Lazarus: The Summoning

Boats are grand.

This was one of the several thoughts occupying the master's mind at the time he stepped off of one. It's not that planes weren't lovely as well, especially if one had the opportunity to fly first class. It's just that there was something about boats. The sway of the ocean under you, the night sky on the open sea, the somewhat higher chance of survival if it capsized as opposed to plummeting thousands of feet from the sky onto the ground. There were other factors, of course.

This particular boating trip was probably the most special that had been taken so far. A few days ago, Lazarus' dream had come true. At least the catalyst to the dream. The dream was yet to be realized, but the scientist was filled with confidence. He had crossed many miles by sea* to arrive in Fuyuki city. Originally he had planned to find a hotel, but as his feet met the dock he found himself simply too eager to waste time with searching for a place to stay.

Lazarus hoisted his pack onto his shoulder and casually walked down a hallway, following signs to a bathroom. He rinsed his face, looking around for paper towels and finding none. Oh yes. It wasn't a common thing in Japan. He should have bought a tissue from that lovely woman greeting everyone disembarking from the ship. No matter. He wiped his hands on his clothes and rifled through his bag, checking and double checking that everything was there. Satisfied, he exited the restroom and darted around the corner. There was a wide walkway between two buildings, blocked off by rope tied to decommissioned boueys. The signs hanging from it warned in several languages that this area was for employees only, and there was to be absolutely no trespassing.

Lazarus quickly ducked under the ropes when no one was in sight and headed through the various storage houses. He kept close to the walls, but not so close that he couldn't say he had accidentally gotten lost, until he reached a clearly little used building at the edge of the complex. He jiggled the doorhandle. Locked. He checked all the windows. Locked. Well, he had hoped not to use any magic quite yet, but it seemed he would need to. He muttered a quick spell and the door swung open hard, making a loud bang on the wall inside. He stifled a chuckle. He was clearly a little too excited.

He entered the storage house, closing the door gently behind him and began to set up his summoning circle. He worked quickly, but not sloppily. He had been dreaming of this moment forever. Probably even when he was still in the womb. That was, of course, impossible, but there was nothing wrong with a little light exaggeration.

Lazarus climbed onto a small stack of forgotten wooden crates, pausing momentarily to investigate and see what was inside. Fancy that! Tissues! He stuffed a few into his pack and then continued to climb up onto his box pyramid. He rolled up his sleeves and raised his arms, speaking in a breathless, exhuberant voice:

"Let silver and steel be the essence!
Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation!
Let black be the color I pay tribute to!
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall!
Let the four cardinal gates close!
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate!
Let it be filled! Again! Again! Again! AGAIN!
Let it be filled fivefold for every turn, simply breaking asunder with every filling!

From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power,
COME FORTH FROM THE RING OF RESTRAINT, PROTECTOR OF THE HOLY BALANCE!"

As he spoke he could feel the energy swirling around him, filling him, being pulled from him by the black mass in the center of his circle of stones and shells. It's color and form shifted, vibrated causing a cacophony of tones, eventually syncing up with a hum rising up in Lazarus' mind. And as the two notes met, and settled into one, a flash! And there...his servant.

There he was indeed.



The young man pulled lightly on the sleeves of his white robe, straightening them. He took in his surroundings, turning slowly - one hand holding the other elbow, the other hand raised, rubbing the pads of his thumb and forefinger together pensively. "How extraordinary... there's salt on the air, I must be by the sea." At last, he finally faced the man who summoned him.

"You are the one who called me here, yes? I am Phillipus von Hoenheim, and if you'll excuse me, I have much to do." He pulled a book seemingly from a small dimension located exactly behind his back, and began to stride out of the circle.

Lazarus quickly fell in step with him, grabbing his now much lighter bag. "You and I both! However considering the nature of your existence at the moment, though I am a BIG fan of yours, I have to insist that we at least discuss a plan as peers. We will have to work together if either of us want our goals to materialize after all!" He fished a dusty pack of tissues out of his pack as he walked, offering one to his servant. "Tissues? You'll want them."

"Oh, yes, I shall take your word for it." He stuffed the tissues into a fold of his robes, slowing his steps. "I also accept your proposal, and thus a formal introduction is called for." The Servant stopped and turned towards the small man.

