Author's Note:
Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter for Earth's Mightiest Huntsmen. But first, some housekeeping.
First off, while I do appreciate y'all talking about some ideas you've been having, it is getting a little annoying seeing people spamming the review button for random chapters and giving out random ideas or wishlisted characters that you want to see. So please stop doing that. One or two every once in a while is okay, but giving multiple different wishlists for random chapters one after the other is getting annoying. The review section is for telling me how I'm doing, not for suggestions on what characters I should add or what storylines I should explore. Know that I already have this story mostly planned out all the way through Act III. So please-if you're going to write a review, please make it an actual review and not asking me to put certain characters in this story.
Speaking of reviews, let's answer some of them now!
marbinv1002: At the moment, I have no plans for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Those are two characters that I really don't have much interest in.
triscythe59: Deadpool is a very tricky character to implement in a story like this. Not sure if I'll be able to find a good way to use him, but I'm certainly going to try!
SulliMike23: Yeah, you can imagine Yang blames herself for what happened. Hopefully she finds a way to work through that anger!
Blackmetalzane22: The truth behind Ultron is not going to be revealed quite yet. But when the truth comes out...yeah, stuff is going to go down.
DareDreamer: That was certainly a good storyline.
dariuscrawford482: While romantic relationships for the RWBY characters aren't going to necessarily be the focus of this story, I do have a few pairings in mind.
Jack: Not going to lie, I definitely got some inspiration from your ideas for the RWBY characters' gamma monster forms. So thank you for that.
TheBilliantOne: Welcome in! Glad you're enjoying the story! Your first question will be answered in this story. To answer your second question, it's hard to say whether or not Thor and Nora will be working together in the future. But I'm sure there will be a few more moments later on in the story. To answer your third question, no, Nora will not be able to lift Mjolnir, and I have no plans for her to be able to in the future. As for your last question...I guess I can reveal that at least one more RWBY character will be showing up to Earth by the end of Act II. But I won't say who it is.
Red Scorpion: Ross will always pursue the Hulk no matter what. And Yang will always feel like she needs to protect Ruby. Especially after what happened to her.
Ironchef13: I don't really have plans for Jeff. In my eyes, the one true landshark will always be the one from SNL.
Thank you all for your continued support. Now, lets get back to the action.
The Cube—November 12th
Thor Odinson—the God of Thunder—was forced to his knees by two large, snarling monsters. At this point, he couldn't even tell which of the monsters were his comrades and which weren't. All he knew was that there were a lot of them.
The transformation of his allies had been almost instantaneous. The moment the green dome had passed over them, they had begun to writhe in pain as their bodies mutated and contorted, transforming into inhuman creatures. None were spared from the energy's malice.
He had tried to fight them. The moment they had begun attacking him, seeing how he wasn't affected by the energy's power, he had tried to fight them off as best he could. But there were just too many of them. Everyone in the Cube had been transformed. And the inmates had been set free. They had swarmed over him after a long and brutal battle. Not even the power of Mjolnir had been enough to overpower the sheer mass of bodies piling onto him. Each one of them had been nearly as strong as a Frost Giant, or worse. Even with Mjolnir by his side—
Thor's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what was missing. "My hammer," he said aloud. "Where—"
"Yes," a voice spoke up. "It is quite curious."
Thor knew exactly who was speaking, as he also realized that he was now in the cafeteria of the Cube. Though he had never met the Leader, he recognized his voice in a heartbeat. The villain himself was standing on a large platform, staring straight down at him.
"My people could not lift your hammer despite their enhanced strength," he continued. "And you out of all the Avengers were not affected by my gamma energy. Now tell me…why is that?"
Thor got to his feet, his strength returning. "Only those worthy can lift Mjolnir. And as for your 'energy,' the science of mortals holds no sway over an Asgardian, villain."
The Leader sighed. "Very well then. If you will not join us, then I suppose there is only one use left for you…entertainment."
"Nay. For your plot ends now." Thor stretched his arm out. "Come to me, Mjolnir—"
Wham! Something huge slammed into Thor, smashing him into the wall. He got up quickly, seeing who exactly had hit him: a huge, scaly beast with webbed ears and a snarling face.
"Abomination," he growled, getting back to his feet.
