A Vista of the Void
Part one
This was supposed to be a routine supply run through what should have been a secure route. After Leviathan everything was shaken up in Brockton Bay but neither the PRT or the Protectorate expected an ambush. Too far from the ever-expanding merchant territory, with a cargo too small to be of interest to the Fenrir's chosen and according to all sources both the Undersiders and the Pure weren't into assaulting official supply convoys, the former having their own source of supplies and the later going after the other gangs, Merchants mostly, so there shouldn't have been any problems. That's why instead of being escorted by a full squad of PRT soldiers and at least three Protectorate heroes the convoy was manned by a skeleton crew and escorted by two Wards and a member of the Protectorate. Even if the Wards were the actual leader, Weld, a case 53 with a body made of metal; and Vista, a powerful space manipulator and despite her young age the most experienced Ward of the Brockton Bay team. Both lead by Miss Militia, second in command of the city's Protectorate.
And of course what should happen and what actually happened were two very different things. No one expected to suddenly find themselves face to face with one of Squealer's monstrosities that she called vehicles or that said machine to be armed with an EMP cannon that fried the electronics on the PRT vehicles or to find that Skidmark, Mush and a bunch of non-powered members of the Merchants cutting off the convoy's retreat route.
The skirmish resulted in a stalemate when Miss Militia took out the vehicle's cannon and whatever part that let it move with a couple of well-placed anti-material rifle shots but the rest more mundane weapons of the tinker vehicle made her dive for cover. On the other end of the street Skidmark was using his power to pelt the defenders with debris, or he would have if it wasn't for the distorted space maintained by Vista twisting the projectiles away or in some cases sending them right back to the merchants which was also the main reason none of them were using their guns. Mush who managed to slip by the twisted space was being kept in check by Weld.
That's when it happened. One of the less known aspects of Vista's power is her ability to feel the space in her range, so when the strange distortion appeared barely five feet behind her she was the first to notice it. To everyone else it was a green floating oval but to Vista's senses it was something extremely bizarre, something that shouldn't be able to exist, it was like someone took a chunk of the universe and forgot to fill the resulting void. Her head was throbbing from trying to comprehend the phenomenon as she turned around to see the impossibility with her own eyes. The distraction cost her dearly. As she lost control of the space between her and Skidmark something hit her in the small of her back, the armored part of her costume made what could have been a crippling blow into just a bruise but did nothing to prevent physics as the inertia sent her right into the anomaly.
If the outside of the phenomenon was painful to try and decipher being on the inside was pure agony. Vista's power was working overdrive to make sense of the impossible nonspace that she was in. Vista tried to scream from the splitting headache but the lack of air in whatever or wherever she was made it impossible. After a few moments she felt her consciousness slipping away from her.
Another explosion. Louise François LeBlanc De la Valliere tried not to let her disappointment show. Not here, not in front of them, especially not after boasting about how she'd get the most impressive familiar of this springtime summoning ceremony. She tried, without much success, to keep her wand arm firm and steady but the heckles and barbs from the rest of the second year class of Tristain's academy of magic even if they weren't unexpected still hurt. Louise grip on her wand tightened, making its handle creak audibly.
With a small wave of his staff professor Colbert, the teacher in charge of the ceremony dispersed the cloud of dust made by Louise's latest explosion revealing a small prone figure lying in the middle of the summoning circle. Except for her strange outfit the summoned person looked like a normal girl a few years younger than Louise herself. She was wearing what looked like a strange mix between a dress and an armor, but the armored parts didn't look like any material that Louise knew. Some type of enchanted cloth, or some new alchemic thing, maybe?
Louise could only blink as professor Colbert went immediately to examine the summoned girl. At least she wasn't the only one who froze in surprise at the unexpected success of her summoning spell judging by the sudden silence of the rest of the class. The professor cast what Louise recognized as a basic diagnostic spell and then another to detect magic.
