Archers of the Multiverse- Book One

Chapter 3- Hawkeye

"I never thought I'd ever say this to you, but good job, Hawk." Oliver said with a slight hint of pride.

Clint accepted the praise with a silent nod, as Venom slowly clambered up again.

"Clint." Oliver hissed.

Without looking, Clint notched an arrow, and released, aiming to the symbiote shithead. The arrow hit square in the chest, and electrocuted Venom. He was down for the count.

Once again, Oliver congratulated Clint,

"Don't look so surprised." Clint complained. "What I lack in looks, I make up for in archery."

Queen took the lead, and the twin archers scrambled through the forest, Clint whistling a merry tune.

"Would you cut that out?" Oliver asked, returning to his annoyed tone.

"But Ollie, I'm trying to attract the baddies." Clint retorted. "You're the one that said we should go on the hunt."

"I know that." Oliver started. "But could you whistle a tune that's a little less..... Flamboyant?"

As a result of that comment, Clint whistled even louder.

As the hours passed, the view got darker. The duo decided to set camp for the night. Oliver made a shelter out of fallen, dead tree branches, and Clint lit a fire with his torch arrow.

"I never thought I'd miss being looked over at home so much." Clint stated, staring at the fire.

"What do you mean, looked over?" Oliver asked. "You're a fantastic archer. That's an amazing talent."

"Yeah, well I'm glad you think so." Clint replied dejectedly. "When you're on a team of superhumans, the normal guy sometimes gets overlooked."

"I know what you mean." Oliver agreed. "On the Justice League, it seems everybody is important but me. The only thing you can do is MAKE yourself important. Make a difference, that's what matters. It doesn't matter whether you have powers or not. If you save lives, you have a good heart. Therefore, you're one of the most important people on the planet."

Clint sat in silence for a while, absorbing Oliver's comment.

"So, now that we have a quiet moment, tell me about this 'Justice League'." Clint requested, changing the subject.

"Well, it's led by Batman, and Superman, you know, The Dynamic Duo. Then there's Green Lantern, Flash, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, and then little ole me." Oliver said.

"Buddy, you're the only name I recognized in that group." Clint interjected.

"How haven't you heard of Batman or Superman?" Oliver asked, bewildered.

"Becau-" Clint started.

"oH fOr CryINg OuT LOud, YoU tWo Are FRoM diffErent UnIvErses." A disembodied voice came from the shadows.

"Wh-what?" Clint wondered.

"The Multiverse." Oliver realised.

"GrEEn StAR fOr You OlIvEr. noW ThAt WE're AlL AcQUaINted wITh EaCH OtHer, mAy we ConTiNue tHe GaMe?"

"We're already playing the game," Clint said, not sure where he should be looking as he talked. "I thought the game was to survive."

"YeS" The Hood spoke again. "BuT nOw It's tIMe tO BeGiN rOUnd TWo."

Silence fell across the makeshift champ.

"Round two?" Oliver asked.

"HELP!" A voice screamed in the distance. Clint and Oliver gave each other a look before grabbing their bows and sprinting towards the voice.

"Wait," Oliver said. "We don't want to blindly run in to a trap. I'll scout from below. You spy from one of the trees."

"Good thinking, Greenie. Up high is where I shine." Clint replied.

Hawkeye let a grappling hook loose from his bowstring and it wrapped around the tallest branch of a nearby tree. As he rose to the top, he could see the forest thinning out. Ahead of them was another land of darkness.

The voice was coming from the very edge of the forest, and using his Hawk eyes, Clint was able to see exactly who it was.

"No.... That's impossible." Clint muttered to himself.

"Bobbi?"