Abomination grinned savagely. "You're not walking out of this one alive, Asgardian. Not without your hammer."
Thor reached his hand out again to call for Mjolnir, but something emerged from the wall behind him, wrapping his arms around his own. The face of Absorbing Man emerged from the wall.
"You have lost, Asgardian," the Leader mocked.
"Not yet." Thor threw his arms forward, swinging Absorbing Man forward and straight into Abomination, knocking them both off balance. He ran forward, attempting to pummel them both. But then a third creature landed on top of him, grabbing him by the cape and swinging him into the wall.
He got to his feet, only to be confronted by a huge, ogre creature with bulging green muscles and armored plating sticking out its shoulders and chests. His jaw jutted out, revealing huge teeth curled into a snarl. One look at the shock of blonde hair on his head and the sword jutting out of his arm revealed exactly who this monstrosity used to be.
"Jaune Arc," he breathed.
Jaune let out a roar and attacked.
Bruce Banner's Cabin—November 13th
Yang tapped a full beaker filled with a bubbling green liquid. "Wow. Did you really set all this up on the run?" she asked.
"Yes," Bruce confirmed. "And don't touch anything. Unless you want your skin to turn green."
Yang yanked her hand away. "Point taken." She shot a look at Ruby, who was resting in a chair nearby. She had suggested to her sister that she get some rest while Bruce tinkered with…whatever he was that he was tinkering with. They were going to need to be as strong as possible to tackle whatever awaited them inside the gamma dome.
She still found it hard to believe that the skinny man typing away on the computer was really the strongest hero on the planet. Especially one that nearly brought the entire planet to ruin. All because the Avengers—the good guys—had exiled him to space.
"We appreciate you helping us with this," she told him after a moment. "I know that your history with the world isn't the greatest."
"That's an understatement," Bruce agreed. "But as much as the Hulk dislikes Earth and the Avengers, he doesn't want to see the Leader controlling everything. We've clashed with him before. Understand that this won't be an easy fight. The Leader's is as intelligent as the Hulk is strong. He's going to know that we're coming."
Yang shrugged. "We can handle anything he throws at us."
"He'll have a lot of things to throw at us," he warned in response. "Anyone who's caught inside the gamma dome will be mutated and under his control. Not to mention that he'll have other gamma villains working for him. Most likely Abomination and the Absorbing Man, but potentially others such as Zzzax and the Wrecking Crew. And the mutated Avengers, along with your friends, will probably still have access to their powers."
Yang smirked. "Guess that will make things all the more fun."
Bruce glanced in her direction briefly. "You're quite the cocky one," he noted.
"You could say that," she agreed.
"Just be careful rushing into fights like that. It could lead to those around you getting hurt."
Yang looked down slightly, rubbing her metal arm. "So I've been told." She quickly changed the subject. "So, you've been hiding out ever since you tried to smash the world. How come Captain America was the only one of the Avengers that knew where to find you."
Bruce turned back to his computer. "Because Captain America was the only Avengers that didn't vote for the Hulk's exile."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Steve is a good man. He's always standing up for his friends. He fought long and hard about the decision. From what I heard, he nearly quit the Avengers altogether because of it."
"Yeah…he helped take care of Ruby when she first showed up on Earth all by herself," Yang added. "He seems like a decent guy. But I still can't believe the Avengers kicked you off the planet."
"I can't say I blame them," Bruce admitted. "The Hulk, when he's out of control, is dangerous to both friends and foes."
"It was still over the line."
"Maybe." Bruce went over to another table and filled up two injectors with a strange green liquid. "But you can't hold it over them. After all, they're only human. We all make mistakes."
"But to go so far as to exile you just because you get a little too angry?" Yang questioned.
"Isn't your power also more intense when you get angry?" Bruce countered.
Yang shook her head. "It's not like that. My Semblance lets me absorb kinetic energy and throw it right back at whoever I'm fighting." She smiled slightly. "Dad called it basically a temper tantrum."
"Regardless, have you ever felt really angry before? So angry that all reason just leaves you and you want to just punch whatever's in front of you?"
Yang thought about it for a moment. "Well…yeah."
"Well think of that, but on a much larger scale for the Hulk. There's a reason he's also known as the Worldbreaker. One wrong move, and he could shatter the entire world."
