while I was unconscious, and now you want to stay up again?"
"I'm fine, Nora."
"No, you're not." Nora put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll take the first watch. You rest."
"Nora—"
"No buts, Ren," Nora interrupted, a rare look of seriousness on her face. "Just rest for a little bit."
Ren finally gave in. "Very well." He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep. Nora, meanwhile, took a seat next to him, staring out at the path ahead.
They had been walking all night, keeping themselves mostly hidden to avoid detection from whoever sent those soldiers. In that time, they hadn't seen a single soul anywhere around.
Ren had made a few theories about this as they had walked together. He guessed that the area that they had ended up in was ruled over by some sort of military dictator who kept the population under control through the use of his soldiers. This would mean that a curfew was in effect, meaning that the only people that they would see until morning would no doubt be soldiers trying to take them down.
Of course, this also meant that no one in the area would be willing to help them, either out of fear or out of loyalty to the ruler. Their only hope, Ren had decided, was to find a way out themselves and hope that this ruler didn't lord over the entire planet.
Nora looked over at Ren sleeping next to her. He had done so much already in the past few hours. He looked exhausted. And now they were both stuck in hostile territory with no idea where the rest of their friends were.
"What if they've already been captured?" Nora wondered. "Or worse, what if they never got off Remnant? What if Ultron killed them all?"
"No," she scolded herself, "Stop thinking like that. They're okay. They're alive."
She slowly pulled Magnhild out and shifted it in her hands. It felt lighter with her knowing that the Dust grenades within were completely useless. Without them, she wouldn't be able to deal as much damage as she usually could. For that matter, the lack of Dust would limit Ren's own weapons even more due to their shorter blade lengths. Knowing him though, this wouldn't stop him from trying to protect her.
"He's been through so much recently," Nora thought. "Ultron's attack easily brought up old memories of the past for him. I know it did for me."
It was true. Seeing the destruction that Ultron had brought to Vale had only made Nora think back to what she and Ren had been through together at Kuroyuri. Back then, they were the only survivors. And now, Nora was worried that everyone else in Vale was dead now too.
"Stop thinking like that," she scolded herself again. "The professors are taking care of things there. Everyone is fine."
A small whooshing sound in the distance brought Nora's attention to the sky. She strained her eyes in the slowing brightening sky, trying to make out the shapes that were slowly approaching.
"Ren," she said, nudging his shoulder. "We've got incoming."
His eyes were open in an instant. "Where?" he asked, getting to his feet.
Nora pointed up. "There."
The shapes were getting closer, heading directly towards them. By now, Nora could make them out. They almost appeared to be…
"Robots," she realized.
"Not Ultron's, I don't think," Ren noted. "These look different."
He was right. These robots seemed to be more cylindrical and boxy compared to the slimmer drones that Ultron employed on Remnant. But they still looked plenty dangerous as they flew down towards the two.
"At least we don't have to worry about killing anyone this time," Nora remarked, converting Magnhild into its hammer form.
"Be careful, Nora," Ren warned, drawing StormFlower and getting into a fighting stance. "We have no idea what kind of capabilities these robots have. They could be just as strong as Ultron."
"We're about to find out," Nora said as the robots landed around them. Each one was armed with a rifle, which they raised towards them.
"Halt in the name of Doom," one of the robots spoke in a heavily metallic voice. "Surrender now or face—"
WHAM! Nora swung Magnhild and smashed the robot's head clean off. Instantly, the other robots began to open fire on them, only their weapons shot lasers rather than the bullets that the human soldiers used.
Ren moved in first, using the sickle blades from StormFlower to hack and slash the robots that were closest to him. Nora fought next to him, smashing robots all around her. Their lasers did little to penetrate their auras.
A robot grabbed onto Nora's arm, trying to force Magnhild from her grip. But Ren was ready for it, swinging around and slamming one of StormFlower's blades into its arm, slicing it apart before jamming the other blade into its head. A shower of sparks erupted from the robot's head as it shut down.
"Behind you!" Nora shouted. Ren instantly ducked, allowing Nora to leap over him and slam her hammer down onto the robot that had been coming up behind him.
