The Strange Cases of Detective Warren Stevens
The Strange Cases of Detective Warren Stevens
The Ancient Gate
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We go back to the origins of the gate and the gates guardian, Benjamin Gorshen.
We learn why he roams those hidden corridors and sets the stage for Jack, Warren, and all those who come afterwards.
Then we flash forward, back to the cemetery, to Silus and the setting of another stage... what are their plans for Alex?
And what of Warren... well....
The following podcast is a work of fiction. Characters are the creation of Peter Williams. Any resemblance to someone living or dead is purely coincidental. Thank you. Hi, this is Peter Williams, and I'm first apologetic about missing the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, I just ran out of time. I had the story completed, but there was no way I could get the recording done and give you an excellent performance. Last week I just felt like boom. Um, woke up and slept a lot. I mean, I slept about 70, 75% of Tuesday away. Nothing like spending your tentacle Tuesday on the couch under blankets. So here I am, back again, recording and of course reminding you to buy my book Acolyte on Amazon now. You're probably getting sick of me advertising that every week, too. Sorry, but in the meantime, let's get to episode number 10. I have told you many stories within the story over these last six years, while skirting around the Solomon Gates. This Tentacle Tuesday, though, I will take you back. Before Jack, before the Sacred Dawn, long before Jonah and our friend Warren Stephen. This week I will take you back to the time of King Solomon, to his last days, just before the destruction of the Thirstgate, as we meet Benjamin Gorshin, Blacksmith to the King. But before we do, of course, I need to remind you that this podcast may contain images of graphic violence, child endangerment, adult situations, and that naughty, salty language we're all very excited to hear. Hmm. Now. Now I spy with my little eye the forming of a key, the locking of a door, or gate. And then for the heck of it, I may close another, just for fun. As we turn the page to chapter 10 and the ancient gate. Benjamin Gorshin poured the molten silver into the mold, the fire flickering from deep within the hearth. As he does so, he begins to hammer the small silver device to the exact specifications given to him by the king. Still confused and concerned why the king would request such an odd thing, he thinks back to their conversation. If he could call it that, one day, the king says to him, as he hands him the plans and materials. This tiny object will then he stops, as if in half-thought, and then presses Ben to get to work. Go and be urgent in the matter. I will need that in a fortnight, Solomon concluded, as he eyed the very gate behind the throne with suspicion. It was as if the king was seeing something far off. It was a bad habit of his. It had been the same when he gave Ben the plans for the great gate that now stood behind the throne. That gate or tool was beyond his understanding, and it had taken him three years to build the first one. If that hadn't been enough, no more than he had finished, the king was immediately on his heels about forging forty special blades, and no more than he had finished when we will take this war to our enemies, the king announced. This gate will allow us access to the very depths of the waste. He then sanctioned forty mighty men, calling them God's sacred light, before opening the gate. For Solomon had grown tired by how freely demons seemed to roam, possess, and take whatever they desired in his kingdom. Ben, in the end, made three such gates, and then King Solomon instructed him to seal the plans away in a box and bury them. But where he had buried them was nowhere near any kingdom or civilization. It was a distant land where there were more trees than people. That had been nearly 50 years ago, and he and the king were getting old, and even though the mighty men had done well, Solomon's wisdom had begun to fade, corrupted by doing everything he was told not to do as a king. And with that fading wisdom, the demon's incursion on the people had once more become substantial. Perhaps this was a new weapon, but it was too small and looked more like a key than anything else. Finished, he took the newly formed key out of the mold and placed it in water, and then waited for it to cool before starting to dry it. You have done well, Benjamin Gorshin. A voice calmly speaks to Gorshin, and he looks about the room to spy a beautiful girl sitting near his workbench. Her eyes blaze blue and her hair is as silver as the key he holds. Who are you? The old blacksmith asked. He wasn't frightened, but a strange presence or pressure seemed to coalesce around the girl. Who I am is not important right now, she states frankly. Gorshin, your king's wisdom has grown dim, and the very tools we gave him to protect the kingdom are now falling like him into darkness. I am aware, my lady. Gorshin isn't sure who she is, but he's definitely