Scene #3864: Dragons and Diplomacy

Owner	Pose
Laer	It had taken a few days after the encounter with the necromancers for Laer to get back in touch with everyone. Promised pay had been delivered, naturally, but also an invitation for a follow up mission. She had figured out the next step to go for to look for the Thing she was actually after from the book that they had found. It's not THAT far from the ruins they had been at before, maybe a couple of hundred miles, but it's far bleaker - in the middle of a desert, near a rocky formation. Laer has set up a camp once more for people to meet her at, though at least it is no longer either dark or stormy. She's under an illusion again though, perhaps signifying that the quite imposing formation contains something she wishes to hide from for the moment, at least until the group gathers.
Sanary Rondel	Sanary's never one to turn down a chance do go after non-allied necromancers, especially after the last mission had been so productive. Although she had considered wearing something more suited to hotter weather, the mention of dragons being involved as enemies this time around emans... Well, she's not going to show up in something that /isn't/ built to withstand excessive amounts of fire. Even though the sand absorbs the sound of her footsteps somewhat, the light rattling of her heavy samurai-like armor isn't going to let Sanary be all that stealthy as she approaches the camp Laer's set up for today's job. "Hey there. Didn't show up late, did I?" The cleric taps two fingers to her head in a light salute, her usual two-shield setup carried on her back and in one hand. She pulls out a thermos from her sack of stuff to sip from, then rests the bottom tip of her kite shield ont he ground. "How many do we have today?"
Comrade Crush	Crush was not involved in the original mission team. Crush is also not the type of person to accept pay. However, Crush looks after his allies. If Laer needs help? Crush is willing to provide. Besides, it's an opportunity to stretch his legs after a long while away from Confederate work. Might as well! The towering tovarisch does not arrive in any particularly fancy manner; no smashing open of reality, no ostentatious dust devil ride. Instead, he is simply brought in by a Secret Soviet dropship, towering form leaping out the side and landing a short distance away from Laer's camp with a small plume of sand. Divested of that weight, the dropship lists in the other direction briefly, before its side hatch closes and it sweeps around to fly off. Crush then simply approaches the camp, casual as always. "Hello, hello! Is good to be among allies again. Am hearing we have ruins to explore, da? Special item to find? Is good exercise, I am thinking!"
Sarah Parsle	Sarah's here too because she hates being bored. Also, being in good with your pantheon is always a bonus. Laer paying well andon time is also nice. The ecto-youth arrives, fiddling with her Sylladex cards, spinning little wheels on them as she walks. It looks like most of her concentration is on the cards for the moment, but she does glance around at the others present. "Huh." She looks up at the massive Russian. "They grow 'em big where you're from. Name's Sarah Parsle. Sup." She doesn't bother offering a hand. Sanary gets a momentary wave, but her attention seems to be split between her cards and Laer. "Hello." She addresses said Laer. "I'm here to solve more of your problems. What's the rundown this time?"
Laer	The bard will lift a hand in greeting to Sanary, but looks actively cheerful when Crush makes his grand entrance, though she'll watch the dropship carefully as it makes its way out, glancing back towards the rocks to watch for something. Seeming satisfied after a minute, she'll speak up. "Fewer than we had last time. Which is good and bad; this foe is much more dangerous, but there's a chance we could avoid the fight. I'm going to have to tell you what we're here for, though, so listen up." She'll sink into her storytelling voice, just a hint of song under her speech now. "Five hundred years ago, about fifteen day's travel south of here, there was a small land ruled over by a king. King Mareli was cruel, and unwise in many ways but gifted in others, and managed to start a series of somewhat successful wars with his neighbors. Which is to say, he conquered them, but lost his three sons in the process, and in his elder days - which is to say his forties - was uncertain how to continue his legacy." She'll lick her lips and continue. "Rather than do the normal thing of trying to have more children, or adopting, he made the decision that he would take his middling knowledge of the magic arts and all the resources of his kingdom to find some way to remain king for years to come. He dismissed the more common paths of lichdom or necromancy, instead learning of an relic called the Egg of Eternity that, alongside enough power of one sort or another, could allow him to gain both many, many years and a great deal more direct power than he'd had. How he obtained the Egg was left unclear, but his plans once he had it were not. Electing for the simplest path to the necessary power, he sacrificed dozens of those he'd conquered, using that plus the Egg to ascend." "Some of you may remember his castle from a few weeks ago." She'll add, before looking over at the rocks. "I've tracked him down. He lives over there, now, and has for several hundred years. From what I can tell, even though he no longer requires the Egg, he still has it. And I need it from him, one way or another. Soon."
