[] Tell her the Truth.
You weren't exactly the best talker but you only had what you had. No sense of fussing about it when you could just lay it out all to bare. You had no way of maneuvering your way out of this and if she decides that you weren't worth it then you're done for and you'll have another obstacle to deal with.
So you're just going to show her your cards and whoever's listening could deal with an experienced Magi in the form of Mr. Emiya. You won't have to put yourself in danger and maybe you could hide away with having to fight up front again!
So you told her the truth.
"I have nothing to bring or contribute. You know this already given you had a brief description of who I am. I have nothing save for myself and what Magecraft I can perform," you admitted as you leaned back on your seat, "That's how it is for me personally. I can't support Mr. Emiya in terms of Magecraft or direct fights and I'm liable to be dead weight."
Emiya blinked at that before frowning, "Miss Brie, I'm sure-"
"So you admit to having no value, is that it?" Luvia noted as she studied your face.
"Indeed. A girl with no name and memories with feeble magecraft to boot, I'm useless," you breathed before you raised your gaze to meet hers, "But I have Rider with me. She's all I can offer in this alliance. Her strength, her skills and abilities will be at your disposal... But I'm sure you're already expecting this considering you predicted I would admit to my own uselessness."
"I didn't say anything of the sort," Luvia hummed as she crossed her arms.
"You ask of a stupid request either way. You're aware of my circumstances yet you ask me to bring something of value. What else could I offer other than my own Servant," you pointed out with a narrowed look before you got up, "But rest assured Emiya won't regret helping me, because I'll at least do my job as Rider's Master. I may be useless on my own but as long as I have her I'll be the best investment you could ever make."
"Bold words for an amnesiac. You have that much confidence in your abilities to create value when you have none?" Luvia scoffed as she challenged your words.
"I have nothing to lose except my life. So whatever retribution awaits me upon jeopardizing this alliance is fine with me," you told her before you placed a hand on your hips, "I'll help him and more as long as he helps me survive this stupid war. You don't have to worry about a thing."
Luvia cracked a cruel smile as she hissed in an amused tone, "Ah, that spunk... Shero, I hope you're not getting any ideas. These sorts of girls are strong against you, you know?"
"I have no idea what you're saying, Luvia-san," Emiya cleared his throat before speaking up, "Either way, I think that should cut it... Don't you think?"
"Indeed. So long as she pulls her weight," Luvia noted before glancing at Rider, "Your Master has high confidence in you."
You looked behind you to see Rider still distracted by... Something. She perked up once Luvia addressed her though as she huffed and nodded, "Why, of course. T-That's only natural. A Queen such as I would only answer to a Master worthy of my loyalty."
"What's gotten into you?" You wondered with a frown.
"Shut up!" Medb quickly snapped before clearing her throat, "We'll be looking after Mr. Emiya in exchange for his assistance. I think that should be all?"
"Indeed that should be all. Brie, was it? Quite young to be participating in a war like this, hm? Well no matter, Shero here won a few already so follow his lead and you'll be fine," Luvia said before glancing at the man behind her, "Assuming he doesn't try and save a burning school bus with his reinforcement alone again."
"That was the one time, Luvia," Emiya coughed to the side.
Luvia smirked before looking to the side and noting a noise coming from out of view. She then smiled widely before saying, "Well I must go now. Happy hunting, Shero and good luck to you, Amnesia Girl."
The gem's light vanished before finally becoming silent. You let out a sigh of relief as you fell back on your seat. Emiya had a similar look on his face while Saber stood by his side with a difficult smile.
Just talking to that woman was exhausting. You're not sure how Emiya managed it. Still, you hoped that you could back up your declarations back there.
"I think she liked you," Emiya noted as he raised his gaze, "Luvia has an eye for people. Perhaps being honest like you did was the right decision."
"Would you have really helped me even if she hadn't gone through that whole thing?" You asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You heard her. I've seen what Grail Wars could turn into before. I was close to your age when I fought my first one," Emiya said as he brought his hands together, "You'll need all the help you can get and this isn't just my... Instincts working here."
"Is that so huh? Then that makes you a veteran to this whole War," you noted with a curious look.
"I lost more wars than I won, to be honest but I saved people regardless," Emiya clarified before he looked at his hands, "I'm pretty happy about that. Still, you did say something important."
"And what's that?" You asked him with a raised eyebrow.
"If you're with your Servant, then you're not useless. Knowing that you can be with your partner through fights and being there with them, it can help a lot," Emiya said as he cracked a small smile, "Trust and the bonds between Master and Servant are the key to winning these wars. You should remember that."
You figured that you will. You glanced at Rider as she crossed her arms without looking at you. You just wished that Rider wasn't so difficult sometimes.
.....
....
...
Emiya and Saber left to return to their hotel. It was nearly dusk so night was fast approaching. You and Rider had vacated your current residence for another in the city. It was pretty easy since all Medb had to do was call up her boy toys and they would offer everything for her.
"I don't want to stay at an apartment for today," Rider decided as she crossed her arms, "What about an Inn? There's a rather fancy one at the edge of the city."
You didn't have any problem with the suggestion so you agreed. Here you were in a wooden cottage where the homely wooden interior was melded with modern architectural design. Apparent this was a getaway Inn for rich people with the rent for one room costing tens of thousands of dollars.
You rented one room though but it was more than enough. You just had to explain that a reservation was made for you and Rider by a generous guy while you visited town. Oh and the pink haired Queen was posing as your sister in this case.