wise enough to recognize a holy messenger when he sees one. Have you figured out what the device is yet? A key. At least that's what it looks like. Yes, Gorshin, a special key that Solomon plans on taking with him into the gate to lock away the evil that now grows deep at its core. But if he does that, Aristotle nods and looks at the blacksmith with a deep kindness that would only be preserved for a mother's love for her children. Gorshin, Solomon must not do such a thing. While he is correct, and I did give him the idea for the key, he must not be the one to enter the gate. Then, what is it you would have me do? Ben asked. The key is made, and Solomon is demanding I bring it to him tonight. Solomon is no warrior, and that evil rising in the gate will overrun his tainted heart. You, Gorshin, have a beautiful heart. It is evident in your craftsmanship, and that spills out into the very objects you create. Someone like you could enter the gate and lock it down from the inside, she continues. However, doing this will end your life as it is now, and you will become the very heart of the gate system. I see, Gorshin replies. He understands, and yet he doesn't. You're afraid, Arista asks. Yes, I can't deny that. Yet I also have nothing left here, Gorshin replies. If you agree to do this, Gorshin, you'll become very instrumental in his plans. You will be working alongside me, the Archangel Mikhail and Archangel Yurio as we lay the groundwork for another wise king yet to come. Like Solomon, he will build out this gate system. He will need your guidance, and he will have individuals like you that use their gifts to his divine nature. And you will have two helpers. They will come later on, but at first they will seem very strange to you, alien in nature to you and your ways. She stops here. It is time, she states. Quickly running a chain through its bow before running off to the throne room. Where is that blacksmith? I need that key now! Here I am, your majesty, Gorshin calls, as he rushes into the throne room. The massive gate is glowing with a strange crimson light. I need that key, Gorshon! The king yells. Is it finished? Yes, your majesty. Give it to me, he screams at the blacksmith. I can't do that, Gorshon replies, kneeling before Solomon. Behind the throne, he can see the girl now standing behind the gate. She makes a motion and he can see it begin to activate. You traitor! You fool! If you don't Gorshon rises as the king grabs one of the holy weapons Ben had forged. Forgive me, Your Majesty. He body slams the elderly king, knocking the blade from his hand. We can't afford to lose you like this. Remember the promise! Remember his promise! It will be fulfilled, but not like this. Gorshin picks up the blade and starts darting towards the glowing doorway. He can see a vast array of stars spinning before him as if all creation is now standing before him. Gorshin, don't! It's my responsibility! My sins created this mess! I need to! Arista now stands between the king, Gorshin, and the gate. Arista! King Solomon manages to whisper as Gorshin looks back at the angelic creature standing between them. She smiles and then he notices something strange. She's now wearing armor, holding a blade similar to his own with a strange pendant, one with a red flame sitting on the rising sun. It is then he begins to understand. She is here, there, and nowhere at the same time. This gave him the final spark of determination, the final guts to leave everything he was and is behind. He would do as asked. He would serve as the guardian of the gate. It would be centuries before the king she spoke of showed up. A king that understood that might wasn't always right and that there was a better way to use power than through force. As predicted, he and Arthur built out the Solomon Gate Network. But it was the King Arthur that impressed him so much as his squire. A squire who had the heart of a lion and once knighted became the foundation of the king's own mighty men, a group called the Sacred Dawn. They served in the shadow of the kingdom, and once the enemy realized what these gates were and what they were used for, yes, they set out to destroy them, the king and his kingdom. That squire, however, he was something new. He, like Gorshin, set himself apart. You know him, of course, as Jack Stevens, and of course the two who would later work with Gorshin are Warren and Sam. And sometimes Maggie. Now that I have told you that piece of the story, let's pick up on where we are today. Silas straps the naked Zack Taylor to an altar he had erected inside the mausoleum. It had taken the Kedric orders centuries to find this place. Gorshin had sealed the one in the Holy City, and that bastard Luciano had thwarted their efforts to use the one at the tower in between things. This one, however, this one had remained hidden from their eyes, as if Ekmalak had used his darkness to shield it from them until it was too late. And this time, Gorshin wouldn't be able to deny them access. They had their sacrifice in Zack, and soon they'd have the key to open it. It