Mana Based System - FoZ/Gamer

Summary: <The Gamer> Lv1 Louise La Vallière

UNOFFICIAL TAGS: COMFORT WRITING, LAZY AUTHOR, NO GUARANTEES WHATSOEVER, MAKING THIS UP AS I GO, HALFWAY THOUGHT OUT MECHANICS, WAY MORE RESEARCH THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD BE DOING, THIS IS NOT THE STEALTH EDIT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

 

««« LOAD 1 »»»​

Louise Françoise de La Vallière woke up.

Such was fortunately quite normal and yet, today, something about waking up was different. Perhaps it was the texture of the sheets, or the ceiling. A quick glance around revealed she was not in her room, as she should have. Instead, it seemed she was in the Healing Hall. It was alarming, particularly given that she could not remember why she was in the Healing Hall.

However, something else was different. She could not pinpoint what, but there was just something that felt slightly different.

“Ah, Miss Vallière!” Came the voice of Monsieur de Smet, the water mage in charge of the Healing Hall. “Awake at last.”

Louise turned and opened her mouth to answer… and stared, slack-jawed.

Above the fast approaching man, a set of semi-transparent letters and numbers floated, declaring quite incomprehensibly:

<Magic Physician>
Lv26 Henry Smet​

“Miss Vallière?” The physician asked again, worried at the young lady’s shock. “Is something wrong? Are you feeling any pain?”

Louise closed her mouth, too shocked to be embarrassed, and shook her head minutely. She took her eyes off the letters only to blink and check if she wasn’t seeing things. But it appeared not. “Professor, what are those?” She asked as she pointed the words out.

“Those? What do you mean?” The professor turned around, looking for whatever had spooked his patient, but saw nothing out of place.

Louise couldn't believe it. Could he not see that? “Those letters, words! They are right above you!”

The water mage even gave a glance upwards, but could see nothing. Certainly not letters. Even more worried than before, he took out his wand and waved it over the teen. At a first glance, the fluid flow was fine. “I don't believe there's nothing there. Miss Vallière, how is your head?”

Whatever Louise was seeing, Monsier de Smet wasn't seeing. And then his question. What had happened. “My head? Was I injured?”

“It was just a bump Miss. But it's always worth to be thorough when it comes to the head. Would you look forward, please.” He continued his examination. Louise stared right ahead as he proceeded to check her eyes, even using a spell to shine a light into her pupils. “Blink, please. Thank you. Does it hurt anywhere?”

“No. Not at all.” She felt perfectly fine.

He sub-vocalized a spell and Louise heard just the slightest rumble in her ears. “Any dizziness or nausea?”

“No.” In fact, she felt great, which made the fact that she was in the care of a water mage, seeing things, quite worrying.

“Very good. I can't see anything wrong.” He put his wand away and paused, before crossing his hands behind his back. “What, what is the last thing you remember?”

“The last thing...” Louise furrowed her brow, trying to remember. She backtracked to the beginning of the day. She'd woken up and gotten ready fast. Because she had wanted to review the ritual a little more before the summoning. “The summoning...” She remembered now. They'd gone outside the walls to have space for the summons. Kirche had summoned a salamander. And Louise… had ended up on the Healing Halls. “I was at the Springtime Summoning Ceremony.” Louise droned, teeth clenched.

She had failed, hadn't she? Her record was still… zero. Louise felt like crying, but she didn't. Pride was the last thing she had, and she would hold on to it tightly. Miraculously, she managed to keep the tears out of her eyes.

Monsieur de Smet sensed her mood and spoke gently. “It seems an explosion injured you. You were knocked unconscious. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have been serious. Rest for now, and by evening I believe it will be safe to for you return to your rooms.” She nodded and he asked her one last thing. “Do you still see those words?”

Louise paused minutely, then blinked and looked at a spot above his head. “No, just… a blotch, like the afterimage a candle's flame leaves when I close my eyes.”

The healer smiled, relieved, and left, pulling a curtain to give her privacy. Above his head, those damned, nonsensical words still taunted Louise. The girl exhaled and settled back. The last thing she needed was people saying she was crazy.

There was a noise.

Louise opened her eyes to see a rectangle floating in front of her. It had the same ethereal texture as the words floating above Monsieur de Smet's head. However, instead of indicating a name, on the surface was written something that made even less sense.

