Chapter 2 Part B : Old Connections and a new request

When Leshac and Quil opened their eyes, it looked like they had been transported to somewhere else.

A swirling realm of colours which flowed in ways that gave the vague impression of eyes opening and closing. It wasn’t possible to tell the walls from the ceiling or even the floor.

Lounging in a floating, humming sapphire throne which held within it a blazing turquoise eye, was Liokh Balreah, Magus of Eyes.

A gaunt smirking man with purple skin, wavy green hair, pointy ears and a large white flower sprouting from his head. Though Liokh was a ceobhai, a mystic elf, he was born without the strange goat-like eyes his kind usually have. No, in Liokh’s case, he had been born without any eyes at all.

Perhaps that was what started him on the path of becoming a mage focused on eyes. Regardless, though there was naught in his sockets, presently he had plenty of eyes, a swarm of etherial white eyes twitched and spun around his head, and hovering above his mana refining head-flower was a large blue crystal orb with a sort of eye sigil carved on it.

He was wearing a robe that was the same as the surroundings. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was lounging in his throne, he would have looked far odder, as he’d have looked like bare feet, hands and a head floating in the air. Still, even without that, Liokh was a bit of an eerie figure or at least he would have been if not for his ludicrous smirk.

“Rejoice Child of Phantasm, for the hour of fulfilment has come! Your debt can be paid! Your bonds loosed!” Liokh announced dramatically.

Quil and Leshac were ignoring Liokh.

“This is an illusion, isn’t it?” Leshac said, carefully inspecting his surroundings.

“Yes, quite high quality too, I guess it would be embarrassing if master couldn’t do at least this much” Quil said.

“Yes, I suppose it would be, though I would have thought he’d have done something more than just rainbow eyes” Leshac said.

“Master was always very lazy, I’m not surprised that he hasn’t changed”

“Eye’m right here you know, still a magus of seepreme and terrifying power! Eye can make far greater eyellusions than this! One of my eyeprentices slapped it together”

“Well, exemplars sure are different aren’t they” Leshac said, throughly unimpressed with Liokh attempts at puns.

“He tries that kind of thing every now and then. I bet he’s been trying since he was a kid” Quil complained.

Liokh coughed.

“Right, well, enough games I came here for a reason!”

“You didn’t actually come here though, you are still in your tower while you casually harass us here with rainbow eyes” Leshac said.

“Was it Hoblac that did this one? You need to stop encouraging his bad habits with your terrible example” Quil chastised Liokh.

“I feel that I’m the one being harassed here, and my example is fine, Hoblac’s bad habits are just a force beyond the control of mages!” Liokh objected.

“I suppose that is true enough, How is Hoblac these days, and the others?”

Liokh waved a hand dismissively.

“All of them are alive and squirming, to various degrees of use and uselessness, I may have underestimated how much of an effect you had on them”

“I’m not coming back” Quil said.

Liokh laughed.

“No, of course not”

His smirk seemed to get wider and his floating eyes darted between Quil and Leshac.

“So, when am I getting some grandkids?”

Synchronised splutters came from Quil and Leshac.

“W-we don’t have that kind of relationship!” Leshac objected.

“Y-yeah!, actually, nevermind that relationship, since when were you a father figure to me!”

“You mean you’ve never felt my warm and paternal feelings?”

“I hope you never have children, you enemy of privacy” Quil said flatly.

Liokh coughed awkwardly.

“Well, are you not curious as to what I’m asking you to do for me, Leshac?”

Leshac shook his head.

“No not really”

Liokh ignored Leshac’s answer and with a flourish a red gem in the shape of an eye appeared above his palm.

“You should be familiar with this artefact, the Crimson Eye of Frustration”

“It seems familiar, but I don’t think I have memory of it”

“It was something you were very invested in acquiring when you were… ill disposed shall we say? Well, it would be more accurate to say that you did acquire it, but then lost it. Loss tends to be a common theme where this artefact is concerned. Regardless, I will have you acquire it for me.”

“Ah, I remember now… that… really isn’t a wholesome artefact, what do you intend to do to it?”

“That is for me to concern myself with, you need not worry not only will I not be doing anything wicked, but after I’m finished, nobody should be able to use the crimson eye for any purpose ever again”

Liokh dismissed the image.

“Due to a number of events, many of which could be laid at your feet, the crimson eye has come to rest in a hunting lodge, a cult has arisen around it, artefact worshippers. Around the same time, the activity of animals, monsters, fiends and so on has grown wilder. I shall transmit the location to your mind. How you go about acquiring it is mostly up to you, but it would be best for all of us if you didn’t attract the attentions of the rulers of the lands the lodge is located between”

“Any particular reason you aren’t getting this yourself?”

“You do realise I could ask you to do something far more troublesome don’t you?”

“I’ll be sure to get the crimson eye to you”

Liokh nodded, and then the illusion vanished, like someone had just closed their eyes.