When Ryan recovered his footing after the apparent free fall he, Clio, and Dakari found themselves in a vast, cavernous area, covered in veins of magma. Clio fanned herself in futile attempt it would cool her down.
"Always the pleasure paradise." Clio commented as she turned to check on both Dakari and Ryan.
"Boy, you look like you belong here, Your Serene Highness." Clio said to Dakari as she turned to Ryan.
"Are you good?" She asked.
"Just fine." Ryan replied.
Clio then turned back to determine which pathway to take when a massive, 25-foot muscular, inflamed creature suddenly rose before them. The Monolith looked like it came right out of the rock itself. Clio had to take a few steps back to make way. When the Monolith fully emerged he looked down at Clio, Ryan, and Dakari.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" The Monolith asked.
"Hello! My name is Clio! We are here to seek out a contact for information."
"A contact? For information?" The Monolith asked.
"Yes. His name is Olan." Clio replied.
"What do you want with Olan?" The Monolith asked.
"We need to follow-up on a connection he made for Sadie, the Afreet." Clio replied.
"To what end?" The Monolith asked.
"We need information. Information that only he can provide as we understand." Clio replied.
"Locating him may take some time." The Monolith said.
"We do not have the time to waste." Clio replied.
"Unfortunately, for you that is what it is." The Monolith said.
"Look, it would behoove you to find him for us PDQ in this five-star resort. As the lady said we do not have time to waste here." Ryan replied. The creature looked from Clio to Ryan.
"My, what boldness coming from some tiny imitation." The Monolith said.
"Tiny imitation?" Ryan replied.
"I have met THE Loki. You are a pathetic imitation of him, not even worthy of wasting my breath on." The Monolith said.
"Look, can you lead us to Olan or not?" Clio asked.
"Perhaps." The Monolith said.
"Time is of the essence. We have lives at stake and do not have time for riddles." Ryan replied. The Monolith turned to Ryan with flamed his eyes.
"I told you, you puny imitation! You are not worthy of being spoken to." The Monolith said.
"Very well then. I guess we need to do this the hard way." Ryan replied as he raised his staff into the air, and the Monolith was lifted off the ground.
Ryan then pointed his staff at the Monolith and suddenly the Monolith was encased in a forcefield-like bubble. As he held the Monolith in the air Ryan began to circle it as the Monolith started to struggle, grasping for its own throat, seemingly for air. Ryan eyes shifted into a yellowish color then they went aflame followed by his entire face, then his voice became deeper, darker as the Monolith struggled and twitched.
"Let's see how smart of an ass you are when you start to suffocate in your own volcanic breath." Ryan said. The Monolith struggled.
"Can you hear me now?" Ryan asked. The Monolith continued to struggle, grabbing its neck as it gasped.
"Are we more amenable to questions, or should I make the noose a little tighter?" Ryan asked. Suddenly, five more Monoliths appeared out of the magma.
"Well, this escalated quickly." Clio noted. Dakari stepped in front of Clio.
"I think you need to stand behind us." Dakari said.
"You don't have to tell a girl twice." Clio said as stepped back behind them both.
Dakari stepped up alongside Ryan on his left as five more Monoliths appeared to encircle them.
"Boy, these ten guys have no idea, do they?" Ryan said.
"Shall we?" Dakari asked.
"Let's." Ryan replied. Ryan and Dakari split off drawing an equal division of the Monoliths approaching them.
Ryan raised his staff higher which raised the struggling Monolith higher into the air as Ryan ran to the left and swung his staff throwing the struggling Monolith, up against the rockside formation, smashing it. The remaining five monoliths advanced as Ryan whirled, extended his staff forward, and a beam shot out from the tip of the staff and hit the five approaching monoliths, throwing them back like a set of bowling pins being hit by a bowling ball.
Dakari ran forward, extended his hands and out came two fiery energy streams that hit the two of the Monoliths closest to him in the chest shattering them apart as he ran through the debris of their carcasses. The remaining three rounded on him and one advanced on him faster than the other two. Dakari met him head on, extended his hands as beams shot out again knocking the lead Monolith back as Dakari leapt up high into the air and landed knee-first hard on the chest of the Monolith crushing their chest inward. He then quickly jumped off the dead Monolith as the last two backed up, split off and rounded him. Dakari then clapped his hands together and spread them out again and formed an energy-like spear and twirled it as he was being rounded. One Monolith decided to advance on him. Dakari allowed him close enough to dodge right out of his away. The Monolith was too slow in trying to stop and turn as Dakari turned, leaped into the air and threw the energy spear into the back of the Monolith, dropping it.
As Dakari was coming back down on his feet the last Monolith was running towards him like a juggernaut and struck Dakari knocking him back up against a rock formation. The monolith advanced on Dakari, but he played possum beckoning it forward. The Monolith sped up hoping to smash Dakari like jelly up against the rock formation, but just as it was almost upon Dakari he rolled out the way causing the Monolith to crash himself into rock formation. As the Monolith shook himself to recover Dakari turned, elicited another energy beam that formed a rope shape, swung it like a lasso, wrapping it around the neck of the Monolith and pulled, tearing its head off its shoulder.
