FSE

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The comforting, early afternoon sun warmed the jagged mountain range, helping to counteract the chilling gusts rushing through the rocky crevices. Edwin took another swig of water. He was grateful for the mild temperature, at the very least. The hike would have otherwise been gruelling. Hours had passed since he first set foot on the winding mountain trail. Despite its low peaks, its cliffsides were steep and perilous and required a great deal of energy and concentration to navigate.

But even through the difficulties, Edwin had an eager smile painted on his face. A difficult hike meant a greater likelihood of happening upon an unspoiled cavern. And that meant a higher chance of happening upon what every amateur aspiring geologist dreamed of: beautiful, pristine crystals, extravagant cave formations, and glittering minerals lodged in the unblemished rock face.

He wanted to see them. He wanted to touch them. And, if he was able, he wanted to take some. For Edwin simply loved everything rock related, ever since he was a child.

The well-travelled caverns in the area had long been stripped bare of any geological curiosity, but he had a giddy feeling about this one. It was out of the way and a challenging climb for even the most experienced. The steep slopes also made it too complicated to transport machinery up the mountain and raw material back down. It ticked all the boxes needed to up his odds of happening upon a twinkling wonderland.

Another seemingly infinite incline later, and his feet found a flat portion of the otherwise erratic landscape. And right before his eyes, there it was: a den of looming shadow. An ominous sight for the ordinary hiker, but not for Edwin. He took off in a half-sprint, not bothering to shelter his eyes from the wind with his hands or the goggles perched on his forehead.

His excitement only escalated as he drew closer. A faint blue shimmer radiated from within. Aquamarine ripples danced on the dark walls of the cave entrance as if it was water reflecting from within, beckoning him inside. And in he leapt.

His gasp echoed throughout the cold cavern as his eyes took in the illuminating blue from within. Edwin muttered a single word: “Marvellous…" It was a dream come true.

Crystals. All in plain view. A rainbow of blue—from turquoise to navy—glittering glamorously. Some crawled along the walls and ceiling like ivy, while others coiled around the hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites perched like fangs in a monster's maw. His head spun as he took in all the different shades, shapes, and structures. Though he only needed a moment to identify each one: lazurite, azurite, kyanite, angelite, vivianite, and even cavansite! Their collective patterns in the cave wall were flawless and whole. Utter perfection.

So perfect, his legs almost gave way. With a wobble and a deep inhale, he remembered he still needed to draw breath. A button flicked off from his satchel as he forced it open and shovelled out spare canteens of water, rations, and bulky bandages. He needed to make room for more important things.

With the space freed, he reached in to grab his pick. It was a dingy little thing he found in an abandoned mine months ago, but he used it out of financial necessity. His entire life's savings—20 years of it, in fact—had instead gone to purchasing the Vault-Vintage Marvellous Multi-Purpose Spectacles; the top of the line in mechanical utility goggles from Maxwell A. Jacobson and Company. With adjustable magnification, built-in UV tinting, energy and impurity identification, and external lighting, it was his first step towards becoming a real geologist.

Wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, Edwin flipped his goggles down—covering his bright blue eyes in tinted glass—and fumbled with the switches and clockwork dials. Soon, the cavern was brightened in low, white light, and the walls gleamed at him in various fluorescent colours. Worth every cent, he thought. And now he could begin.

Edwin skipped around the cavern with excitement. Like a kid in a candy shop, he gawked at each formation, bringing his goggles close to study the sights, the angles, the refraction of light, the luminescence, and, for the blue halite, even the taste. The largest difficulty with collecting crystals and other precious stones was that they were often deep in the rock face, making them hard to extract. But this was different. Layers upon layers of various crystals had already engorged themselves outwards. Taking a souvenir would be as simple as picking away at an outer layer, like trimming off an overhanging branch.

And so, he collected. As per his own philosophy, he took only one sample of each type of crystal. But with so many viable samples within reach, he could afford to be picky. And so, he explored, seeking out potentially more abundant outcrops and alcoves deeper into the azure network of tunnels. Soon, the faint ray of outside light faded, leaving him to bask in the natural glow of the ever-present, shimmering blue prisms and the unintrusive light from his goggles.

The tunnel curved and split. Edwin's decision of which path to take was guided by whichever track glistened a greater glimmer. Left, left, right, centre, centre, left, right, left, right, right, left. Edwin paid no attention to the paths he chose. He was too mesmerised by everything else. Unfortunately, he was also dangerously delayed in realising just how vast this labyrinth really was.

A greater gasp sounded from deep within the bowels of the cavern. Edwin's heart almost burst out of his chest as he sprinted to the far end, adjusting the gears and dials on his goggles as he went. There, a jagged outcrop of stone was jutting out from an otherwise unassuming rock face. And half-submerged within…

That radiant lustre! That glorious fluorescence! All the identifying attributes raced through Edwin's dazed mind, but he doubted his own eyes. A blue diamond, vivid and pure, with multiple refracted shades of blue. Edwin smacked his hand against his chest as he stumbled backwards onto the neighbouring wall. There it was—blinking to him like a beacon in the night. One of the most expensive gemstones in the world. However, it wasn't the thought of riches that stunned him. It was that he would soon have one of these prohibitively costly treasures to call his own—to study, to observe, and to cherish.

A few clinks of his pick later, and he had removed more than half of the stony outcrop. Much more than required, but he didn't dare make a mistake; he could refine it later. Edwin stuffed it in his satchel to join his ever-swelling haul before taking a moment to calm his tremoring heart. He proceeded deeper into the depths, though steeled himself against absurd expectations, as he already had so much luck. Surely this cavern couldn't be hiding further discoveries.

But it was. Three twists later, and Edwin emerged in the largest stone room he had come across. And in the centre—growing from what appeared to be a massive, rocky pile of refuse that collapsed from the ceiling—was a myriad of magnificent aquamarine crystals. They jutted out in hexagonal columns of various sizes from the faded grey-cream pile of granite rock. The larger ones were chipped and scratched at their tips, and all covered in a thin layer of grime—possibly a result of the debris from the apparent cave-in. Still, it was nothing that couldn't be made to shine with a bit of cleaning.

“Marvellous…" Edwin whispered to himself as he approached.

He squatted in front of a big cluster of crystals lower to the ground. However, something felt off to him since he entered the room. It seemed hotter than the others, despite being the deepest. A volcanic vent? But this area wasn't known for volcanic activity. As Edwin leaned closer to inspect a thick column of aquamarine, his ears picked up what seemed to be a faint, resonating buzzing. It was as if some form of energy was surging through the crystals, though his goggles were picking nothing up. He again raked his mind for an explanation. While 'piezo' crystals can generate an electrical charge if pressure is applied, aquamarine wasn't such a crystal.

Never one for caution, Edwin pulled up his goggles and brought his hand to a short-yet-broad blue hexagon. Bracing his index finger against the inside of his thumb, he stopped an inch away from its translucent, light-blue surface. And then he flicked the tip of the column.

Clink.

The second the sound rang out, there was a tinge of movement in Edwin's peripheral vision. His eyes focused. Amid a ring of sparkling blue crystals, a gem shimmered. A beautiful and vibrant orange glow. Piercing, even, especially as its vivid, fiery colour stood in stark contrast to the calming blue of its surrounding aquamarine. In contrast to the entire cavern, in fact.

An orange garnet. Much larger than most, though it had a slight imperfection: a thin, black stripe splitting it into two halves. Edwin reached out to touch it, but it vanished into the rubble; before it re-emerged a moment later. But much to Edwin's disappointment and confusion, the black line had somehow widened. It was now a convex black fissure, which continued to grow and swallow more of its bordering orange light. And all the while, the remaining orange blaze blinked briskly in bewilderment.

