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Who: Archer (

jivitadana)
Where: Checkerboard Hills
When: January 3, 2017
Rating: PG?
Summary: On the day he arrived, Archer asked to see Minato's Persona. One week later, Minato obliges.
The Story:

[ This world is a strange thing to him. He's explored a great deal since he found himself here only a week ago, and while certain aspects still confound him, curiosity drives him more than antipathy or trepidation. In some respects, it's almost like a vacation -- one in which terrible things may happen at some point or another, but there's a sense of calm (or limbo) in the meantime.

In short, not so different from where he was before. It's just more colorful, and as much as others have harped on and on about how terrible the events are, he'll judge for himself how truly awful they are. Memory-loss is a problematic element, of course, but for the time being, it can't be helped.

As settled as he's going to be, Archer is ready when it's time for the scheduled meeting with Minato. The Checkerboard Hills are as good a place as any, and he messages Minato the day before to mention his preferred location.

And there Archer waits in his standard attire, a splash of red against snow-covered land. There doesn't seem to be much else to do here so he might as well satisfy his curiosity. ]

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[As promised, Minato had planned on showing Archer his Persona. The Checkerboard Hills was a good place as any, and as much as he did like the Mansion the luxuries it provided, he also enjoyed the grounds just as much. It wasn't as green as it could be with the snow and all, but he liked the snow too. He didn't have much to complain about.

Minato was in his school uniform but he did have a blue scarf around his neck. It was easy to spot Archer even if he hadn't actually seen him before except via text. But no one else was around, so he thought it was safe to assume this was the person whom he had intended to meet.

He nodded his head once to him, like a bow of sorts.]

Nice to meet you in person. Sorry if I kept you waiting.

[ For his own part, Archer appears unaffected by the cold. It was winter in Fuyuki City when he was there, and it didn't bother him then, either.

He considers the young man approaching quietly, and though he doesn't nod in greeting, Archer does turn and face him -- an acknowledgement. ]

You didn't.

[ He hasn't been here that long. ]

I haven't inconvenienced you, have I?

[Minato shook his head. It hadn't been a problem at all.]

It's okay. It's to thank you for answering my questions.

[May as well go ahead and start with the demonstration then. But first things first. In his hip holster was a gun. Or a gun-like device. He drew it and showed it to Archer.]

This is an Evoker. It's a summoning device for my Personas.

[ Minato is a bit of an odd one; that much he is beginning to understand.

Archer considers the "gun" with some interest. Mages have their own way of summoning Servants, of course, so as unusual as this device appears to him, the ritual required to make a Servant appear would likely seem equally as strange to Minato. ]

They can't be summoned without this?

[ A catalyst is needed when mages attempt to summon a Servant, but this doesn't seem to be the same thing. ]

[Arisato Minato was, like all silent Persona protagonists, a little weird. He turned the Evoker over and around for Archer to look at it too on all sides. He wasn't sure if Archer was familiar with guns since people came from so many different time periods and worlds, but his demonstration would be enough to give a hint as to how an actual gun may work.

Since Archer was so familiar with magic, it was easy to answer his questions that were already based on summoning rituals and Minato didn't have to explain that part as much, like how it was even possible to summon anything at all. He shook his head.]

So far, no.

[The concept of summoning his Persona was related to remembering death and overcoming the fear of it. Hence the Evoker and specific summoning method.]

It doesn't hurt. Don't worry.

[Minato thought to warn Archer first since he brought the Evoker to his temple and pulled the trigger (like in this video), shooting himself albeit without a bullet but with a resounding gunshot, breaking glass, and a blue aura in order to summon his usually equipped Persona Messiah who hovered above him.]

[ Archer is more than familiar with guns. He might not use or care for them, but he could probably make do in a pinch if he had to.

It doesn't appear to be anything special at a glance, though a more in depth scan of the device might reveal more. For now, he's content to watch Minato's demonstration. He isn't concerned, either; if Minato wasn't capable of this, Archer doubts he would have agreed to this in the first place.

Observing the summoning in silence, Archer appraises the creature that appears with some interest. He can sense the being has power, but it's different from his own and other Servants'.

More thoughtful than anything else, he assesses the Persona before musing out loud. ]

They are familiars in the truest sense, aren't they?

[ Magi use them, but none quite like this. ]

They're from my sea of my soul.