Yang considered his words for a few moments.
"Look, what they did may have been…morally wrong," Bruce admitted. "But the Avengers are Earth's Mightiest Heroes for a reason. They're willing to make the tough calls in order to protect the world. They're not bad people, no matter what the Hulk thinks. They just…make mistakes sometimes."
He moved back towards the computer. "Now, wake your sister. It's about time to move out."
Yang nodded, walking over to where Ruby was napping and shaking her. "Wake up, Ruby," she told her. "It's time to go."
Ruby woke up instantly and sat up, briefly rubbing sleep out of her eyes before asking, "What's the plan?"
"Well, your AI picked up quite a bit of data from the dome," Bruce explained. "It's given me a lot of insight onto what exactly is going on."
"What did Phyllis say?" Ruby asked as she and Yang walked over to him. In response, he quickly turned around with the two injectors and injected them both into their arms.
"Ow!" Ruby yelped, jumping back in alarm.
"The hell was that?!" Yand demanded to know, rubbing her arm in slight pain.
"Relax. I just inoculated you," Bruce explained calmly. "You'll be protected from the effects of the Leader's gamma dome for the next twenty-four hours."
"Twenty-four hours?" Yang repeated.
"If the dome's still up after that…well, then we'll probably have already lost." Bruce then moved to the table with the liquid again and began to bottle it up. "There's still a lot we have to do, but we're going to have to do it on the way there. The dome needs to be taken down as soon as possible. The longer it remains up, the greater the chances are that the changes will become permanent."
"Permanent?" Ruby repeated.
"I'm afraid so. But we won't let that happen. Our target will be whatever generator the Leader has set up at the Cube. We take down that generator, the dome will collapse, and everyone should return to normal."
"Should?" Yang questioned.
"Most likely," Bruce corrected. "There's a small chance that we'll have to deliver a cure to everyone affected. But that shouldn't be the case. Based on the readings, everyone should revert back to their old selves once they're out of the dome."
"Then let's go," Ruby decided. "People need us."
"Uh, slight problem with that," Yang reminded her. "We left the Quinjet back at the Hulkbuster camp, and I don't think General Ross would want to give it back. How do we get to the Cube?"
Bruce's gaze darkened as his eyes flashed green. "The only way left for us to go: the direct approach."
The Cube—November 13th
He had been fighting for hours, and by now, even Thor's strength was starting to ebb. But his resolve remained unbroken. He ducked under Abomination's fist and delivered an uppercut to his jaw that blew him up several feet into the air. As Absorbing Man took his place, Thor grabbed him by his fist and swung him around, slamming him straight into Jaune and knocking both of them back.
He took this brief respite to gaze up at the Leader. The villain was still standing on his platform, coldly watching the performance. Calculating what to do next should Thor prevail.
But the Asgardian knew that he wouldn't last too much longer without Mjolnir. If he could only buy some time to recall his hammer to him.
Abomination slammed his shoulder into him, sending him stumbling back and nearly bringing him to his knees. As the villain charged him again, Thor ran back at him, pummeling him in the chest before grabbing him by the foot and throwing him straight at Jaune, knocking him down once more.
"You call yourself leader, yet you have not proved why you should lead this world," Thor called up to the Leader. "You rely on trickery and the strength of others to achieve victory. You have no honor."
"You wish for me to talk?" the Leader asked. "Fine. I will talk." He waved his minions off as he focused all his attention on Thor. "Why should I rule this planet? I have the most advanced mind the world has ever seen. I can think on a level that most people can't even comprehend. And I have seen it clearly: mankind is on the brink of collapse."
As he talked, Thor subtly moved his hand slightly and began to call upon Mjolnir, while keeping his gaze right up on the Leader. "Wars. Disease. Famine," he went on. "It's all causing mankind to be at each others' throats. Even worse are the constant alien invasions. First it was the Kree. Then the Skrulls. Then the Annihilation Wave. And now these new creatures, the Grimm, are coming. Humanity needs to be strong if it wants to survive this storm. And I am the only one that can give them the strength they need."
"Keep talking, knave," Thor thought, locating Mjolnir from where it was lying elsewhere within the Cube. Already he could feel it rising from the floor, preparing to fly towards him.
