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Destroyers of the Universe Christopher Ushko

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Destroyers of the Universe Christopher Ushko Ancients‟ Royale III: Destroyers of the Universe Christopher Ushko Copyright © 2016 Christopher Ushko All rights reserved. ISBN: 9781520979250 1 Foreword and Acknowledgements The following account was once based on a true story. Sadly, that is no longer the case. A world where history, mythology, religion and science collided in very real and unexpected ways is now lost. A few survivors remain to tell the tale, but the full scope of all that occurred during those end times shall forever remain a mystery. Thanks for joining us on one last ride. 2 Table of Contents Part I: A Day of Reckoning 1. In Retrospect ............................................................. 6 2. When Bad Things Happen ....................................... 18 3. Friends on the Other Side ........................................ 27 4. The Last Zodiac ....................................................... 32 5. Hall of the Waterfall Cave ........................................ 37 6. Search and Destroy ................................................. 44 7. Nectar of the Gods .................................................. 50 8. The Demon Within ................................................... 55 9. Return to Citadel Hill ................................................ 62 10. Rising Fires ........................................................... 68 11. Paradise Lost ........................................................ 75 12. Escape from Halifax .............................................. 85 13. The Mad Messenger .............................................. 90 14. Heavy Rain ............................................................ 98 Part II: The End of Worlds 15. The Haunting Grounds ........................................ 103 16. Morning Light ....................................................... 106 17. Old Rivalries ........................................................ 110 18. The Laundry Closet ............................................. 116 19. Through the Looking Glass .................................. 124 20. Isle of the Blessed ............................................... 128 21. The Warrior‟s Hall ................................................ 138 22. Another World ..................................................... 145 23. Council of Terror .................................................. 153 24. Dancing with Death ............................................. 162 25. The Best Thing Ever ............................................ 169 26. Dreamtime ........................................................... 177 27. The Path to Enlightenment .................................. 184 28. Bound to Chaos ................................................... 191 29. Ashoka‟s Hell ....................................................... 197 3 30. The Gauntlet ........................................................ 203 31. Pandæmonium .................................................... 216 32. Highway From Hell .............................................. 227 33. Lost and Found.................................................... 237 34. The Best Laid Plans ............................................ 242 35. Into the Ziggurat .................................................. 249 36. Lights Out ............................................................ 259 Part III. Destroyers of the Universe 37. Revelations .......................................................... 268 38. Mojitos in Space .................................................. 275 39. From Hell‟s Heart ................................................. 285 40. The Great Sage ................................................... 296 41. Kingdom Come .................................................... 308 42. Death from Above ................................................ 315 43. At Heaven‟s Gate ................................................ 324 44. Big City Bro-Down ............................................... 329 45. Smoke Break ....................................................... 338 46. Into the Garden.................................................... 345 47. A Burning Heart ................................................... 358 48. Broken Glass ....................................................... 371 49. The End of Eternity .............................................. 382 50. The Great Plan .................................................... 394 51. How Nine Thousand Years End ........................... 410 4 Part I: A Day of Reckoning 5 1. In Retrospect Before we begin, I‟d like to get a few things off My chest. Firstly, bad things happen to good people because I work in mysterious ways. That should be a satisfactory answer. You should not be questioning those mysterious ways. It only makes the job more difficult when you smart off like that. Secondly, I don‟t favour soup over salad, or vice versa. Some days I might have a soup, other days I might wreak divine vengeance upon a salad. Just because you write on a placard and shout from the sidewalk that I prefer one or the other doesn‟t mean it‟s true. Most days, I‟d rather just have fries, but please don‟t put that in writing. Thirdly, I love happy endings. I plan for happy endings. I order My happy endings with extra cheese. So if the following story about the universe's ultimate destruction somehow ends all feel-good at the most “cop out” moment possible, don‟t say I didn‟t warn you. I wanted to mention those three things as a side-note before taking a trip down memory lane. All together, I feel the universe has been a great success thus far. During the first day, there was a fantastic billion year-long explosion. Then, on the second day, all the heavens and planets came into existence. So far, so good, right? A few days later (or billions of years if you‟re using a modern calendar), I dropped mankind into the mix and the party finally started. What followed was a sheer joy to 6 watch as I relaxed and set the Great Plan into motion. My masterpiece was finally coming to light. Unfortunately, like any artist, I felt a compulsive need to touch up My own work after the fact. Soon, deities like angels, demons, gods, and Titans (always with a capital „T‟) found their way into the world. Accordingly, minor alterations had to be made to the Great Plan. Alterations sometimes went awry. The year was 3499 B.C. It was a thrilling time in history as wheeled caravans crossed deserts, pettings zoos became commonplace, and people used pictographic proto-writing as an early form of blogging. It was also around the time that the Egyptian gods got a little uppity and I was compelled to intervene. What followed was an incident which I haven‟t since repeated. Fire rained from the night sky, scorching the granite of the mountainside as a hooded man in rusty grey robes hurried for cover. The man loudly cursed the heavens as he pushed through the burning rocks, ascending higher into the mountain. The surrounding flames seared at his flesh and he feared his robes would ignite at a moment‟s notice. “Up here!” shouted a male voice from a crevice above, “Quickly!” The robed man saw the figure of someone waving to him through the light of the burning mountain. He promptly pressed on until he reached the safety of the crevice and escaped the hail of fire. As he entered the cave, he was greeted with the tribal sound of percussion and woodwind. Through the roar of the flames outside, he had failed to hear the music from this cave. Playing it were three messy young men and a fair-haired woman dancing around a small campfire. They 7 all looked a little south of adulthood and greeted their robed guest with an enthusiastic, inebriated cheer. “Hey, man, join the party!” shouted the youngest as he beat upon a small pair of drums and sipped from a leather wineskin. He offered a drink to their guest who politely refused. The robed figure lifted his hood to reveal a crooked, old visage and looked upon their young faces. The one who‟d waved him down had a childlike appearance with a curled lip and black, matted hair. He strummed a lyre and urged his guest to sit with them. When he didn‟t respond immediately, the woman, incensed through the music and wine, danced over and led him to the fire. He soon became comfortable and looked upon the fourth man, the eldest of the four who calmly played the flute. “Sumerians?” he asked in their respective language. They nodded accordingly. “Buddy, you almost got scorched out there,” his host said in a thick, drawling accent. “It‟s not a right time to be traveling in these parts.” The robed man sighed. “It‟s my own fault. I wasn‟t aware the volcano was still active.” The youngest laughed, “The fire out there? That‟s no volcano, man! It‟s the gods!” The woman smiled and sang. “From Egypt „cross the Red Sea, they wage wrath and fury!” Their guest‟s interest was piqued. “The gods, you say?” “You should eat,” the host said. “We‟ve lamb to spare if you‟re hungry.” “Indeed!” the flutist bellowed, “Spread the wealth! Eat like there‟s no tomorrow!” The robed man was offered a bowl of spiced meat from the youngest and devoured it in seconds. The others looked 8 on in delight as the host played a few notes on his strings. The wineskin found its way around the circle. “To the end of the world!” the woman shouted as she took a swig. “We‟re all going to die!” the youngest howled as he played an energetic drum solo. The robed man couldn‟t help but laugh at their buffoonery. As they frollicked, he gazed out the cave entrance and looked upon the desert below. Beyond the rain of fire,
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