Building a magic system on threat of destruction

As it turned out, the butterfly was being a nuisance. Jeler explained that anything they did to contain it didn't work. Put it in a jar? you would have a flying jar. Same with a box, a trunk, or a sack. It couldn't be held down by rocks, people, or anything the camp had on hand. It only seemed to be interested in flocking to screens, jumping to them whenever it wanted to. The only way the mercenaries had found a way to keep it in one spot was with the [Point Defense] skill.

By intersecting the butterfly with a defensive screen, it would be held in place. The issue was that it meant someone had to babysit it, staying nearby so that their screen didn't disappear. Only a handful of people in the camp had access to the skill, so keeping it in place required back-to-back duty by those mercs. They were relieved to have Jack come and take over, and he made his own defense screen to hold the butterfly in place.

They had captured it in one of the storage buildings, off to one side of the compound. It hung in the air, unmoving as the screen intersected it. At his approach the system bug made words appear on the defense screen. [Oh great, a new one. Let me outta here!]

Jack was momentarily taken aback. That was a surprising attitude for a system bug to have. The other butterfly he had spoken with seemed to want thanks and praise, this was something else entirely.

"Before I let you go, can I ask you a few questions?"

[Huh? You're going to let me go? Sweet, let me out!]

"...I'll let you out after you answer my questions."

[Yeah, sure, whatever.]

Jack was honestly shocked at how flippant this butterfly was being. Where had this personality come from? He gathered his thoughts for a moment before asking his questions. "Do you know where the other system bugs are?"

[You know about those, huh? Nah, most of them flew off somewhere.]

Jack could feel a headache coming on. "Any ideas at all where they could have gone?"

[Uhh, I think a couple of them hitched a ride with some people. Some others just kinda flew off by themselves.]

"Are you the only one still in the compound?"

[Dunno, I've been stuck here for days.]

This conversation was starting to annoy Jack. The butterfly hardly seemed to be a reliable witness, and its attitude was far from reassuring.

The butterfly messaged again before Jack could ask another question. [Can I go now?]

Jack thought for a moment. Was there any other information he would get out of this butterfly? Probably not. Did he want to let this butterfly go and do...whatever it was system bugs wanted to do? Absolutely not.

"Just one more question, then I'll let you go."

[Hit me with it.]

"Do you know who I am?"

[Nope! Now let me go! I'm so bored.]

The butterfly didn't move or shake, but Jack could feel its eagerness somehow. It wanted to be free more than anything. "I'm Jack, I created the idea for the system. I also created the system bugs."

The feeling of wanting to break free vanished from the butterfly instantaneously. It didn't respond for a long moment. Then it typed out a message. [Uh, am I in trouble?]

"That depends," Jack replied. "Have you caused any problems?"

[No sir, not me. I stuck around here cause I didn't want to make any problems for anyone.] The words came fast as if in a panic. To Jack, the butterfly seemed like a panicky employee who had been caught slacking off on the job. Its excuses were meant to throw other butterflies under the bus for leaving, making itself seem more useful.

Jack decided to play along. "That's very good of you. It was never my intention to allow the system bugs to explore the surface of Drowl. I'll need to track the others down and make sure they aren't causing problems."

[...Am I going to be deleted?] The butterfly typed the message with a resigned air, somehow exuding sadness and self-pity.

"What? Of course not! I'm not a monster." Jack exclaimed. "As long as you don't update anyone's status screens when you aren't supposed to then I don't really mind if you float around and explore." This bug was a sentient being, Jack had no desire to end a life like that. Honestly, even if he wanted to, he had no idea how to go about destroying a system butterfly while on the surface of Drowl.

[Really?!]

Jack shrugged. "Sure. You're your own person...bug. If you aren't a problem for the system then I don't really mind if you just want to fly around." He looked sternly at the butterfly. "Are you going to be a problem?"

[Nope! No way! Not me!]

Jack nodded. "Good." He let his defense screen disappear and the butterfly dropped slightly before floating back up. "You're free to go, little guy."

