Unfinished Mystical post Apocolipse Idea

The Once and Future Kings Of Rock!

The end of the world had come and gone pretty much exactly like the Book said it would! Explosions, Fire, Terror, Chaos, Horror and then the Second coming and the heavenly host and the creation of Gods Kingdom and the end of days.

What the book failed to mention is what happens after the world ended. After the One god left and the beast was vanquished and all the good souls went to their promised reward.

What about the rest of the Universe. What about the world after the end of the world?

That was kind of a surprise because there were other story’s before the one story and other gods before the One god and after the one god left.

They came back.

The old gods returned, some of them had never left. Kept alive by myths and legends and Hollywood.

The Norse gods and the Greek gods were the first, the Egyptian shortly after . The you had all those kami over in Asia

Then there were the others, the myths of people destined to come back.

Like the great magician, or the martial Artists, the king of rock or the Once and future king of England.

After the world ended,they all came back to fill the space left behind by those that had left.

And the world was not the only world, the universe was vast and infinite and old and there were other things out there older then any story just waiting for the end of days.

So that was the state of the world after the end of the world. Gods and monsters and Myths and a few normal joe's who had got passed over because they were not chosen.

It was a strange, scary, wonderful place.

This is one of the story’s of that time at the end of time. When all the old Myths and gods came back home.

Tuesday: 3:00 PM

A lone red car speeds down an empty dusty desert road, nothing behind it. Nothing in front of it. Just endless empty desert as a far off sun beats relentlessly down on the Highway.

The driver has the top down as the car speeds past the skull of a Tortoise. In the seat next to him is one of those cheep white Styrofoam colors, its filled with melted ice and bottles of water.

Static and phrases from rock Songs, sung by people long dead escape from his radio.

After a while he grabs a Bottle of water from the cooler and drinks it, not that it helps beat the relentless heat.

Up ahead the endless desert shifts as heat waves and water vapors play tricks on the eye's, creating Illusions of long lost hopes.

The man does not stop to exchange his Illusions for those of the desert, not today. Today the man has business

He sees the skeleton of a small town, a truck stop really. Just a few wisps of buildings clinging to the desert and losing. He slows down and pulls in to the Oasis. He pulls the car up in front of the broken remains of what might have been a Coffey shop at one time.

There is a World War two style motorcycle complete with Side car siting there. The man looks at it with disdain and gets out of the car.

The door creaks as he steps in to the Ghost of a building to dress the occupant.

The person is old and ageless, his clothing lose on his thin frame. He seems bot serious and full of mirth.

“Your late.”

“How long have you been hear?”

“Long enough to beat the High Score .”

He points to a old pinball machine in the corner.

“Humph. Any thing in this place work, I could use a bite.”

“Yeah sure, I made waffles!”

“Really?”

“No not really Jack Ass! Gods thunder you are gullible aren’t you?”

“I just chose to see the good in people.”

“That’s what got you killed the First time wasn't it?”

“That and bad choices in woman.”

The man walks over to the other man and offers his hand.

“Loki.”

“Arthur.”

“Is it just us this time?”

“I ran into E a few days ago, he said he might swing by-And bring your Sister.”

“Half sister, what your not enough?”

“Different times, different magics but were all one big happy family now right?”

“Whatever, can we just do this-I'm starving.”

“You don't want to wait on E?”

“Nah he's always late, lets go. We get this done by dark ill make you waffles.”

“That’s a trick Id like to see A, that’s a trick I'd like to see.”

Loki walked out of the Coffey shop and Arthur followed.

“You steal that motorcycle?”

“I Liberated this piece of history from Ares-he's got tons of crap from all the Wars just sitting out there. Didn't think he would miss one, plus you know-Trickster and all. I got a rep.”

“Ares is a jerk. What did you bring?”

“Aha now were talking.”

Loki lifted the tarp covering the side car and showed Arthur the contents.

“The usual stuff. Garlic, Mirrors, Holly, Wooden stakes from the True Cross, Holly Water from the Vatican, or whats left of the Vatican-Of course.”

“Of course”

“Also a tip of the hat to the modern age, A Semi Automatic Smith And Wesson HK9's from the last batch before the company closed. Holds a clip of 200 rounds, each round a genuine silver bullet, with magnesium tips of course.”

“Of course and the Glass tube?”

“Ah a Little of the Old magic Arthur My boy, a Bit of the Old magic. What did you bring?”

“You have to ask?”

Arthur walked over to the car, from the back he pulled two things. A very large shotgun and the Sword.