The five Monoliths Ryan battled on his side had recovered from the blast and advanced on him. Two faster than the rest. Ryan quickly swung his staff from right to left as an energy beam shot out from it slicing the two Monoliths he faced. The three remaining Monoliths came through the smoke of the blast. Ryan quickly went to one knee, extended his staff out and the beam from it hit the lead Monolith square in the chest, blasting it apart. Then as the other two were almost upon him as Ryan retracted his staff and rolled between them, thankful he was small enough to do so. The Monoliths, however, were too big to turn on a dime, a fact that Ryan counted on. When Ryan recovered from his roll, he remained on one knee to see the Monoliths turning back towards him. He extended his staff and hit one of the remaining two Monoliths in the chest shattering it then got to his feet, extended his staff and shot an energy beam at the shoulder of the last remaining Monolith, taking his arm. Ryan stepped quickly towards the Monolith, extended his staff, capturing the injured Monolith in a force field hold, and raised it in the air. As he was about to speak 20 more Monoliths appeared. Ryan looked to the remaining Monolith he held in the air.
"We can go all day, or we can save us all the trouble if you just produce Olan. Which one do you want?" Ryan said.
"I am Olan," said the lead Monolith as he stepped forward from the fresh batch that appeared. "I trust you will release Elhnor? He is one of my trusted colleagues."
Dakari nodded to Ryan who released the Monolith he held into the air. The Monolith dropped to ground and two other Monoliths from Olan's party came over to see to his injuries.
"I am Dakari Prescotti, son of Her Majesty, Sovereign of the Fae Realm. There was an attack on Her Majesty's person. We have been led to believe you can make contact with the individual who may have arranged the attack on the Sovereign. We are here to obtain that information."
"And if I refuse to cooperate?" Olan asked.
"Your disobedience to the authority of the Presidium is brazen as evidenced by the brutes we dispatched moments ago. I should kill you for that alone." Dakari said matter of factly. Clio's eyes went wide. Olan laughed.
"I doubt it. You need the information I can provide." Olan replied.
"It seems the nine dead Monoliths before you is insufficient to demonstrate the seriousness of this request." Dakari said as he took a couple of steps to the side. "Allow me to demonstrate that seriousness." Dakari then broke off at a run and dove into one of the lava streams.
The Monoliths looked at one another confused then back at both Ryan and Clio, who, by this time hid squarely behind Ryan. All of a sudden they started to feel a slight rumble as rocks started to fall. Ryan lifted his staff into the air and formed a shield around him and Clio as the area started to shake with even more intensity.
"What is happening?" Clio asked as she moved closer, gripping him by the arm.
"It seems Dakari has traveled to one of the fault lines and is causing the tectonic plates to shift, hence the quakes." Ryan replied.
"This is all so crazy." Clio commented.
"So, that is all it took, huh? Was the possible destruction of the Monolith plane of existence for you to get closer to me." Ryan said.
"If we survive this war of the egos I will go out with you for drinks only!" Clio replied.
"Great, how does Turks and Caicos sound?" Ryan asked.
"The Allastrallian Gardens on the plane of Dallaria sounds better." Clio replied.
"A girl after my own heart. Know the place. But then again I should have expected nothing less from someone who jumps planes." Ryan said.
More Monoliths started to emerge from the volcanic depths and the grumbling grew louder, and slides of molten rocks fell about them.
"What is happening here?" decried one of the Monoliths.
"A point is being made." Olan answered.
"Well, have it unmade before our plane crumbles and is destroyed!" The same Monolith said. Olan bowed then turned and dove into the same spot of magma that Dakari did. The Monolith who confronted Olan turned to Ryan and Clio.
"I am Jorakor, leader of Monoliths. You look like Loki, but you are not Loki."
"A distinction without a difference at this point don't you think?" Ryan answered.
Jorakor offered a slight nod of his head in response. Everyone waited for few minutes and then the shuddering stopped. Then about a couple minutes after that Dakari and Olan burst from the magma pool they both had dived into, and Dakari landed back before Ryan and Clio.
"It is my understanding only The Queen Consort possessed the ability to destroy planes." Clio said.
"Evidently not." Then Dakari turned to Olan. "So are you going to deliver the miscreant that lay in wait for Her Majesty, or shall we dance again?" Dakari asked.
"I can deliver him. He will be waiting for you shortly." Olan replied.
"Where will this contact be delivered exactly?" Clio asked.
"Where would you like?" Olan asked. Dakari and Clio looked at Ryan.
"Where else? The dungeons of The Morrigan, now Grand Ducal Marquis."
"It shall be done immediately." Olan then turned to another Monolith near him.
"Contact him." The Monolith bowed and left. Jorakor turned and faced Ryan, Clio, and Dakari.
"Satisfied, Your Serene Highness?"
Dakari bowed his head slightly and then motioned for Clio to lead the way out and off the Monolith plane.
XXXXXXXX
"You know that problem you wanted disposed of?" Olan asked into the call he made later on.
"Yes?" Primus Cocher replied
"Mission accomplished." Olan replied.
"Good." And then Primus Cocher ended the communication. He then looked into the air and said to himself, "Well, almost mission accomplished."
