The trick when you make a rookie mistake is to make sure as few people as possible know about it which was going to be difficult after losing an entire day to mystical after glow. The creature I was sent after was a burly quadruped with a razor back bone and porcupine quills with the rough form and agility of a large cat. Arguably it was likely to start eating natives and time was of the essence so as soon as I was on my feet I focused entirely on my prey.
It would be a lie to say Beatrice wasn't intruding on my thoughts at random intervals, I could try and blame it on a carnal mage's mesmerism talents but it was probably just the incredible sex.
Truth be told I preferred humanoid targets to these animals; people attracted less attention and made my job easier. Part of protecting our world is making sure that the natives don't become too aware of things that would keep Edgar Allen Poe up at night. Sadly it was night when I recovered my strength and my superiors would be calling for a report, as such I left my phone in the room and carried only the tools of my trade.
Under the desert stars I walked clad in black jeans and t-shirt, carrying my sword; a two-foot blade set into a one-foot oak handle that bore a series of mystic inscriptions and was mounted on the far end with an ancient crystal. As per my training, I let my mind reach into the psychic mass ahead of me to perceive the creature. This technique worked two-fold; allowing me to find the creature and also attract it with my mental reach.
As any honest man will tell you, civilization goes against human nature and while necessary for the coexistence of society it doesn't offer an acceptable release for ones baser desires and I lived for this part of the job. Though not imposing in stature, I am lean, fit, and well practiced in the more barbaric arts of combat.
As I got further away from the lights of the city, I began to feel the creatures pulse like a shadow of my own. I crouch, one hand holding my sword and the other perched lightly over the earth. My muscles are taught and my soul is open to the warrior spark of my ancestry, this is pure spiritual bliss. The first sound from its otherworldly throat quickens the beat of my heart and I see the night glinting gems of its eyes fall on me.
Its reptilian tale sways behind it calling to me and threatening me all at once. The mouth opens again bearing two saber-teeth and a mouth full of needles at the same time that quills around its neck bristle like a lion's mane.
My mind calls to the energies and spells within my sword, bringing them forth for the job at hand. My rage and my strength coil and tighten for the strike, watching the creature advance and then our furies explode.
In a blind flurry of strikes singing of steel and flesh, I tame the creature with arcane-infused force. Bleeding the thing with each stroke, it slows and finally kneels before me. With my sword turned blade down over the creature, I cast the banishment spell that hurls the tired and wounded animal back to its dimension of residence.
"No Rick, it was just a scared cat, a job for animal control. Every thing's fine you'll have my full report in the morning." Richard Stanton was a real pencil pusher and a worry wart but he was also my friend. He was a pain sometimes, like having to report to your mother but he kept me punctual and semi-respectable.
Standing naked in front of the hotel sink, I gently cleaned my sword of critter gore. It was a ritual I engaged in after every hunt, I would shower next and then satiate my ferocious hunger. I glanced up at the mirror and noticed a mark on my neck that hadn't been there before. It resembled an octagon with a circle in the center and was too precise to be anything but manmade.
I had been marked by that whore mage; the little bitch was planning on using me again. I was immediately torn between wanting to cut out her heart and wanting to fuck her brains out...again. The best thing for me to do right now was to put her completely out of my head, which meant replacing her with some other willing girl.
I put down my sword and got in to the shower to cleanse my flesh and my spirit. Meditation would prepare me for what needed to come next which was a spell to disrupt the bond she had tied between us. I should have seen this coming; magic users provide much better batteries for parasites like carnal mages. As soon as she got a taste she was sure to want seconds and with a bond between us she could track me anywhere and worse, manipulate me easier.
After my shower I stepped to the center of my hotel room and kneeled, my eyes closed and I let my magic pour out and wrap around me like a blanket. I then began to shape it, weaving the texture into a barrier that would keep out unwanted energy signatures. The process was longer and more taxing than I had expected which served to remind me that I was still weak from her feeding the night before.