The entire place seemed disconnected from the city though but the view of the urban areas was something to see. It was like looking at a sea of stars on earth while you looked out from the balcony. You leaned forward as you stared at the lights in the distance...
Medb should be in the saunas if you could sense her presence there.
"This is a bit fancy, huh?" You murmured as you rested your head on your arm.
This wasn't the only Grail War happening in the world. The ritual originally came from the east as an avenue to the Root, the ultimate goal of Magi everywhere. But the system had since been left out spread faster than the Association could quash them.
Dummy Grail Wars. A farce just like Kotomine described these battles. Emiya explained the deal and this war was just one of many but ultimately it wouldn't be enough to replicate the one in Japan. Should the Grail manifest here, it won't be as powerful as the original made by the founding families which created the system, but it would be strong enough to ignite a selfish wish.
"Dummy or no, this is too real to ignore or dismiss," you whispered as your breath smoked before you, "People died already."
You closed your eyes for a moment before opening them. You raised your head and noticed a light bug floating about. You frowned... That's not a bug.
Within the small light the figure of a person. It was hazy but it's form was flickering between bug and humanoid. You reached out to touch it before a hand grabbed your own to pull you back.
Rider stood by your side in her bath robes and a frown on her face. You glanced at the creature as it drifted back into the snowy woods.
"This land is a hotbed for magical beings. The leylines beneath the city make it a great place to hold a ritual like the Holy Grail War, but before that it's a place which creatures like that thrive in even in this modern age," Rider said as she glared at the Pixies playfully peering from behind the trees.
You couldn't see them well but you could sense then. They were concealing themselves from you but Rider could see them well enough.
"You should be more careful, you know? You could get spirited away and we'll end up in a situation as the first day we met," Rider reminded you as she placed a hand on her hip.
You stared at her before tilting your head, "You can let go of my hand now."
Medb squeaked and quickly drew back from your hand and stepped away from you, "Yikes!"
"Hey, it's not like I put that in dirt, you know?" You huffed as you waved your hand.
Rider coughed and looked aside, "Aren't you going inside? It's freezing out here, you know? What if you get sick?"
"I'm just admiring the view, stop worrying," you told her off as you waved your hand.
Rider frowned at you before looking at the city you were staring at. She sighed before asking, "Have you tried working out your magecraft?"
"No. Why?" You asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe you should. I mean, as happy as I am that you trust me so much to fight for you, I expect you to keep yourself safe as well," Rider suggested without meeting your gaze.
".... Right. I guess," you sighed as you vaulted over the railing, "I'll just practice here. You can go inside, they're serving hot chocolate for room service."
Landing on the snowy ground, your boots sunk into the floor a bit. You held up your hand let out a shaky breath before you noticed Rider. You looked up to find that she had cut her finger tip to let one drop of her blood hit the snow.
"What the-" words died in your throat as fully grown armored Warrior lunged out of the droplet of blood and thrust his spear.
Your body reacted as your circuits flared, "Ignition!"
A shield of light forced the spear to bounce off you but still sent you sliding back. You fell down on one knee as Medb smiled and held a glass of wine in her hand as she watched you.
"Rider what the hell?!" You yelled at her before her Warrior swung his spear at you.
You ducked low and rolled away. Snow filled your vision as you watched the Warrior drag his weapon to strike you. You move under his swing and tumbled away before you recovered.
"Not bad. Seems like your moves in our battle with Assassin wasn't a fluke," Rider noted as she watched her Warrior charge you.
"What are you doing?!" You snapped as you avoided another strike, casting another shield to parry the spear.
"Grooming you. You were going to practice your little shields, right? What better to do that than with an active threat?" Rider chuckled as she smiled your way.
"This isn't Ulster, you bitch!" You snapped once more as you avoided another spear thrust, the Warrior's weapon digging into the tree's trunk a little too deep.
"Good luck, Stray Master!" Rider laughed as she watched you go.
You pulled your gun out of your jacket pocket and aimed it-
Straight for the Warrior's skull.
You hesitated and the spear knocked the wind out of your chest as it slammed into you. You hit the snow and let go of your gun. The Warrior loomed over you as you crawled away.
Die. You're going to die. No, Rider wouldn't do that. She wouldn't let you die this easily. She was just helping you, right? Right? You trusted her so...
Meeting Medb's gaze made you realize something. She had her intentions but you realized that she wasn't above hurting you like this. She relished in your suffering the same way you found her misery amusing. She was the cruel Queen that let her greed give birth to a bloody war which cost the life of heroes.
A Heroic Spirit only answered Masters due to command seals binding them. If left to her own devices, Rider would be an evil woman indeed. A far more cruel woman than Carmilla, the Assassin you defeated. If you died here, she probably would only be slightly disappointed.
You could rein her in with a Command Seal...
Or you could walk up to her and hit her with your gun. You didn't want to hurt. You didn't want to die. You're scared... But at the same time you're angry. You want to live.
The snow felt cold under you as your mind raced. Your vision blurred and a greenish tint as you noticed your circuits flaring. Ah... This feeling.
You need to move.
Snowy Challenge
[] Get to your gun. You need a weapon. You need to focus on that feeling from before. You need to fight back.
[] Focus on strengthening your shields. It's your greatest ability right now. You survived worse in that Bounded Field. You're not backing down.
[] Remember. You need to remember. If you don't remember you'll get hurt a lot. You can't punch Medb if you're crippled here.
[] Fucking run into the fucking woods, holy shit that Warrior has no fucking chill! You're going to rip Medb a new one later!
[] Write in...
