The First Legendary Beast Master novel Chapter 255

Chapter 255 Bossy Bureaucrats

Of course, simply sleeping the day away when you were the talk of the Academy was easier said than done. Karl hadn't even had time to sort through his gear to see what was depleted and what needed replacing before there was someone knocking at his door, then another, more insistent knocking.

"Good morning, was there something you needed assistance with?" Karl asked the stern looking woman at the door.

She was wearing a visitor's pass, which she would have needed to get up the stairs without being redirected by the spell, and she was holding a briefcase in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

"Wonderful, you are still here. Come with me and we can get started." She announced.

"Started on what? Perhaps you can explain what you are talking about over breakfast." Karl responded.

"I'm afraid that our time is short, so if you would, we need to be going." She replied.

"Madam, I have no clue who you are or what you want. If you wish for me to go anywhere except to the dining hall for breakfast, you are going to need to provide more details." Karl retorted, exasperated by this stranger, who wasn't even authorized Academy personnel.

If she had been clergy, or from the Bureau of Elite Development, she would have gone to the Headmaster and had herself put on the staff list, so she would have a staff badge and wouldn't need the visitor's pass to get around.

It didn't take long to realize what she meant by time being limited, though. Karl could already hear running down the hallway, and it was hard soled shoes, which only an office worker would wear. The students wore running shoes or boots, and the staff wore either soft soled shoes or military boots, depending on their preference.

The woman looked annoyed as a half dozen more government workers ran up, all wearing visitor passes with their clipboards and briefcases.

One night was more than enough time for their departments to find out about the new Commander, and come up with a plan to try to rope him in.

Karl looked at the massed group of recruiters with his best fake smile.

"Wonderful, we can all go for breakfast together, and you can make your pitches." He announced, closing and locking his door behind him.

He started to walk, and one of the men in the back, with a nasal voice that made even Thor wince, asked the question that was on all their minds.

"Who might we be competing against? Has anyone already made a pitch for your time?"

Karl turned to smile at him. "Indeed. One High Priestess of the Blue Dragon Clerics, no fewer than two bishops, one Spellblade Clan, and the Bureau of Elite Development have all beat you to the punch and are in consideration. If you don't think that you can compete with what they are likely to have offered, I won't be offended if you choose to withdraw politely."

All but one of them looked a bit nervous at that list of names. They were from smaller special interests, they couldn't provide the sort of benefits that the church or the Bureau could. The best that they could hope for was that one of their projects caught his interest.

They had been counting on the fact that students are generally naive and unprepared to get him to sign on to a time - intensive commitment, but if he was already calling them out, then the bumpkin from the mines wasn't nearly as clueless as they were led to believe by his background report.

That had to be that damnable Bureau Agent's fault. If she had prepped him for this situation before they returned, of course the Bureau would have a head start.

The fact that they were competing against the Church was a given, the clergy used the blanket method. All-inclusive recruitment, everyone welcome.

Everyone who was anyone, and some who would never amount to much, were all approached by the Church, and every Elite tried to keep friendly ties with them because they had all the healers.

Little did they know that it was the Church or the Bureau, but a rather jaded Prince Corbin who had warned Karl that saying no was in his best interests, and then proved it when they got off the helicopter. The fact they were still going after Corbin, despite the fact he had a faction and commitments, showed Karl very clearly that they would never give up.