Sarah Parsle	Sarah listens attentively, and then promptly summarizes: "Acquire magic egg from douchebag, may not need to Strife it out of him. Good enough for me. Know anything about him we can use in negotiation, or weaknesses we can exploit?"
Sanary Rondel	Hearing and seeing Comrade Crush's approach, Sanary blinks slowly before raising her hand in a brief salute and light chuckle. "Good to have you back with us, sir." Sarah gets a quick salute and chuckle as well, although the healer stays quiet as Laer's explanation of the mission is given in more detail. "Hey, Sarah. Yeah, that sounds like the gist of it. If the guy's immortal already or.. Ascended? Then we could probably try and convince him that thing's useless for him, anyway. MAybe even strike a deal if he's more useful to us alive." She pauses for a moment to look over at the rocks again, an eyebrow slowly arching upwards before Sanary turns back to Laer. "That's a portal or entrance or something, right? To a hidden castle or a cave at least...?" He couldn't just be living in a pile of rocks, could he?
Comrade Crush	"I am COMRADE CRUSH!" the colossal commie replies to Sarah, offering her a broad, friendly grin and planting his fists akimbo on either hip. "Is pleasure." Sanary, meanwhile, gets a warm and beaming smile. "Is good to be back, comrade, and good to see you are well!" But then it's Laer's Story Time, and Crush is all too happy to listen! It's a story of royal hubris and the conquest of sacrificed people, and by the end of it, Crush's broad grin is rather less nice. "Well. I am willing to be nice. Will give bourgeois cretin precisely one chance to end encounter without bloodshed. Then?" He folds his titanic arms over his barrel chest. "I am not holding responsibility if he is rejecting. What will be, will be." He's not exactly subtle about what 'will be', is he?
Laer	"Hmm. Weaknesses... Well, he's extremely proud, almost certainly. Extremely dangerous, of course. He may be willing to trade it for gemstones of exceptional value, but it would be quite pricey. Alternatively, you can see what he might do if you offer to trade for services, though that may be more dangerous than anything else and would almost certainly be something quite evil." Not that Laer seems to really mind that, but she knows some others might. She'll smile a bit. "The entrances are typically both at the top if you wish to fly up there, or there'll be one or more somewhat hidden amidst the rocks. I can grant you temporary flight, but there's no chance if I come with you that it would not immediately end in a fight to the death. He would almost certainly recognize what I am and what I would be after. Oh, I might consider not wearing metal, if I could avoid it." She'll add. "...Would you all like flight, or would you like to stick to the ground? I suggest staying together."
Comrade Crush	Hmm. The list of weaknesses and options sounds awfully... suggestive, of certain specific types of being. However, Crush chooses to keep his conjecture to himself. Instead, he simply takes a few steps back after Laer's offered advice, his lips curling into a slow grin. Then he reaches up, and slams his fist into the hammer-and-sickle emblem on his chest, which turns out to be a button. There is a hiss of several pressurized 'bolts' releasing, and almost all of his armor is ejected away from his body at once, leaving him bare from the waist up and wearing only the suit's bullet-resistant pants and boots. Then those colossal fists swing up and around, slamming together in front of Crush's abdomen - and there's a sudden rush of sand blowing away from his feet, as a wind spell takes shape and lifts him up into the air. "Will not be necessary, comrade Laer. Indeed, if anyone is wanting ride, I am happy to offer! Wahahahaha!"
Sanary Rondel	"Yeah, I'd rather not fight unless we have to. But if we do..." Sanary wriggles her shields briefly. "I'll be ready for it if you are. But gemstones...? Uh." She glances from Laer to Crush to Sarah, eventually just shrugging. "I don't really have any of those on hand. Or at all." The mention of not wearing metal does draw a concerned look from the healer though. She eyes her weapons and armor, an awkward hum escaping her after a moment. "Uh... I think these are technically bones and shit. But..." Sanary goes quiet as Crush's armor falls right off of him, stepping back to give him a little extra space for that. She stares for a few moments, then clears her throat and turns back to Laer. "I'll... Take my chances. He's not gonna shoot lightning at us, right?" As if following Crush's lead, the healer channels some energy into her anklets to lift off the ground as well, hovering in place somewhat awkwardly! "You want up, Sarah? Won't blame if you get on Crush here, though."
