At the moment, the mages were maintaining a dome-like barrier over the infested area to prevent the locusts from spreading further. They had been holding the spell for hours. Whenever a mage began to tire, another would step in to take their place, allowing the exhausted mage to rest in one of the nearby tents. This rotation was the only way to ensure there were no gaps in the containment field.
Unfortunately, there were no magical tools available to lighten their burden or supplement their mana. That meant the mages had to remain physically present and manually feed mana into the spell at all times. It was a grueling process, and they all knew it couldn't last forever. Eventually, even the strongest of them would collapse from exhaustion.
This is why magic tools are essential, to ease the burden and strain on mages. But unfortunately, they didn't have the time to craft one now. And so, the cycle continued. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and endure.