“Why do you insist on Bringing that?”

Arthur just smiled at his counterpart.

“A bit of the Old magic Loki my boy, a Bit of the old magic. Now lets go kill some Ghouls.”

There were things that had slipped back in to the world after the end days, old things. Hungry things. Older then the Christian God, older then the Norse God's, older then Creation. Ancient evils that hunger for Chaos and souls.

In this strange new world after Ragnarok those that had returned often found themselves drawn into battle with the Ancient enemy, it seemed there was still evil to vanquish after all.

Someone had named them Ghouls and the name had stuck. No one, not even the oldest of the old knew their real name or what they were. They just knew they could be hunted and they could be slain.

Loki liked to talk and Arthur, he was a good listener.

“So this Guy Earl, he buys this place a few years before the ball drooped. Had this idea to turn it in to a family friendly Truck Stop, a regular Mini Disneyland out in the Desert.”

“So?”

“I’m just offering an explanation for that.”

Loki pointed and there behind the Truck Stop Coffey Shop was a miniature fun park. In the center stood a small, man made mountain .

“That the real Disneyland Matterhorn?”

“Nah just a good copy earl paid someone to make. Why?”

“Don't know, Didn’t someone say that they sold off a lot of the Disney stuff before the World ended?”

“Nah it's all still there?”

“And you know this how?”

“Arthur, dude, where else are dead gods going to hang out on this mud ball! Sooner or latter everyone goes to Disneyland. Anyway, the Ghouls. There in the mountain.”

“Well that just sucks.”

Arthur stared at the Mountain and the park for a while, he did not like the idea of facing them in the Dark Corners of a Kiddie ride. Even with Loki, but then Arthur got an idea.”

“You think you can get enough juice to start the rides running again.”

Loki looked at Arthur as if he was an idiot, but then the Ancient trickster saw the Con and smiled.

“Aha I get it, Like candy to a baby.”

“That’s the Plan.”

Loki clapped his hands together and laughed.

“Ah man I love taking candy From babies.”

Arthur grimaced at his companion and started walking in to the Park, he climbed atop a empty food stand about Twenty feet from the entrance and waited for the Trickster god to do his magic.

It took Loki fifteen minutes to get the few rides in the park up and running. Being a Trickster God Loki had found that in this new world he had an innate understanding for all things Mechanical.

The park was alive with the Ghosts of Music. Arthur had a sad smile on his face as if he could see the images of happy children running across the Park. There were no children in the world anymore and very Little happiness.

Within Moments the Ghouls came out of the Artificial Mountain attracted to the Sound . They were a gibbering mass of madness that hissed and beat at your sanity, no normal man could look at them and remain whole.

Arthur Pendragon was no ordinary man, he was a myth made whole. The once and future King of a land that had been burnt to ash. He Started firing into the mass with his Shotgun. Some of the shots hit the mark, others went off. Arthur was not a good shot, it did not matter. If silver so much as touched a Ghoul it sizzled up like bacon and fitterd away. Sadly for every Ghoul Arthur killed, there were two more running at his station and he would soon be out of Bullets.

Loki appeared and started firing his weapon into the mass, running and diving amongst the Ghouls like a berserk mad man. Any time a ghoul struck him, it was just a mirror image and Loki was elsewhere.

Still more Ghouls pored out of the artificial mountain like black ink.

Eventually Arthur was in the Frey swinging the Sword.

“Loki now might be the time for your old magic!”

“What but this is fun!”

Loki was covered in what looked like Black Ash, it was in fact the blood of the Ghouls. The old Norse battle Lust was on the God reborn.

“Loki! We need an advantage!”

Loki cursed something in Norse and tossed the glass container in the air, with amazing grace he fired his last bullet into the case as it spun back down to earth.

He smiled at Arthur.

“Show off.”

There was a explosion of green and white and then Arctic winds and freezing Ice began to rain down upon the two men and their Opponents.

“A Blizzard, really!”

Arthur yelled between slaying one Ghoul and the next/

Loki was laughing up a storm.

“Not just any Blizzard Arthur! The great white waste of an Ice age long past!”

Even for Myths reborn it was cold, but the sub zero Blizzard was freezing Ghouls left and right as it plunged the once blistering desert into a temporary Ice Age.

“Odin’s Beard whats that.”

A larger ghouls had emerged from the mass, upon closer inspection it was in fact a glob made up of several ghouls combined together to create a larger, more frighting whole. It seemed to be immune to the Ice and was rapidly descending on the Heroes.