"Miss Valliere, maybe you should complete the binding." He said turning to her. Colbert usually was an easy going and a bit absent-minded teacher but now that demeanor was gone leaving a very serious looking Colbert.
Louise just nodded walking forward to her new strange familiar. For a moment she thought that she might have summoned another noble given the strange but obviously well-crafted clothes but she quickly discarded the idea. There was no way something so... so blasphemous could happen, not with a sacred ritual approved by the church of the founder. And anyway even if she had managed to screw up horribly enough to summon another noble she doubted that professor Colbert would have let her go ahead with the binding if the spell to detect magic had come as positive. So it must be some daughter of a rich merchant or something. She summoned a commoner... If the familiar was supposed to be a sign of the mage's power then what does it mean for her to have summoned a magicless girl?
Louise frowned as the rest of the rest of the class seemed to reach the same conclusion and started murmuring.
"Hah, what did you expect from the zero..." Someone in the crowd started to say but was silenced by a very pointed look from the professor.
"Probably one of the many boys after that germanian cow trying to impress her." Though Louise grinding her teeth as she came to a stop next to her summoned familiar.
Looking at the girl this close made even more obvious how young she was, even with that strange helmet on. Her blonde hair was tied in a pair of pigtails peeking out from the back of her helmet.
"Miss Valliere," Louise was startled out of her thoughts when the professor put a hand on her shoulder. "It is vital that you complete the binding ritual." He said low enough not to be heard by the rest of the class. "I know you can do it."
"Yes, Professor." Said Louise gulping. For a moment she thought of asking him to let her repeat the summoning to try to get something better than a commoner girl barely out of her childhood, but the intense gaze of professor Colbert, so similar to her own mother's expression, made her hold her tongue.
Louise kneeled next to the unconscious girl and fumbled with her helmet until she was able to take it off.
"Pentagon of the five elements, bless this humble being and bind her as my familiar." She said the incantation resting the tip of her wand on the girl's forehead. Red-faced, Louise then proceeded to seal the pact with a kiss. It wasn't so mortifying when the creature to bind was an animal but having to kiss another girl in front of the whole class... she was sure that Kirche would not let her hear the end of it.
All thoughts of humiliation at the hands of her rival left Louise when the mysterious girl started frowning in discomfort and the young mage jumped to her feet when her familiar suddenly arched her back screaming in pain. The girl clutched her left hand with her right before falling unconscious again.
Louise had to take a couple of breaths to calm herself. For a second she had been sure that her dammed explosions were going to claim their first mortal victim in a very gruesome way.
"Congratulations Miss Valliere," Professor Colbert said after kneeling next to the newly contracted familiar and taking her left glove off. "You managed to bind your familiar on your first try." He added loud enough to be heard by everyone in the court and lifted the girl's left hand where the familiar runes had appeared. "That's it, everyone. This year's springtime summoning ritual has officially finished and I'm sure you all are eager to get to know your familiars so, move along." He said getting up and turning to the watching crowd. Then as the rest of the class was leaving he turned to Louise. "Miss Valliere, I must attend to a very urgent matter but I will send you a servant to help you to take your familiar to your room, I will also send one of our water mages to check your familiar."
"A water mage is she..." Said Louise looking at the still unconscious girl.
"The spell I cast only showed some bruises but healing magic is far from my specialization so it would be better to consult a professional." Answered Colbert "But anyway Miss Valliere, I'll need to talk to you and your familiar later so even if your familiar wakes up I'll need you to wait in your room until I call for you." He added pinning Louise with a steely gaze.
"U... understood, professor Colbert." She nodded.
As Louise watched Colbert exit the courtyard she tried to put her thoughts about her new familiar in order. On one hand it was a child and a commoner but on the other hand she was her familiar, the proof that she really was a mage regardless of how useless the girl will be in her duties as a familiar. Maybe she'll just use her as a handmaiden.
A.N: Now that I have a third chapter written for this story I've decided to finally post it separately from my other ideas. I'll post the next two chapters soon.