Blinked?

Edwin didn't have time to process it before the mound unravelled. Sudden vibrations flung dirt and dust in every direction, and the buzzing sound became more intense, now humming in his ears. With a yell of terror, he tumbled onto his back. His eyes were wide as he stared at the baffling event taking place. The lower cluster of crystals in front of him—with the garnet—lifted into the air. Then the bulky middle section extended upwards on top of four faded grey legs. And then the last part: a long trail of scale-like rocks—with younger aquamarine spikes jutting out in random directions—moved upwards. It was incredibly long, yet it remained suspended steadily in the air, swaying gracefully from side to side.

Once the dust settled, Edwin released his mistake. What he had thought was merely a cave-in was, in fact, a sleeping crystalline dragon. And from its stance and expression, it did not appreciate the human's rude awakening. The beast towered over him; to Edwin, the top of its body looked to be over six metres high. And that was ignoring its giant crystals, some of which were almost brushing against the roof of the cavern. That orange glow from its eyes glared at him; what was moments ago vibrant and beautiful had become an inferno of anger. A rolling growl vertebrated in the now-narrow confines of the room. Its echo grew in intensity and volume as the dragon took a step towards the trespasser.

Edwin couldn't find the focus to stand up. He thrashed his legs against the hard stone floor to kick himself back. As his arms flailed behind to grab some non-existent salvation, his wild motions swung his satchel loose, and out tumbled his haul of crystals. The dragon gazed at the shiny contents spewing forth. A sudden snarl suggested their presence only made him angrier. He stomped forward to close the distance from the slowly retreating human, taking care not to crush any of his stolen property.

Edwin shouted in pain as his head smacked into the unyielding cavern wall behind him. Despite it, he kept kicking, and soon his back was also flat against it. Cowering, he meekly raised his hands to his face as if to fend off the mythical being. The dragon lowered its head to swat the hands away before turning to let a single eye observe the puny human. That single, glittering garnet now subsumed the human's vision.

“What are you?" The dragon's voice was mercifully soft, given the closeness of the human's ears. But it oozed with subdued fury and impending judgement.

His teeth chattering, Edwin said the first thing that came to his mind. “A… a h-human? A boy?"

A frustrated huff from the beast's nostrils caused a renewed fit of trembles from the human boy. “I'm asking what you are. The what that brought you here. Merchant? Thief? Adventurer…?" The scornfully slow way he rolled that last category suggested he despised that group most of all.

“Oh! R-right. I'm… I'm a geologist! Well, I want to be one!" Edwin perked with energy. Despite the circumstances, potential discussion about his niche interest brought a confused calm to him.

Unfortunately, the dragon was not asking with a desire to discuss the subject.

“Oh, a geologist!" He pulled his head back, showing his scaled jaws, now curled into a smirk. The brass contraption resting on Edwin's forehead—the proof of his dream—had no meaning to the ancient creature. “That's a new one! Usually, they resort to claiming they're lost."

“I am! Really! I… I just wanted to take some crystal samples!"

“I can see that," the dragon said, rolling his head to stare at the clipped prisms; their former elegance lost as they lay discarded on the ground, ruthlessly severed from their home in the interest of greed. They would never grow again.

While the dragon made a show of furrowing his eyes and swaying his head to stare at the stolen crystals, Edwin did not pick up on the implied rage within. “They're all incredible! I've never, ever, seen this many different and large formations before."

“And I wonder why that is. Why they remain so… untouched."

The threatening implication was again lost on Edwin, unassisted by the dragon's decision to keep his voice low and stern. To him, this was an incredible opportunity to talk about crystals. To someone who not only knew about them, but had them literally growing out of him.

“Your crystals are really pretty too! I've never seen them growing on a dragon before!" said Edwin, as his eyes lifted to the larger spires on the dragon's back, where most of the grime and damage had accumulated. “They are a bit dirty, though! Some imperfections and cracks on the upper parts… Though nothing some smoothing, and a bit of water, soap and—"

“ENOUGH!"

What in the world was wrong with this human, the dragon thought. He seemed content with making everything much worse for him. As the echo from his roar faded, he said, “So not only do you trespass into my home. Butcher and steal my treasures. Rouse me from my slumber. But now, you think it wise to insult my appearance!?"

“O-oh, uh, sorry! S-so sorry! I… I'm not good with my words," Edwin said, still recoiling from the dragon's shout and the list of his wrongdoings. Though he wasn't just recoiling from the now-ominous tone seeping from the dragon's dagger-filled maw. He was afraid he would accidentally push another crystal enthusiast away from him before he even had a chance to talk. “E-even with humans, I say before I think! I mean, t-that's what they always tell me…"

A soft growl from the crystal dragon. Any form of subtly would clearly be lost on this creature. He had to be a tad more… blunt.

“Do you know how I got these crystals to grow so big and strong?" The dragon hucked his head to the side—signalling to the garden of aquamarine growing on his back—before turning his head back to face Edwin. He twisted his maw into an open snarl, presenting the hundreds of stalactites and stalagmites that occupied his own voracious cavern.

“Lots of food…"

He crept forward, sluggishly spreading his soon-to-be-snapping jaws. And yet, the visual did not have the intended impact on Edwin. He was scared, yes. But he was more distracted—confused by the dragon's last statement. How could such a huge crystal enthusiast misunderstand such a fundamental aspect of mineralogy? Despite the immediate peril he was facing, he had to correct the record.

“A-actually, the formation of crystals is a function wholly external to your digestive system. For a-aquamarine, slow cooling magma can become cracked pegmatite rock, and when aluminium silicate mixes with iron in those cracks and begins to cool, they start to crystalise and grow in aquamarine over t-thousands of years! And, well, I-I don't know how it worked with you, but maybe those rocks hardened onto you? Oh! Or maybe your scales are the rocks?"

The dragon stopped. His maw still hung open. There were two drawn-out blinks of his garnet eyes before he withdrew his head to stare at the human in bemusement. “Do you really think now is the time to be explaining that?"

“Well, you got it wrong! I just wanted to make sure you know how it actually works."

More blinking, as the dragon said, “Are you all there?"

“All there? I… I guess so?"

“I'm asking if there's something wrong with you."

“Oh…" Edwin said before laughing. A strange, nervous laugh. Slowly petering out in an odd mix of gloomy emotions. “Yeah, there is."

The dragon's attempt to be blunt had met an even blunter response. His stony heart sank as he flinched and quickly connected the dots. A sudden, almost depressing realisation formed that this human was almost certainly not driven by greed; he was actually earnest in his interest and excuse for exploring his home.

Motivated by sincere guilt, the dragon apologised, albeit indirectly. “I'm… I'm sorry for asking such a personal question."

“T-that's okay. I'm sorry for saying your crystals were dirty. And I'm sorry for taking some from the cave without asking." Edwin paused to remember what else he had done wrong, still lightly trembling. “Oh! And I'm s-sorry for waking you. In the dark, I thought you were an enormous pile of granite…"

A warm smile crept over the dragon's rugged face. At least there were no hard feelings from the human. Still, perhaps he could make it up to the kind-hearted young man—and calm his frayed nerves—by asking him a little about those crystals and gems he was so fascinated by. To give him an opportunity to speak to someone willing to listen. While the dragon already knew much of geology and mineralogy, it would be interesting to have a bright-eyed human's perspective on it.

The dragon backed away to give Edwin some distance to see him in all his twinkling glory. He turned to the side and lounged on his stomach, taking the least threatening posture he could muster. “You are the most curious human I've met in some time," the dragon said, his right eye shining at Edwin, whose back still rested against the wall. “Why don't you tell me a bit more about my crystals?"