"As I said, I am Phillipus von Hoenheim, and I will be the Caster for this Holy Grail War. I look forward to working together as colleagues." Caster bowed deeply, one arm across his waist, a foot hooked behind his ankle, his long locks falling over his shoulder.

The mage bowed in a similar fashion, though much more quickly. "I am Lazarus Quinlan. I'm not anyone of particular note, yet. Though many people use current magical methods based on my research and experiments, few know my name. I am very excited to get a caster! We should get along swimmingly! However, first, I suggest we find lodgings. It's already nighttime, and we wouldn't want to travel too far to find a hotel."

"Agreed, but you know this world better than I do. I can create boundary barriers for defense if you wish, but conjuring a bed or carriage is right out, sadly." His lip tilted upward slightly in a light smile. "Lead the way."

Lazarus laughed heartily. "Right out indeed! May I ask when the last time you were in the world was? I may want to brief you on a thing or two before we leave the building."

"As I recall, my earthly body died in 1591... it was a cold day, September, I believe." He smirked. "If you truly wish to inform me of every advancement and event from then to now, I've the feeling we may end up sleeping here." He pulled the pack of tissues from his robes, giving it a squeeze. "At least these seem soft to rest on."

"Mostly, I wanted to warn you about the machinery and the noise. Were it me, I know I'd probably run out to a car to inspect it without thinking! But that's just the type of person I am. Remember to look both ways before crossing the street! I will of course remain open to any and all questions!" Lazarus led the way out of the building, walking with long, quick strides. Eventually they reached the rope and buoyes, passing under them and heading out into the street. It was especially quiet at this time of night. No more passenger ships were docking. The occasional streetlight cast down an orange glow onto the pavement. As they moved into the city, the streets were still relatively quiet, but the occasional car did pass by. Lazarus took a sharp turn to the nearest gas station, opening a phone book until he found a hotel nearby. "Ah! Here we are!"

Caster's mouth opened and closed as the pair walked down the quiet path. He murmured to himself, "A paved road? Covered in mortar? How do all of the lights stay illuminated? Gas? Sulphuric compounds? How does the horseless carriage move?"

He nearly bumped into Lazarus when the man stopped abruptly, holding the thick tome. "Is that some sort of... almanac?" Caster turned, his attention falling onto a display of potato chips, and stared at the vibrant colors on the packets.

Lazarus wrote down the address of the hotel and checked it against the map in the back of the book, scribbling down directions on a notepad of his. He smiled broadly at Caster's question. "Ah yes! It's a phone book. Basically, a directory to things in the city. You can find the numbers of people and places you might need to go. For instance..." he pointed to the entry for the Hotel. "This lists the number and address of a hotel, if i check the map..." he flipped to it. "I can tell that it's quite close! I can navigate with the map and write down directions to the hotel. I would take the map with me, but it's for public use, so that would be rude. As for the book itself, it's main purpose was to create a directory because of an invention called the telephone! We can call others from accross the world! It's one of my favorite inventions!" He finished writing down the directions, bought some sodas and a bag of potato chips, handed the chips and a drink to caster and wandered off, continuing to chatter about the birth of the telephone and how they worked.

Caster followed along, pensively chewing the chips. "I can identify modern objects and their use - the Grail has given me that much, but I know not how they work. The fact that these verbal communiques are possible around the world... from country to country even... How incredible! I only wish I could have seen these growths first hand, let alone lived to see a world where salt is so common amongst lower classes."

He rubbed his chin in thought. "Lazarus, it occurs to me that my appearance may be unfit for frequent public travel - at any rate, the clerk of the store seemed to have a few thoughts on the matter. I have another form, unable to be seen others but I am still capable of speaking to you, although I cannot interact with the corporeal world. Would you prefer I take that form while non-Magi are around?"

"Oh I don't particularly care what everyone else thinks," the mage said waving a hand. "However if it makes you more comfortable, you can feel free to travel in that form! We could also simply get you some more modern clothing. It's up to you." He paused for a second at a crosswalk as he waited for the light to turn, taking a long sip of his soda. "As for the abundance of salt and other spices, I have so much to tell you about modern farming and the transport of goods!" Lazarus continued to babble all the way to the hotel. Eventually they arrived, Lazarus continuing to move between talking at Caster, and speaking to the receptionist all the way up to the room.