Amazon Apocalypse shorts: Ben the Dragon (3/3) (Patreon)

Those early months were tough as they found their feet. One of the most lucrative businesses Ben and his people discovered was ferrying goods from small settlements to Crownhill and the reverse. Only the largest cities were connected directly through the Obelisk network, and making that leg of the journey between a small fishing or farming village back to the beating heart of civilization was very profitable.

Usually, it was people from the Adventuring Guild who made the trip. While Ben had no desire to compete with that powerhouse of an organization, he discovered they were more focused on distributing basic aid and essentials. That left a large hole in the market for valuable products like weapons and home appliances, both of which Crownhill had to offer in large quantities.

Ben and his guild had discovered that most civilizations were hardly better than a medieval level of technology and couldn't even conceive of the old-world gadgets for sale in Crownhill. While the probability that they could replicate the creation of such devices was next to nothing, with the right advertising plan they could understand the utility of these devices.

Bit by bit, Ben's draconic influence grew.

He even stumbled across several others of his kind. The skies over this shard had been filled with dragons, though that was by design. All of the heroes of the early integration had gotten a second chance at life in a body like this one, though not all had been as lucky to get a bloodline as strong as the Torchdragon's for their vessel.

Ben's egg had been further along than most, so he'd been first to hatch and was generally ahead of the pack. Most of the others were drakes still and either completely or mostly mindless. As he ventured further from his territory, he stumbled across a female wind dragon. Her silver scales were beautiful as she danced through the sky with nimble grace his element would never allow.

She lacked a voice and could do little more than swirl, twirl, and growl for him. If there was such a thing as a dragon language, it wasn't innate and neither of them knew it. She hadn't progressed as far along the Humanoid Transformation Technique as he had, so they couldn't converse with one another. He suspected she was his former secretary though, so Ben warned her of what he knew of the goings-on across the shard.

They parted ways, but it was a sign of things to come. The resurrected were back and were rapidly growing into their new power. Had they been given human bodies, it would have been a slow and grueling process, especially with the death curse afflicting them.

But thanks to their dragon bodies becoming powerful was as natural as breathing. That was quite a literal comparison, as those spirit roots would give him levels on their own if he just gave them time to work. And they'd work even faster as they hunted prey.

More months passed and there was little news from Crownhill. Ben realized Carter was absent after there were no sightings of him at all. Some believed the local Emperor had finally fallen into the clutches of his harem and been unable to escape his bedchambers, but Ben suspected there was more to it than that.

It was a shame Carter was absent, as he would have been the easiest person to approach as a dragon. He was the one who put them all in this body, and also the one with the clearest memory of the Humanoid Transformation Technique. While Ben had made progress with what he could remember, he doubted he'd be able to use the full technique before meeting with Carter again.

The Rising Dragons guild continued to grow. And eventually it finally caught the attention of someone important.

"Sir... our guild has finally caught the attention of Crownhill's council. They want to meet with our guild leader concerning several regulatory violations," Rebecca reported nervously. Months had passed, and she and her friends had cleaned up a lot as the guild grew around them. They were twice their former levels and many times wealthier. They looked the part too, and Rebecca had traded in worn out jeans for fine handmade silks from another world. Off-world luxuries were becoming increasingly affordable, given the gold surplus building in Crownhill.

Contrary to his subordinate's fears, Ben was pleased by this news.

"Good. Let them come," Ben said. He had a pretty good idea of who they'd send.

***

Ben battled the bureaucrats of Crownhill in the domain he knew best. Paperwork.

The new government hadn't sprung out of nowhere. Thanks to being disconnected from the rest of the United States because of the integration, anything on the state and federal level had been reimagined. But the local town charter was still valid, and many of the local town's bureaucrats were back at work doing exactly what they'd been up to before the integration. More than once, Ben spotted familiar names stamped across the top of official government documents.

"They've gotten sloppy..." Ben chuckled to himself. Dealing with medieval villagers and their primitive petitions had gotten them used to simpler means of dealing with problematic people and guilds.