Laer	Laer will smirk up at Crush and at the healer, letting Sarah make her own choices about how to get up. She'll pause at Sarah's question, before replying. "Shoot? No, he won't shoot lightning at you." This is technically correct, the best kind of correct. The plateau, once one gets up above it to see, is hollowed out to some degree, an entrance into it visible from above. Clawmarks are all over the top, and scorchmarks, and other things suggesting that violence has taken place here once upon a time. For the moment, it is peaceful, and the two can make a landing and either attempt to call for the former King, or they can try and go down into the tunnel that descends down into the formation.
Sarah Parsle	Laer gives the information, and Sarah nods. "Huh. Well, that's a thing. We'll see how he handles things." Sarah looks over to MUSCLE WIZARD and he engages in FISTOMANCY, and blinks. "Okay, I have no idea how that actually worked, but that's actually kind of impressive." She says, mmediately leaping up to climb up the man's back and perch on his shoulder like a tiny gloom-emplacement on that massice muscular edifice. Dryly, she says, "I claim Mount Musculon for Afterus." That's her version of joking. She points up at the castle. "Let's get up there, Comrade Crush. Then we'll go revolt against the bourgeoise or some crap. It'll be great."
Comrade Crush	"Is magic of muscles!" Crush explains to Sarah, carefully lowering himself to allow her up onto his shoulder. He's like a slab of solid steel carved into the shape of a person, but for all that he's surprisingly gentle about keeping her in place. He even raises his arm for her to hold onto. "Hold on tightly, comrade. Will be a swift ascent!" And away they go. Touchdown on the plateau is smooth, and the big man is equally careful to lower himself so that Sarah's dismount is easy, before standing himself up again. "Well, is looking as if we are here. If I am correct in my guesses, king is... not likely taking well to unexpected visitors. Is better if we are announcing ourselves. So...!" He brings his hands up, preparing for what looks to be a particularly beefy clap - only to stop, and look between Sarah and Sanary. "Is probably best if you are covering ears." THEN he claps. It sounds like a small bomb going off. And he claps again, just in case the cave's occupant somehow missed it.
Laer	There is little reaction to landing, and the party of sorts can explore the plateau for a few minutes before anything will happen. Right up until the point that Crush decides to make something happen, in fact. There's the sound of hissing following after the first clap, then rumbling after the second, coming up from the cave. Deep, with enormity behind it, a booming voice will come like the blast of a speaker, thumping in the chest of the audience. "Yes, yes, I heard you the first time." There's an enormous shadow from within, something long and monstrous... but it is a man of middling size and age who steps out, fine black robes on, black beard and hair long. His eyes are closed for the moment. "Is there something you wanted, or are you just here to disturb an old man's nap? There is a price to be paid for such rudeness."
Sarah Parsle	Sarah has an appreciation for the biceptual mount, riding on that arm and holding on tight as instructed. Once they get up there, the ecto-youth hops down and scurries around behind Comrade Crush, using him as cover as she covers hear ears as instructed. It's when the 'old man' arrives that Sarah pops out from behind Crush, still absently fiddling with cards and muttering, then swapping them once in a while. "Really? I'd think someone who was living way out here in the middle of nowhere would enjoy some company once in a while." She replies glibly. "So yeah, we're here because you have some treasure we're interested in acquiring from you. You can tell we're legit because we're not immediately moving to Strife you for it like idiot adventurers."
Sanary Rondel	"Y... Yeah. You can even use your muscles to cast magic...?" Everything is so clear now. Is this the new path she needs to follow? Sanary has to rein in her excitement as she follows Crush and Sarah up, saving that thought for later while she focuses on not throwing herself off course in the ascent. Between her armor's built in hearing protection and bringing a hand up to cover one ear, the clapping noise is comfortably subdued enough to not drop her shield. Once the three are inside and come face to face with the old man, she gives the man a brief wave while letting Crush and Sarah speak first. "That's about the gist of it, yeah. So... Maybe we can strike up some sort of deal, hm?"