“Oh, sure!" Edwin's voice stopped stuttering upon hearing the invitation to talk about his favourite topic. “How about… did you know you could have had entirely different things growing out of you—you could be an entirely different colour, with only a tiny change?"

“Oh? What would have had to change?" the dragon asked, happy to humour the young man.

“Okay, so, aluminium silicate. That's the first mineral, and that alone creates beryl crystals. But when you add another mineral, that causes the colour to change. Leaving you with a new crystal that's still part of the beryl family. So, you must have been mixed with iron, which gives the blue colour of aquamarine.

“But how about this. So, the iron that mixed with you was iron with two fewer electrons than normal. But if it had been iron with three fewer electrons, you would be a golden-yellow colour instead! Golden beryl!

“But if instead of iron, you mixed with manganese with two fewer electrons than normal, you would have grown rose-pink morganite crystals! Take away another electron, and you would have become red beryl—which is like a scarlet-red colour!

“And if we instead added chromium, you would have been covered in dark green emeralds!"

Edwin took a second to catch his breath and stare up at the ceiling, watching those mesmerising, blue fractures of light gliding along the rock face. “This entire room—the entire cavern—would have been glowing dark green instead. If just a tiny change was made thousands of years ago. Isn't that incredible!?"

The dragon gave a playful huff before he said, “That would make me a lot more valuable, wouldn't it? Aquamarine isn't as extravagant."

“But I love the blue colour of aquamarine! So much more than emeralds." Edwin took in all the colour growing from the dragon's back. Eyes wide in adoration. “Just because a crystal is more expensive doesn't mean it's more beautiful! Yours are beautiful!"

A sharp inhale came from the beast as his fiery eyes went wide. Beautiful? And said with such simple sincerity. He needed to hear more. “Beautiful? Why do you say that?"

Edwin couldn't resist the opportunity to ramble on. “It's a beautiful, pure blue! Like the sky. Marvellous transparency. And I've never seen aquamarine crystals growing as large as yours. Or even heard of them! Some of those must be over three metres long! They're marvellous!"

Genuine amazement and wonder radiated from his words, and the dragon picked up on it. Especially upon hearing his favourite word: marvellous. Excited, he swished his tail through the musty, still air, sending refracting patterns of light from the glistening aquamarine crystals perched upon it around the otherwise dim cavern.

“Oh, my. How kind of you to say, human." More, please.

“You're honestly the most incredible thing I've ever seen!"

“Oh, come now. Surely not…" Yes… please keep going, human.

“I'm serious! I wasn't even going to take a clipping, even if you weren't a dragon! How they all align… Complement each other… it's just perfect as it is!"

The swishing of the tail turned into wagging. Occasionally tapping against the hard ground with a soft whomp. Every word from the human was another jolt through him. “I'm glad you like them so much. If only I took better care of them…" So precious. Don't stop.

“They're so vibrant already! I can't imagine just how much more brilliant they would look with a quick clean!"

This was it: the dragon's time to strike. “Oh, you may be right. But it is so difficult to find one willing to clean them for me…" I want to feel you rubbing them. Every. Single. Last. One.

“I'd love to clean them for you! If… if you'd like me to…"

“An incredibly generous offer, human. But I would hate to trouble you with such a task…" Say it again, you adorable little morsel! I need to hear you say it again!

“It'd be no trouble at all, really! I'd love to make you shine even brighter!"

“Again, so kind of you to offer, human. But I just can't let you take on such a strenuous task without reward." Once more! Tell me how much you desire to worship them! To worship me!

“I don't need a reward! But…" Edwin said, standing up and walking closer. His eyes stuck to the towering crystals, enthralled by their magnificence. “… getting a chance to see them up close, and see you sparkle afterwards… That would be marvellous! Better than any reward!"

A meaty thwack against the stone. The dragon's tail sent shattered pebbles flying and caused Edwin to flinch. Such adoration. Such reverence. His lower body trembled as thoughts raced through the beast's mind of all the things he wanted to do to this human. No. Needed to.

But those could wait. He had to pace this—draw more praise and awe out of the human for as long as possible. And having him clean every single crystal atop his entire upper back seemed like a wonderful next step.

“Well, if you insist…" the dragon said as he tilted his body towards Edwin, making himself easier to climb. “Hop up!"

---

The view of the aquamarine from the ground was breathtaking. Experiencing them from atop the dragon—amid his glowing garden of aqua—gave Edwin vertigo. The sensation only worsened when the dragon stood up once more—raising him and his human cleaner far off the ground. Though why the dragon stood wasn't immediately apparent.

Edwin grasped a crystal to steady himself, holding his cleaning cloth and containers of soapy water close to his chest. “Why… why'd you stand?"

“Oh, just giving room for my crystal to grow…" The dragon smirked, aware that the human couldn't see it. “You'll understand later. For now, ready when you are."

But Edwin first needed some time to admire his beauty up close. He didn't dare pull his goggles down, as this was a sight he wanted to experience with his own eyes. He ran his hand up and down the towering crystal he had grasped onto. Some muck stuck to him, but he didn't mind, as it was just incredible to feel the cool chill emanating from it. To run his finger down each of the six, pointed edges. To observe the hypnotising blue glow up close.

“I can feel you touching it, by the way."

“Huh!?" Edwin jumped back and tripped over a smaller crystal. His fall was broken by the embrace of another ginormous crystal just behind him. “How!?"

“Careful, now…" The dragon turned his head to gaze at his back with a look of concern plastered on it. Though it melted into a playful smile once he saw the human was fine. “These crystals are a part of me, after all. Their senses are my senses."

Edwin was in awe. It was no wonder the dragon woke up when he flicked a crystal. “What does it feel like?"

“Well, what you were doing was akin to a gentle massage. Centred on where the crystal grows from my back." The playful smile became a tad smug. It was a bit more complicated than that, but he would have time to explain later. “So feel free to rub and touch as much as you'd like. It won't irritate me." Quite the contrary, the dragon thought to himself.

After a bit more back and forth, the human got started by dipping his cloth in the cleaning solution and strenuously scrubbing at the first crystal. The grime was light, and much of it washed down with the excess liquid flowing down the spiral. Still, Edwin was thorough. He rubbed hard against each of the six faces of the prism—as high as he could reach—before gliding the soaked cloth along each of the six, pointed edges.

A rolling, soothing growl resounded throughout the chamber as the human worked his magic. “You're doing a great job back there," the dragon said, without bothering to look. His eyes were shut, and he was content to leave the human to his own devices while he enjoyed the sensual sensations coursing through his back.

“T-thank you," the human said in response. Simply adorable, the dragon thought.

The first crystal was done. One down. On the upper back alone—another 30 or so to go. The smaller ones were sparkling in about a minute of rubbing; polishing the larger ones took around five. The dragon did warn him it would be a strenuous task, but Edwin was doing it with a wide grin.

Halfway through the exercise, curiosity got the better of the dragon, and he turned to look. The cleaned pillars of aquamarine glistened like the calm waters of a crystal lake. He was already looking so much more vibrant and impressive. “You're doing absolutely wonderful back there. Good job!" said the dragon, as his fiery eyes locked with those of the bashful human.

“T-thank you…"

“No need to be so modest about your hard work!" An opportunity to bait out a compliment. “Tell me, what do you think about my crystals now that they're clean?"

“Even more incredible!" The human pressed his palm against one, causing his hand and upper arm to be smothered in the all-encompassing blue glow. “You're just incredible! So beautiful…"

A subtle splatter echoed throughout the cave. But it wasn't from water flowing off the dragon's back. It came from lower, from between the dragon's toned haunches. Something wet had struck the stone ground.