Ben didn't mind though. Most other people would have gotten frustrated and given up long ago, but he was patient and willing to keep submitting forms until he got his way.

Once, he'd wanted to build an accessory dwelling unit on his house with Margaret for her parents. Getting all the permits and approvals took him eight years, by which time her parents had already passed. In the end though, he pulled it off, despite everyone saying getting city approval would be impossible.

A strongly worded letter with an official seal didn't intimidate a lawyer of Ben's caliber. A few fees paid here and there, the right connections here, and suddenly the ongoing inquiries into his guild were stopped in their tracks. It was only a temporary delay, but Ben knew he'd only get one chance at a second first impression, and he needed everything to go perfectly.

The Rising Dragons Guild headquarters was built near his volcano in the hollowed-out remains of their first mine. Thanks to the hard work of nearly a hundred skilled craftsmen, along with expensive machine rentals from Crownhill, Ben had carved out a dragon-sized lair for himself.

Most of the lair was his guild's headquarters, manufacturing, and training facilities. The geothermal power they could harvest from the volcano was more than enough to run any electronics or power tools their guild needed.

And at the back of the guild complex he'd built his office, though really it was more of a dragon's lair. But anyone who worked for the guild knew to simply call it his office.

Two pools of molten lava illuminated the chamber, giving everything a dim orange glow. There was an open area that felt like an arena. It faced the biggest desk any of the crafters had ever seen, since it was made to full-size dragon proportions. It was big for Ben as it was, but he was certain he'd grow into it.

He just barely managed to finish cleaning up when all his paperwork delaying the inevitable fell apart. Someone had cut through the mountain of legalese and bullshit, and Ben knew exactly who it was. She'd be coming to settle accounts any day now.

"One of the councilors from Crownhill is on her way! This is bad," said Rebecca nervously.

"A woman. Brunette?" Ben asked eagerly.

"Uh... I think so. She's on the Crownhill council, which means she's really high up. We can't afford to mess with her," Rebecca said.

Ben chuckled in excitement. "Don't worry. Take her straight to my office."

So the guild opened its doors to the stranger from Crownhill. Some of Ben's new guildmembers had gotten their hands on security cameras from Crownhill, which were wired to the building. The harder task had been building a computer that could hold up in his office, along with a giant mouse and keyboard that could be used by someone with claws the size of dinner plates.

It was this sort of thing that made Ben realize it would have been much easier to set up a guild if he'd waited until he had a human form. That was probably Carter's original intention when Carter gave him this body. But time waits for no man or dragon, and until Carter appeared to assist with the rest of the Humanoid Transformation Technique, Ben would do the best he could with what he had.

If anyone else in the Arcadia Multiverse arrived here and now to see a Torchdragon sitting behind a desk with a pile of paperwork and a computer, they'd be quite flabbergasted.

Ordinarily, dragons were terrifying creatures of destruction. They were beasts more powerful than normal monsters with abilities that scaled all the way to A-Grade. They were supposed to burn kingdoms to the ground and bring ruin to their surroundings. Building guilds and filing paperwork should have been something entirely alien to them.

But soon enough the Arcadia Multiverse would come to learn that Crownhill and its surroundings were home to a very different kind of dragon. Ben was just the start.

Eventually, the woman Ben had been waiting for opened the door to his office and looked around. Ben leaned back in his chair a moment to give her the chance to take in the decor he'd worked so hard on. It also gave him a moment to steady the rapid beating of his heart.

The dragon part of him roared in rebellious pride. How could a dragon be so afraid of a human woman?

The human part of him silenced the dragon. This was no ordinary woman. This was Margaret.

"Welcome to the Rising Dragons guild, Margaret," Ben said.

Margaret stared Ben up and down with fierce eyes. He remembered that look from when they'd first met. The two of them had been new lawyers on opposite sides of some minor business arbitration that was only memorable because of her.

"When your guild correspondents said their leader was a dragon among men, I expected them to be speaking figuratively," Margaret said.

"An understandable mistake. My existence sometimes causes a bit of chaos outside of our guild headquarters, so I try not to be too overt."

