Teacher and Student
A man stands lone at a pristine altar, finishing the last of his rites while tenderly closing a rather large book. The workings of age were apparent on his face, deep wrinkles embedded into his skin with white tufts that littered the back of his head. Despite all the harshities of age, his expression was soft, gentle and sunny. The elderly man holds a piece of fossilized ivory betwixt his fingers, lifting it up near the ritual circle emblazoned on the limestone ]floor before him. He speaks a final word before the ivory glows brightly, with the circle dazzling brilliantly in response as well. Howling winds pick up in the previously dead chamber, the air twisting and turning as the circle glowed with the light of a thousand suns. The summoner shields his eyes from the blistering wind and searing light. The light eventually fades into nothing, leaving the figure of a man stood upon the circle. The summoner gazes up at the figure after shielding his eyes from the brightness. The figure is a middle aged man, tanned skin, battle scarred, bearing an eyepatch and a cuirass. He looks around as if scanning his surroundings, his piercing eyes eventually settling upon the elderly man before him.
"Speak now. Were you the one that summoned me?"
The man nods nervously before slightly bowing. "My name is Benjamin Jowett. I assume, you are... Hannibal?"
The figure does not respond to his question, instead choosing to appraise the slightly portly man before him.
"Weathered, but not by battle. Instead by.... age. Fattened. Not a single scar on that face. A life lived... well. Hmph." Hannibal lets out a disdainful snort.
"Tell me, summoner. Have you ever crossed swords with another man?"
The elderly man gently smiles in spite of Hannibal's hurtful comments.
"Oh, nay. I am a scholar by trade, and a priest. A religious educator who dedicates his life to his study."
"Yet you summon me for a war? Ha. Not much unlike those oligarchs who betrayed me at every turn. Always bidding others to fight for them, but yet so unwilling to sully their own hands."
Benjamin pauses for a bit, pondering to himself for a moment until he clears his throat to speak.
"I judge that we may have more in common than you think. I share no love for idle aristocracy either." Hannibal raises an eyebrow once Benjamin finishes speaking.
"First, would you care to walk with me through these halls?"
Hannibal narrows his eyes, before stepping off the circle.
"Let us go then."
The two men wandered through the empty university, taking in the scenery of the winding gothic stone halls. There wasn't so much as a peep, making the silence of the two men that much thicker. Eventually, Benjamin speaks up, cutting through the tension with an innocent question.
"Do you know where you are?"
"No. Will you enlighten me?"
"Oxford, general. More specifically, Oxford University."
"A school, hm? If you have a point, get to it already."
"Such schools are a centre for erudition and human ingenuity. Ingenuity that furthers humankind. Mathematics, the natural sciences, theology, all such beautiful things created by humans. Education is a beautiful thing. A tool to further humanity's progress. Many consider me to be a pious man, dedicated to God's teachings. That is natural, I am a priest who uses sermon to spread the word of God. But, Plato once said that there is nothing more divine than education. I find that I agree with him." Benjamin stands up more confidently once he finishes speaking, turning his gaze towards Hannibal, who is now giving him his undivided attention.
"You study Plato?"
"Ah, of course, I have translated much Aristotle and Thucydides as well."
Hannibal nods, slightly impressed. "You are not as foolish as I thought. There was a Greek tutor I once had. Sosylus of Lacedaemon. A remarkably gifted man, and a trusted advisor. He educated me on Thucydidean philosophies."
"That is very good. Then you and I both understand the values of a proper pedagogy. It was Aristotle who believed that education should be one and the same for all. Men, women, it did not matter. They would all be given the same treatment. Many years of my life have been dedicated towards this philosophy. I have made great strides in the hallowed halls of this University, to give all those that come here the same education."
Benjamin stops at a desk, a book open to a diagram of the Vitruvian Man with magical circuits all over his body.
"But there remains a greater obstacle. The Mage Association. I'm assuming you're familiar with them?"
Hannibal crosses his arms. "Magi and their ilk? Yes, I am familiar."
