"I see someone's been reading ahead," said the mistress. "Ice shards are a powerful option, but only against one or two targets. If there are enough enemy combatants, even your most powerful spell cannot deal with them all."

"But Stormwinds are the most powerful mages on the continent," objected Katrin.

"True," agreed the mistress, "but even magic has its limits. A fully trained battle mage can destroy an individual, but spread that damage over an entire company of men, and the results are somewhat different. As you have learned in battle awareness training, a fight is an ever-shifting environment. You must learn to adapt to the situation at hand."

"But if there are only one or two opponents, wouldn't you just use ice shards?" asked Svetlana.

"You seem fixated on that one spell," observed Mistress Nina, who then looked about the room, meeting each student's gaze. "Can anyone here think of a reason why you might not want to use a shards spell?"

"There could be a hostage," offered Natalia.

"What?" said Katrin.

"A hostage," repeated Natalia. "You might not want to target your enemy for fear of hitting one of your own."

"What do we care for hostages?" asked Katrin. "Our job is to kill the enemy."

"Well," Natalia mused, "how about if you wanted to infiltrate an enemy position? Mist would be useful for that, surely?"

"Enough!" ordered Mistress Nina. "Natalia has made a valid point. Suffice it to say that sometimes a non-lethal option is needed. Now, to cast this spell, you need to visualize the mist. Luckily, we have a lot of experience with it in this part of the continent."

Svetlana raised her hand.

"Yes?" asked the mistress.

"Would you show us a demonstration first?"

"Of course," she replied, "now watch carefully. Mist is a very quick spell, it only requires stringing together three words of power. As such, it can be used when time is of the essence."

"Like when Natalia is running away," said Oksana.

"Quiet now," commanded the mistress, "and pay attention. I am going to cast in a moment, but unlike your previous spells, this one will be a ranged attack. If you look down at the far end, you will see a suit of armour. That represents an enemy. I shall cast the spell directly in front of him, engulfing him in the fog, allowing us to either leave or get closer for a more lethal attack. Just like the other spells you have learned, you can dispel this one at your own leisure."

"Does that mean," asked Katrin, "that you can dispel someone else's mist?"

"Yes, it does," she answered.

"But doesn't that make it useless if it is so easy to dispel?" asked Oksana.

"Dispelling someone else's mist would require expending energy greater than that which brought it into existence. There are few mages that could do that against a Stormwind. Now, that's enough questions, watch while I cast the spell."