Gryphus pov:

Mero came home from school and brought something truly interesting. He had a letter and some kind of tree monk based magic beast in a small cage trap. I have always loved mutant and spirit beasts, they are fascinating.

Most people regard mythic beasts pretty much on a case by case basis; the fact that they can reproduce makes some quite good livestock. On the other hand there were some that were incredibly dangerous and have to be exterminated whenever they were found.

Guardian beasts are usually quite famous when they turn up. They developed a reputation, good or bad, and tend to be part of the landscape for a long time by any metric. There were plenty that formed relationships with the locals; protecting or demanding sacrifice. The former were respected and nearly worshipped while the latter tend to attract wannabe heroes and knights looking for accolades. Of course there were freaks like Sobek the river king that did whatever they felt like. But compared to mutant and spirit beasts even that old monster Sobek was at least predictable.

Compared to mythic and guardian beasts most people have a much lower opinion of spirit and mutant beasts. I understand why people feel that way but you really can’t judge each unique individual creature because of a few famous catastrophes. These beasts may be dangerous because they are unpredictable, but that is also what makes them so amazing.

This tree monk was a perfect example; it looked as if it was formed from gold and silver, with sapphires for eyes. My first assumption was that it was a mutant beast, but it could be a spirit beast; they tended to have less outward changes than mutant beasts but some were quite flashy. Its appearance reminded me of the stories of the spirit beast ‘the golden crow’ although if this little fellow had powers like that my desk would be on fire right now.

I slowly turned the cage, trying to look at it from different angles. I would almost think that this fellow was a creation of the sons of Ivaldi, but even they couldn’t make an automata this small, plus I could feel it’s mind appraising me.

From what Mellina had written it was pretty cooperative. I can’t help but be suspicious though, it is a tree monk after all. Tree monks are famous for being pretty ravenous, as well as eagerly picking fights with larger animals. The fact that Mellina assumed that its only feature was its color was suspicious as well. It’s never a good idea to judge a mutant beast or a spirit beast by their cover.

I coaxed it out of the cage and onto my desk. I knew I would be able to touch it thanks to the letter; if it was too dangerous then Anthus wouldn’t have made it back home. Still, it would best to be careful.

It truly was docile for a tree monk. I was carefully trying to touch it without scaring it more than it already was but it never tried to attack me. I was beginning to wonder whether it really was just a weak mutant beast.

The little bug was pretty patient with me, but it was determined not to let me touch it. I decided not to push it and grab it by force. Mero must have called for Phene because I had to move my papers a couple times. I felt Phene’s mind express satisfaction and amusement which was a good indicator that she was playing catch with Mero again. I admit that I do the same, Phene is cute when she begs for food. Eventually the workers just started leaving her lunch in my office.

It took a while before people stopped complaining about the stains on the paperwork though...

We talked about the little bug a bit while I tried to decide whether to have Astera contract with this little bug. Generally you wanted a small, harmless magic beast for your first contract. Magic beasts were easier to contract with which made it easier to learn the process. The reason for the beast being harmless was self evident.

As for being small, that was my personal requirement ever since Mero contracted with Tartary. Beastmasters get very attached to their first contractees. Mero had spent a couple months completely inseparable from Tartary, which meant he couldn’t leave the field we had planted the fluffy fellow in. In fact, my son would still pitch a tent next to Tartary occasionally when he was particularly upset.

When Mero stopped feeding Phene she walked over to look at what had our attention. I made sure to mentally ask her not to eat the little bug. She agreed, but insisted on getting a closer look. As she leaned forward I felt a spike of fear from the bug. I was about to ask her to back off a bit. I know that other people find her intimidating for some reason, but then the tree monk did something very interesting.

The tree monk suddenly jumped over my hand and ran into the cage trap. As soon as he entered it he turned around and closed the door, then secured the latch. That… was very intelligent.

It wasn’t like magic beasts were dumb, in fact some of them are very smart… but that only applies to certain species and individuals. Guardian beasts were naturally intelligent, some kinds of mythic beasts were pretty smart as well, but most mutant beasts and spirit beasts weren’t any brainier than their original species.

I had finally discovered what this little tree monk gained when it mutated: it was a straightforward boost to all its capabilities with an emphasis on its intelligence and a change in its color scheme. That certainly explained how it survived in the wild; a dumber insect would have been spotted and eaten immediately.

Mutant beasts or spirit beasts gaining intelligence was rare, and usually a big deal. Of all the magic beast catastrophes throughout history the ones caused by intelligent magic beasts tend to last the longest. The alliance of Stheno, Euryale and Medusa is an example; They ate countless humans and eventually ruled a nation they used as their personal larder.

Similarly some intelligent magic beasts had saved and protected people. Bai Ze and The Sphinx were two famous magic beasts that actually learned to speak and became advisers for kings. They helped the formation and growth of the empires of Zhongguo and Kemet.

There was no way this little gold bug could be that special, freaks like those were once in several lifetime events. However, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be incredibly useful for little Astera. At the very least he would be more helpful to her than one of Papi’s descendants.

After telling Mero to keep the bug a secret I quickly brought the golden bug downstairs, it would be best to have Astera contract with him as a surprise tomorrow morning. I stopped by a storehouse and grabbed a special cage and one other item. Just in case I made sure my body blocked the tree monk from seeing what I was up to.

Then I took the gold bug into one of the buildings for holding the mice we raise. They were food for bigger beasts though. The mice we raised were a normal species, but if raised properly they became artificial mutant beast that were perfect food for the carnivorous magic beasts.

Between the mice, skvader and the jackalopes we fed three quarters of the meat-eaters raised here. Astera didn’t like the mice so it would make a good hiding spot.

The cage I had brought was and elaborate birdcage, one specially designed for holding magic beasts. It was expensive but worth the price considering it could hold some of the pint sized powerhouses that existed throughout the world. Its durability might be a bit unnecessary, but it was the perfect size for this tree monk.

The little gold bug probably could only eat one of these fat mice, but I decided to place two inside just in case. He moved from one cage to the other fairly easily. Then, when I latched the cage, I also placed a small padlock on the door.

Wow, he seems upset, I didn’t think tree monks could make faces like that.