Comrade Crush	By now, Crush's arms are folded over his chest again, and he's leveling a simple, piercing stare at the bearded man as he emerges from the cave. "Is as they say," he states simply; even his voice, he's keeping carefully neutral. The cultivated image of the 'hired muscle'.
Laer	"A deal?" The man will repeat, the voice softer but with rumbling behind it. "What could such as you possibly have to interest me, other than your meat? If I wanted company, I could find it myself, not have it banging on my doorstep." His eyes will flit between the trio after opening, revealing them as.. silvery, with what seems like energy within them. They'll settle on Sarah, finally, deciding that she seems to have taken the lead in negotiations. "What do you even want? I must confess, I'm curious. Noone's been silly enough to ask me for anything in ages."
Sanary Rondel	"Meat? Did they unwittingly find a cannibal? Or... Is this the dragon that Laer had mentioned needing dragon hunters for? Breathing inwards slowly to compose herself, Sanary shakes her head at the mention of meat. "Ah. Not /our/ meat. I mean... Look at us." She gestures at herself and Sarah, pointedly trying to draw attention away from Crush, the meatiest of the three. "But we know a way for you to get meat without having to deal with people banging outside your house." She puts on a polite smile, somewhat strained at the fact that she's even trying to negotiate with a dragon. "We give you that information, maybe a couple of pigs from my pig farm, you give us the treasure we're looking for. I think we'd all be pretty happy with that arrangement, eh?" It makes sense in Sanary's head, at least. She looks towards Sarah and Crush, trying to figure out if they're on board with that plan as well.
Sarah Parsle	Sarah continues to fiddle with those cards, swapping them over time as she cotninues working through the stack. "Well, that's a great question, isn't it?" Sarah replies. "I mean, you're probably hurting for things to do. I hear immortality gets boring after a while." Sarah shrugs. "We want the Egg of Eternity." No point of beating around the bush. "You don't need it anymore, all it's doing is taking up space. You can get something in exchange." She thumbs over to Sanary. "If what you want i meat, she's pretty good at providing it." Sarah says. "So we're doing things the mutually beneficial way. You get something you want, we get something we want, everyone leaves happy."
Comrade Crush	For the time being, Crush only draws his lips into a somewhat amused grin. "I think you would find my meat rather tough, comrade. No fat on these bones." He does begin to idly pace to one side, then the other, though he makes a very definite point of keeping his eyes on the 'man' before them. "But da, we are able to offer many different ways of getting very good food."
Laer	The man looks unimpressed. "Even if it no longer has direct value to me, the Egg has sentimental value. And you don't think it's actually that hard for me to get meat out here, do you? What do you take me for, that I would trade a priceless artifact for two pigs and a shopping guide?" And... here's where he postures, it seems, drawing back. "You should show proper respect. Especially if you actually know what the Egg is." There's a shifting to his face, and.. the eyes will stay the same, full of energy, and light, but they're much bigger suddenly. All of him is, as though an illusion were being washed away, and rather than a rather ordinary man it is quite a large dragon discussing this with the group. It has scales of deepest blue, sapphires sparkling here and there. "Surely, you must have something better to trade than pigs. Or do you intend to threaten me, if that does not work?" He'll ask, disdainfully.
Comrade Crush	It's here that Crush finally takes a few steps forward, dispensing with the 'simple, silent goon' routine. His fingers curl and uncurl in sequence, muscles rippling in the desert heat - and from his body to the ground, little arcs of electricity leap and sizzle, a brief glimmer of rather obvious magic. It's a deliberate show. "Da, we are threatening you, comrade. I am certain you are thinking is empty threat. But we are coming here, knowing fully what you are, and are not being afraid. If you are not liking terms, then you yourself are entitled to make counter offer. But if you are turning up giant nose, not even bothering to suggest alternative, then here is counter offer." Crush slams one fist into the opposite palm, and the ground around his feet rumbles and shifts. "You are giving us egg. And I am not reducing you and entire plateau beneath you to pile of rubble. If you are speaking of disrespect, then you are showing great deal of it by treating trio before you as lessers, rather than equals. I have listened to bourgeois arrogance long enough. So now you are having your choice."