The dragon's smug smile had returned. He knew what that sound was. Of course, he wasn't one to ruin a good surprise. Still observing the human's expression of awe and admiration, his tongue smacked against his upper lip. Compliments were nice, but that human was the real prize. And he would claim him very soon.

“Keep going, you adorable thing…" Not bothering to see the human's reaction, he broke his gaze and returned to looking straight ahead. He gave a deep, rolling sigh and said to himself, “This isn't how I thought today would turn out…" And then his eyes shut once more. His soft, constant growls returned, though they were a bit more energetic than earlier.

---

The human was drenched in sweat now, though he had no complaints. He loved every minute he spent perfecting the dragon's back. And now, only two crystals remained—the thickest and longest of them all. Two heavenly pillars of pure aquamarine, jutting out in opposite directions from the top of the dragon's head— what Edwin considered to be his horns.

Without needing to look, the dragon had kept on top of the human's progress. He knew only two crystals remained. As the human's hands met the right horn, a tremble rocked its way down his back. So close now. A fatter splat sounded from between his haunches, which shuddered in anticipation. But he had to pace this; he needed to distract himself for just a moment longer. More small talk would suffice.

“That feels heavenly. Make sure to take your time with those. By the way, what did you say your name was? Boy?"

“Oh, no! I'm a boy, but my name is Edwin."

A nice name, but the dragon was more a fan of titles. With a mischievous smile, he said, “Well, you're not merely Edwin to me. You're also a good boy."

A quick gasp rang from his back. He felt the human stumble before wrapping his arms around as much of the thick horn as they could.

A curious reaction, the dragon thought. “Is something wrong?" he asked with a widening grin.

“N-no! I tripped, sorry!"

His voice was more high-pitched than usual, almost as if he was speaking in a panic. Strange, the dragon thought, but he didn't press. Not yet.

The rubbing continued. This crystal was a 10-minute job, for sure, and that was ignoring the top third of it, which the human couldn't reach. He started from the highest point he could and worked his way down. Now, only the base remained—the grimiest and thickest part of his horn.

The dragon lapped on the encouragement. Now was the time, given how close they were to the finale. “All the way to the base. Get right in there…" As he felt the human listen to his instructions, a sigh bordering on a grunt oozed from his now-parted maw. There was no longer any by him attempt to obscure his desires. However, the human was too distracted to pick up on them. Both from cleaning and the dragon's earlier comment. His mind was swimming in disjointed—but wonderfully pleasant—thoughts.

The dragon interrupted those thoughts with another comment. “That's it. A bit more pressure. Rub it nice and hard now…" A trio of splats from between his haunches—which were now quaking with lust—and a thump from his tail as he felt the cloth press in harder against the extra-sensitive base of his horn. The human had complied again. He needed praise.

“You're doing such a good job back there. What a good boy you are…"

Another sudden gasp came from the top of the dragon's head as he felt the human fall flat; his face smacked against the base of the crystal.

The dragon gave a short chuckle, having confirmed his earlier suspicions. Who would have known that the human was less subtle than him?

From that reaction, the dragon decided it was time to up his teasing. “Well, now… this is interesting. What a strange human you are…"

“I-I'm sorry! I didn't—"

“Shh…" Gentle in volume. Powerful in effect. The human stilled his voice to listen. “There's no need to be embarrassed. This is good news—for you. While worldly possessions and sparkling crystals are limited, my glowing praise is boundless." That resonating buzzing from his crystals picked up again as he became excited at his discovery of how easy this human would be to 'entertain'. “Keep up the good work, and I'll be sure to reward you thoroughly. Does that sound good, Edwin?"

A frantic huff from the human as he pulled himself back to his feet. “Y-yes, yes! I will! Thank you!"

“Excellent. Now, you're almost done up there. One crystal to go! Keep being good for me, Edwin."

Edwin's heart was hammering in his chest. All these funny words and adoring compliments were things he'd rarely heard, no matter how hard he worked. And to now be receiving them in abundance from such a graceful and powerful being…

The dragon felt the human's tender embrace against his left crystal. As always, the human started from as high as he could reach. But this time, the crystal creature noticed something different. Besides the feeling of hands pressing in up high, another firm object was pushing in from down low. He knew what it was almost immediately. He held back a laugh by spreading his maw further in pride at how much sway he held over this adorable creature.

The dragon soon learned that the contact was no accident by the human when he felt his bulge grinding against his crystal in time with his polishing. There was another thick splatter of precum from underneath the beast at the realisation. Perhaps the human thought he wouldn't be noticed. Unfortunately for him, the dragon had omitted to explain that he could feel pressure against every inch of his crystals. Though he wouldn't call the human out, of course. What he was doing was simply another form of worship.

And so, for 10 minutes, the dragon growled in joy from the combined sensation of having his crystal horn both rubbed clean and grinded against. Another series of wet splats from below suggested that neither he nor the human could keep up the charade much longer. They both desired the other.

“And done!"

The dragon turned to look. Done he was. It was as if his back had been born anew. He was beautiful. Marvellous, even. And it was all thanks to that wondrous human.

It was time for him to give them what they both wanted.

After a slathering of compliments, the dragon returned to a lounging position to allow the human to disembark. As the human's feet met the ground, the dragon continued to roll, coming to rest on his side, with his belly facing the human and his back crystals tapping on the floor. Before the human could turn to look, the dragon spoke.

“You missed a crystal."

“I did?"

“Yes. Right near my belly."

“Where?"

“Look around. I'm sure you can find it."

A smug, insatiable grin formed on the dragon's visage as he spoke. He knew the human wouldn't be able to find it; it was hidden in plain sight. But he wanted to draw out the reveal. Just that bit longer.

Edwin scanned his eyes along the soft, pale underbelly of his new friend; the leathery hide was in stark contrast to the rocky formations coating his back. But no matter how long he looked, he couldn't find the crystal.

“Need some help?" asked the dragon with bubbling anticipation.

Edwin looked at his blazing orange eyes and nodded.

“Then let me show you."

The upper rear haunch of the dragon trembled, directing the human's attention to it. And then slowly—agonisingly slowly—he lifted his leg. Revealing the 'crystal' that had been tucked away underneath it.

“W-wow," was the only thing the human could say in response. For hiding between the haunches was the dragon's light-pink cock. About two and a half feet of it, in fact. And only partially emerged from his spread slit. Despite its girth, it swayed slightly, suggesting some prehensility to it. The girth thinned further up the shaft before tapering at his cockhead. Said cockhead was leaking a constant stream of thick precum, connecting it to the floor in a ropy strand of white.

If Edwin were to compare the colour of the dick to a crystal, it would have been rose quartz. But he couldn't find the words to say it. He was just as mesmerised as he was when admiring the aquamarine spires on the dragon's back—with awe, but now also with lust.

The human was broken from his trance with a simple order from the dragon: “Start cleaning."

The human complied—after taking a moment to strip himself. He may have been slow, but even he knew that this 'clean' could become messy. And there was no way he would risk his goggles getting caught in the crossfire!

With trembling legs, Edwin paced closer towards the dragon's intimidating dick. Its vast surface gleamed as the blue light of the room reflected off the thin layer of juices that coated it. As he brushed up against the dragon's quivering, lower haunch, he brought his face up to the cock's mid-section. And, as requested, he started to rub it with the cloth.

“Not with that, you idiot!" The dragon had tilted his head towards his belly to observe the show, though his maw was now fluctuating between greedy desire and trying to stifle a laugh. “Clean it with your tongue!"

“O-oh, right…" Embarrassed, Edwin flicked the cleaning cloth away. “H-how should I start, then?"

“Start at my vent. Get it right in there. Circle it around. And once my entire dick is out, work your way up it. Slowly."

