"Are fairies strong enough to do something like that?" I asked Lily and Iris.
"Maybe," said Lily
"I don't think so," said Iris
I suppose fairies don't have much reason to test their strength. Still, this looks like more evidence in the 'I am not a fairy' column.
This experience reminded me that I wanted to learn some offensive or defensive magic. One idea I've had is that I want to learn to shoot powerful lasers from my fingers. I would have the world's deadliest finger guns. But, I think I should start with something simpler that doesn't risk starting a forest fire.
"What would you do if a boar charged you?" I asked Lily and Iris.
"Fly away." said Lily
Okay yeah, that was a stupid question.
"What would you do if you wanted to kill the boar?"
"I would grab it with vines and squeeze it until it pops." said Lily
"I would freeze its blood." said Iris
Holy shit, fairies are hardcore.
"Thanks."
I like the blood freezing idea. It troubles me that that is possible, but I like the ruthless efficiency. I think I'll try learning that. I could probably start with the usual water ball and see if I can turn it to ice.
Starting with the water ball should actually make it easier this time. My magically conjured water is already known to me and under my control. But first, maybe I should see if I can conjure ice.
I asked the fairies to show me some ice magic, and they happily obliged. It seems quite a bit easier to learn magic after seeing someone else do it. So, I learned to conjure ice pretty quickly, and then I learned to give it shape as I created it.
Next, I think I'll try to figure out how to shoot it like a projectile. But that will have to wait, Emily and Enna finished preparing the boar, so it's time to resume our journey.
"Carrying this is going to slow us down. I don't think we'll make it there by sunset." said Enna.
"Can you store it with magic?" Emily asked Lily and Iris.
"No, it's too weird." said Iris
"Maybe Titus can do it. He can store weird stuff." said Lily
I understand what they are talking about. The boar's carcass is much more complicated than their dresses and other simple, solid objects. I don't think this is a very accurate way to describe it, but magic storage is about putting matter in a sort of stasis. Only when an object is in a state of complete magic stasis, can the facts of its existence be manipulated.
Naturally, the more complex the object, the harder it is to put in complete magic stasis. But, the thing that really surprises me is that Lily and Iris seem to think I'm better at magic storage than they are. That must mean that storing a magic water ball is very unusual to them.
"I can try, but there's a good chance I'll mangle it." I said
"I think it's worth the risk." said Enna
"If you mess it up, we can try hunting something else closer to the village." said Emily