Sarah Parsle	Well, this is inconvenient. As the man drops his glamour and reveals that he is in fact a bigass dragon, the ecto-youth grimaces and tosses those cards over her shoulder in frustration, where they vanish back into her SYLLADEX. She was getting tired of breaking Enigma codes anyway. She raises her hands. "Okay, look, you apparently have a very /large/ appetite. I don't blame you ,the calorie requirements must be murder." She glances over to Crush and frowns. "Whoo, he's getting impatient." Impatient like hungry wolf which stalks Russian tundra, comrade. "Okay, look, we know it's valuable, but it's on you to tell us how valuable you think it is. You can get some benefits out of it if you want. Or things can get weird and probably unpleasant."
Sanary Rondel	"... Three pigs? Good meat takes time to raise, you know." Sanary sighs as the old man transforms into a dragon, trying to hide her reaction as best she can behind her shield and helmet. Noticing Crush's and Sarah's reactions to the dragon's appearance as well, she braces the shield in front of her as she moves to take a more defensive position in front of Sarah. "Aren't you the one threatening us now? But if that's how you want to do it..." The cleric draws her charge blade, the icy weapon's tip dragging against the floor for a moment before she points it straight forward. "Just know that we've taken down swarms of dragons much bigger than you before. And I didn't even have this sword on me." It's not a complete lie, at least. Sure, those were technically drakes, and Sanary's fairly certain neither Crush nor Sarah were there, but... Details details. "Your call. We're not getting any younger, anyway."
Laer	Threatening is not going to work on the blue dragon's pride; that's a bridge too far, it seems. It can't resist the urge for a snappy one-liner, though. "You will not be getting any older, either. Lessers should respect their betters. Remember that, after you reincarnate." Right after that, Sanary's going to find out that Laer was, in fact, technically telling the truth when she'd agreed that their target would not shoot lightning. This is because it, with a roar, breathes lightning instead, electricity lashing out at the three of them in a vicious set of strikes. This is quite destructive, but the dragon seems to think that one blast will be enough to take care of its human infestation issue.
Comrade Crush	To go by classic mindsets, one would not expect a man so big to move so swiftly. One would, of course, be wrong. Crush is before the other two in an instant, heaving his arms around himself in a smooth, practiced motion. A motion that serves to perfectly tense his muscles, to highlight his physique in a manner impossible to accomplish on accident. His body thrums with the perfect formation of pectoral power, and with his body twisted /just so/, every last stray fork of lighting is pulled straight into him. He eats it all. The entire breath, every watt of magical lightning, courses through him. There is no getting around it - it hurts. There is a strained, pained groan, his entire body briefly in agony. A dragon's breath is nothing to scoff at. And yet, at the end of it, his posture holds firm. He even comes around, slipping out of that flex to a new one, one that draws all that lightning up into his right fist. "Girls. If you are being so kind. I will need moment." The grin he shoots the dragon is positively cruel at this point.
Sarah Parsle	"OH FOR THE LOVE OF-" Sarah yells, before engaging in a YOUTH ROLL to use Comrade Crush and Snaary as mobile cover from the cone of lightning breath. She hits the ground, expecting to be flash fried but... She isn't. She looks up at the Muscle Wizard, and blinks. "Oh snap." She says, before quickly switching to hand behind Sanary. "If you can keep doing that, take all the moments you need, big guy." She says, rummaging through her cards again.
Sanary Rondel	Dammit, Laer. Being technically correct is the worst! Although Sanary's armor is actually non-metallic for the most part, it doesn't help that the monster it's made from is naturally weak against lightning-based attacks. Even with her armor's natural boost to her defensive strength and the massive kite shield, taking that lightning blast head on is still going to hurt a lot! Thankfully, Crush is there to bear the brunt of that lightning, and the healer wastes little time in... Well, being a healer. Stabbing her blade into the ground, she holds her hand out towards Crush to funnel her healing magic directly into him. Although the magic won't heal him instantaneously, it will speed up his natural regeneration to inhuman levels! Better yet, it'll even allow him to draw on her energy reserves along with his own and that lightning gathered into his fist. "A moment, eh? Alright. Too bad for you, dragon... Guy." Keeping her magical energy linked to Crush, Sanary maintains her defensive stance with the shield while circling around Crush, trying to keep him covered this time around while moving slowly enough that Sarah can still stay behind her. She diverts some of the energy flowing into Crush to her eye, however, looking above the shield and fire an explosive heat beam from her eye towards the dragon's face!
