After the second goblin gave me some of the experience that I required to improve myself even more - and after I got it intimately acquainted with the head of my mace - we were in a bit of a peaceful lull that didn't really seem to make Izzy that pleased.
She wanted more combat but there was nothing to fight, so she was still lurking around hunting for any sort of enemy that might be hiding around us, only to growl in mild irritation when there was none to be found.
As for Ulya and I, we were rather happy to have this break as we instead approached one of the various stalagmites that was rich with mineral wealth waiting to be mined free and stashed inside one of our many bags.
Retrieving the picks we got to work breaking the various chunks of ore free while Izzy went on the prowl, the Reptilekin working out more of her frustrations as a few goblins and slimes eventually made their way in from one of the tunnels nearby.
It was definitely going to be less of a lucrative day than yesterday, but any profit at all was nice especially since I now got to test out my strength with this pickaxe, breaking the rock apart and yanking out the chunks of ore that we needed.
I was definitely stronger than the me from my original world, and I had far more stamina than her as well, but I knew for certain that I wasn't anywhere near being at my peak, nor was I even at a spot that I could confidently call my average strength.
There was so much more power waiting to be claimed by me, so many new avenues to get stronger, become faster and learn so much more than I ever had in my previous life, and one of those things that I could learn here and not there was magic and it's many, many applications.
The first that I was able to understand and begin working on was just the idea that mana could be used in addition to or in place of adrenaline in order to reach a level of strength that was very far away from where I was at currently.
I had already been doing that with my magically enhanced attacks, but now I was giving it a try with each swing of my pickaxe as I gave myself some more power in order to break even more of the stalagmite as quickly and efficiently as I could.
It was during this time that Ulya looked over at me and asked "You've never learned a lick of magic, have you? Would you like to?", surprising me briefly before I grinned at her and nodded, excitement flooding my veins the same way lust had last night when those two chocolate warriors had gotten their hands on me.
We gathered the various chunks we had mined up and put the picks down so that our hands were free, and after making sure the area around us was clear and that Izzy wasn't doing anything stupid the milf warrior stood in front of me and began to teach me some of the basics.
"You've already got the practical application down somewhat with these strikes that Izzy taught you to do. Mana is an energy inside of you that needs to be shaped and molded to your will. Your thinking influences what it becomes and how it works, which is why right now it can coat the object in your hands so easily; you're envisioning it covering that object subconsciously.
Now try to do something similar, but instead of covering something with your mana, try to just push it out of your palm and form a sphere. Nothing special about that sphere, just a little ball of mana to rest gently in your palm. Try it."
She showed me first, holding out her hand and summoning a small, wispy ball of magic that just rolled around lazily in her hand, and after a moment of thinking over her words and understanding what she meant I held out my hand as well before closing my eyes.
Mana was an energy inside of me... I needed to mold it with my mind and control it with my will; I wanted to make this little ball and hold it gently in my hand... nothing more, nothing less...
Feeling the energy flow through me was becoming easier each time I did it, and as it gathered in my hand I could feel it seeping out of my skin and into the world, though before it could just drift away I gave it a purpose; becoming something that I could continue to control.
When I opened my eyes again there was a tiny, somewhat melted ball jiggling around in my hands, and while it was nowhere near as smooth or 'fluid' as the one Ulya had, it was a start and that was enough for me.
"Good, good! Practice makes perfect in everything, Tuzi. Nothing in life will just come to you with a snap of your fingers; even your most gifted talent will never manifest with such ease. Remember that. Now, this is just the start. This is practicing control, understanding what mana can do. Eventually, you could manage something like this-"
Flicking her hand upwards, she sent the ball flying before it ignited, becoming a fireball that eventually fell back to the earth and fizzled out of existence; then another ball jumped from her hand, this time solidifying and crashing against ground looking exactly like a rock.
She showed another two elements to me, those being a little ball of wind and then one of water as well, during which she explained "You can consider these the four basic offensive magic elements, the ones that everyone eventually learns. Most people have an affinity not only to an element, but also to a 'school', which is either offensive, defensive, support or summoning magic.
That isn't to say that you can only learn one or two kinds of elements in one of those specific schools; magic is open to everyone, but to ignore your talent is idiocy. For example, I am more of a support oriented 'mage', though my magic levels are low and underdeveloped. If you want to cast a support spell, change your thinking when you cast magic. An offensive spell is created to cause harm and destroy things, while a support spell usually is created to help and heal."
"Then... I would just imagine healing a wound, right? Like... stitching it closed or stemming the blood? Maybe I could envision someone being stronger or faster?"
Ulya nodded, though she tempered my excitement a little by saying "Those sorts of spells are still dangerous though, and casting them without understanding what they do can cause harm to whoever you cast them on. All magic can be beneficial and wonderful, but never ever think that it cannot cause any harm or damage. Like fire, it is not innately something that seeks to destroy, but in the right conditions..."