was funny, for the great detective Warren had been, Cassandra had managed to hide their new interest in Alex Kuchma. Like Ekmalak, she spun lies, and the greatest one she had ever told was that they were upset that Alex had been saved. In fact, the change in Alex made her perfect for their needs. Strong, pure of heart, and someone who had been between the realities. They had kept the Sacred Dawn busy, guessing, leading them on, searching for the gate for Zack, and they accidentally provided them with the last piece. Cassandra stepped out from the shadows and into the tomb. Yes, mistress. He looks at Cassandra. He can see that she's knitting herself new flesh, using a tremendous amount of energy to do so. My lady, what happened? Nothing of importance. If anything, I have made sure that the detective won't be interfering this time. She sneers. As much as he had hurt her, it was clear he was dying. She had succeeded in gaining her revenge and preventing him from saving Zack and Alex from their fate. Then it's a matter of trapping that Kuchma girl. Yes! She decided not to tell Silas about the new weapon. Alex didn't have the Aeos Deluxe on, and without it, even with her training, they would be able to overwhelm the girl. Ironically, they had Jonah to thank for that. Then, my lady, if I may be excused, I have a trap to set. Yes, go, Silas. Obtain for me the keith that will bring Akbaloch to us. Warren Stevens could not begin to describe the years in between. Most importantly, his chance to befriend the gate's guardian, Benjamin Gorshan. A blacksmith for King Solomon, and like him, a servant of Aldone, and the unique creation, Arista. He had suspicions on who Arista really was, but he knew he would never truly get an answer, and in some ways, he had been told not to ask. It was during the Paladin incident that Warren caught on to the existence of Zack Taylor. That and the existence of the ancient gates. He knew, of course, of the Solomon gates, and even though only a handful remained, he was completely taken back when Ben revealed to him about their origins. As I told you earlier, the original gate was destroyed by Gorshin when he sealed it from inside. The second gate had been removed from time, placed at the tower by Macal, Arister, and Uriel. Not just from mankind's prying hands, but away from the demons too. Now he was en route to the third of the original gates, buried behind a mausoleum in Ipswich. Oh, he did know about it. It was why he had Benjamin forged a new blade. Although he never forgot the look on Gorshin's face when he brought him the materials. Is this? Yes, Arista's hair. You didn't! Warren laughed. The look on her face was almost the same as yours now. What was her reaction when you asked her? She literally said, it took you long enough, Detective. Gorshin laughed. Well, I guess she foresaw this, as well as everything else that has transpired. When you exist outside of time, Gorshin. Huh? Nothing. Anyway, how do I make a weapon out of this? Feel it, Ben. It's not anything like our hair, Warren states. Gorshon takes off his blacksmith's glove, and Warren places a spool of hair into his hands. It's like glass, and yet, Gorshin exclaims as he runs his hand through it. And yet, it's as hard as any metal you've ever touched, isn't it, Ben? Warren confirms. Gorshon smiles as he begins to walk away and towards his forge. It's been ages since I made a weapon. It's funny though. What? The last time I was asked to forge a weapon was by your great-grandfather Jack. Warren smiles and then adds, by the way, my old friend, this one isn't for me. It's for Alex. So, take it pretty. Gorshin laughs. Now that same blade lay next to him, shimmering on the passenger seat, as he could feel himself growing cold. As he continued to race towards Ipswich, he had to get there. He had to give Alex his blade. But the more he pressed, the more transparent he grew. He was not sure how much longer it would be before he could no longer control the vehicle. Then, very suddenly he was aware of someone else sitting in the car with him. Hey, Warren. Grandpa! I would ask how you're doing, but please, tell me you're not here to take me home. Not yet. Warren. Please! I can't let Alex down. I can't let her down. Not now. Pull over, Warren. But pull over. You're out of time. And if you push any further, you may cause an accident and kill someone. Is that how you wish to be remembered? Hot tears pour down from Warren's eyes, but he listens and pulls over. Jack lifts the blade up and admires Gorson's handiwork. This is a good blade, Warren. And it will serve Alex well. The world around him goes dark, stars stream in every direction, and Warren sees a stairway rising before him. He looks pleadingly at Jack and longfully at the staircase. Is there any other way? A stairway descends, and Led Zeppelin has been cued, and our hero seems to have come to his end. But before we finalize that, we must return to the cemetery. Quite appropriate, I might add. As we turn back to Silas and the trap is laid out for Alex. In chapter 11, the trap is sprung.