[ WP ] As a dragon of innumerable age you have guarded your gold horde for millennium . Many heroes have come with long speeches on how they will slay you , the great evil , none finish . However this one is odd.He throws a coin on your stash , looks you in the eyes and says `` I have a proposition for you . ''

The dragon took a deep sniff, snorting smoke in the intruder's face. To his credit, the intruder did n't flinch. 
 
 `` Infernal... why come to me in the guise of a human? And what is that odd garb you wear?'' 
 
 The man chuckled, pulling his hands out of the three-piece suit. He kicked an odd ruby out of the way with his patent-leather wingtip. `` I knew you were n't going to be so easily fooled.'' His skin began to fill with red, and two prominent horns slowly pushed through his forehead. His mouth, once pearly white, was now full of yellow fangs. `` Although thank you for confirming what I thought about your... situation.'' 
 
 The dragon's eyes were slits as she squinted down at him. `` Why should I not devour you right now?'' 
 
 `` Whoa, sweetheart, pacem. Let's cool it with the antagonism, OK? I'm not here to fight, clearly. And even if you did devour me, I'd be digested or whatever, I'd reconstitute in the Infernal plane after a century and then I'd be back to try this whole thing over again. So do me a favor, huh, and maybe just listen for a second? Like I said. Proposition. As in,'mutually beneficial.' Capice?'' 
 
 The dragon sneered, snorting smoke into the devil's face once more. The devil rolled his eyes. `` And what do you really think you can offer me?'' 
 
 ``... I thought that was obvious. What every dragon wants... uncounted wealth, a secluded home, yadda yadda yadda... basically all of this,'' he said, gesturing toward the interior of the lair, `` but, y'know, better.'' 
 
 Fire shot from her mouth and nostrils as the dragon's laughter boomed through the cave. `` Fool... why would I need YOU to get that? A quick trek outside and I can get all this and more!'' 
 
 The devil, who had taken out a hand mirror to check his immaculate hairdo ( what with all the fire and smoke going around ), started to laugh, a loud and insincere laugh clearly designed just to rile the dragon up. `` Oh, you. First of all, sugar, it's pretty obvious to anyone with any sort of spatial awareness that you could n't leave this cave if you wanted to. Either you're too big, or it's too small. Six of one, half-dozen of the other, really.'' 
 
 As the dragon stretched, attempting to get to her full height, she realized how right he was. There was a low rumble throughout the cave as her scales scraped across the cave ceiling. 
 
 `` And second, how long do you think its been since you've gone out there? A century? A millennium? More? You've been sleeping in this cave for a long, long time. And, uh, let's just say that the march of progress clearly left you behind. You would not believe the kinds of creations the humans have now. And even without magic! That coin I tossed you, believe it or not, is made primarily of elements even the dwarves had n't really grasped, and they were the KINGS of mining. If you really think a fear aura, a couple of fireballs, and some scales are gon na save you from them? Screw it, maybe I'm wasting my time here. I thought dragons were supposed to be smart.'' 
 
 Externally, the devil was the pinnacle of cool, but internally, he knew this was a dangerous gambit. Sure, he had SAID he'd be fine if the dragon devoured him, but given that he'd never died before, he could n't be absolutely certain, and he really did n't want to try now. 
 
 The dragon's stare pierced him. It burned deep inside of him, bringing out something he thought he had lost when he became a being of otherworldly evil: fear. 
 
 `` You have gained my ear, infernal. What do you and your kind get out of the bargain?'' 
 
 He let out a barely-audible sigh of relief, then it was back to pitchman mode. `` What do we ever get out of the bargain? Souls. You come out, you do your thing, we protect you while doing your thing, and sell salvation to the idiots who run in fear from you. Like I said, a lot's changed out there. Belief in things like dragons and devils is at an all-time low. The Hells have never been so short on soul energy. But together, we can change that. And the beings I represent want that very much.'' He snapped a finger, and a rolled parchment appeared in a puff of smoke. He broke the seal, unrolling it with a flourish, and laying it in front of the dragon. `` So if you do n't mind, we'd really like you to sign here. The contract's even in Draconic, just for you.'' 
 
 It would serve to be his greatest sale yet: kickstarting the old soul business, and claiming the soul of the last dragon on the planet. After all, while the contract was in Draconic, there was no chance she was going to be able to read it all at the tiny font size. He was definitely getting that promotion.
