Jake's Long Workout

A little close to the wire, but thanks to Silver Stag, this month's premium story sees Jake Long facing a challenge from an ancient monster to become a bigger and better American Dragon than ever before! Enjoy, and thanks for your support as always.

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A bad day on the job can mean a lot of things, depending on the job. A bad day for an average office worker could mean the copier destroying the much-needed monthly report, or a bad day for a teacher might mean a particularly annoying class of students failing a test. But when Jake Long, the American Dragon, had a bad day, half the Garment District of New York City disappeared because a dark wizard laid a curse on the city before he could stop him.

Two sleepless days, a vast government cover-up, a dressing down from the Dragon Council, and yes, the restoration of the Garment District later, Jake Long finally dragged himself back to his apartment, throwing himself on his bed and groaning loudly. Rolling over, he glanced a bloodshot eye at a row of trophies hanging on his wall, showing some of his biggest triumphs over his thirteen year career as the American Dragon, the protector of all magical creatures in the United States. For most of his life, it had been a point of pride, and that identity had helped him through some of his lowest moments, like his girlfriend Rose moving to Hong Kong, struggling through high school, or flunking out of college. The last two were not entirely his fault, to be fair; serving as New York’s only line of defense against magical threats didn’t leave a lot of time for education.

It was then, looking at his collection of mementos in his otherwise slightly drab, one-bedroom apartment, that Jake realized, at twenty five years, being the American Dragon had left him exhausted. When he also realized that all those great moments were years in the past, it made him start wondering if it wasn’t time for a change in his life. He was only starting his adult life, and already he felt like he was ready to retire.

“Hey, kid,” a familiar voice called out. Jake’s longtime canine companion, Fu Dog, slumped against Jake’s bed. “Rough day?”

Jake scoffed, rolling over as he glared down at Fu. “You’re kidding, right? I just spent two days pulling four city blocks out of the friggin’ shadow realm, the Dragon Council called me ‘a negligent danger to the magical community’ and the head of the FBI now knows me as ‘that stupid punk with the dragon fursuit.’ Yeah, Fu, it’s been a bit of a rough day.”
“Ahh, c’mon, you’ve had worse hits! It’s nothing the Amdrag can’t handle.” Fu said, punching Jake in the arm.

“We agreed we’d never use that name again,” Jake snapped. “I came up with that when I was, like, twelve. Do you know what Trixie’s doing right now? She’s graduating this weekend with a doctorate in oncology- whatever that is. Rose? She’s on a dig in South China for dragon bones. Me? After getting my butt whooped by a Harry Dresden wannabe, chewed out by the council, and put on some government blacklist for probably the rest of the life, I’m getting a two hour nap before I have to go to my shift at All-Mart, because apparently saving the world doesn’t pay the bills.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Look, Fu- I don’t wanna hear about being the American Dragon right now, because I don’t know if I can handle it right now.” With that, Jake turned his back to Fu, and tried to get some sleep.

Several hours after a mind-numbing shift at All-Mart, Jake dragged himself back to his apartment, desperate for some real rest. As he trudged his way in, he spotted Fu in his kitchen, laying out a few brochures on his table.

“Fu? What’s going on?”

The plump canine turned around. “Ah, hey kid! So, don’t get mad, Gramps didn’t send me or anything- but I had an idea for you to get away for a while.”

Jake clicked his tongue, running a hand through his dark hair. “I don’t know, I don’t exactly get enough time off, and-” he picked up one of the brochures with a large volcano on the cover, narrowing his eyes. “Fu, you know I don’t read ancient Greek, right?”

“Oh, yeah- well, it’s Typhon’s Olympian Forge- it’s a gym, for magical creatures for a certain caliber, y’know, like dragons,” Fu explained.

“A gym?” Jake asked flatly. “That’s your big plan? Also isn’t Typhon a little… y’know, twisted? Isn’t he the biggest bad guy in Ancient Greece, like, King of Monsters territory?”

“Oh, well, you know how these things go, one smartass Greek poet starts writing up things, and suddenly you’re turned into the main villain of a whole mythology,” Fu waved it off. “Look, kid, you’re twenty five, but you’re acting like you’re fifty. You need to get out and really see what you can do, again. This is the sort of place where you can really let loose, see what you’re made of.”

Jake clicked his tongue. “I don’t know…”

“Hey, it’s either train with a fiery monster in an active volcano, or go through two double shifts at All-Mart over the weekend.”

The American Dragon groaned. “Alright, what’s the first flight to Athens?”

Jake spent the next few days trekking from New York to Athens, and then island-hopping across the Mediterranean to Sicily until he reached the base of Mt. Etna, a massive, angry looking volcano- and he could still see smoke wafting up from the peaks of the mountain. “Well…” he grumbled. “At least I know he’s still open.”

The climb up the mountain was long and arduous- it was still daytime, and there was a modern day city at the base of Mt. Etna- the last thing he needed was more pictures of his dragon form floating around online. His instincts led him to a narrow cave opening, and his draconic sense of smell sensed roaring flames and brimstone. This was it.

