Jack spat his mouthful of mead all over the counter – 

“WHAT THE FUCK!”

His voice yelled out loud like someone who had just badly stumped their toe. He slammed his bottle down on the counter. The tavern went through another moment of silence as everyone turned to gape at Jack, while one person across the room yelled out: 

“How does it feel to be assaulted by a flaming dragon, friend?” Some others in the room sounded with a mocking, though awkward, even fearful laugh. 

“Shut the fuck up!” Jack snapped back at the person that had commented. In an instant, despite the shock of what had just happened, he in that moment felt angered by the outside comment. “Mind your own fucking business and stop being a bunch of insecure assholes!” At that, the total of three patrons knocked over their chairs as they made a run for the door to escape any possible ensuing trouble, while everyone else gaped like dead fish at Jack before they quickly returned to their own business, or at least they pretended to. 

The telepathic link from the creature had done more than just send a message, it had triggered something in Jacks mind and body. He was suddenly filled with fury and an unprecedented sense of power, and yet at the same time he felt completely in control of the rage. The unfamiliar power, however, had him suspended in trepidation as he turned his glare back to the creature and the girl. 

His lips moved for a while like he wanted to respond, but no words came out as he tried to fathom exactly what he was feeling. Besides the inducement of rage and unknown power, he felt violated, like his person had been penetrated without permission. Had his mind just been raped? Or was that even the issue at all? His emotions and mind were in turmoil. 

Eventually a cold chill ran his flesh. Goosebumps stood tall on the skin of his arms. The skin of his face prickled like a ghost had passed through him and the flames of a nearby hearth turned blue and leaped wildly towards the ceiling. Jack’s mead froze solid while the glass of the mead bottle, no longer in the grip of his hand, cracked open. In seeing that, a few more patrons ran out of the tavern in fear. But then, as the door thudded shut in their absence, Jack became calm. Somehow subdued by an unrecognizable influence, all the things he had been feeling fled from his person while the flames of the hearth simultaneously reduced, returning to their usual orange hue. Everything was still, and finally, Jack found the ability to speak again.  

“…what did you do…?”  

As he finished speaking, the phone in his pocket alerted him of incoming message.