“T-that's not all of it?" Edwin gazed at the leaking cock in a mix of wonder and alarm. It was almost half his size already.

“It's almost halfway there…"

With a series of deep breaths to steel himself, Edwin reclined onto the lower haunch of the dragon. Right above it was his moist slit. As he approached, a wave of heat and humidity washed over his face, causing him to shiver in the sudden change from the chill of the cavern. As he brought his face even closer, the next thing to wash over him was the smell. Of mad, frothing lust. It was intoxicating. Almost overwhelming. But it had its intended effect—it only spurred on his need to worship this glorious beast.

Edwin's tongue glazed against the thick base of the cock as he used his hand to spread the slit wider. In contrast to the dragon's back, his underside was soft and malleable. Edwin only required a bit of force to widen the slit. Its insides glistened; their supple walls were soaked in precum. He pressed his face against the crease and brought his tongue into the sweltering depths.

“Very good. As deep as you can reach…"

Urged on, he pulled the slit wider, allowing his face to sink deeper. His other hand was perched on the dragon's throbbing, slimy cock—using it for support. He glided his face along the edge of the slit and circled his tongue around every part he could reach. The heat from the vent was akin to a sauna and soon made him pant and sweat. The scent also added to his light-headedness. But two words, dripping with lust, helped him to refocus.

“Good boy…"

His licks against the still-hidden parts of the dragon's cock intensified as he huffed muffled moans into the vent's slick walls. He could feel his hand—still resting against the emerging dick—begin to slip and slide. More of the cock was revealing itself. Ever slowly. And all the while, his own dick rubbed against the crease of the hide where the dragon's muscular haunch met his underbelly.

A lust-wracked growl echoed throughout the cavern. Not only did the dragon feel amazing, but watching the human work—with his head half obscured by his slit, his hand rubbing and kneading at his cock, and his exposed butt pointed towards him—was maddening. A spurt of precum shot out before returning to its gradual leak.

He needed… to pace himself—another question would do.

“What's your favourite colour, human?"

“Mmmmh." Edwin finished a moan into the beast's insides, but continued to run his tongue around as he responded. “Mmmph… orangmh."

“A wonderful colour," the dragon said, reflecting on the vibrance of his own piercing eyes. “To me, Edwin, you're a sparkling imperial topaz. Rare. Beautiful. Perfect."

A deep sigh of happiness was muffled against his fat cock. The dragon could feel something drip onto his haunches; there was no mystery that the human was enjoying himself just as much as he was. With a sigh of his own, the dragon said, “You're so precious…"

“Mmhank you… mm-am I do-mphng alrighgpt?"

“Sublime. Marvellous, even…"

Edwin's tongue soon found itself sandwiched between the inner walls of the slit and the emerging cock as a particularly bulbous part began to push out. Not quite a knot, but still a thickened section of girth on the dragon's otherwise smooth cock. It most certainly marked the end of the dragon's enormous dick.

It looked like it would be a tight squeeze for it to slip out. Edwin—all too eager to assist—moved his idle hand under the beast's cock to reach for the other side of his vent. With his tongue still making out with the dragon's insides, Edwin pulled both sides of the slit apart with as much force as he could muster.

A sigh of ecstasy rolled out of the dragon's maw as he realised what the human was doing. “You're doing so well. Just a bit more—it's almost out…"

Edwin spread the hole wider. His arms trembled from the amount of effort he was expending to keep it spread. But more groans of encouragement from the dragon rewarded his effort. “Here it comes—kiss it as it pops out!"

The bump pressed against the inner walls of the slit, almost as if it was a seal. As it emerged, the residue of precum that had been collecting in the slit squeezed out with it—unable to find space to slide back down into the hole. Edwin's tongue danced against the bulge and the small puddle of cum it brought up with it. The combined assault on his five senses—the arousing sight, the sensations of the enormous cock twitching against his tongue, the potent musk it radiated, the sound of it and the accompanying fluids squelching against the slit as it rose, and even the taste of the pool of thick precum—caused Edwin's body to tremble in bliss.

Soon, the knot-like bulge met his chin and pushed his face up and out of the slit with it. Another grunt as Edwin poured all his energy into spreading the slit just a bit more, as if he was desperate to welcome it out.

A rumbling groan from the dragon as the broadest part of the bump met the sensitive outer wall of his slit. His tail whacked against the stone ground, and his hips thrust with abandon; it was as if the dragon was trying to jam the swelling bulge into a mate. The motions rocked the human, but he held his grip firm around the thick walls of the slit. That grip encouraged further spurts of precum from the dragon, heavier than before.

A loud, wet squelch and a soft pop heralded the payoff from the human's hard work. The widest part of the bulge had popped free, and the remaining half-foot of the bulge—the rest of the dragon's cock—slithered out after it without resistance. The human let go of the slit, which sprang taut around the cock with a wet splat—perfectly sealing itself around the base of the now-free shaft.

Recalling what he was told earlier, Edwin brought his arms around both sides of the cock to embrace the knot. He squeezed its almost-unyielding form and laid a heap of quick, sloppy kisses against its throbbing girth. Each kiss was met with a powerful twitch of approval.

The compliments seemed to have rubbed off on Edwin, as he was eager to share some of his own. His face was nuzzled against the slick shaft as he spoke: “W-wow," “You're so big," “You smell incredible," “You're so hot." The dragon starred at and listened to the display with lustful hunger. Not only did the human feel incredible—he sounded incredible. True, utter worship—not only directed at him—but also the very symbol of his frothing, leaking desires.

The dragon's entire body trembled. His tail struck the ground with lethal force. His jaw hung open with salvia dribbling out in thin streams. His crystals glowed and resonated with sound. His cock jumped as he subconsciously bucked his hips—pulling the human with it and causing his face to plant against it with a moist plop.

The dragon couldn't pace any longer.

“Good—no, wonderful boy. Tongue—work it up. Slowly. To the tip. Praise me—as you do it. Don't stop." The typical calm and collected elegance of the dragon's words had escaped him; the overwhelming sensations reduced him to speaking in short, broken sentences.

“Yes… of course!" Every sentence was broken by a huff or a pant as Edwin complied. He brought his tongue to the shaft's underside with a moan before slowly lapping up to the top. His tongue scooped up all the precum coating the dragon's cock as it glided gracefully along the slimy object of his desire. The display concluded with an exaggerated smooch on the cock, and a compliment: “You taste incredible…" He turned to gaze his sparkling blue eyes at the beast's passionate garnet eyes as he spoke. Those fiery eyes had remained trained on the human the entire time, and they burned with an intense longing.

“More, please." The dragon's words oozed out in a strained growl.

Another rolling lick. The human's saliva mixed with the dragon's precum. Another eager peck on the top of his cock. Another compliment: “Your crystals—the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

“Yes… please keep going." A thick spurt of pre echoed throughout the room.

The human moved further up the shaft. His licks and smooches were on autopilot. He had turned his mind to thinking about all the beautiful features of this glorious creature. “Even your eyes! Not a crystal, but so big and bright and beautiful. As beautiful as the rest of you!"

“So precious. Don't stop." Another fit of thrusting at the air as the dragon grinded his cock against the human's body.

In response to the thrusting, the human returned his arms around cock to hug as much as he could. It was too big for his fingers to meet on the other side, but he squeezed his arms as tightly as he could to give something for the dragon to thrust against. “You're incredible! You—your crystals! They deserve to glow—to shine as bright as they can!"

“I want to feel you rubbing them. Every. Single. Last. One." In time with his thrusts, the dragon jerked his tail up as high as it could reach before slamming it down with an earth-rending tremor.

The human observed a fat splatter of white shoot out of the dragon's cock. His own cock spurted at the mere sight of it. “I want to rub each one—I want to rub myself against each of them! I need to!"