By making several smart choices, your Wisdom has increased.
+1 WIS​

Tentatively, Louise reached out and touched a finger to the figment. It disappeared with another noise, softer and less loud. Louise observed the fingertip that had dismissed the illusion, remembering the curious sensation of touching something that wasn't quite there. Like a cloud.

Then, lifting her eyes to the ceiling, she noticed she also had something floating above her.

That was quite enough. Louise flipped over and buried her face into the pillow. She'd silently cry her sorrows into the soft drapes and pretend she was home with her beloved sister. Then… then she'd figure out what was going on with her head.

 

««« LOAD 2 »»»​

As she waited in front of the headmaster's office, Louise did not fidget. Her mind did not race through all the horrible outcomes of the meeting she would attend in moments. The calm of those destined for the noose seemed to have settled over her. What happened would happen and there was nothing she could do now. Worrying was useless.

Finally, the heavy double doors opened and Miss Longueville motioned her in. Above her head were a familiar set of floating words.

<Secretary?>
Lv33 Mathilda Longueville?​

Everybody had one set over their heads. Nobles, commoners, Louise herself. It spelled out the letters 'LV' and a number, the person's name and sometimes their position on top. Monsieur de Smet had been a Magic Physician, his assistant, a commoner, was a Physician's Assistant.

And now Miss Longueville was, apparently… a secretary? Why was that even a question?

“Miss Vallière?” The woman pressed, a tinge of impatience in her voice.

Louise blushed as she realized she had been staring. “I'm sorry.” She swiftly marched int the office, cheeks burning.

Unfortunately, Louise had been called several times to this room and so knew it well. The only new things were, once again, the floating words that haunted her. A set was floating above the gray-bearded headmaster. It said, quite mysteriously:

<???>
Lv? Old Osmond​

Another one drew her eyes to the corner of the room, which she realized was because the headmaster's familiar was scampering along the wall.

<???>
Lv? Chu-chu​

The headmaster cleared with throat with a low rumble and Louise returned her attention to the old mage. She still wondered why his words were different, a question. Maybe hidden? Founder knew how the stories varied when it came to Old Osmond's feats. From defeating a dragon without a wand to inventing the ultimate love potion, nobody knew exactly why he was so respected by the royalty. Nobody knew how old he was either, and Old Osmond played along with the mystery surrounding himself. A familiar was an extension of the mage, so she supposed it made sense for the mouse to be a mystery too.

“That was quite a blast you gave us, this morning. Are you fully recovered, Miss Vallière?”

“Yes sir. It wasn't anything serious.” It was amazing that it had hurt her in the first place. Louise herself had never been affected by her own magic.

“Good. That's good. Now, this leaves us in a bit of an uncomfortable position.” The headmaster stroked his beard in deliberation. “It's not the first time somebody fails the summoning ritual, even after multiple tries. It's actually rather common for young mages to fail their first summoning, although our Academy prides itself on having an almost perfect rate of success.”

Which Louise had broken. The girl grimaced. “I'm very sorry sir.”

The old mage chuckled, amused. “You are not the first to fail, Miss Vallière. Did you think you would be expelled for this?”

Louise opened her mouth and promptly closed it. Why yes, it had crossed her mind as a very concrete possibility considering she had failed on one of the most iconic rites of magical aprentiship. Instead, this meeting was going remarkably well.

“However.” The headmaster continued, once again serious. “It is the first time somebody fails with your marks. Theoretically, you are an excellent student, but that can't be said of your practical marks.”

Which were, simply put, zero. Louise exhaled. “What happens then?”

“For now, nothing at all. But when the year ends, if there is no improvement of your practical marks… we cannot pass you.” He said gravelly.

And people who failed could not continue their studies in the Academy. Louise had been warned of it at the end of the last year, but she'd managed to scrape through with her near perfect theory. She nodded, like she had done last year. “I understand.” Essentially, she now was on a time limit.

Either she improved her success rate within the next ten months, or she would be sent home. A disgrace. No more pressure than the rest of her life, all in all.

“Very good. Provided you pass, next year you can try to summon your familiar again when your underclassmen do.”

Louise's eye widened and she curtsied shortly but gratefully. “Thank you very much.”

The headmaster smiled. “Off you go then, I expect to not see you here for a while.”