The butterfly hung there in the air for a moment, only moving its wings lightly. Then it got closer and landed on Jack's shoulder. Jack eyed it warily before opening another defense screen. The butterfly flew over to it and typed a message. [Can I hang out with you? Maybe I can help.]

"With me? Well...I guess I don't mind." This butterfly had the most personality of any that he had interacted with, he hadn't really expected it would want to stick around him. But if that was what it wanted, who was he to say no? "What kind of help can you give me?"

[I can tell when other butterflies are on screens. So if one is hiding nearby then I'll be able to sense it for you.]

That would be incredibly useful...if Jack wasn't stuck here for the foreseeable future. If anyone came to the compound with one of the butterflies then Jack could deal with them, but that was probably unlikely at this point. He could send the butterfly out to find the others, but that was even less likely than the butterflies coming back here. "That's pretty amazing! I'd love to have you around if you're willing. No pressure though."

[No please, I'd be honored to work with the creator.]

"Well if you're going to be sticking around, do you have a name? Can't just keep calling you a butterfly."

[No, we don't use names or anything. But...I'd love to get one...please.]

Jack wracked his brain for a minute, trying to think of a name for the system bug. Jeler threw out a few suggestions, but the bug didn't like any of them. It seemed to look at Jack expectantly, almost like a child getting ready to receive a present.

"How about, Alpha?" He cringed slightly as he said it. It was such a trope name, but it sort of suited the situation. A construct, the first one to join him, it made a kind of sense.

[What does it mean?]

"It sort of means you're the first one. My first system bug companion." He said, trying to sound enthusiastic about the idea. He would have to stop making fun of Deis' naming conventions with a suggestion like this.

The butterfly vibrated in the air. [I love it! I get to be the most important one!] It danced in the air, clearly pleased with itself.

Jack decided to get over his embarrassment at the name and smiled at the dancing butterfly. Jack was relieved to be taking a step in the right direction, solving problems instead of making them. By enlisting Alpha's help, he could keep an eye out for more butterflies even while doing his other duties.

"Jeler, would you be willing to look after Alpha whenever I'm not around?"

Jeler nodded, but the bug suddenly froze midair. It quickly moved back to Jack's defense screen and typed out a message. [You're leaving me?]

Jack laughed. "No, or at least, not yet. I have to go back to the sun every now and again to do work, so I won't be here all the time."

Alpha visibly deflated somewhat before straightening back up. [Okay! I'll make sure this guy doesn't get in any trouble] It pointed one of it's wings at Jeler accusingly.

This time it was Jeler's turn to laugh. "Me? What did I ever do to you?"

[You locked me up for days! I was just minding my own business.]

"Well, I was just doing what Jack asked me to do!" Jeler shot back.

Alpha typed out a series of symbols that looked like an image of a hand flipping somebody off.

"Oh, that is it!" Jeler said heatedly. He created a defense screen to capture the bug, but Alpha quickly moved out of the way. The two began chasing each other around the room, Jeler making screens while Alpha dodged.

Jack watched, trying to decide if he should step in or not. Then a sudden thought struck him. He reached out a hand toward Alpha and tried to change its shape with his thoughts like he did with the butterflies in the white void. The mana in his body churned and flowed, steam burst from his vents, and the gears in his body spun with an audible noise. Both Jeler and Alpha turned to Jack in alarm, but he didn't notice. Jack's full concentration was on trying to make this ability work. He flexed his mind and gestured wildly, but there was some kind of block between him and the butterfly.

He slowly allowed his body to wind down, releasing the tension that had built within him. He sighed and put his hands down, frustrated that his new ability didn't seem to be working. He made a mental note to experiment more later on and turned his attention back to Jeler and Alpha.

Jeler was staring at him, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. Alpha didn't have a face to make expressions, but it was stock still in the air, facing him. He looked down and saw a shimmer in the air around him. Black mana had appeared in the air around him, coalescing into the shape of a cloak around his body. It was very reminiscent of how Deis looked, and how Jack himself had looked while in the white void.

"Umm, I can explain."