More robots landed on the ground around them. One of them, Nora noticed, had a different sort of gun—one with a forked barrel. As this robot took aim at Ren and the barrel started to glow with energy, she realized that this weapon was far different from the others—and potentially dangerous to them.
"Look out!" she cried, shoving Ren aside as the robot fired an energy beam. The beam struck her directly in the chest and spread throughout her body. Instantly, she felt herself slowing down. In seconds, she was completely frozen in place.
"Nora!" Ren yelled. He quickly turned to face down the robot, who simply fired again at him. The beam engulfed him, and Nora could only watch as Ren's body slowed to a stop. Like her, he was completely immobile.
The robots gave no cheer of victory. They simply marched forward to collect their prize. They first took the liberty of disarming the two of them, yanking their weapons from their unresisting hands. Then they grabbed them both from under the arms and took off for the sky again.
Normally, Nora would've enjoyed flying through the air. But now, completely unable to move or do anything to resist, she was a little scared. Scared of where the robots were taking them. Scared of who built them and that strange weapon they had used to completely freeze her and Ren in place.
And scared of what was going to come next.
Castle Doom—September 23
The robots were taking them to a large castle in the middle of the town—which, Ren guessed, was where the leader presided. "So, they're taking us to whoever rules this place," he thought. "But for what purpose?"
If this ruler had wanted them dead, Ren knew, then he would've had these robots kill them both—kept them shooting at them while in these frozen states until their auras whittled away to nothing. No, this leader wanted them alive. And one way or another, Ren was no doubt going to find out what the reason was.
The robots landed outside of the castle and marched in, carrying their prisoners with them. Ren wished that he could look at Nora to give her some comfort. She was probably a little freaked out about all this. Truth be told, he was as well. He had never heard of a weapon so powerful that it could freeze anyone in their tracks in seconds. "If this world has this kind of technology, it could help Remnant in the fight against Ultron," he thought.
The robots soon entered a large throne room before setting Ren and Nora on the ground. From his position, Ren could barely make out a shadowy figure sitting on the throne. He wore metal armor, complete with a face mask and green hood.
He held up a hand and gestured to the robot with the freeze rifle. The robot raised it, twisted a dial on its side, and fired it again at Ren and Nora. Instantly, Ren felt his body unlock, causing him to sink to the ground as his muscles gave out. Nora fell down next to him a moment later.
The shadowy figure gestured again, and the robots all filed out, leaving him alone with the two teens.
"You have trespassed on Latverian soil, and have assaulted my forces," the leader spoke, his voice slightly metallic as he spoke through his mask. "Explain yourselves."
Nora opened her mouth to speak, but Ren gave her a look. She backed off, sensing that Ren wanted to do the talking. "We meant no offense," Ren spoke gently. "We are strangers to this world."
"That much is obvious," the shadowy figure answered. "So, who are you?"
"My name is Lie Ren," Ren answered slowly. "This is my partner, Nora Valkyrie. We are warriors in training from a world called Remnant. We do not know how we got here, nor do we know how to get back home. We mean no harm to you or your people."
"Doom will decide what you mean to do here," the shadowy figure told him.
"And I take it you're Doom?" Nora asked.
The man did not answer.
"We do not want wish to get involved with the politics of your country," Ren spoke up. "If you allow us safe passage out of here, we will not bother you again."
"I think not." Doom stood up from his throne. "Not until I am satisfied."
"Satisfied with what?" Nora asked.
Doom simply gave her a cold stare.
"What? A little conversation isn't going to kill you," Nora went on.
"Nora," Ren warned. "I don't think it wise to antagonize him."
Doom turned his gaze to him. "I see you are far wiser than your companion," he noted. "But wisdom will not save you now."
The doors to the throne room opened again and human soldiers entered. "You will remain here until I say otherwise," Doom decided, turning away and starting to head back to his throne.
"Move it!" one of the soldiers ordered, brandishing one of the shock batons.
Seeing this, Nora flashed a determined grin. "Make me." The soldier then proceeded to stab her with the shock baton, causing electricity to surge through her body.