Dipping into the dark, hot, smoky cave, Jake’s eyes began to water, and he quietly turned into his red and yellow-scaled dragon form. His enhanced eyes peered into the gloom, and Jake moved at a careful pace, keeping his eyes peeled for signs of an ambush. Finally, he came to a large cavern that would have been uncomfortably hot for a human, but for a dragon, was far more manageable. He seemed to be alone as he peered into the steamy gloom.

“Hello?” he called, cupping his clawed hands around his mouth. “I saw your, uh, brochure- I’m here for the Olympian Forge Gym?”

“Oh.” A deep, rumbling voice chuckled, bouncing off the walls of the cave. “An applicant, eh?” Jake spun around as two bright, fiery lights lit up the room. The American Dragon balked, however, when he realized they were eyes. A monstrously huge figure moved in the gloom, and with a roar great enough to shake the volcano, summoned up bright pools of magma and huge flames. The fire cast angry red light across the cavern, and Jake was left looking up at a figure that loomed over him, easily twice as tall as his draconic form, bigger than most houses. Typhon’s body was corded with thickly roped muscle shifting under dark green scales, a literal mountain range of muscle bunching up from his massive arms and sprawling shoulders, to a chest big as a cliff. Beneath this mass of finely sculpted muscle, however, was a long, serpentine lower body. Typhon’s face was mostly human, though covered in scales, and he had great, leathery wings jutting out behind his massive back.

“So,” Typhon smirked, looking down at Jake as he crossed his huge arms. “What brings you to me?”

Jake ran a hand over his dark mane. “Honestly, this wasn’t even my idea. No offense, if I’m looking for a pick-me-up and a volcano’s involved, my first choice’d be Hawaii, not here. But, people seem to think my problem is I’m too worn out and not able to do my job as the American Dragon because I’ve lost my confidence, my mojo. I’m twenty five, but I feel like I’m already hitting a mid-life crisis.”

Typhon scoffed. “Your petty mortal concerns will melt away here like snow, American Dragon!” the Greek monster flexed his mighty arms, biceps swelling as the molten rock split and hissed beneath him. “I will forge you into a beast, an unparalleled dragon warrior, but you must do exactly as I say, without question- I forged my children into monsters even the gods feared, and I will do the same for you.”

Jake cleared his throat. “Uh- I mean, I don’t know, I’m not really in it for the whole monster thing- I’m a hero, y’know?”

The giant monster shook his head, chuckling softly to make his overgrown chest bounce. “A hero? Where are your hordes of loyal admirers, then, the statues and art commemorating your deeds? You skulk in the shadows, don’t you? You hide your powers and deeds from the mindless masses. You are a monster- I never said you were evil.”

The dragon deflated after Typhon’s remarks, frowning softly. “Alright, so… what exactly do you think this is, then? What do you even want out of all this?”

“Oh, the process is what I enjoy. Let me forge you, American Dragon- let me make you greater than you were, stronger than you are- and the beast you’ll become is my reward.” Typhon held out his huge hand. “Shall we get to work?”

Jake hesitated, his brow furrowed. Embracing something different and really pushing himself was why he came- but Typhon was a bit intense. Still- what was he going to do otherwise? Just go back to the way they were? He took a deep, bracing breath, puffing up his chest as he gripped Typhon’s hand, gritting his teeth as the monster enveloped his hand, and very nearly crushed it.

“Let’s see what we can make of you, dragon.”

Mt. Etna was entirely Typhon’s domain. With his powers over stone and fire, on top of his god-like strength, the hulking monster could turn the volcanic caverns into anything he pleased- obstacle courses, weight rooms, or olympic stadiums. Jake was pushed to fly higher, run faster, and lift heavier. Typhon was a hard taskmaster, barking orders and summoning fireballs when Jake hesitated.

The dragon ached all over when his monstrous trainer finally called for a break. Jake dragged himself towards Typhon, who was watching him with a distinctly unsympathetic glare.

“Come now, what is this mewling?” Typhon demanded. “This is the warm up! How did you defend a city when you can barely make it through such basic training?”

“You sent a wave of magma at me while I was carrying boulders!” Jake snapped. “You’re insane! I’m getting out of here, I don’t need this!” He thundered, storming out of the cavern.

“Before your meal?” the giant monster asked with a smirk. “I can offer you ambrosia and nectar- the food of the gods!”

The dragon stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder. “The food of the gods, the stuff that’s supposed to make people immortal? You just have that?”

“The gods no longer live on Mt. Olympus, and there is no one to eat it anymore- It won’t make you immortal, but it will give you power. Unless you want to go home with nothing to show for it but sores and bruises?”

Jake narrowed his eyes as he turned back to face Typhon. In his outstretched hand was a jug of a dark, wine-colored liquid. “Have a drink.”

The dragon snatched the jug, looking at Typhon suspiciously. “Why should I trust you with this?”

“Please- if I meant you harm, you would have been dead long ago, Little Serpent,” the scaly behemoth hissed.