“Say it again, you adorable little morsel! I need to hear you say it again!" The dragon's tongue lolled out of his mouth. He didn't have the focus to keep it in check.

The human had worked his way up to the tip. The scent of sex was even stronger up there, as streams of potent precum dribbled out and stained the floor underneath him. “Your crystals—I need to feel them! They're—no, you're more precious—more beautiful—than anything else in the entire world!"

“Once more! Tell me how much you desire to worship them! To worship me!" The dragon's upper haunch pressed down onto the human, sandwiching his entire form between it and the tremoring cock. Both the haunch and cock were now rapidly twitching with crazed arousal. This was it.

The extra pressure against Edwin's back only spurred him on. The toned haunch forced his head to its side, with his right cheek smooshing into the slick surface of the cock. He swirled his tongue around the tapered head while nuzzling his cheek against it. He pressed in his hands as much as he could to knead at the throbbing flesh. All the while, he watched the dragon's reactions in complete joy: his tongue lay limply against the ground, the churning of his maw as each grunt and groan seeped out of it, and his front legs kicking outwards and flexing in response to each lick.

As he worked, Edwin was racking his mind over what to say. Worship? What did the dragon mean? Still, he needed to say something that truly represented how incredible the creature was. As was his forte, he simply said the first complete thought that came to his head. “You're the most marvellous thing in existence!"

The dragon's favourite word.

As he heard it, his haunch suddenly pressed in hard, completely immobilising Edwin. A guttural, mighty roar boomed throughout the cavern, amplified as the sound bounced from room to room. The dragon's eyes were shut tight as his jaws parted in pure, unbridled pleasure.

Edwin felt a powerful pulse against his right cheek as a slight bulge forced its way up the dragon's cock. The tip spread to unload a fat squirt of potent cum. It splattered just before the beast's outstretched front legs. Though a stronger, larger lump soon followed it, smooshing Edwin's face between the powerful haunch and the quaking cock. A girthy spurt flew through the dragon's legs, striking the ground just in front of the dragon's head. And then there was an even-greater throb; this time accompanied by an aggressive thrust against Edwin's body. A typhoon of cum shot forth, saturating the far wall of the cavern.

Amid the incredible display, there was an intense sound of humming and crackling—like the arcing of electricity—coming from the dragon's back. As if the creature was discharging energy, its crystals radiated a piercing light, showering the entire room in a dazzling, cyan glow.

While the sound and light gradually faded, the dragon's orgasm was seemingly unending. Pump after pump. Thrust after thrust. Litres of thick, potent cum poured forth. And all Edwin could do—as the dragon continued to thrust and grind his cock against his body—was continue to run his tongue around the cocktip and watch on in amazement. A thick column of cum soon coated the path of the dragon's messy orgasm, which hid the faded black ground in bright, dense white. Gentle puffs of steam rose from the contrast in temperature between the hot cum and cold floor. The dragon's roaring transformed into a series of powerful moans—each accompanying another pump from his cock.

As the minutes passed, the power of the shots weakened. They splattered the ground at three feet, then two, then one, and eventually reduced to a cascade of creamy cum oozing out of his cock. The leaking cum created an ever-growing puddle around where Edwin was standing, which pooled around and stuck to his bare feet. Edwin—such as he is—had counted the number of spurts: 52. Either this dragon was incredibly pent up, or Edwin ought to also take up an interest in crystalline biology.

The pressure from the haunch loosened, allowing Edwin to slip free. He wiggled out, but was still eager to show his adoration. The still-leaking cock was level with his head, and so he did the first thing that came to his mind—he licked the tip. Starting just underneath it, he let a messy puddle of cum dribble onto his tongue before sliding it up and over the hole. He backed away to swallow the mess, before bringing his lips back to the tip and kissing it. “Thank you."

The dragon's cock twitched in response, and another small spurt of cum shot into Edwin's mouth. He greedily gulped it down. With another sigh, he gave the tip a further peck before taking as much as he could into his mouth. While softly moaning, he circled his tongue over and around the hole. A slight drizzle from his cock rewarded each lap. A suck—when combined with a lick—granted a gentle spurt of hot cum against the back of his mouth.

The dragon was—without question—spent. Regardless, Edwin continued his tender aftercare while the beast's dick began to withdraw into its slick slit. Edwin followed it all the way there, alternating between smooches on the tip and taking the head into his mouth to give it some wild licks. He was occasionally rewarded with another generous helping of warm cum, but the tap slowly ran dry.

Soon, just the tapered tip was peeking out of the dragon's slit. Edwin braced his hands on the soft hide on both sides of it to continue his smooches as it began to disappear from view. A final, passionate kiss on the inch remaining rewarded him with a small dollop of cum on his tongue. As it slipped in entirely with a squelch, the slit walls pressed back together as if drawing a curtain on the performance.

Until Edwin—still a bit too eager—grasped both sides and spread the slit once more. He leaned in to give it one last volley of smooches, letting go of the slit walls. They clamped down around his neck and, while throbbing in time with the dragon's heartbeat, sealed his head inside the sauna-like depths as he worked.

Edwin spent a minute with his head stuck in the dragon's slit, using the time to shower his retreating dick with last-minute affections. With one final lap and an almost inaudible, “Thank you," he pulled his now-drenched head out of the saturated insides with a wet squelch. As Edwin squeezed free, the vent walls snapped shut again with a messy splat, causing a spray of precum and drool to splatter on his smiling face. As a last farewell, he planted a trail of affectionate, sloppy kisses along the length of the glistening, still-quivering slit.

Edwin turned around to stare at the dragon. With the time granted by Edwin's extra devotion, he was able to recover from the mind-wracking orgasm. With his wits intact, his maw had returned to a smug beam—pretending that he hadn't almost lost his mind to his ravenous lust.

As he shifted into a more comfortable position, a talon from one of his front legs splattered into the trail of cum he had left behind. He jerked it away and stared at the white, sloppy mess clinging to it with a look of irritation. But in mere seconds, his smug façade returned as he tilted his head to look at Edwin. The dragon beckoned him closer, using a talon from his other leg and a single command:

“Clean."

Edwin hurried towards him without hesitation. The sharp talon—and the cum covering it—glistened blue from the crystalline light as the dragon held it out for him, level with his mouth. As he braced his hands against the talon, the dragon curled the pointed tip away slightly to avoid accidentally harming him. Instead, he presented the human with a smooth side for him to lavish his affection on.

Hearing the sloppy sounds from the human lapping away at his cum-covered talon, the dragon repeated his new favourite phrase: “Good boy." A responsive moan vibrated his talon.

The dragon brought his free hand to rub the precious human's head. First rustling his hair and then gently scrunching at his scalp. A very precarious head scratch, though the dragon knew just the right amount of force needed to make Edwin tremble.

“And to think I was this close to eating you…"

Edwin spun his head to stare into the dragon's still-trained eyes, gulping down the cream on his tongue. “Were you really?" he asked with genuine curiosity. He was never that good at catching humour and sarcasm.

In response, the dragon stopped scratching and pinched the sides of Edwin's face with two talons. With skilled gentleness, he tilted the human's head back to face his cum-covered talon. Once Edwin resumed his licks, the dragon let go and resumed his pats.

“Who knows…"

It wasn't long before the talon was cleaned to the base. A satisfied smile from the dragon, who ceased his head scratches, only to replace them with tracing his claws down the human's naked back—done with just enough pressure to cause a fit of shudders from Edwin.

“What do you say…?" the dragon asked.

