"Kind of hard to explain without getting into mechanics, uh - you have a main pool of power points to work from, can cast any spell you know at any time but it eats away from your total number of power points. Except you just get six power points and every spell you do costs either six or one."
Darren makes a face. "... You both have one level in wizard. To get a familiar. You can cast flare like once, congrats."
"Sweetie," says Ice, "how's your mana, for giving the critters a translation spell apiece?"
Book of cheat sheets comes out, and he starts flipping through it. He's pretty sure that if this keeps up, he's just going to have it memorized.
"By the way, this is now a competition, since I'm losing in the nickname department. I'll reach max level before all of you."
"There's a max level? That doesn't seem like much fun, having a limit."
"It's really difficult to get to it, but technically there is one. I think at that point you basically become a god. So. Max level or bust."
"I technically have the ability to become a god, but it would be deeply unkind of me and wouldn't improve anything."
"Acolytes can do it by usurping their gods. So, Perinixu would die. I'm not going to, I just thought it would be a topical tidbit."
"That's... definitely a thing, okay then. Yeah, don't do that. Unless she's a god of murder or something, I suppose."
"Max could work as a nickname," he says, amused. "Since you want to be 'max level.'"
"And it's reasonably namey and it ends with an X like mine. Phix and Max."
"We can match, that makes it perfect!" cackles the newly dubbed Max.