Laer	This will give the dragon pause. He hadn't had to go past blasting anyone with lightning in quite a while, after all, and while he was a dragon now he hadn't been an exceptional caster when alive. Being king had made him too busy for that. The pause will lead to a heat beam striking at his face while he was staring Crush down in an attempt to intimidate, and the blue dragon will flinch back from that blow. It does draw his attention at Sanary, though, and all three of them will feel a blast of wind as his wings start to flap, little bits of energy forming under them. This time, it's little bolts of force, dozens of them, shooting out and trying to slam into Sanary. No one of them is all that painful, but there are, in the scientific notation, a crapload of them. More problematic, the dragon seems intent on taking the fight aerial if he's not stopped.
Comrade Crush	Going airborne? Oh, that's just perfect. Crush was thinking the same thing. This entire time, Crush has been focusing that lightning. Compressing it. More importantly, adding his own. Overcharging, supercharging, until there's a constant stream of electrical arcs leaping from his fist to the ground like some kind of demented thunder spider. "Wahahaha... AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I THINK YOU ARE DROPPING SOMETHING, LITTLE LIZARD! AND AS GOOD, UPSTANDING COMMUNIST, /I AM GIVING IT BACK!/" But now it is ready. Now he charges. Now he goes barreling across the ground, zipping past Sanary the moment the storm of forcebolts ends, and leaps. He's aiming for the dragon's neck... or, more accurately, his throat. The colossal commie intends to throw a steel-bending punch right to the dragon's windpipe, and simultaneously discharge every volt. But even all that lightning, charged with his own power, will only briefly stun a lightning dragon at most. Even with a throatpunch for extra stunnage. That's why the moment he's thrown his punch, he drops to the ground again. He lunges forward a dozen or more feet, tumbles into a roll, comes out of it, and with stone forming itself over his arms and upper body, hurls straight upward. To grab the king under the belly. And start flying upward. There are many words that could be said. Many praises for the inhuman lifting power enhanced by stone magic and kept aloft by the wind. But there is but one truth that all of the poetry boils down to. Comrade Crush is about to suplex a dragon. From very, very high in the air.
Sarah Parsle	Sarah just stays under cover. Frankly, once the situation moved to combat, Sarah's utility dropped rapidly. And that dragon's too big for her to troll with her new toy. So she sticks behind the healer as Comrade Crush gets up close and personal, getting blown back some from the intense wind from the dragon... But she does come to a skidding stop as Super Comrade smashes into the dragon in the sky. She looks up, slightly agape as she sees whats about to happen there. "It's... Like some kind of meat miracle." She says... and then she leaps to Sanary, dragging her away. "Quick! Get away and make some room! the shockwave from that's going to be huge!"
Sanary Rondel	Refocusing her energy towards Crush again to maintain that flower of energy, Sanary halts her movements to brace her shield against the dragon's winds blasting against the three of them and the magical blasts coming her way. "Heads down!" Thankfully, the dragon's force projectiles are significantly less lightning-y than its initial breath attack, and she's able to withstand it with only moderate wounds coming through from the sheer impact of the bolts! Her bones will probably be fine later, right? Right. Peering up at what Crush is planning on doing, Sanary actually gawks for a moment before noticing Sarah tugging on her and glancing over with a confused look on her face. "Wha... Really? Er.. G-got it!" And then she's following Sarah, hoping that the shield on her back will be enough to absorb any further shockwaves that could turn them into a pasty smear on the ground later.