“Thank you…"

“That's right! That's an extra big pat for my good boy…"

Before the dragon could return his claws to the human's scalp, he heard a subtle splat against the cave floor, accompanied by a tremble from Edwin. He knew what the sound was right away, but he flinched at the fact that he failed to acknowledge the human's own lust before now. The human had more than earned an explosive release after all his efforts, and the dragon was more than happy to assist with that.

“Wonderful job. Do you know what shining topazes like you get?"

Still staring at the now-gleaming talon, Edwin shook his head.

“Get on your back, and I'll show you."

Edwin complied. He shivered as his back contacted the cold stone. However, it was clear that the dragon already had something planned as he continued to direct Edwin. “Arch your legs. Spread them nice and wide now."

Edwin could hear the dragon shuffling around outside of his vision, but he was distracted by the instructions. He was staring down at his legs as if concerned he wouldn't get the position right otherwise. His feet remained flat on the ground, while his knees had pointed up as high as they could. Edwin then spread his thighs apart, leaving a large gap between his legs—a gap that was large enough to allow a dragon's snout to squeeze between. And at the base of that gap was his erect cock, resting on his belly and dribbling from its tip.

With Edwin in position, the dragon brought his head down towards the human's shaking legs, resting his snout against his inner thigh. From Edwin's view, the empty space between his legs had been replaced with a stony draconic visage with lines of aquamarine growing off from it. Its orange eyes were more piercing than ever as they seemed to size up the human, who was now prone and even more vulnerable. They darted from his face, to his chest, and then to his waist. As they took in Edwin's manhood, the dragon made a show of wetting his lips with a quick series of laps from his tongue.

The dragon's self-satisfied voice oozed forth once more, as he said, “Oh, my. Look at how pent up you are." His maw twisted into a mischievous smirk as he weighed up his following words carefully. “But you've been holding it in, just for me. Such a good boy."

At those endearing words, Edwin's cock jumped and squirted precum onto his belly. Even the dragon's fiery eyes widened at the reaction as he said, “I knew my words had some sway, but this is truly something else…"

The dragon advanced his head forward between Edwin's quivering thighs. The crystals and scales brushing against his skin caused him to gasp, but it was the dragon's look of voracious passion that affected him most of all. In response to the crystalline creature's overwhelming gaze, Edwin brought his trembling hands to his face as if to hide himself from view.

The dragon had no qualms with that. After all, he merely needed the human to hear and feel him. He rested his maw—now peeking open just slightly—on Edwin's cock. And exhaled. A long, drawn-out huff of moist air from the dragon's heated insides washed over the human's dick, which twitched at the incredible sensation. As he brought his breath to a close, the dragon said something even more impactful: “You're perfect."

Edwin thought his heart had stopped. He couldn't breathe. All he could do was buck his hips in response—brushing his cock against the moist lips of the beast—and spurting out a massive glop of precum.

His reaction only made the dragon more tenacious. “Absolutely perfect. A treasure. My treasure… Prettier than any gemstone in here."

A rolling moan echoed through the room; each word that parted the dragon's lips caused Edwin's throbbing cock to bounce and dribble another string of cum. Though the wafting musk from the dragon's still-steaming load coating the nearby floor was also partly to blame for Edwin's reactions.

The dragon lifted his head out from between Edwin's thighs, only to return it next to his head; his wet lips resting against Edwin's ear. The dragon spoke with an eye still trained on the human's needy cock. His voice was soft and slow, but that could do nothing to limit the underlying power of a crystalline dragon's words. He spoke a whisper of praise to his new favourite human: “Gooooooood boy…"

Edwin gave a wild groan as a fat shot of cum, larger than any before, struck his chest. The dragon watched in delight; he had never experienced such a combined feeling of lust, power, and smugness before. However, the human was at his physical and mental limit. He did his best to form words, saying, “P-please… I can't… too much…"

“Relax. You've earned this. Close your eyes."

There was no need for Edwin to close his eyes, as the hands he had planted on his face were already doing an excellent job of blocking his vision for him. He couldn't see the dragon return his head between his thighs, or him opening his jaws, or his long, drool-covered tongue slithering out. He could, however, feel that wet tongue splat against his butt, slide over his taint, squeeze between his thighs, roll over his nuts, and then drench his cock.

A frantic moan escaped Edwin as his entire body trembled. In seconds, his lower body was covered in a thick layer of heated dragon drool. Despite its size, the muscle was flexible. But the tongue's most significant feature was its strength; it returned to his ass to repeat the process, but now with more force. This time, the sluggishly slow, single lick pressed between Edwin's cheeks, massaged its way along his taint, juggled his sensitive sack, sandwiched his cock against his toned stomach muscles. The tongue ended the lap by rolling off the tip of his dick and flicking forward, sending a stream of saliva to splatter on the small human's straining chest and shy face.

The dragon treated Edwin to a few more long slurps along his lower body, while Edwin treated him to a few more frenzied huffs and groans in response. The heat from the saliva coating his lower half seemed to have worked its way through the rest of him; his face was flushed, and lines of sweat were trailing down his head. Though, that could have also resulted from the all-permeating scent of musk that filled the room. Before long, Edwin's had coated his upper stomach in thick, white ropes of precum.

The dragon moved in for the kill. After finishing a particularly forceful lick up Edwin's lower body, its tongue remained on Edwin's dick. Pinning it, but otherwise remaining still. Edwin, confused, finally moved his hands away and craned up his head to watch. The dragon—expecting this reaction—met Edwin's eyes with a hungry gaze. As soon as his piercing orange eyes met the pure blue of Edwin's, he licked. A powerful lick along the length of Edwin's member, drenching it in drool from the base to the tip. And without pause, he repeated the lick. The dragon's tongue mashed against Edwin's dick, which was now grinding between it and Edwin's own stomach muscles.

Edwin could only mutter broken moans. The dragon never broke his stare. He wanted to catch every single reaction from this marvellous human. Soon, Edwin began to thrust his hips up, grinding his cock against the beast's tongue and eventually matching the rhythm of his laps. Thick puffs of steam seeped out of the dragon's parted maw as he huffed humid heat against the human's lower body. Another thick burst of cum from his cock signalled to the dragon that Edwin was at his limit.

Drool leaked from the edges of the dragon's maw—splatting against Edwin's thighs—as he spoke. “Do you know what would make you a good boy?"

“W-what?"

“No, not just a good boy—utterly perfect…"

“P-please! Tell me!" Edwin was shouting now. His entire body was on fire. His groan was burning as he braced his hands on the ground, using them as support for his rabid thrusts against the dragon's blissful tongue.

“If you finished for me. Right. Now." One of the dragon's orange garnets vanished for a moment before reappearing—a sly, smug wink. “Cum."

And just like that, Edwin arched his back, causing his butt to leave the ground. His cock glided against the loving embrace of the dragon's tongue one last time before erupting. Shot after shot of cum spurted forth. The large glops struck against his stomach, chest, and face, each with an audible splatter.

The dragon watched on in genuine astonishment—not merely from observing how large a load such a small creature was hiding—but also from the self-satisfied surprise that his command had that effect. “Good boy! Wonderful boy!" he growled, egging Edwin on.

Edwin roared as he felt his body go numb. All he could think of doing was continuing to thrust forward. His mind was swimming in pure, uninhibited ecstasy. There was a buzzing in his ears from the dragon's resonating crystals, which had begun to chime in response to the arousing show the human was putting on for him.

Edwin had already saturated his chest with cum, and yet he showed no signs of stopping. And the dragon only sought to encourage as much out of him as he could, saying, “Such a good, good boy. Let it all out. You've worked so hard for this. You deserve every second." The beast's words caused a particularly heavy spurt of cum to splat on Edwin's forehead as his entire body twitched and quaked in response.

