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I spent the next twenty minutes listening to the girls talk excitedly in the back of my car. Even though I had a passenger seat next to me, all three girls chose to squeeze into the backseat and ignore me. I had truly become their chauffeur for their drunken night of debauchery. Normally, this wouldn’t have bugged me so much. This had always been the way of things. There had even been a time when I’d had eagerly taken them, always imagining one of them striking out and deciding to settle on taking me home. Unfortunately, that never seemed to happen.
When we reached the club, the girls got out at the front, leaving me to find a parking spot on my own. Of course, parking costs money as well. I paid for a couple of hours and then headed to the front of the club. The girls had already made it to the front of the line. Just as I walked up, the bouncer nodded to them and let them in. I tried to walk in with them, but I suddenly felt a hand on my chest. The bouncer was a gorilla of a man. That wasn’t a colloquial statement. He had more than a little gorilla blood, and his face and shoulders were gorilla, through and through.
“Back of the line.” He put a beefy hand up, blocking me.
“Oh, I came with them.” I pointed to the three girls who were still within shouting distance.
Not a single one looked back or seemed to notice me as they entered the club.
“Back of the line,” the bouncer repeated, ignoring my words.
“But…” I started to argue but thought better of it. “Fine.”
Bouncers could be bigger assholes than men. I stepped back in line and waited my turn. There were a few others who had gotten there before me. Most had dressed for the club. There were only guys and mediocre women. I had a feeling the girls hadn’t waited in line much at all before he let them in. The worst part was that I couldn’t just leave. They’d be expecting a ride home with me if they didn’t find one with some guy. If I didn’t stay nearby, nasty rumors would be spreading around school by tomorrow.
It took fifteen minutes to get into the club. I was glad that the line was moving quickly. There was one night I had to wait three hours to get in.
As soon as I was in, the music hit me. The club was dark, with laser lights and strobe lights flashing over the crowd. The bar was at the far side of the club. The dance floor was filled with people, and I could see a staircase to the second floor. I pushed my way through the crowd until I found a table near the stairs. I wasn’t sure if the girls were still downstairs or had moved upstairs. If they were downstairs, they were lost to me in the crowd. If they went up, they’d eventually have to come down. I had been to this club before though, and I knew this was the best vantage point to look for them.
The music was so loud, I had to yell to get a waitress to take my order. When she finally did, I ordered their cheapest beer. It was still expensive for a student like me, but there was no way I’d make it through the night without at least a drink in me. While waiting to see the girls I brought, I looked around. The upstairs was mostly VIP and tables. Most of the people some guys and girls were canoodling each other. Downstairs was dancefloor. As I waited, my hand couldn’t help but unconsciously rub my arm, where I knew the tattoo was.
“Aren’t you going to buy a girl a drink?” A female voice came from across the table.
I looked up in surprise. “Andromeda? What are you doing here?”
Andromeda, the very demoness I made a deal with, was sitting across from me. She no longer had the horns of a demoness. Instead, she looked like a beautiful woman. She wore a tight black dress that accentuated her curvaceous body.
“Didn’t I say we’d talk soon?” She responded, looking out onto the floor. “Did you think I’d just abandon my charge like this? We have an arrangement, after all.”
I looked around, lowering my voice. “We’re in public! Can we not talk about such things here?”
“Do you think anyone is listening?” She laughed. “Waitress! A dragon’s breath, please.”
I waited until the drinks came and took a swig of my beer. It was bitter, as expected of cheap beer.
“What do you want?”
“I already said, we have an agreement.” She looked at me with a tilted expression. “You promised me you’d defile five virgins. At the moment, I’m at zero.”
“It’s only been a day!” I hissed.
“And? Is there no time like the present? Your power has rejuvenated. Why don’t you go up to that knight you drove here and bang her.”
“Her?” I leaned forward. “She’s a fucking hoe. I wouldn’t fuck her with your dick!”
Andromeda let out a sweet laugh. “I admit, I’m a bit surprised. You have standards?”
