Building a magic system on threat of destruction

Jack drummed his fingers against the table, deep in thought. With the security level returning to normal, Jack returned to the bore-bot house with Jeler. His friend was lounging on a couch while Jack mulled things over. His skill training had continued, and even Jeler had started practicing with some of the other mercenaries. Despite this, he still felt lacking. He was in an Isekai situation for goodness sake! Where were his busted powers and Mary Sue-level problem-solving skills? He was surrounded by incredibly capable people, but it didn't seem like enough. Maybe it was time to try some drastic measures to secure his power.

Jack approached Dirge confidently. The steam-internal type bore-bot was quietly leafing through a book as Jack approached. "Dirge. I want you to teach me magic."

Dirge looked up, a surprised expression on their face. "Jack?" They placed their book down and turned to look at Jack directly. "What brought this on?"

Jack explained his frustrations. How despite his work and progress, he still felt far too vulnerable. "Riniox told me that I don't have the right mindset for attacking skills yet. But I can't just sit around and do nothing like this."

Dirge regarded Jack with a serious expression, seeming to mull the problem over. "That's not a small ask, Jack. To be honest...I'm worried that Riniox is right." Before Jack could protest, Dirge held up their hands to forestall the argument. "It's not just your ability to use magic in a high stress situation. I'm worried about what would happen if you actually hurt or even killed someone."

Jack absorbed those words. It was hard to put his feelings aside, but maybe the bore-bot had a point. Jack had honestly felt bad even subduing Deis, an act he still wanted to undo if he could secure his safety. Could he honestly bring himself to seriously hurt another person, or even kill them?

"I just...I don't want to be so helpless." Jack said, not able to meet Dirge's eyes.

Dirge placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "There's no shame in wanting to be stronger, Jack. I've struggled with things like you have, and I won't pretend to have all the answers." Dirge's eyes were filled with sympathy, and their grip tightened on Jack's shoulder. "If you really want power, I can try to help you. But if you'll let me, I think I can help you find another path."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, to start with you've got that system skill don't you?" Dirge made a rectangle with their fingers, pantomiming a defense screen.

"Point defense." Jack initiated his skill, and a small blue screen appeared in the air.

Dirge examined the small screen, poking at it. "Looks pretty flimsy. Isn't it supposed to be crazy tough or something?"

Jack nodded. "It takes serious effort to break through. Though, the harder it gets hit the more magic it uses up."

Dirge nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Conventional barrier magic works in a similar way, though this seems to be a more condensed version." They gestured at the screen. "May I?'

Jack nodded, taking a step back. Dirge eyed the screen carefully, then made a complicated hand gesture while speaking a short chant. " Concentrated Steam Lance." A sudden stream of steam appeared in midair, swirling into a pointed shape and shrinking rapidly. It quickly formed a pencil shape of condensed steam, appearing pure white from how much the steam was packed together.

Dirge snapped their finger and the small bolt launched forward so fast that Jack didn't even see it move. There was a cracking noise and Jack felt a sudden drain on his magic. Both the blue screen and white bolt disappeared, and Dirge looked approvingly at Jack. "Impressive. That would have pierced most defensive spells, [Point Defense] really seems to be on another level. You said it can restrain movement as well?"

Jack nodded and formed the screen again, this time targeting Dirge's arm. The screen appeared and Dirge looked down in surprise at their now-trapped limb. They tugged at the screen but were unable to move at all. "Interesting. It completely bypassed my natural mana, I expected to feel some disturbance when it appeared." A small wave of power emerged from Dirge, warping the air slightly around the bore-bot. Jack could feel the energy in the air and saw Dirge direct it towards the screen on their arm. However, despite the show of power, the defense screen remained unchanged.

"Hmm, it holds up very well." Dirge used their hand to make some complicated gestures, their other hand moving along even while restrained in place. "Dispel." At that word, the screen vanished without a trace. Jack didn't feel any change in his mana at the dispelling, but instead felt a measure of surprise. System skills had always seemed closer to god-like powers to him. The fact that normal magic worked on them was interesting, though it seemed only fair in retrospect.

"So how does this help me?" Jack asked with curiosity. "I knew a lot of this already."

Dirge nodded. "Well, for starters this skill is crazy good. Most people don't have access to it?"

"No. Me and Jeler are the only ones who have it right now."

"Good. Information about it won't spread very fast then." Dirge poked a finger against Jack's chest, emphasizing their point. "New magic comes with the element of surprise. This skill comes out instantly and isn't offset by normal amounts of mana. You can use this on just about anyone and they'll be bound in place. Assuming you don't run out of mana, that gives you time to run or have Jeler deal with them."

Jack frowned, clearly not impressed. "But you just showed that it can be easily broken or dispelled."

"Easily?" Drige snorted, steam coming out of their nose. "I used a powerful strike on that screen, and we basically broke even. Meanwhile, that spell uses next to no mana. Granted it's literally 'point' defense, but it's still incredible. As for dispelling, there's a simple solution."

"There is?"

Dirge nodded smugly. "Just target their mouth with the defense screen. They won't be able to move their mouth to cast. Alternatively, you could just aim for their throats. It would be potentially lethal if it kept them from breathing, but it would also prevent spell-casting."

An interesting solution. Jack usually targeted limbs, picking them because they usually represented the most danger in the form of people running toward him or trying to grab him. But targetting heads and necks was inspired. It would serve the same purpose while also disarming spellcasters effectively. However, there was still an issue. "But what about multiple targets? If more than two people come after me at once, what should I do?"

"Well, Jeler can handle a couple of people. That boy's good with knives, and if he can hold people in place with a defense screen then it just becomes target practice for him." Dirge shrugged as if the idea of Jeler being able to kill people was a matter of fact.

Jack was a bit uncomfortable at the idea of using living people as target practice but understood that he was a merc. Jeler had killed before, and he likely would kill again. Even Dirge had killed Frox, and Jack had no issues with that. "I guess I just want to be more helpful. Having only a single target ability is...scary."

Dirge looked into Jack's eyes searchingly. They seemed to find something in Jack's expression, and they nodded. "I can help teach you some more defensive spells. More defensive options will keep both you and Jeler safe. If you get good enough with them, you can also use the spells to restrain attackers."

Jack nodded, but the concern on his face must have still been apparent. Dirge glanced around, and then leaned in to whisper to Jack. "If you're really that worried, I have some good news for you."

"Good news?"

Dirge nodded. "Our work is almost done. Our very own tri-internal type bore-bot. With your consent, we'd like you two to stick together. We'd also be with you most of the time. That means you'd have three experienced mages with you at all times."

Jack's expression turned to one of surprise. "Really? I didn't think you guys were that close."

"We've been keeping it under wraps for obvious reasons. There's still resistance in the camp to you, but we are hoping that as long as we all stick together it won't be a problem." Dirge put their hand out, the offering clear. "So what do you say?"

Jack looked down at that hand. It would mean having a bigger target on his back, but it would also mean securing powerful allies. And at the end of the day, Reph, Glimm, and Dirge had been good to him. He wouldn't let them down. He stuck his hand out, shaking Dirge's hand fiercely. "Let's do it!"