It might have been expected that the dragon would take drastic action at the number of strikes coming in at vulnerable areas, striking at wings, joints—anywhere and everywhere that might display some vulnerability, even as Renar avoided the flame by the skin of his teeth. Instead, Thrinax regarded them with an air of unmistakeable superiority, unwavering as the magically-enhanced strikes bit in one after the another. Blood gleamed—

But still, on a foe as huge as this, they were naught but scratches. Even the soft-looking patagium, enhanced or not, was like trying to cut cloth with a butterknife. 

There was an ominous deep rumbling.

It would take a moment for it to come across that the ancient dragon was [i]laughing.[/i] "Excellent! Most excellent. To take such provocation and respond with determination against an impossible foe…

"I am satisfied. You succeed."

There was a pause as the dragon seemed to remember that Renar [i]was[/i] still upon his back, before responding in a disturbingly feline way. Only with the advantage of being an enormous, ridiculously strong dragon… and fast enough to somehow [i]catch[/i] said knight on the way down, tail more sinuous than it had first seemed.

[color=chartreuse]"I'm back!"[/color] an unfamiliar-to-most voice announced, the barren plateau now sporting an enthusiastically waving Niyar. And… was that a cake? It was bigger than Thrinax's [i]head.[/i]

"Maybe I should have used Volkstraad after all. He wouldn't have been so accommodating…" Ah, joy, and the witch was back as well.

"That snake would never agree to thy terms, Child of Starlight."