[So very much familiar. Minato glanced up at his Persona who was waiting for some kind of command or to be dismissed. Again he appreciated that Archer was familiar with magic and summoning and on top of that, he was serious too. There was no fear or judgment either in his gaze.]

Personas have magical, physical, or support skills. Did you want to see?

[He could demonstrate those too. Luckily things repaired themselves after they were destroyed.]

[ The 'sea of the soul' is a curious term, but he gets a sense of what Minato means by it. A manifestation of the self, or at least a part of it -- yes, he can understand it. What is his own Reality Marble if not a manifestation of his inner world?

Minato's Persona may be different in some ways, but it isn't strange to him. Not by a long shot. ]

If you want to show me.

[ It was the summoning he was most curious about, but if Minato wants to demonstrate a little more, he'll gladly observe. ]

[Minato offered, so he could show it to him. How to demonstrate though? He thought about all of his Personas skills, and then had an idea.

He used his current Persona to unleash his most powerful ice attack Niflheim at part of the checkerboard hills. The attack rose up like a glacier before it dissipated away. Then he switched Personas to Jack Frost and cast a much smaller ice spell instead.]

Something like that. Some of them are capable of healing too.

[ Again, Archer watches. The spell Minato has the creature cast is powerful enough, and it's interesting than he can switch between Personas with so little effort. Each creature must have its own specific 'element' or specialty, and Minato rotates them in battle as-needed. It's almost like having multiple Servants, though he's uncertain how they would measure up against a fully-powered Heroic Spirit.

If he ever acquires a Master of his own here, perhaps he'll test that. ]

How many do you have?

[Minato replaced his Evoker back in his hip holster.]

At home, about 170. But here, just six.

[That was a major drop, Minato thought. He could carry twelve around him at a time, but if he ever wanted to switch anyone out, he could easily do so. But now his whole total was just six. He was grateful to have them at all, but he missed hearing the other 160 or so.]

Most people with the potential for a Persona only have one.

[ ...that is a remarkably severe drop. It also raises certain questions, particularly about this world -- how much influence it can actually exert over them and how.

He chews on that thought for a long moment before answering. ]

You must have exceptional talent, then, to handle so many.

[ To say the least. ]

Familiars in such numbers are not common where I'm from.

[ And certainly not at the behest of a single mage. ]

[At the statement, Minato nodded his head once, to acknowledge that he heard what Archer had said, although he honestly didn't think that he had "talent," so to speak. A Persona was just a mask that helped to define one's identity based on outside environments. If he had so many, then who was he, really, if not defined by who he was with?

But that was neither here nor there. He could think about that later. He smiled though and turned the conversation back to Archer.]

Can you explain more about familiars and how they work for you?

[Since he was curious too.]

A familiar is nothing more or less than an assistant to mage. They may take different forms and be created by different methods, depending on the specialty of the mage in question. They might develop powers or thoughts of their own, or they might simply be used as spies or couriers.

Generally, there is a connection between them, and the mage supplies the familiar with mana.

[ It's broad and non-specific, but really, there could be so many variations since every mage is born with a specific skill set. His own, much to his own chagrin, was quite narrow in life. He didn't really use familiars, either, or at least as much as he can remember. ]

A Servant exists in a different class, but similar rules still apply.

[An assistant to a mage. That sounded intriguing from the way Archer described it. It was like creating life, a separate being with different abilities to call their own. He could see now why Personas might be interesting to Archer then since there were similarities to those familiars.

And mana, that sounds familiar too, like out of a video game. He didn't say that out loud though because he didn't want to belittle such an important concept into just an idea out of something artificial like a video game. Still, Minato liked hearing more about the magic of other universes, and was grateful that Archer had been willing to share.]

May I ask then what you're capable of?

[Archer's world seemed much more complex in terms of magic and the rules that governed it.]

[ Well...how to answer that question?

Archer isn't particularly keen on divulging everything about his own capabilities, even in the face of what seems to be fairly innocent curiosity. Still, Minato has shown him more than he even asked for so he can offer a decent framework, at least. ]

A Servant summoned to fight in the Holy Grail War falls into one of seven categories: Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Assassin, Caster, or Berserker.

They each specialize in certain areas, as their titles would suggest. Saber-class Servants, for example, are warriors who favor the sword.

[ As for himself... ]

I favor the bow, but I also use these.

[ A pair of swords materializes in his hands. ]

[Minato was used to Personas just appearing from out of oblivion, but not weapons like that. He figured that Archer did specialize with a bow after the explanation, but then with a sword as well? Two of them, to be precise. He had to wonder how Archer was able to coordinate both kinds of weapons in war.]

