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(Content Warnings: transformation, reality alteration, heavy mental changes)

“Well, her credentials were within acceptable range,” the bank teller explained to her manager, “but her current equity was on the lower end, so I knew you wouldn’t be very comfortable with it, so I fudged the numbers and turned her down.”

Her manager smiled. “Good, good work! You always have to be discerning with these things. Keep it up, and you just might get that raise yet!”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll do my best.”

Leonard Preston, the bank manager, thought he noticed something off about the woman before he turned away, and started back to his office. Not the way she was clearly trying to kiss up to him for a raise or promotion; no, he had nearly all of his employees sycophantically trying to please him for years, and he was just fine with that, it was amusing, if nothing else. No, he was certain, for a moment, that she looked a little shorter than she had this morning. He left the front desk, making his way down to his office, not noticing as the carpet below him turned to solid, gray stone.

The change slowly spread up the walls, their texture becoming rough and uneven as the stone overtook more and more of the building. Leonard himself, had simply started to feel itchy for a moment, and he absently reached one hand over and scratched, the skin flaking off to reveal dull red scales beneath. He showed no reaction to this revelation; indeed, he started to look more comfortable as more skin flaked off bit by bit, uncovering more scales on his arms, even if his sleeves currently hid them.

His nails grew into sharpened talons as his fingers gripped the knob on his office’s door. His suit began to stretch and strain as his increasingly larger frame passed through the door. His office was starting to turn that same gray stone as the rest of the bank, the electric lamps hanging from the walls shifting into ever-burning torches. He groaned, and tugged at the clothes, tearing off his sleeves with surprisingly little effort.

What was he doing in here again? Oh, yes, he needed to finish rerouting a bit of cash that was supposed to go to the 5th Bank’s central branch. The CEOs over there had more than they ever needed already, they wouldn’t miss it if Preston used it to fund his home renovations. He was improving company morale, after all, even if it was just for one person in the company.

He huffed, a cloud of smoke wafting from his mouth. He was having a harder time standing up as his body grew heavier… Come to think of it, he couldn’t even remember why he was bothering to stand at all. He dropped to all fours, his suit ripping to reveal that red scales had completely covered his back and sides, with yellow scutes on his underbelly. Two limbs forced their way out of his shoulders, growing long, thin fingers. A membrane grew between these digits, forming wide, bat-like wings.

His desk, and the papers within, began to turn to gold, splitting and reshaping into coins and jewelry, as the office became larger and larger, a vast chamber in a grand cave network. His pants tore asunder next, his body growing to better fit the cave, doubling in size, then doubling again. A long, thick tail stretched out behind him, and from each segment of his spine, a jagged spike forced its way out of his back. His hair fell out, it and the remains of his suit vanishing into the ether, as the stocks and bonds kept in folders and vaults around him also transmuted to gold, and joined the rest of the hoard under his massive frame.

Finally, that lone speck of humanity in his head began to shift, his jaws elongating, nostrils flaring out, three long horns forcing themselves out the back of his head. His eyes turned a bright yellow, the pupils narrowing, as memories of his former life left him completely. Not that much had changed; he was still in control of immense, stolen wealth, happily exploited others, and had a fine little crew of sycophants eagerly following his every whim.

He looked out of the mouth of his chamber, the door long since faded away, watching a rainbow of tiny, lizard-like kobold running to and fro to organize his treasures, preserve his meats, forge armor to cover his weaknesses, and lay traps for any thieves that would dare approach.

The dragon knew eventually, some foolhardy adventurers would try to slay him, and “save” this poor countryside, but none were nearly strong enough to pose a threat. His reign, and his stolen fortune, would be safe for quite a while.