Sadly, that might have been the best out of the six proposals, but they only got through four, as two of the others excused themselves to "take a call" and didn't return.

"I appreciate you all taking the time to make your presentations today, and if you will leave a copy with me, I will look them over at a later date, when my time is not so limited, and I can properly consider their merits." Karl informed the remaining four recruiters once the final pitch was done.

"Thank you, Commander. We look forward to your positive response." A young woman, who had tried to sell Karl on spending three days a week being the spokesperson and security chief for their exclusive gated community, replied.

The others offered similar sentiments as they left, and the Green Dragon High Priestess turned a smile on Karl.

"Well, that's the nicest way I've heard to tell someone to go fuck themselves all day." She announced.

"Which implies that you've heard less polite versions today." Karl replied.

The aura of inebriation suddenly vanished, and the woman's sharp eyes turned on him. "You know, we really did suggest that Lotus should stay and entertain you to keep you aligned with the church."

Alice cleared her throat. "For legal reasons, I am going to pretend that I didn't hear any of the questionable implications behind that comment. But I don't think that he's ruled out keeping the clerics around yet. They work very well together, and they have both made good friends with his beasts."

The High Priestess shrugged. "They're too young for what you're thinking that I'm thinking. Dirty minded Elite. But where did that spider go? Did you really send her to find Sister Lotus?"

Karl nodded. "With instructions to take her to play in the woods, but not to let her get lost or harmed."

The High Priestess sighed. "Great, now we're going to have to look for them both at the end of the day."

Karl chuckled and did his best to imitate his Uncle, who had seven children of his own.

"They'll come back when they're hungry."

They relaxed for a few minutes and finished their coffee before anyone came up with another good reason to bother them. That ended up coming from the church, in the form of Tessa and a Red Dragon High Priestess.

"Good, we found you together. Have you come to an arrangement?" The muscular High Priestess asked.

Karl had never seen muscles like that on a woman before. She was built almost like Tank, the Berserker. Her arms were the size of Lotus' torso, and she was wearing her robe parted up one leg, showing off a massive, muscular thigh.

"Sort of. Rae and Lotus are out playing in the woods." The Nature Dragon High Priestess replied happily.

"I should have expected that it would end up like this. I will make our proposal much simpler. The Red Dragons would like to leave a War Priestess with you to assist your adventures. Specifically, this one. If you agree to take the deal, you will be responsible for ensuring that she has the chance to serve her Goddess, while we will provide her with the standard stipend for her living expenses. With this, you will get priority access to church missions you wish to take." The Red Dragon High Priestess explained.

"Church Missions with no forced dispatches, so we can take them on my schedule, and at my discretion?" Karl asked.

Her eyes flashed red as the woman glared down at him, but Karl waited patiently, hoping that she was just communing with her Goddess and not looking for reasons to squish him like a melon.

He still had the Giant Strength Ring on, but he wasn't convinced that it would be enough.

After a few seconds, her eyes faded. "The Goddess wants a minimum commitment. Either to war or to caring for Orphans from wars. If you agree to either at least one mission every three months, of your choosing as long as it pleases the War Dragon, or foster an orphan child under the age of selection, it will meet the requirements of the Goddess."

The muscular woman smirked. There really was only one option there, unless he was going to become foster parents at fourteen with Tessa.

"If you draw up the contract, I will read it over and consider it carefully." Karl agreed.

The High Priestess' eyes flared red again as she nodded, and then she took a rolled contract in a red jade tube out of thin air.

Karl took the tube from her hand and rolled it out. The details on the scroll were actually simple and specific. Karl agreed not to leave Tessa in danger except in life or death emergencies, to ensure she was receiving proper treatment, take at least one mission that pleased the Red Dragon every three months, and then the contract guaranteed that the Red Dragon's followers would provide her living expenses.

Karl couldn't see a reason not to agree to the deal, but he read it over again, just to be certain that he didn't miss anything. The delay made Tessa laugh quietly. The Red Dragon wasn't big on tricks and doublespeak outside the battlefield.

He hadn't noticed that Dana and Lotus had come back in while he was reading, or that Rae had returned to her space.

"What's all this, then?" Lotus asked as she saw Karl holding the scroll.

The Red Dragon High Priestess shrugged. "You went to play, so we came over first."

"And you were just going to leave us out of the deal? Party foul!" Lotus announced.

"You want in on the deal?" The Red Dragon High Priestess asked, intrigued by the unexpected actions of the nature Priestess.

They were notoriously flaky, and getting one to go along with a deal that lasted longer than one day was sometimes an issue.

Lotus nodded happily, and her own High Priestess gave her a stern look. "This is a long-term agreement. It's not for one or two trips, it's a magical contract, so you will have to pay a penalty to break it in less than a year and a day."

Lotus gave her a thumbs up, and the Red Dragon High Priestess turned to Karl.

"Is that everyone in agreement, then?" She asked.

"Agreed." Karl, Lotus, Tessa and Dana all replied at the same time.

The scroll flashed red, and a red ring appeared on the wrists of the four teammates.

Dana smirked, as Tessa and Lotus realized that she wasn't just here to watch, and that she had gotten herself attached to the deal. Now they couldn't leave her behind to train with the other students, or to be reassigned to other missions.

Karl looked at the three girls and smiled. "Well, it looks like we will be working together for some time. It's a pleasure to have you."

Lotus giggled. "How about you show us to our room? I want to see the plants."

"Our room? I'm fairly certain that the Academy can manage to find you a room of your own." Karl reminded her.

"But it wouldn't have silk hammocks or a balcony full of magical plants. I don't really care where I sleep, but I want to see the room." Lotus countered.

That was when Alice, Colonel Valerie, and what looked like half the staff of the Academy burst in.

"Stop, before you sign, let us see that contract." One of the Professors shouted.

The Red Dragon High Priestess laughed. "Too late, we got verbal agreement. But it's not a work contract, at least not in the conventional sense."

She turned over the magical contract, which Colonel Valerie grabbed from her hand and rolled out for the others to see.

"No leaving them in danger, ensure proper treatment. Alright, it's not as bad as we had feared." The Professor who had shouted replied with a sigh.

Colonel Valerie glared at Karl. "I thought we had something going here?"

Karl smiled back. "I think we do. There's nothing in that which prevents us from having an arrangement, only that once every three months or less, it must please the Red Dragon."

Colonel Valerie smirked. "Well, isn't that a coincidence? Because what I have in mind just might please the Red Dragon. How would you like to lead a team back into the anomaly area and find out what the Frost Giants have been up to, and where the extra ice is coming from?

It might take some time, but it will please the God of War. They made a formal declaration of war less than an hour ago."