Cool. Did you learn how to use the swords on your own?

[Minato was reminded of a friend at home who was on the archery team. Having her with her long-range weapon was helpful during their battles at home. Archer must have had an advantage with close range and long range then.]

[ There is something to be said for being adept in close and long-range combat. If he "specializes" in anything, it's mimicry, but he also reached the point he has by constantly pushing his own limits. He started learning archery when he was young, and the swords came later - inspired, really, by unusual life experiences.

It's unfortunate that he inevitably took things too far. ]

The details escape me now, but much of what I learned, I honed for myself.

Archery came more naturally to me.

[Self taught. That was also just as impressive. For all of the swordsmanship Minato had, he could fall back on what he learned from being on the kendo team at school, which meant someone taught him how to wield a sword of some manner. Other than that, he did have to learn, or was quickly forced to learn, to wield the sword on his own through some trial and error too.

Minato nodded, considering the information that Archer had provided to him. He followed along the reasoning that archery and the bow would be more like second nature to him, considering his name, but then again. His name. He recalled that they have a conversation along these lines too before. Though he did want to see, if Archer was going to demonstrate more, his abilities with the swords, Minato had to ask the following first.]

You mentioned Servants are summoned by a Master. If the war is over, then where do you go?

[Then when the war happened again if it was prone to doing so, would he come back, if he left at all?]

[ Oh, he had instructors, he's sure, at one time or another. Skill doesn't come about in a vacuum, and everyone needs to train. He just doesn't recall the details, save for the sense that he was often alone in his aspirations. He chose to chase after his ideals on his own, and it was stubborn determination that allowed him to get as far as he did.

No demonstration seems to be forthcoming, at the moment, so Minato may have to ask. ]

When an individual dies and becomes a Heroic Spirit, their true self is recorded in a place we call the Throne of Heroes. It exists both outside the world and is displaced from the axis of time.

We are granted shells, so to speak, when we are summoned, and afterwards, we return to the vault.

[ In other words, they are slaves of convenience for humanity - some more so than others. ]

Then you'll go back because you're done.

[If there was no more use for him, then he was returned? Somehow that seemed familiar, that he only had so much use and once that was exhausted, then he was discarded. Minato could think of some days when things were like that. They were a while ago, but he could still remember them. Since this was happening to Archer like it was almost routine, then he could only imagine what that was like.

He didn't ask then quite yet how Archer felt about it. It felt too personal right now for that kind of conversation at this very moment.]

After the war is over, wouldn't it be best to have you stay, if just to protect everyone who came out of it alive?

Essentially, yes.

[ Servants by their very nature are tools designed for a very specific purpose. When he was young, he had a more idyllic view of such things, but Archer has no illusions about that now and hasn't for a long time.

He doesn't like it, but there's nothing he can do about it, either. ]

Summoning a Servant is only made possible by the Grail itself. It would be difficult if not impossible for a mage to maintain the body of a Servant in the world without its input.

[ Rin might have found a way to keep him in the world with her at the end of the war, but as he told her at the time- it wasn't something he could feel right doing. ]

The few who actually survive are more than equipped to protect themselves.

[ Which is actually the point. The Servants fought each other, but so did the Masters, and the latter were sacrifices just as much as the former. It was war, after all, and only those who survived could be considered worthy to hold the Grail.

It was ugly, but reality often is. ]

[Dang, his arms in that icon. Wow. Anyway, this Grail that Archer had mentioned held so much sway over the world. Minato figured though that a lot of things were like that, pivoting on a single item or concept.

And true, anyone who came out of the war alive had to be more than well-equipped to take care of themselves. Minato just worried. He always would, for other people, especially after a war.

He only thought that if Archer was able to live after a war he had participated in then that'd be... kind of nice. He wondered then how many parallels he saw with his own life.]

Wonderland decided to bring you here after the war? After you've been dismissed?

[ Servants are designed to be weapons. With some people, it's just a little more obvious...

Archer blinks at the questions. ]

Yes. I suspect this world possesses a substitute of some kind that allows me to be here.

[ Whatever power transcended space and time to bring them to this place must also be sustaining him -- or at least, that's what he's surmised. ]

Why?

Are you conscious or alive in the vault?