"That is good then. Then, you also are familiar with how unwelcome they are to change and... sharing. That is to say, The Mage's Association is not so keen on sharing their knowledge. Instead, they keep the secrets of magic behind the chains of bureaucracy. It is my belief that if magecraft became more widespread, humanity will benefit from its usage. I have seen what it can do for the sick, for the weak. But, the aristocracy maintains its grip."
"An ideological endeavor. How noble." He stops speaking for a second, before tilting his head to a side and clicking his tongue.
"But I suppose I can empathize. I was never popular with the aristocracy, with them being too self interested to put themselves before the state." Hannibal shakes his head and lets out a derisive laugh. "Ha, no, they believed themselves to be the state. They forget the state should belong to the people."
Benjamin gives an understanding nod. "It is not so different with the Mage Association. They have its finger in every pie in every city, Manchester, Leeds, London--yet none of their talents go to people who need it. They sit in their ivory towers, depriving others of the tools that they can use for their own betterment. That is why I need the Holy Grail, to mend this issue." Hannibal nods slowly before doing a double take.
"London? Strikes me as a Roman name."
"Ah, but of course, it has Roman origins. During Caesar's Gallic Wars, his armies occupied this land and London became its capital."
"Hm. Gallic land? I saw their advances during my campaign into Italy. Fierce fighters, the Gauls. Their ferocity they wielded in my army was to be noted. My best heavy cavalry came from the Gallic tribes. Though, I can't say I'm surprised that the Romans took control of that region. Rome produced geniuses like Scipio. Surely, more generals walked in his steps."
"Yes, certainly. Caesar was one of those brilliant tactical minds, with a knack for politics as well, err, he is... not much unlike you."
Hannibal frowns. "Flattery will get nowhere with me, though I do appreciate your mind and your wish. You have my empathy, but you do not have my loyalty. Why should I help you?"
"Hmm. Would you first tell me your own dream?"
"I suppose I should humor you, as you have done me. My dream is to change my past. Make it so I... never lost the Battle of Zama."
"Would you like to tell me why?"
Hannibal grumbles at his questions, begrudgingly speaking up. "To arrest the destiny of Rome. To bring their gods to a knee. But... hm." Hannibal's stern face takes on a softer expression. "I lost everything at that point. My brothers, my father... I only had my dream to cling onto. I suppose it was... insanity that made me so adamant on battling Rome. I thought I would die for my dreams, but instead, my dreams died that day. As did many people who did not deserve it." He stares wistfully into the distance, before steeling his gaze, turning it towards Benjamin.
"Well then?"
"Many people who do not deserve to die have died due to powers out of our control, but once we seize that control, we can make it so there will be no more needless bloodshed. You can lay hold of the control you sought. We both envision better worlds for ourselves. We can make those dreams a reality. Let me be your master, and I can help guide you to that goal."
Hannibal looks carefully at the command seals on Benjamin's body, once again settling his steely gaze on his eyes. "Speaking like a toff again. Are you willing to die for your dream?"
Benjamin stops and returns Hannibal's gaze, before another kindly smile creeps onto his face. "I have given many years of my life to my aspirations and dreams. What is a few more?" As Hannibal looks into Benjamin's cheery expression, which belied a fiery determination, his heart slows and becomes calm. His earnest eyes finally swayed Hannibal's heart, which earned a very exasperated sigh from him.
"You have not convinced me yet, Benjamin."
"A-ah."
"Heh. You have much more work to do."
Hannibal lifts a finger up, bringing it near his face. A second passes, before a golden spears stabs out of the ground. A golden hand then bursts out of the flooring, pulling up an armored phantom. Another phantom materializes behind Hannibal, with more soldiers following. Soon, a squadron of soldiers stands near him, at his beck and call.
"Though, I suppose you have passed my tests for now. I will be your spear and shield. So, show me more of your ideals. Thucydides said 'The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.' We are one now. Prove to me, Hannibal, that you are not a coward, but instead a man with a warrior's heart, and prove to me that I am not a fool for trusting you. But for now, let us determine a strategy for this war. And... err... teach me about this land's customs."
Benjamin stares agape at the battle scarred warrior for a moment, before chortling and shaking his head. Of course, there was much work to be done.