Louise curtsied again and turned to leave. At the door, she paused and looked over her shoulder, regarding for the words that still floated above the heads of the three people (and mice) in the room. Old Osmond was the most knowledgeable mage in the Academy, perhaps in the whole kingdom. If anybody would know something about the words, it would be him. But if he didn't… if this wasn't because of Louise's failure….

If this was just in her head….

Louise wasn't going to waste the chance she had just been given by sounding crazy.

 

««« LOAD 3 »»»

Your HP and MP have been fully recovered.​

Louise glared at the rectangle. It seemed she couldn't get any peace. As soon as she had woken up, this incomprehensible message had popped up in front of her, completely shattering any doubts she might have had about the reality of the figments. Now completely awake, she sat up and decided to get ready instead of lounging in bed as she usually did. The… thing… had completely chased any lingering drowsiness.

It also wasn't going away. Frowning, she poked it and, like the one from the day before, it disappeared with a soft sound. She hummed. It seemed like she could dismiss the rectangles by touching them. It was useful to know, although she wished she could make the words floating around disappear too. However, she'd tried touching the ones following her around yesterday, but her hands had gone right through them.

Barefoot, she made her way to her vanity and dipped her hands into the metal basin full of water that rested on top of it. The water was freezing, like always, and she washed her face with it, thoroughly waking herself up. She sighed as she observed her reflection in the mirror.

<The Gamer>
Lv1 Louise La Vallière​

Why couldn't the apparitions have disappeared during the night, like a nightmare chased away by the dawn?

As she got ready for the day, Louise wondered. What even were they? Assuming that the words didn't lie, Louise could now see the names and positions of people, as well as a number whose meaning, if it had any, she couldn't decipher. If the words weren't lying, then maybe this was magic, and not the product of too many knocks to the head. Maybe she'd summoned an invisible spirit who told her things.

If, thought Louise bitterly. If.

Plus summoning spirits was heretical anyway. It wasn't proper magic, so it would be a failure regardless of not being an explosion.

It was earlier than usual when she was finished. Breakfast wouldn't be served in full for another hour but the servants would already have some food on the tables. She wasn't feeling like having breakfast with the rest of the school looking down on her, so Louise schooled her face into a neutral expression and hurried down the stairs.

Alvíss Hall was indeed emptier than usual, servants milling around and putting plates in their places, Monsieur Colbert taking his breakfast before any of the other teachers, and a few first and third years already eating. There was nobody from her year, so Louise sat down, called for a maid and hurried to eat. Already she could feel the gazes of the two third year students on her back.

Louise's luck held and nobody harassed her until the first morning class. Then, while they waited for the legendarily tardy Professor Chevreuse, Kirche von Zerbst strode up to Louise with a smile on her face.

 

««« LOAD 4 »»»​

“Hello Louise.” Kirche von Zerbst purred as she sat down next to the Zero. Several other students paused what they were doing to watch them. “How are you feeling? We were all so worried yesterday.”

“Kirche.” The pink-haired girl managed to answer without grinding her teeth. She'd long since learned that ignoring the red-head would only make things worse. “I'm feeling quite well. Disappointed?”

“Not at all!” Kirche shuffled closer to Louise. “It's only natural to feel relieved when returning home after spending so long in a place where they don't belong.”

There Louise scoffed to the delight of the older girl. “Oh please, you don't really think the Academy expels students just for a few mistakes, do you?”

“Mistakes like utterly fucking up the Springtime Summoning Ceremony?” Louise flinched, the barb cutting so deep she didn't even comment on the profanity. “That's a bit more than a little mistake, Little Louise.”

Louise was shorter than Kirche in every way, except perhaps her fuse. She also tended to blow up more spectacularly than her. Little Louise was a nickname that Kirche had learned early on always managed to rile up her classmate. Unbeknown to her, it was also the nickname Louise's older sisters had for the girl, who took heartfelt offense to hearing it from a daughter of the La Vallière's rival family, the Zerbst.

Predictably, Louise rose to her feet, hand going to her wand. “You Germanian b-”

And bit her tongue.

<Rebellious Daughter>
Lv22 Kirche Zerbst​

Louise stared at those words, the proof of her 'little mistake'.