“Well, Crap!”

Could the dead reborn die again, what would the teeth of a ghoul do to the skin of a God?

Arthur braced to take on the giant, as he had in times long past .

He did not get the chance as lighting Arced through the great beast and then doubling itself the blast struck many of the remaining ghouls. Slaying them as a whole.

The once great Ghoul King became nothing more then a vast tower of Ash, that proceed to fall on Arthur and Loki like a tidal wave.

Standing just at the Edge of the Miniature blizzard was a woman with raven hair. She was smiling and puffing on a Cigar.

Arthur freed himself from the mass of ash, dusted him self off and helped Loki up.

The few remaining Ghouls fled in to the fading snow storm.

Arthur walked over to the Woman and stared her down.

She stared right back.

Then started giggling.

“Your a mess love.”

She punched Arthur playfully in the arm, it seemed the ancient rivalry between Arthur and his half Sister had faded in this new bleak world they had both found them selves in.

“Your late M.”

Arthur wiped a ash covered hand on His Famous sisters shirt.

She took it in stride as she fell behind the two men. She looked at Loki.

“Blizzard?”

“It seemed like a good idea? If you wanted war you should have got one of the war gods Morgana. Besides it worked.”

Loki looked behind him at the ice covered ruins of the Fun park.

“Mostly.”

“Should we be concerned about this new ability of the Ghouls ?”

“The Collective ability is interesting but they still seem bloody Stupid.”

“There an endless supply of them M. They don't need to be smart.”

“Hey wheres E. “

“Um that’s why I was late, he sort of got in a bit of trouble.”

“Morganna?”

“You know how he is, he wanted to go see Vegas.”

“Bloody idiot.”

Loki just smiled at the two Siblings.

“So, road trip to Vegas?”

“Looks like.”

The once and future king Paused when he saw how his sister had arrived.

“You stole a hearse?”

“What? It was there. I needed a ride.”

The king of Trickster clapped his hands together then warped the two siblings in an Ash covered half hug.

“So Arthur, about those Waffles.”

Wednesday 1:00 AM. Vegas

The Great Escape Artist had promised his wife on his death bed that if he could find a way back, he would. Every Halloween his wife and a few friends gathered at there house in Laurel canyon to await his ghost.

It never showed.

Year after year the faithful or just the curious gathered at the ruined edifice in the Laurel Canyon hills on Halloween to await the Ghost of the Great Escape Artist, to see if he could in fact escape the after life.

Sadly they were gathering in the wrong place.

The new religions talk about the end of time, but they do not talk about the world after the end of the world.

The old religions on the other hand do, when all the world was abandoned and all life had come to an end. Those who had slipped in to legend came back.

The Great Escape Artist was waiting for them. He had been there all along, he had found a way to escape death and kept his promise.

It was not his fault his followers kept going to the wrong place.

Eventually he grew tired of Haunting the place of his death and moved on, he wandered the world doing much the same thing that he had done in life. Debunking the supernatural and preforming magic.

When the final war came and the armies of the dead rose. He was waiting for them and fought the forces of darkness along with everyone else, when the kingdom of heaven came and all things ended.

He found himself in the new world, the world after all things.

Eventually he found his way to Las Vegas.

It seemed the world still had need for its greatest escape artist.

Water was dripping somewhere, his hands were chained behind him and a bright light was shining in his face. Not a good way to wake up, but not the first time he had found himself in this position.

Just as his eyes focused he felt a sharp slap across his face, pain lanced down his spine and before he had time to register the impact a second blow came to his face and then another to his stomach.

A voice that sounded like old paper was talking to him in a language he could not understand, followed by another blow to his face.

“Not the face man, not the face.”, he spat out in his trade mark sing song drawl.

The voice chuckled and that chuckle was like nails on a chalk bored.

“It speaks”

A new voice entered the situation from somewhere to his right, he still could not make out any details of his prison due to the light in his face and the blood dripping down his forehead.

The new voice sounded like a bad Italian accent done by someone who had never actually met an Italian

“Whats a matter pretty boy, you afraid the lady’s wont like you any more once we are done with you.”

“Ah no matter what the lady’s will like me man, I just want to stay pretty for when I kick your ass.”

“Hit him again”
The punch came strong to his right side and then another blow to his stomach.

“And that’s for all the money you cost us. I can not believe you, you stupid Hick! You were told, you were told never to come back to Las Vegas.”

The man in the chains just started laughing