[It was as Minato had thought before. Then Archer would go back to that place before he'd be summoned again whenever the war happened again, the next sixty years or so. But somehow, yes, Wonderland did have some kind of power or magic to bring people in from all different circumstances and time periods. He wondered too if that was sometimes cruel or not.

He shouldn't have asked a question before answering Archer's, but it came out before he could stop it. It was out there now. Normally he was more careful than this.]

... Just curious. It sounds familiar.

Conscious, yes.

[ Technically, a spirit isn't alive so that's the most appropriate term to use. It isn't an especially glorious existence, either, despite the Throne of Heroes title. All there is to do is wait until some disaster or the Grail War demands that they be summoned.

He knows very well what it is to be brought to different times and places, even to the very location and era he lived. In his view, it most certainly is a cruel thing. ]

It is entirely unremarkable.

[Minato nodded, understanding that, he thought. He could roll the idea around in his head, thinking that Archer would just be waiting around until summoned again. He didn't want to assume, but he thought again that it might be a lonely existence.]

But your skill with the swords isn't unremarkable.

[Archer had to be proficient with them. Some people couldn't even handle one sword, let alone two.]

[ The existence of a Heroic Spirit, particularly counter guardians like Archer, isn't remotely glamorous. A life after death might sound appealing, but truthfully, it's no life at all. To be displaced from time and the cycle of death and rebirth, to be bound to the service of humanity for all eternity, to be a tool with no say whatsoever in the circumstances to which you might be called -- the 'Servant' moniker is fitting and depressing all at the same time.

He's been summoned to wage wars and to clean up the messes humanity has manufactured along the way. It is not a role that allows for things like the company or camaraderie so one grows accustomed to being alone.

Still, he does not speak of it anymore than he has to. ]

It is passable.

[ A Saber-class Servant, obviously, would hold true mastery of the art of the blade. Still... ]

Did you want a demonstration?

[Minato nodded. He would appreciate a demonstration. If Archer was that skilled with swords, he could only imagine how well Archer handled a bow. His skill had to match his name, if he were one of those Heroic Spirits. That had to be as if Archer were the best there was with his weapon.

What was it like then, to face six other Servants in the war? Archer had to know too what their strengths and weaknesses were like. But in turn, they had to have known his. That made things fair and then unfair at the same time.]

If you're willing to show me.

[But he wouldn't press Archer more than that. It was the Servant's prerogative to show it or not, and Minato didn't want to pressure him either into it.]

[ If he's willing...well, that is the question, isn't it?

He doesn't appear diametrically opposed to the idea, but it does pose a unique sort of problem. ]

Swordsmanship is best demonstrated by the clash of opponents.

If you'd like a demonstration, then attack me.

[ He'll defend himself, of course. ]

[Minato didn't have his sword on him. He had to think then that since they were out here already, he didn't want to just run into the mansion and get it. Plus Archer was more likely way more skilled than Minato would be with a sword since all the experience Minato had was against predictable enemies and then in kendo class or tournaments.

He thought about what to do then, or what would be the most effective way to do this without wasting their time either.]

It'll be a flurry of slashing blades, but they don't last long.

[He had one attack that did target all enemies in front of him that required use of a blade. He switched Personas then to Thanatos, then summoned him to unleash Vorpal Blade.]

[ Archer is ready.

The attack comes, and Archer meets the slashing blades blow-for-blow at a speed that can only be called inhuman. The rapid fire clash of metal on metal is over in seconds, and Archer stands unscathed from the assault.

For all that he is dismissive of his own skill, clearly he does have some. ]

[Minato replaced his Evoker at his hip. That was way impressive, of course, and Minato had expected that level of skill. Vorpal Blade had a high hit accuracy and was a multiple-enemy attack. Archer was able to deflect the attack easily enough.]

That's all I have for the sword. You're really good.

[ Archer dismisses his blades in a shimmer of blue light. Kanshou and Bakuya have served him well for a long time, and while there are others, perhaps it will not be necessary to use them here.

To the comment, he doesn't shrug, but he seems...dismissive of the compliment, anyway. ]

Any other Servant you might encounter would have a comparable level of skill depending on their class.

[ A Caster, obviously, would be terrible at close combat, but Saber, Lancer, Rider...such Servants would be just as skillful if not more so. ]

Fundamentally, we are beings designed for war.

[That was convenient then in times of war. But then only applicable for war or other battle-like situations. A Servant had to have some mind for strategy too, tactics and planning.]

But here, there isn't a war. You'll get a chance to not worry about fighting?

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