Neltus didn't wait for further objections or for Gnafil to angrily respond to the perceived insult. He placed his hands above his head and a circle of red magic rotated up and down his arms.
Concentrating on the entire landscape that surrounded them, he pulled at the dimensional bonds that kept the different existences separated, and yet still connected. He did not break the purity of his hue by attempting to ride the waves of light or shadow between dimensions or by utilizing a mix of hues to connect two points of existence. He focused entirely on his crimson energy and its connection with the land. Allowing the energy from two distinct existences to generate a unique connection, he pressed them together as if shifting sands from two piles into one.
When he released the ring of energy, it spun off his arms and formed a wide portal directly in front of him. He smiled widely back at Scheff and then leapt through the dimensional rift.
Rivira and Gnafil looked expectantly at Scheff. It was clear they would wait for the elf to cross before they stepped through. They would follow and their patience was waning fast.
Knowing he did not have a choice, Scheff stepped through the portal and found himself back in Uton, but in no less harsh an environment.
The black and gray stone of the dark realm was replaced by the tan, dry sands and cracked rock of the Lacobian Desert. The heavy, humid winds disappeared, as the elf was greeted by the hot parched air of a dry land. The half-dead trees oozing with a sickly sap were nowhere to be found, but Scheff could see several tall cactus rising defiantly from the desert floor.
Scheff found the conditions even more displeasing than the dark realm. He had lived all his life in the thick forest of Dark Spruce. He did not travel beyond its borders. The surrounding wasteland of sandstone cliffs and high dunes were as foreign to him as the hostile grounds of another dimension. The hot, dry air burned his lungs and the smell of the desert was something he could not describe. It seemed both empty and overpowering at the same time.
He almost leapt back through the portal, but he could see Gnafil and Rivira bounding across and he was forced backwards to make room. Before he could get around them, Neltus closed the portal.
Rivira revealed a similar expression of discontent and made her dissatisfaction known to all.
"I hate the desert," the sorceress complained.
"I know you do, sweetie," Neltus laughed, "but we played near the sea last time. That was much too big of an advantage for you. You have to learn to deal with dry land."
Rivira did not appreciate the insinuation that she was ill prepared to deal with a harsh environment and clarified her own understanding.
"Nothing is completely dry."
"Then you should be happy."
"I am not happy with the desert."
"I don't think you're happy with anything. You complain a lot. At least torch boy doesn't talk as much."
"And you talk too much," Gnafil noted.
"Well played," Neltus allowed, "but the truth is, I picked it as the safest spot for the new guy. If we put him near a sea, he could wipe out an entire coastal town by mistake. We put him in the mountains, and he could cause an avalanche or flood a valley. No, this is better. It's pretty wide open with not much else to get in the way."
"I don't care who gets in the way," Gnafil hissed.
"I know," Neltus admitted. "I think you would torch an orphanage without a second thought, but I don't think we want that kind of attention. We can't expand our powers if we're running from every witch and warlock hunter in the land."
"What do I care for hunters?"
"You don't, torch boy, but if you start stirring the pot, maybe some other wizard starts getting interested in us… like the one in Connel."
Neltus didn't even have to say Enin's name, but all of them knew of the powerful wizard. Despite their expanding talents, none of them believed they were a match for a spell caster that controlled pure white magic with two perfect circles.
Turning to the elf, Neltus decided not to waste any more time.
"Alright, elfie, let's see what you've got."
"Excuse me?" Scheff responded.
"Time for you to cast a spell, tap into that new pure power of yours."
"Just like that?"
"What? You need time to prepare?"
"I need time to consider the implications of what has happened."
"What's to consider? All the previous spells you've ever cast have been ripped out of you. This will be like casting your first spell all over again."
"And that is exactly why I should take time to consider what I cast."
Neltus frowned.
"You think too much, elfie."
"You would rather have me not think at all? Perhaps then I, too, would set something as big as the sea on fire."
Neltus tilted his head, but then saw the annoyed expression on the infern's face. The rotund spell caster laughed heartily.
"Very good!" Neltus approved. "You took a shot at torch boy… and on your first day. I like you, elfie."
"I would appreciate it if you ceased calling me 'elfie.' I find it irritating."
"You best get used to it, because that's just one of the things the land can be… irritating. Think of me as the pebble in your shoe, or the sand down your shirt, or the grit in your eyes."
"You will not get used to it," Rivira advised. "He is childish, as I said before. Do your best to ignore it."
"Very well, then I will also ignore his impatience and I will take my time."
"I have no intention of waiting," Gnafil sneered, and the infern turned his attention to the open lands in the distance and cast a spell of his own. A dark orange circle appeared at the palm of his gauntlet and he flung it into the deep blue, desert sky.
The ring of amber rotated as it grew both wider and longer. It turned into a spinning tunnel of flame that swirled across a high dune. It was a towering twister of pure fire, feeding on the hot air. It roared like an angry beast filled with hate and fury.
"Not bad," Rivira allowed. "Do you still control it?"
In response, the infern directed the fire tunnel back and forth with swift hand movements. Gnafil forced the flaming twister to dance in various directions.
"I wish to attempt to douse it," Rivira announced, but looked respectfully to the infern for approval before casting her own spell.
When Gnafil nodded, Rivira's eyes flashed dark blue and her own azure ring of power leapt far above her head. She kept the circle in place, but allowed it to spin faster and faster. She used it to pull every drop of moisture from the air and ground as it grew in bulk. There was so little water in the immediate area, the magic pulled from great distances and far into the sky.
Once she had obtained sufficient water, she molded the ring into a long liquid spear. Revealing deft control, she pointed the spear at the flaming twister and cast it with an arced projection.
The long shaft of water flew high above the desert floor in an upward angle until it found a clear path into the center of the narrow twister. Its pointed tip dropped downward, and the spear plummeted at a much steeper angle.
Gnafil attempted to maneuver the fire tunnel away, but the dark blue, liquid javelin adjusted its own path to compensate. Even as the infern commanded the flame twister to dodge and weave, the two massive elemental forces collided.
Rivira's water spear exploded when it reached the center of the fiery tunnel. A great cloud of steam erupted from the top of the twister as if it had become a smoldering volcano. The blaze dimmed significantly, but it did not go out. The steam cloud dissipated into the sky with a slow, weakening hiss and the flames soon returned to their initial brilliance.
Though the infern showed no delight over the apparent victory of his spell, Neltus was much less reserved.
"Score one for torch boy."
Rivira shook her head in disgust.