After a minute of licking, thrusting, and deep groans, Edwin was finally spent. As the last few squirts dribbled out of his still-erect cock, his strength waned, and his back and legs collapsed flat against the earth. He could barely open his eyes as he lay there panting, wracked by the incredible orgasm and all the events that preceded it.

The dragon, however, continued with his tease. “A good mess for a good boy…" He was having as much fun as the human just by watching and listening to his reactions to each of his words.

Edwin could only reply with a weak moan and an attempt to lift his exhausted head.

“Now, now. No need to get up. But what do you say in response to a compliment?" the dragon asked, with his tongue still poking out of the tip of his snout.

“T-thank… you…"

The dragon shuddered at hearing those words. Even though he was spent, that didn't stop them from sounding divine.

“Stay still, Edwin. It's my turn to clean you."

Edwin couldn't find the energy to lift his head to look. Similar to earlier, the dragon rolled his tongue from the human's butt up to his dick. But this time, he continued sliding it up the human's body—along his stomach, up his chest, and then over his face. Replacing the cum with his saliva. The tongue pressed into the human's soft flesh to collect as much of it as he could. With a sigh, the dragon scooped up the last, thick glob on the human's forehead and straightened his tongue with a wet flick off of the human. He held his tongue out—exhibiting Edwin's messy 'hard work'—before bringing his head to Edwin's side.

The human felt the hum of the crystals against his head and turned to look at the dragon. As their eyes met, the fiery orange captivated him once more. He watched his new friend slowly withdraw his cum-covered tongue into his maw. He listened to him smack it inside his mouth as if tasting the human's flavour. And then he heard a fat, wet gulp as the dragon swallowed. After finishing his display, the beast gave another wink, which was met with a warm smile from Edwin.

“You're delicious, Edwin," the dragon said, bringing his head above that of the human's. With a soft chuckle, he added, “I guess I ended up eating you after all…"

Despite his gentleness, the dragon's size was still intimidating, especially as it peered down at the prone human. His head eclipsed everything else in the room as Edwin stared at him in silence. While they both had soft smiles, the dragon's fierce eyes remained as unyielding as ever. It was as if he was admiring the human with greed—a new, beautiful gemstone shining brighter than the rest of his hoard.

On the other hand, the human was simply staring at his new friend—a fellow crystal enthusiast. Still brimming with fatigue, Edwin gingerly raised his arms to reach up to reach the dragon's crystal-covered snout. As his hands made contact with the rough mix of stone and scale, he began to rub. The dragon didn't break his stare, but the gentle rumble from his throat suggested he appreciated the show of affection and wanted to return the same.

After a few minutes of enjoying his tender snout strokes, the dragon lifted his head and signalled towards the haul of gems that had earlier tumbled out of Edwin's satchel. “Good boys like you deserve a present to take home. Take your pick."

As usual, Edwin said the first thing that came to his head: “C-can… can I pick you?"

The question caused a hearty laugh from the dragon. Once the echo died down, he answered: “No."

“Oh," said Edwin. Fair enough, he thought, as the logistics of the arrangement would be complicated. “Then could I have the blue diamond instead?"

The dragon reached out to grasp the rocky shell encasing the precious gem, be placing it gently on Edwin's still-soaked chest—a clear yes. The human's eyes sparkled as he beamed up at his new friend and said, “Thank you, uh…" Edwin's voice trailed off as he froze, suddenly feeling awkward. He realised he had not asked the dragon his name this entire time.

“Marcellus," the dragon said, having picked up on his new friend's shyness.

“Thank you, Marcellus! So much!"

A rush of endorphins flowed through the crystal dragon. His smile widened. Being nice felt good.

---

In a different, clean room of the cavern system, Edwin sat against his crystal friend's chest. Marcellus lounged on his stomach behind him, with his head hanging over the top of the human, watching him spin the blue diamond in his hands. Edwin was enthralled as he fiddled with the various knobs on his goggles to take in each angle of the shimmering gem. Marcellus had no clue what the device did, but it was very heart-warming for him to observe a human with such a genuine interest in the science of geology.

Marcellus stroked a pair of talons through Edwin's hair as he asked, “Do you have any plans this evening, Edwin?"

“Well, I was going to visit some more caves and—"

No, no, no, Marcellus thought. This human was a prize that he did not want to see leave any time soon. He interrupted and said, “A better suggestion: you stay here and look at all the crystals you want. Tell me about them."

Marcellus's suggestion was not entirely founded on pure intentions. While he did genuinely enjoy the prospect of the human's companionship, his earlier cleaning—and the subsequent 'worship'—had been stewing in his thoughts. The human had only cleaned the crystals on his upper back, after all, and he would almost certainly be jumping with joy at any request to clean more.

The realisation had also dawned on Marcellus that he could have the human 'clean' whatever he wanted. Crystal or not. His mind raced through all the exciting possibilities. His tail quivered in eagerness; he'd never had someone rub the entire length of its underside before. He stopped his pats to turn his front leg around to admire his razor-sharp talons and padded feet; it would feel nice to have something warm resting against them for once instead of the cold stone of the cavern. Even his belly grumbled; the thought of soft, malleable fingers running and rubbing along the length of the thick hide of his underbelly was also incredibly appealing.

“What a marvellous specimen…"

The dragon's daydream was broken by a comment Edwin made to himself. He looked down to see the human lift his goggles and hold the twinkling gemstone high into the air.

A mischievous idea surged through Marcellus's mind.

“Be a good boy, and I might let you take home another gemstone."

A huff of excitement from below. Edwin said, “O-oh, thank you! That would be incredible!" as he twisted his body to look directly up to his new friend's face. Their eyes met as Edwin asked, “H-how do I keep being a good boy?"

Marcellus took in his expression. Sparkling blue eyes, wide and hopeful. Mouth hanging open in a vast, eager grin.

A look of pure devotion.

Just from the sight, the crystal dragon's mind wandered again. This time, beyond the thought of mere cleaning. What he wouldn't do to see that adorable human making that face while kneeling in front of his cock, as it spurted shot after shot over his entire form. To see that perfect little face plastered in his hot cum, trickling down his body and dripping onto the floor in thick globs. To see the human happily lapping up whatever cream he could reach with his tongue—sticking his tongue out—showing a fat splatter of cum on top of it—swallowing it—and then smiling and saying, “Thank you!"

While lost in those gluttonous thoughts, Marcellus's body had already started to respond to his most base desires. His tongue sneaked out of his maw. His tail battered the cavern floor with gusto. His crystals glowed brighter and reverberated with sound. A breath was cut short as he ground his teeth. His rear haunches trembled. But most telling of all was between those haunches, where the crystal dragon's cock had already begun to spread his slit open. A fat glob of cum splatted on the floor, followed by a stream of ropy, white cream. Constant and unbreaking.

He broke his lusty gaze from the human and took a series of deep breaths. No, he thought. He needed to pace himself. This human was a treasure to be savoured.

“I-is something wrong?" Edwin called out with concern.

“No, no. I was just… thinking…" Indeed, he was. Thinking about what he would have the human do next. There were a lot of places he would love to have thoroughly cleaned. While he could get to them all in due course, what should the first one be? The contenders: crystals, back, tail, talons, feet, belly. Was he missing something?

While deep in thought, he suddenly realised that his tail had lifted, as if it was trying to tell him something. Under his tail? What lay between the crease of his gut and his tail, between his beefy haunches…?

Oh my, he thought. It had completely slipped his mind. He hadn't had someone's face in there for a long time. A sly, knowing grin returned to his maw. Perfect.

But he couldn't rush. Pace—he still needed to pace himself.

“I will explain in due course," said Marcellus, as he resumed his tender head rubs, “but first, some more pats for you, Edwin. For my good boy."