Jake sighed and braced himself as he took a deep drink. The taste was rich, but it could have tasted like salt water and he would have drunk it by the gallon for what happened next. The dragon stood ramrod stiff as the nectar sank into his core, and in an instant, his aches melted away. The dragon breathed in deeply, his chest inflating as he huffed out sparks of fire. He didn’t realize that his chest didn’t retreat as he breathed out, or as his tensed limbs didn’t relax entirely, leaving his muscles slightly larger than before. Jake didn’t seem to notice, but Typhon’s fiery eyes glowed brighter as he glanced down at the progress.

“Okay…” Jake grinned. “Alright, that’s really good. I feel great!” He palmed his fist, tensing his arms again. “What’ve you got next, big guy?”

Typhon chuckled. “We’re going to see what you’re really made of, Little Snake.”

Regularly fed nectar and ambrosia, Jake’s energy and strength was higher than it had been in years. Spending day after day laboring under a draconian regimen set up by a massive snake monster was not at all what he thought he wanted, but every treacherous course he flew through, every boulder he smashed with his bare hands, every challenge thrown his way with a cup of nectar as a reward, he felt stronger, more alive- and ready for even bigger challenges.

As time passed by, Jake’s body reacted to the training, and whatever magicks Typhon and the nectar worked into his challenges. The strength he gained manifested itself in his body; first, his back spread out, practically growing with each flap of his wings as it had to hold more and more weight. The rest of his torso followed; his burgeoning lats framed a chest that billowed out like sails, and pushing against his scales were solid, brick-like abs. His limbs came next, arms densely packed with swollen biceps and meaty triceps. His legs were stout, but solid as stone, holding up the rest of him. Every part of him had grown thicker, stronger, and more solid, like he had been hewn from a sort of living stone; even his tail felt like it was more muscular.

A polished slab of obsidian served as a mirror, and Jake was only half aware of how he was filling out more and more of the reflected space, until he wasn’t fitting in it- by width or height. There weren’t any measuring tapes or scales, hardly anything for him to see just how big he had truly gotten, as Typhon kept scaling the equipment up to stay challenging. He couldn’t ignore how big he was getting, even if he didn’t have any proper reference for any specifics. Well, besides Typhon, that is. He was in the middle of an exercise that had him pushing up enough stone to count as a mountain in its own right, his arms tensed, sprawling back like a red valley as it dug into the stone. He thumped his powerful chest with a free hand, taking a bracing breath until he slammed a shoulder the size of a shield into the stone, cracking it as he gave one last shove.

“Very good, Little Snake!” Typhon thundered, grinning toothily as he observed Jake’s progress.

Jake looked up- only to realize he didn’t need to crane his thick bullneck as far as he used to, so he could look Typhon in the eye. Catching his breath, his chest pumped, Jake ran a hand over his mane, his bicep brushing against his cheek. “Well… I think I’m done here. I should… probably get going, you know. While I can still fit on a plane.”

“Oh?” Typhon’s grin grew into a hungry smirk. “We still need to settle your debt.”

“What- debt?” Jake felt his body tense, his wings flaring out. “You said that me getting big was your reward.”

“No.” Typhon slammed his fist against the wall, shaking the cavern. Rocks fell from the ceiling, blocking his only exit. “I said the beast you’d become would be my reward- I want a fight, with a worthy opponent- one I’ve molded myself!”

“You did all this for a fight?” Jake growled. “I’ve been training just for a dust-up?” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Okay, you want to throw down with the American Dragon, fine, Ugly. Give me your best shot!”

Typhon smiled ruefully, his long, serpentine coils shifting as he charged for Jake. The overgrown monster delivered a powerful blow to Jake’s gut, but he may as well have been punching a brick wall- Jake grunted, but digging in his heels, he stood firm. The dragon was titanic, now- and might be able to match Typhon for strength. He grappled the giant monster, arms blooming, earth-shaking legs tensing, back hunched and spreading as he shoved back at Typhon.

Stone cracked and the cavern shook as the two musclebound behemoths wrestled, Jake throwing Typhon down to the ground, and Typhon trying to wrap his serpentine half around the hulking dragon. The ancient monster struggled to wrap himself around Jake- the dragon had grown too big and too strong to constrict, and as Typhon wasted more and more of his energy to smother Jake, the dragon finally overpowered him. His mountain like shoulders shoved against Typhon’s coils, his arms like steel girders wrapping around him as he hefted Typhon up and slammed him into the wall.

“Had enough?” Jake growled, flames teasing at his muzzle, his pumped chest pressing up against his muzzle.

Typhon slumped, groaning as he sank into the molten rock.

“Right,” the dragon smirked. “That’s what I thought.” He lumbered towards the exit and pumped his arm, his smile widening as he saw his bicep inflate. Winding his arm back, he smashed his way through the rock wall. “I gotta get out of here- got a big debut to make in New York. But let me know if you ever want to go again- the Amdrag’s always ready for a challenge!”