Talks with Xa'ligha

Blood splattered on the floor, dripping from the finger tips, lips, and corners of the eye of Lian. His eye patch lay in tatters on the ground, and the minions of the beholder before him lay dead and dying. Negotiations had gone poorly.

"So, who told you about my eye?" The pupil swung around wildly, as if trying to gather as much information about the room as it could as Lian's human eye stared coldly into the beholders center eye.

"Please, I'm not such a classic villain as to lay bare my machinations. Besides, Lian, I am the protagonist of this tale we are weaving. You are the servant of an ancient evil, after all."

"Well, he's more of a father-in-law. Regardless," Lian's good eye searched the room. The beholder's gaze lay on him, so he was blind in his magical eye and all his spells were useless to him. He had gotten one good cast off with his blood magic before the Beholder narrowed in on him. His eye-stalks all locked onto him. "I think our business is concluded, since you don't seem to know anything about the mundane world."

"You know my tastes, Lian." Lian did. Xa'ligha collected eyeballs, and unsurprisingly his collection was lacking the eye of an ancient black dragon. "If you'd politely turn it over, I could leave the rest of you in tact. I even have spare human eyes. Why, we could get that replaced and get you the information you desire."

Lian smiled. "Heh. Too late for bargains. I'm afraid you've lost all your ability to negotiate further. This battle is decided."

The beholder smirked. "At least you understand your place, but if you know hope is lost why not bargain? I assure you, I'll treat you fairly."

"It isn't I who lost." Lian reached to his side and drew his rapier. The beholder narrowed all his eyes on Lian as one of the stalks lit up. As it did, a blinding flash lit the area as a fireball exploded under the beholder. Xa'ligha let out a startled gasp followed by sounds of pain. As the beholder reoriented himself, reeling from the pain of the blast, his center eye focused on the point of Lian's sword held mere centimeters from his large eye. "Like I said, you don't have room to negotiate. So, how about you get to talking."