Lina's POV
It was late evening, the third time we'd fought Evelyn's conjured goblin army. Each session grew harder. This time, she had made the goblins smarter. The goblin king carried a sword and shield, countering Marcus's spear with calculated precision.
That meant the burden was on me and the mages to cover Marcus. My job was to stop the goblins from striking at his blind spots, and especially to keep the goblin king from closing in. If that king parried Marcus's spear and stepped inside his reach, Marcus would be in real danger.
So whenever the goblin king tried to close the gap, I launched Stone Bullet. The sharp bursts of rock forced him to raise his shield, breaking his momentum and leaving Marcus space to recover.
With each fight, we grew more coordinated. By the end of the skirmish, Marcus defeated the goblin king with a clean strike.
Later, while we rested, Marcus leaned on his spear and glanced at Evelyn.
"Can you teach us that? The goblin army spell."
Evelyn smirked. "Sure. But don't think it'll be simple. It's a modified version of a spell my mother taught me."
She didn't elaborate further, but she demonstrated the process. Marcus and I followed along. It took me nearly two hours to complete the spell, while Marcus finished an hour after me.
That's when I noticed the difference. I had more mana reserves than Marcus—but Evelyn's pool dwarfed mine entirely.
My limit was ten goblins and one goblin king. Marcus could conjure seven goblins, or just two if he included a king. Evelyn? She made it look effortless. And the best part—the constructs didn't drain mana to maintain. Once cast, they remained until destroyed or dismissed. The true cost was in the creation, not the upkeep.
That night, I experimented. Instead of goblins, I reshaped the spell into kobolds—small, lizardlike humanoids about four feet tall. My kobold king stood five feet tall, carrying a massive club nearly the size of its body. They looked formidable enough, but none of them could use spells. And it still cost me about half of my mana reserves to bring them forth. I couldn't push further without leaving myself vulnerable.
Marcus faced the same limitation. He needed his remaining mana to conjure his armor for real battle.
The next day, after training the village children, I revealed my kobolds. Ten of them, armed with short spears, with the kobold king at their head gripping its oversized club. Since Evelyn wasn't using her goblins today, I had the mana to spare.
Marcus, not to be outdone, summoned his version: a single knight clad in full armor, wielding a heavy greatsword.
We agreed to let them fight.
At first, the knight dominated. It swung its greatsword in wide arcs, cutting down kobolds with ease. Each blow was precise, efficient, and devastating. But I had numbers. The kobolds circled, thrusting with their short spears. They darted in and out, forcing the knight to split its focus.
The kobold king bided its time, waiting. When the knight overextended in a sweeping strike, the king lunged, bringing its colossal club down in a crushing blow. The knight staggered, shieldless, and the kobolds swarmed.
The knight collapsed into mana fragments.
"I win," I said, unable to hide my grin.
Marcus chuckled, shaking his head. "So numbers really can beat quality. My knight was stronger, but against that many foes…"
"Even a giant can be dragged down," I teased. Then, more seriously, I added, "But your knight is dangerous. If you refine it, even a swarm might not stop it."
Evelyn, who had been quietly observing, smiled faintly. She didn't say anything, but I could feel her approval.
For me, though, the realization was personal. For the first time, spellcraft felt fun.