"In less than two days, my gamma dome will enclose the entire planet," the Leader continued. "Humanity will at last be perfect, remade in my image. And the world will be mine."
Thor stuck his hand out. "I say thee nay." With a loud CRASH, Mjolnir smashed through a wall and straight into his hand. Thunder boomed and lightning crackled around him.
"I played your game long enough to retrieve Mjolnir," he went on, staring coldly at where the Leader was standing. "Now, your end has arrived."
The ground suddenly oozed up around him, forming tendrils that stretched towards him. Thor took a startled step back. "What sorcery is this?" he demanded to know.
"You incompetent barbarian," the Leader laughed. "Of course I wanted you to retrieve your hammer. I allowed it to happen."
Too late, Thor realized that Absorbing Man had vanished. Or rather, he was now reforming himself in front of him, placing a hand directly on Mjolnir. "Nice hammer," the villain said with a smirk as his skin turned grey and metallic. "Now let's see how strong you really are."
As Thor backed up another few paces, raising Mjolnir in front of him, he heard the Leader chuckle slightly. "You asked me before what gave me the right to rule, Asgardian?" he said. "Because no one can stop me."
The Edge of Gamma World—November 13th
"Wasn't there an easier way of doing this?!" Ruby cried as she clung onto the Hulk's back for dear life as he took another massive leap, soaring dozens of miles closer to the ever-expanding gamma dome.
"Fastest way to Leader," Hulk grunted in response.
"I can see the dome!" Yang yelled from where she was also holding onto the Hulk. "One more leap and we should be through!"
"Brace yourselves!" Hulk roared as he landed again, creating a small crater on impact. He took another flying leap directly at the portal. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut. Sure, she knew she was protected from the dome's effects thanks to Bruce, but that still didn't ease her tension. What if the inoculation didn't work? What if she still transformed into a monster the moment she passed through the dome? What if she was forced to attack Yang? What if—
"We're through!" Ruby opened a wary eye at Yang's words. They were indeed through the barrier. To her surprise, things inside didn't seem too different. Apart from the slight green tinge, everything seemed…normal.
"That wasn't so bad!" she commented.
"That was the easy part," Hulk said back. "Hard part is fighting through the Leader's forces."
"How long until we reach them?!" Yang asked.
Ruby spotted movement in the distance. She zoomed in with her goggles. "They're coming!" she yelled.
Through her goggles, she could see a swarm of multiple flying creatures with various wings, beaks, and pincers. Leading the charge was a bug lady with yellow and black stripes and huge, glowing green eyes. Ruby recognized her instantly. "It's Jan!" she cried.
Hulk let out a loud roar in response, landing on the ground and taking another leap. "Ready, blonde kid?" he asked.
Yang grinned. "Throw me!"
Hulk grabbed Yang and threw her directly at the flying monsters. She activated Ember Celica and fired a volley of missile rounds at them. Explosions rocked the area, causing many of the monsters to fly off course. Yang herself twisted her hands back and fired another round, which propelled her forward again and straight into Janet.
As Ruby watched, the two scuffled in midair, with Janet gnashing at Yang with her mandibles and swiping at her with pincers. Yang, grappling with her, managed to wrench her Vibranium arm free and took aim at the bug monster's head. "Hope this works!" She fired a dart from her arm directly into Janet's neck.
She let out a screech as a green energy enveloped her. Seconds later, she began to shrink, the bug parts vanishing and her skin turning back to its normal color. In less than ten seconds, Janet was back to her old self, albeit unconscious and falling through the air.
Fortunately, Yang managed to grab her arm as Hulk landed on the ground below them, reaching up and catching them both.
"Good news!" Yang announced. "The antidote works!"
Ruby jumped off Hulk's back and knelt down next to Janet. "Is she okay?"
"She's okay," Hulk responded.
"I wish this antidote didn't knock people out too," Yang added. "We could really use all the help we can get."
"Nothing we can do about that," Hulk grunted. "Gotta keep moving."
"We can't just leave her here," Ruby protested.
"No choice," Yang decided. "Don't worry—she'll be fine. Probably."
"But—"
"No more talk," Hulk grunted, grabbing both girls and throwing them back onto his back, taking another flying leap. "Gotta stop the Leader."