This was useless, she reasoned. Raging and railing against Kirche wouldn't fix anything. And if she damaged any furniture, again, she wouldn't be allowed to listen to the lecture. She was already lucky enough that she'd never had Madame Chevreuse before, so the professor probably wasn't biased against her. Maybe she would have the chance to try to do some magic in front of her instead of having to practice alone.

Kirche wanted her to do this, she realized. The rage that had been emptied out of her by logical reasoning returned slowly, colder and sharper. Louise wasn't going to give the Germanian the satisfaction.

A noise rang in her ears.

Your Wisdom has increased.
+1 WIS​

To the rest of the class, Louise de La Vallière glared at a spot above Kirche von Zerbst head before stowing away her wand and sitting back down with a steely expression. It was a disappointment to those that were already anticipating the explosions and particularly to Kirche, who spent the next five minutes trying to provoke a reaction out of the girl.

Louise was smiling at Kirche's frustration by the time Professor Chevreuse finally appeared.

 

««« LOAD 5 »»»​

The bell tolled and Professor Chevreuse, or Madame Chevreuse as she'd insisted, stopped her lecture.

Louise was already halfway out of her seat when a familiar sound rang and another rectangle popped in front of her. It said:

Lesson Completed
+10 EXP​

Once again, it made absolutely no sense. Yes, class was over, probably why it said the lesson was complete… but Louise had no idea what the rest of it meant. If it actually meant something. She should try and figure out what exactly the figments were and what they meant. The Academy's library was famous for its size, so maybe there was a record of these figments somewhere there. Louise doubted it, and she doubted even more that she would find that needle in that particular haystack, but she wasn't one to quit before trying.

With that last thought, Louise touched the rectangle to dismiss it, trying not to make it too obvious that she was seeing things. First, there was lunch, and then there was the afternoon class: Theory of Wind Magic. It was sure to be interesting. Louise wished she had a wind affinity instead of… explosions.

That train of thought started, Louise kept on walking towards the Alvíss Hall as her mind retreaded old beaten paths. It was almost certain she possessed a fire affinity, something not seen in her family for a few generations. The explosions either had to be her channeling her willpower wrong, or the affinity itself being too… bland. A doctor had, in her childhood, proposed that it was instead an unusually strong wind affinity reacting badly with a secondary fire affinity, but Louise refused to consider it. Another interesting but ultimately useless theory was that she was only capable of alchemy, earth magic. Explosive alchemy in particular.

Louise had tried every affinity-revealing exercise there was, but….

Something shiny on the ground caught her eye. Louise blinked and bent over to pick it up. If she had been a proper mage, she would have just levitated it, but she wasn't. Yet.

Now, what was a potion in a pocket-sized flask doing just outside the Alvíss Hall?

As if to answer her, another rectangle appeared.

You have acquired <Lost Perfume>.​

“Perfume?” Louise repeated out loud. She opened the flask with care and sniffed carefully. A rosy scent invaded her nostrils. She capped the flask again, sneezing to remove the potent odor from her nose.

When she touched the figment to make it go away, another one appeared.

New Quest!​

It said. Louise failed to see where the quest was, but that was soon made apparent as yet another rectangle appeared when she dismissed the one floating in front of her.

The lost Perfume Bottle​

You have found a perfume bottle that belongs to someone else.
> Return the <Lost Perfume> to its rightful owner.
Rewards: +100 EXP

Accept / Deny​

It was a quest. Well, it wasn't slaying dragons, hunting orcs or even delivering messages in the name of the King but, speaking objectively, it counted as a quest of sorts. Like a quest it had an objective and a reward, intangible or not. The word-figments were now giving Louise quests. Or turning her thoughts into quests, it wasn't like Louise wasn't planning to keep the flask. Either way, it was ridiculous and Louise didn't want to have any of it.

She touched the figment, careful not to touch the smaller rectangles with her choices. Nothing happened. The figment persisted. It looked like she was really going to have to answer.

She should probably deny it. She didn't know what she was getting into if she accepted. If she had indeed summoned a spirit, this could be a trap, a prank by a trickster spirit. But Louise was, Founder damn her, curious. What would happen? What if it was good? What could be so bad about returning a lost perfume? It was only courtesy to do so. More and more Louise thought this was connected to her summoning, so it could be to her benefit to accept, no? What was this 'equespe' and would more of it be better? Maybe visible?

With a sharp pang, Louise realized she had been biting her lip and stopped.

Then she touched 'accept'.