Laer	The dragon is largely immune to lightning, but this sort of blow with Crush is going to carry enough to blast through that, managing to get the slightest bit of stunning in, even as the dragon's claws try to rend down at Crush in turn. The dragon could not possibly have seen what was going to come next, mostly because it is measured in 'tons' and thus not normally worried about being grappled. It's quite effective, if you can manage it. There are shockwaves that blast out from where the landing spot is, and a great roar of anger from the dragon as it is greatly wounded by this, trying to slither away only to find that its movement is hampered by broken bits from the assault. The trio could choose to finish it, or offer mercy, but lightning will be spraying wildly into the sky as the dragon reaches desperation
Comrade Crush	Even Crush is not going to come out of something like this unscathed. The impact was massive, jarring, and he didn't exactly manage to evade those claws, either. There's huge pair of gashes down his front at an angle, from left shoulder to right hip, and when he hops off the dragon there's a bit of a stumble. But his body is already far beyond human in both toughness and ability to recover; and besides that, he's got magic to help with the toughness and Sanary's own energy to enhance his healing. It's fast enough at this point that the bleeding very quickly stops, and the big man is quite able to saunter his way forward towards the dragon's head. His plan is simply to get those big arms around the king's neck, hold it there, and then turn to Sanary and Sarah. "Is any particularly good reason not to snap neck? Would be easy. Am at least inclined to make quick."
Sanary Rondel	Although the shockwaves are more manageable than Sanary expected, merely hearing those roars and seeing those flashes of lightning in the air are enough to get her to bring her shield up to cover herself and Sarah again. "Son of a...! Dammit, will you knock that off?!" Turning back to face Crush and the dragon in his grasp, she directs some more healing magic towards Crush once again while keeping her distance. She /really/ doesn't like lightning in this armor. Or any of her armor, really. "Honestly? Ah... I've got no objections. Unless..." She looks towards Sarah, then back at the dragon while keeping the shield as ready as ever. "Objections, Sarah? What about you, dragon... Guy?" Although her tone is still somewhat rushed, there's no hint of sarcasm in there. She's actually waiting for a compelling argument from either of them to keep the dragon alive.
Laer	The dragon realizes just how much trouble he's in now, and will give one last cry. "I yield! Take the thrice-damned Egg, it lies in the chambers below! Just take it and leave!" It will be telling the truth, regardless of whether Crush actually lets him live or not. If they want to get much more aggressive about taking things, there are quite a lot of gemstones in the chambers below as well, alongside a number of very old skeletons. The Egg is there, on a pedestal, seeming like a gemstone at first glance but warm to the touch and entrancing to stare into, seeming like looking down the deepest of wells, a power rolling off it in a way that can be felt. Laer will be happy, either way.
Comrade Crush	"Is very nice that you are yielding, lizard," Crush replies, his tone one of affected geniality. With his wounds closing thanks to Sanary's help, he's quite pleased with himself at the moment. "Am sure many subjects you are killing to attain this power, many people on whose backs you are treading, would be pleased to see such humiliation. Only one problem, however. You are trying to kill us. Is only fair that we are trying to kill you too, da? Difference is..." There's that nasty grin again. "Unlike you, I am not /failing/ when I try." Well, at least he's as good as his word. It's quick. Stepping away, Crush brushes his hands off, rolling his right arm as if to work out a lingering ache. "So! Who is interested in exploration? Nobody is needing medical transport, da? I think I am taking some of this wealth, redistributing it to subjects. Is not communist revolution, true, but... is start!"
Sarah Parsle	Sarah shrugs. "Do what you want to do. I don't care." She does, however, lean in towards the dragon. "Just remember... Death is an inevitability. Even for immortals." She doesn't stick around, instead scurrying on her way to the castle proper so she can get her loot on and get that egg to deliver it to Laer. She's goign to get her own immortality eventually, possibly. It's not like she needs to welch on a deal. You don't welch on deals.
Sanary Rondel	"See, was that so hard?" Sanary sighs lightly as she stands back up, still keeping her shield ready just in case the dragon starts up with the lightning breath again. She's letting her healing magic circulate a bit, mending the wounds sustained from defending against those force blasts and still directing the bulk of it to Crush just in case there's anything affecting him that she can't quite see. There's only a brief flinch as Crush finishes off the dragon, and her attention turns to him and Sarah as they're essentially given free rein over the whole area. "Yeah, let's see what else we can find in here. Might find some good gifts to pass out later in the year or..." What else would be useful? Magical artifacts, perhaps? Enchanted weaponry? Weird texts? Whatever it is, Sanary will make sure to pocket a bit of everything before shoving whatever she can into her pockets and satchel to bring on the return trip!