"No village burning or ransomed princesses in your personal history?" Margaret raised an eyebrow.

"There are many harmful stereotypes out there. Please, take a seat," Ben gestured to a lifeguard chair across from him. It was the only thing Ben's people could find that was tall enough to meet him eye to eye.

He snapped his fingers and the magma on either side of his office stirred, illuminating the area.

"Very supervillain-esque," Margaret said.

Ben smiled, though he did his best not to show too many teeth.

Margaret hopped to the top of the chair in one fluid motion, then pulled a folder out of her sleeve. Pocket spaces that could literally fit into a pocket were quite expensive, from what Ben had heard. Margaret must have been doing reasonably well for herself, then. She was always one for charity and volunteer work, and Ben feared that without him to provide for her, she'd be living in some dingy second-rate apartment on the rough side of town.

The two of them stared one another down and began a familiar game. She would begin by listing some of Ben's many transgressions, but Ben had prepared arguments and evidence against everything she could bring against him, even the stuff he was only being notified of now. The only difference was that this time Margaret was both judge and opposing lawyer.

"I'm given to understand you've violated no less than a dozen labor laws in Crownhill. What's this I've heard about your 168 hour shift?" Margaret asked.

"One continuous shift lasting a week. I assure you there's nothing untoward about such a shift. Anyone who takes such a job is at least D-Grade. I know you've likely spoken to some of the soldiers of the Emperor's Imperial Army in Crownhill. From what I've heard, B-Grades might take a guard shift that lasts years. A week long shift is nothing unusual." Ben waved a claw.

"The pre-integration labor laws were never dismissed," Margaret argued. She met Ben's gaze evenly. His dragon body didn't scare her in the least.

"Then even the city guard and imperial army are in violation of Crownhill's laws."

Eventually, Margaret wrote something down, though she said nothing more on the topic.

This continued for a long while, which was all by design. Ben had planned everything from the heat in the room to the intensity of their argument. Just as he hoped Margaret was starting to get worked up, he reined things in.

"It's just about lunch time now, Councilor Margaret. I took the liberty of having my guild's chefs prepare lunch," Ben said.

The doors opened and a dozen chefs streamed in. Not the ordinary kind of chef either, but the kind who actually had the System job and could make food that provided beneficial status effects.

"Smoked salmon blinis for the appetizer, followed by scallops with truffle risotto for lunch." Ben gestured and two dishes were revealed. One was human sized, the other was dragon-sized.

Margaret eyed the smoked salmon blinis, which looked like little bits of raw fish with cream cheese on freshly cooked pancakes. Ben knew from years of married life that they were one of Margaret's favorite appetizers. And scallops with truffle risotto was one of her favorite lunches.

"Are these really salmon?" Margaret asked as she inspected the dish.

"Unfortunately not. It's some small red creature living in that inland sea to the west of here. But my chefs assure me the taste is as authentic as they could get it," Ben explained.

The meal wasn't complete until Ben also revealed Margaret's favorite wine, and he lit her favorite scented candles while he was at it.

They ate in silence for a bit before Ben had his chefs bring in dessert, which was another of Margaret's favorites: a chocolate lava cake.

As a human, Ben had found the dish too sweet and decadent for his tastes, but Margaret loved them. Now that he was a torchdragon, he could suddenly see the appeal. Who wouldn't want to dig into a nice chunk of chocolate-flavored lava? It was admittedly more chocolate-flavored than lava-flavored, but some allowances had to be made for human taste buds.

Bit by bit, Ben slowly shifted things from a government interrogation into something more resembling a dinner date.

"What of you, Margaret? I already told you there aren't any dragons I'm courting. Are you seeing any human men?" Ben asked.

Margaret held a hand over her lips. "Why do I get the sense that if I said yes, that man would have an angry dragon to look out for?"

"Are you?" Ben asked. He tried to stay casual, but he doubted he was succeeding at it.

"No, I'm not seeing anyone. I'm still mourning the death of my late husband. I'm no longer wearing all black, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to replace him," Margaret said.