“You don’t know anything about me,” I responded. “Wait, if you’re advising me to fuck her, does that mean she’s a virgin?”
“Who knows?” She shrugged. “You won’t know for certain until you deflower her. That’s just common sense.”
“You…”
“Why don’t we talk about the real reason you’re here? You could have told those girls no. You wanted to come here.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stiffened.
“Denise? Craig? Isn’t their date tonight? She plans to give it up to him if I recall.”
“How do you- never mind.” I looked down sullenly.
She chuckled. “Of course, I know everything about you. Why would I have made a contract otherwise?”
“If you know so much, why don’t you help me at all?”
“Okay…” She smiled, leaning forward to the point her cleavage was on full display. “They’re currently upstairs, but you already suspected that, right?”
My eyes couldn’t help but dart up the stairs. Of course, she was right. I could have told the girls no. The real reason I let them drag me out to the club was so I had an excuse to run into Denise and place interference. They had become a means to an end.
“I wonder… how do you plan to use this power of mine?” She asked.
As she spoke, a certain familiar face appeared. It was Craig. I recognized that gelled-up hairdo and the cocky way he walked like he owned the place anywhere. He was walking down the stairway, so I covered my face with my beer until he passed me. I watched as he continued to the bar. The bartender was a pretty girl, and he immediately began shooting her smiles. He was already working with her. I had known Craig since grade school, and he had always had the same kind of luck. The bastard could get any woman he wanted.
“Poor Denise, he’s flirting with the bartender,” Andromeda commented. “Some men do want it all.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That girl is a half-elf. You won’t find many elves at clubs.”
“What’s so special about an elf?” I asked.
“Don’t you know anything?” She shot me an incredulous look. “Elves have a reputation for being cold, and they are very private about sex. Most will never sleep with a human, especially not a commoner. For her to be in a club, working as a bartender means she’s trying to live the human life.”
“Why are you telling me this? Are you telling me to go after the elf?” I frowned.
“I’m just answering your questions.” She smiled back. “With a single mandate, she could be yours for the taking. Of course, then Denise would be free to sleep with Craig, and you’d lose the love of your life. Isn’t that about right?”
“Fuck you,” I cursed under my breath.
“That can be arranged.” She laughed, before turning back to the bar. “But seriously, Craig is going for the elf girl. If you want to stop him, you better act now.”
“You’re kidding.” I scoffed.
“Am I?” She smiled mischievously.
I stood up, looking at the bar. Sure enough, Craig had already managed to get the elf bartender’s attention. It looked like he was going to hit on her.
“Save Denise, or fuck an elf.” Andromeda’s voice sounded in my ear. “I wonder what you’ll pick.”
I looked between Craig, the bartender, and the 2nd story where Denise probably was. Was there a way I could use the mandate and get everything that I wanted? I thought about it for a couple of moments, and an idea started to form in my mind. I pulled out a napkin and then carefully wrote a note on it.
“Waitress!” I flagged her down. “There is a woman upstairs. Her name is Denise. She has brown hair, somewhat attractive, came in with that guy?”
I pointed to him as he continued to try to get the elf bartender’s attention. The waitress frowned when she saw him.
“I know who you’re talking about.” She spoke icily.
“Can you give this note to her in a couple of minutes,” I begged. “It’s really important.”
The waitress looked at the note, smiled, and nodded. “It’d be my pleasure.”
The demoness watched with curiosity. “What are you planning?”
“Just watch and see.” I grinned, getting up and heading to the bar.
I kept my head down as I approached the bar, choosing the far side away from Craig. If Craig recognized me, he would call me out and try to embarrass me. It was a minute later when the bartender approached me. The girl had long blond hair which hid her ears I wouldn’t have known she was part elf if Andromeda hadn’t told me.
“What would you like?” She asked in an expressionless voice.
“Fuck Craig over there in the back alley.” I felt a tingle on my arm as I activated the Devil’s Mandate.
“Excuse me?” She asked, making a face.
I smiled. “And a draft beer, please.”