Ruby let out another cry as she clung onto Hulk's back. "How long until we reach the Cube?!"
"Few more minutes!" Hulk responded.
Ruby sucked in a deep breath as Yang asked, "What's the plan for when we get there?!"
"Smash them all!" Hulk responded. "Smash the generator! Save the world!"
Yang let out a laugh. "I like this guy!"
Ruby turned her head to look at her sister. She was looking like she was having the time of her life. She couldn't really blame her too much. Yang always enjoyed leaping fist first into a good fight and smashing some things. From what she had seen so far, the Hulk appeared to be a more careful version of that. He didn't seem to want to seek out fights. Overall, he just looked like he wanted to be left alone.
But now here he was, coming out into the open to help. Ruby couldn't help but admire that. Despite being seen as a monster and a threat to the world, he was still willing to risk his life to save the people that hated him. "That's what a true hero would do," she thought.
More gamma monsters were scattered around the landscape. All of them attempted to leap up and attack them. But luckily, Hulk kept moving, his powerful jumps keeping him ahead of all the attackers.
"You ready for this, sis?!" Yang called over to her.
Ruby turned her head to her sister and flashed a not at all convincing smile. "Ready as I'll ever be!" she called back. "Let's save our friends and the world!"
The Cube—November 13th
Thor blocked several more strikes from Absorbing Man, each hit sending out sparks of lightning in all directions. As he focused on blocking these strikes, Abomination pummeled him from behind, sending him stumbling into Jaune, who slammed him into the ground. As he raised a foot to stomp on him, Thor rolled away and smashed Mjolnir into him, sending him flying back into Absorbing Man.
"You cannot win, Asgardian," the Leader mocked. "Even if you defeat these three, there are millions of others out there to take their place. All innocents in your eyes. Can you live with yourself if you have to kill them to prolong your own life?"
Thor ignored his words as he grappled with Abomination, slowly pushing him back. But this didn't last long, as Absorbing Man came back in for another attack. His hands had morphed into hammers as he swung right for Thor's head. The Asgardian was barely able to duck out of the way in time.
"Eventually, you will fall," the Leader continued. "Even you cannot fight forever."
Thor threw his hammer, which propelled Absorbing Man into the wall. As he called Mjolnir back to him, Jaune body slammed him, which knocked him into the ground.
The Leader smiled coldly. "And once you have been eliminated…who will be left to stop me?"
As Thor struggled to get back to his feet, Jaune let out a roar and charged at him. But that was when the ceiling exploded, and a shower of rubble rained down to bury him.
"There it is!" Yang yelled as they finally reached the Cube.
Hulk let out a grunt as he took one final leap, which positioned him right above the building. "Go!" he roared.
Yang jumped off first, knowing that Ruby would be quickly following behind her. She fired twin shots from Ember Celica and her arm that propelled her down faster before twisting her arms around and firing two of her rocket shots straight down at the roof of the building. The roof exploded inward instantly, creating a hole that she flew through. She landed hard on something lumpy covered by debris, but didn't think too much about it. She was more focused on the situation in the room.
Thor was getting back to his feet, looking exhausted. There was also a large green monster and a man that was completely grey and sparking lightning. And standing up on a podium was a big headed, green skinned man that she instantly recognized as the Leader.
"Hey, cucumber head!" she yelled, aiming her weapons at him. "Freeze!"
Ruby landed next to her and aimed Crescent Rose at him as well. But the Leader didn't seem fazed by the intrusion whatsoever. "Ah…the young warriors from Remnant," he commented. "Ruby Rose…and Yang Xiao Long. And I suppose the reason that you are not affected by my gamma dome is about to drop in as well."
A second later, the Hulk landed behind the two of them. The Leader smiled coldly. "I knew you would come eventually, my old enemy," he told him. "It was inevitable. But you of all people should realize that what I am doing is for the best."
"Don't listen to him, Hulk!" Ruby yelled, who had clearly quickly realized what the Leader was trying to do.
The Leader continued. "In Gamma World, no one will hunt you. No one will fear you. Everyone that hunted you will be you. You could be a king once more, just like you were on Sakaar. Surely you wouldn't want to try to stop that."