"I see. How... noble." Ben leaned back in his chair and suddenly felt a large part of the tension that had been plaguing him ever since he awoke to his last life's memories fading away.

Eventually, lunch ended and the two of them had to return to verbal sparring, though there was a more friendly and casual undertone to it now.

"Well, I think I've gotten most of what I need. I'll be back in a few days for some follow-up information," Margaret said as she stood to leave.

Ben watched her go and forced himself to remain calm all the while. When she finally left, he jumped out of his chair and darted in frantic excited circles as he chased his own tail like a giant puppy. That reunion had gone better than he could have hoped! Now all that was left was to plan their next date.

***

Ben stretched out his guild's legal troubles from days to months. Each week Margaret would come by to speak with him, and he'd give her just enough that she'd have to return the week after.

Meanwhile, he'd interrupt work with a little pleasure now and again. At first it was just bringing all of her favorite foods out at lunch. They talked about her favorite books, movies, and television shows from before the integration.

"I admit it's odd for a dragon to be so well-versed in human entertainment," Margaret raised an eyebrow at Ben.

"Well, I have a lot of humans working for me. It's important to be able to relate," Ben replied. It was a feeble excuse, but Margaret didn't press him on it.

As the dates continued, some of the excitement in Ben's heart started to turn to nervousness. Things were going far better than he'd ever dared to hope. He'd been flirting with her, and he was pretty sure she was flirting back.

Sometimes after their weekly meeting she would stay a while for board games. The two of them played chess, checkers, and Margaret even suggested him joining her for a weekly dungeons and dragons gathering. They'd have to change locations to include an actual dragon on the tabletop game, but they'd make it work.

But eventually the truth between them had to come out. How was he going to tell her who he was?

He broached the subject cautiously.

"Margaret, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. Something important. You see, I'm not entirely who you think I am," Ben began nervously.

"I know, Ben," Margaret said casually. "I was wondering when you'd finally admit it."

"Come again?" Ben asked in surprise.

"Carter told me right after he stuffed your body in a dragon egg. I knew you were coming back. I visited your volcano a few times and called your name, but you must have still been a drake back then. I decided to wait a bit longer."

Ben blinked. "When did you know I'd returned?"

"As soon as I received a report that there was a dragon named Ben running a guild and overworking his employees. There's a reason I was always the one to schedule hours for us before the integration."

"Oh..." Ben frowned sheepishly.

"The other clue was you bringing out everything I usually ordered when we went out for dinner for lunch each time we came out. And you said the same things about all my favorite books and movies that you did when you were a human."

"I see... this is good."

"I'm glad you're back, Ben. We have a lot of catching up to do. But before that, I'm worried."

"What is it?" Ben turned to her seriously. "If you have enemies, I'll crush them. I haven't yet shown you what this new dragon body of mine can do!"

Margaret stifled a laugh as she cracked open her folder again. "Oh, you'll be showing me what that dragon body of yours can do later. But my worries aren't the kind any dragon can crush. They're about your taxes for the year. You have about a hundred unpaid fines and a whole lot of back taxes."

Ben cursed. Even as a drake, he knew he'd come up against this dreaded enemy sooner or later.

<Note>

Alright, so I think we'll leave Ben and Margaret there for a bit. I'm satisfied with this short, and while there's definitely a lot more to the story, we should see it from Carter's perspective, and I don't want to tell so much of the story here that I feel obliged to skip over stuff in the main novel to avoid rehashing covered ground.

My cover art still hasn't come in yet. I think I'm just going to commission a backup from another faster artist just to be safe so I can still launch book 6 before Christmas, because at this point it's just getting delayed too long.

I'm also going to get started on book 7 again. I might double back and do one or two more shorts, but I fear missing a February-March release if I delay work on book 7 much longer.

I probably won't hit full speed with this book until January. Maybe even later if I end up moving like I'm hoping to, but for now that's the plan.

Next chapter will be Amazon Apocalypse 7, Chapter 23. I'm guessing that will be Friday. We'll probably just do two or three per week until the holidays are over and book 6 is finally out the door and out of mind.