"Thanks!" she shouted before slamming a fist into the soldier's face and sending him flying back. She then ran at Doom, leaping at him with the full intent of taking him down. To her complete shock, Doom simply raised a hand and grabbed her by the head, plucking her out of the air with little effort.
"Amusing," Doom said simply. A beam of energy shot from his hand, blasting Nora clear across the throne room and into the far wall. She hit it with a loud CRACK and slumped to the floor, her aura flickering weakly. The other soldiers quickly grabbed her, forcing her hands behind her back.
Ren glared at Doom as another soldier grabbed his own arms and forced them behind him. "What gives you the right to do this?" he asked.
Doom sat back down in his throne. "In Latveria, there is only one law, one vision," he said simply. "My vision. Doom alone gives himself this right, for I alone can do what must be done." He waved his hand. "Take them away until I summon them once more."
With that, the soldiers dragged Ren and the still dazed Nora out of the room. The last thing Ren saw before the doors closed was Doom coldly staring after them.
The soldiers threw them into a cell at the bottom of the castle before slamming the door shut. Ren instantly moved to Nora's side. "You okay?" he asked.
She nodded weakly. "I'm fine. You?"
Ren looked around the cell. "I am fine."
"This guy—he blasted me back like it was nothing. Not even the strongest Grimm could do something like that."
"His power is impressive," Ren agreed. "It's clear now how he managed to put himself in a position of power in this country."
"What are we going to do, Ren?"
Ren closed his eyes. "We may still have hope," he decided. "This "Doom" did not mention having found anyone else. Which means that, if our friends are on this planet, they have not been captured by him. Should they discover what has happened to us, they may attempt to free us."
"But what do we do until then?" Nora asked.
Ren sat down against the wall. "Until then, we are at Doom's mercy. But I don't think he intends to kill us. At least not yet."
"Then what do you think he wants?" Nora asked.
"Knowledge. He knows nothing about us. He wants to learn more about us and Remnant. As long as we are useful to him, he will not kill us."
"So…we just sit here and wait for him to torture us?"
"What else can we do, Nora?" Ren asked. "We have no way of getting out of here. Even if we could get past all the guards, we have no idea where to go outside the castle."
He gave her a calm look, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Our only hope is for our friends to come to us. Until then, we must not do anything to provoke Doom."
Nora hesitated, but then nodded.
"Thank you, Nora. Now, get some sleep while you still can."
Nora nodded again and moved to sit next to Ren, resting her head against his shoulder. Ren didn't move from his spot, letting Nora slowly drift off to sleep.
He only hoped that he was right, and that their friends were somewhere out there. Because right now, he didn't see much of a chance of them escaping. Doom certainly wasn't going to allow them to leave until he got what he wanted. And one way or another, he was going to get it.
Ren fixed his gaze to Nora next to him. After seeing what Doom was capable of, he knew that he was more than willing to torture them both to get what he wanted. They were going to get hurt. A lot.
He slowly took Nora's limp hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Nora," he promised silently, "Whatever happens, I'll be there to protect you. Like I always have."
"We'll get through this. I promise."
And now you know what Nora and Ren went through when they got to Earth! But what could Doom want with them? What will he do with them? All will be revealed soon enough.
While doing more research on Doom and Latveria, it was fascinating to see all the stuff he's built and what he uses to keep order, which I managed to include in here. Like the robots he uses to apprehend Nora and Ren. I'm going to say it here now, because I know that there's going to be some confusion: there is a difference between the Doombots and the robots used here, which are called Servo-Guards. Doombots are mainly used to take Doom's place in certain situations. Servo-Guards are used to keep order in Latveria, which is why he eventually sends them to bring in Nora and Ren. And while my research didn't really say anything about the Servo-Guards being able to fly, it's reasonable to assume that Doom could give them this ability. After all, just about every other robot in Marvel can fly.
What I really liked about writing this chapter was writing out how well Nora and Ren work together. The two have been together for years, and I wanted to show the partnership between them working well in this chapter, especially in combat, as well as how much they care for one another. I hope to continue showing this off further for the remainder of this arc.
But anywho, that's all from me. Until next time, this is Guest 1138, signing off.