Hulk's eyes narrowed slightly. "No," he eventually said, "Not stop you."
"What?" Yang asked in alarm. "Hulk—"
"Not stop you," Hulk repeated. Then he smacked a fist into his palm. "SMASH YOU!"
The Leader sighed. "How very disappointing," he admitted. "But not unexpected." He motioned to the other green monster. "Abomination: eliminate him."
Abomination marched forward. "I've been waiting a long time for this, monster," he growled. "This time I'll prove that I am stronger than you."
Hulk let out a roar and jumped over Yang and Ruby, smashing into Abomination and pummeling him through a wall. With another roar, he leaped after him.
"You picked the wrong time to show up, kiddies," the grey man commented with a sneer as he marched towards them. "Your friends got lucky when they fought me. This time, I have the power of Thor's hammer! I am—"
Wham! Mjolnir smacked him in the chest, sending him crashing through another wall. The hammer then flew back into Thor's outstretched hand. "Leave the Absorbing Man to me," he told Yang and Ruby. "Can you handle the Leader and his monstrosities on your own?"
Yang smirked. "We got this, Thor. Go stop that guy."
Thor nodded and spun his hammer before flying straight at a recovering Absorbing Man, smashing into him and quickly flying out of sight.
Yang then turned her attention back to the Leader. "Want to make this easier for us and surrender now?" she asked. "We got you outnumbered."
The Leader chuckled. "Don't be so sure."
The ground under Yang and Ruby surged as something underneath them. The two quickly jumped off and aimed their weapons at the beast that was rising up. Yang quickly recognized who it had once been. "It's Jaune!" she exclaimed.
Ruby let out a startled gasp. "Jaune…"
Yang felt her anger start to increase. "Okay…two against two," she said. "No big deal. We'll just cure him and still take bighead over there out."
The Leader's lips curled into a small smile. "But can you take care of all of them?"
More creatures began emerging from the shadows. And, with a heavy heart, Yang recognized all of them.
First came a tall, thin female creature that seemed to have huge arms that were covered in green and white armor, wings popping out of her back, and large tusks protruding from her cheeks. Weiss.
Next to her slunk some sort of cat creature with elongated claws and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Her eyes were green and cat like, her body was covered with fur, and she had a tail. Blake.
To the left was a hulking being made entirely of pink lightning, which sparked off her constantly. Her hands were shaped into hammers, and her eyes were glowing blue. Nora.
Next to Nora was a two-legged lizard like monster with green scaly skin and a pointed snout filled with sharpened teeth. When he walked, his skin seemed to blend in with his surroundings slightly. Ren.
And finally, there was a tall, muscular, humanoid creature that had taken position next to Jaune. Her skin was also green, but there were also large metal shards and sheets that were sticking out of her body, and her bulging eyes were a solid green color. Pyrrha.
"I knew you both would come eventually," the Leader told them. "My thoughts were connected to the thoughts of your friends the moment they mutated. They knew you would come to save them. And now…they will be your undoing."
The mutated forms of their friends had moved into a circle surrounding both Yang and Ruby. The two sisters stood back-to-back, keeping their weapons trained on them, ready for the right moment to strike.
"This," Yang thought, "may be a bit harder than I thought."
The final battle to stop Earth from becoming Gamma World is about to begin! And things are...not looking so great for Ruby and Yang right now.
The toughest part about all this was coming up with some good designs for the gamma mutated forms for the RWBY characters. As I've probably mentioned before, I'm not that good at descriptions, so that added an extra challenge for me. Y'all had some good ideas that I took some inspiration from though, so thank you to everyone for that. To clear up some confusion about some of the designs, Weiss' form is kind of an amalgamation of her summons-most notably the Boarbatusk, the Arma Gigas, and the Nevermore, and Ren's is kind of a lizard/chameleon hybrid of sorts.
There's going to be a lot of action and combat in the next chapter, which will be pretty fun to write overall, but may also be a bit of a challenge with so many battles going on. Hopefully everything comes together. Next chapter also concludes this story arc. The next arc is certainly going to be lower stakes overall, but will feature another slightly obscure villain that I'm actually kind of excited to write for. Stay tuned!
But anywho, that's about it from me. Until next time, this is Guest 1138, signing off.