Originally Posted by
Monstrous Bird of Qin, Ou Ki
"I... must apologize again." That was becoming a habit as of today. She did not like it one bit, but... in this case, she had 'screwed the pooch', as the Earthlings say. "I was aware of Anula's usage of her... simulacrum spell and became so focused on adding it to my repertoire that I let her live simply so I could examine the subtle workings of magic that make it function. I was, of course, planning to finish her off or perhaps make her an offer she could not refuse after the battle, but... hm, well, your highness, we both know how that turn out, I'm afraid."
It was little consolation that she had figured out the spell and, indeed, added it to her repertoire. But, she couldn't afford to focus on her, as of late, many mistakes. "Now then... keep in mind that I am doing this out of pragmatism. The more people familiar, even on a basic level, with how these magics work, the smoother things will go." That, and she was curious as to whether a Saiyan could even learn magic. In theory, anyone could learn such things, but the Saiyan mindset... did not lend itself to sorcery. She doubted, even if the queen grasped the theories and concepts, that she'd ever be able to cast more complex spells, but even simple spells could be invaluable to a fighter.
"To start, basic magecraft can be thought of as simply, through sheer power threaded with will and intent, affecting reality in the manner desired by the caster..." she began. What followed was a primer on basic magic, Threshling sorcery, and, to the extent that she could offer, blood magic.
She likened the way Threshlings performed their spellwork almost like constructing a sentence, or perhaps a poem or hymn. It was a powerful, efficient thing, capable of great feats, but also delicate, at times. Context, intent, even the grammar of the spell, in some ways, could affect the result. With shorter spells--like most combat-oriented spells--there was more... wiggle-room, but with complicated rituals like the one Ishtar was readying herself to perform, the complex nature of the spell required perfection... or just about. In other words, there was little to no margin of error with this. Ishtar's concerns about sending the group into the core of a star or the void of space were, indeed, quite well warranted.
What information she could offer about blood magic was... limited, as those secrets were carefully guarded, even from the prying eyes of royalty. She did, however, know a bit, as years before she'd managed to get her hands on some tomes on the matter. Of course, she'd eventually been found out, reprimanded, and the tomes confiscated, but it was enough to give the Queen a crash course on just why it was so effective. There was great power in blood and to make use of it in one's spellwork allowed one to achieve things beyond the pale of your common mage. She also emphasized its potential dangers, both mundane--the loss of blood--and... not-so-mundane.
Her crash course, naturally, included demonstrations, as well as short breaks to allow the Saiyan queen to digest the torrent of information, as well as ask questions. She also included a short lesson on how to sense magic in a manner similar to ki. Finally, after quite some time, the lesson came to an end. "That... should be enough for you to contribute to our efforts to return home, provided you practice what I've shown you. Once you have a solid grasp of the basic and want to start weaving spells of your own, I believe simple ones would be of most use to you and your people. Healing spells, in particular, would be of particular use to Saiyans, considering your biology."
"And please, do not mistake that as a disparaging remark against your people. Combat magic tend to be 'simple', as it were, and as such, it seems likely that, if this knowledge spreads among your people, that, as a species that so heavily prizes combat ability, that your magic users will of course focus on combat magic."
"I would suggest you still seek out tutelage from Ishtar, of course. She... may have her own ways of weaving spellwork, and with this subject matter, knowledge is indeed power. I might even suggest asking that Earthling mageling for additional instruction, if you feel so inclined. Or, if nothing else, observing her as she does her spellwork, as I have been doing."