She put out a mug and filled it while shooting me a scornful look, but then she turned and walked back to Craig. After whispering in his ear, his eyes brightened excitedly. He began to nod. She ignored everyone else calling for her as she took off her apron and then headed out the back door into the alleyway. Craig excitedly followed after her.
I sat and drank my beer. I wanted my instructions to be clearer, but there was too much risk. If I said something like “Take Craig into the back alley and fuck him”, it could be seen as two requests. She could take Craig back there, and then do nothing. I was halfway through my beer when I saw Denise come down. She had a napkin in her hand. After frowning, she headed toward the back exit too. I got up from my seat as she passed by. I wasn’t going to miss the show. I counted to ten as Denise disappeared into the back alley.
“Is that your ploy?” Andromeda was suddenly standing next to me. “I suppose it could work. Denise sees Craig cheating on her. She naturally dumps him. However, you just gave up the elf girl.”
“Why do I care about her? I don’t know her,” I responded before walking out into the alley myself.
As soon as I entered, I hid behind some trash cans. It looked like I had already missed part of it, as I could already see Denise and Craig standing, while Denise was red-faced and yelling at him.
“I can’t believe you did this! I can’t believe you cheated on me!” Denise had tears running down her face.
I wish I could say it hurt seeing Denise cry, but I had watched her do the same thing several times now, and I had started to grow numb to her tendencies. She never seemed to learn, and even as her friend, she never listened to me.
“It wasn’t my fault! She came on to me!” He acted innocent, pointing at the elf girl, who was still desperately trying to kiss him even as he held her back.
Even with Denise there, she was trying to grab at Craig’s belt. Craig was much larger than her, so he was able to hold her at bay easily, but it didn’t help his case at all. She was like a bitch in heat, and her actions only made Denise angrier.
“It doesn’t matter!” Denise’s face grew angrier. “It’s not like she could force you! How could you do this to me?!”
“How could I do this to you? You’ve been teasing me forever, and you don’t give me anything. Do you know how hard it is to date when half the girls are magi? I thought if I dated a knight like you, you’d put out,” he spat.
She slapped him. “Asshole!”
That was the end for her, she turned around and stormed off. I made sure to keep my head low as she passed by without spotting me. Craig’s sense outweighed his horniness, and he shoved the girl trying to grab him away. She finally stumbled back and fell into a pile of trash. He then ran after Denise…
“Hey, come on!” He yelled as he passed me by.
I didn’t know how their night would necessarily turn out, but I knew she probably wouldn’t have sex with him after all of this. Once the door closed, I came out from behind the trashcan, chuckling to myself. That’s when I noticed the elf girl. She was lying in the trash, shuddering in a place like she was under some kind of duress. She looked very pitiful, and I felt a bit bad for her. That’s when a thought struck me. What happened if the command you mandated couldn’t be fulfilled?
“A mandate must be fulfilled. If she fails, then she becomes overwhelmed with unfulfillment. It’s like an itch that can’t be scratched. A need that can’t be described in words,” a voice spoke.
“Andromeda?” I looked around, realizing I couldn’t see her.
“I’m speaking through your bond… the mark.”
I looked at my arm. “Oh… wh-what do I do?”
The elf girl looked almost like she was suffering through withdrawals, like a druggie who needed her next hit. It was hard to say if she was even aware of me standing in the alley.
“It wears off, after an hour or so. Even my mandates can’t be all-encompassing. Otherwise, you could order someone to punch themselves repeatedly for the rest of their lives or something.”
“You guessed my fate for Craig?” I asked.
“Alas, the mandate isn’t infinite. If they fail to fulfill the request, they fall into a catatonic state until it wears off… or…”
“Or?” I asked.
“The magic has already been triggered. The mandate has been started. All you need to do… is give her a new command, one she can complete.”
My eyes widened as I realized what she meant. It looks like there was a way to get more than one mandate out of someone. If the thing they couldn’t accomplish in the order they selected, then you could give them an alternative thing they could complete instead. In other words, I could still make this elf girl do whatever I wanted!