Contracts

Slowly Mateus flipped the page, and started reading the heavy content in the first chapter on Contracts.

Contracts can be loosely divided into different categories - singular, shared, group and involuntarily.

Singular Contracts are your standard form between only two parties - both the Pretty Bird and Arrogant Roobit have this format. The terms are usually equal, it takes the approval of both parties to form, and can be dissolved only through death or mutual consent.

Shared Contracts are where multiple parties share a single contract. An example of this can be found in the Millipede Trains. As such large Beasts, naturally it is impossible for a single human to meet their needs and form a contract. A Millipede when young will make an open Shared Contract with 10 or more humans, and keep adding Contractors or removing them through their lives.

A Group Contract is used when a single human Contracts a Hive or Pack. If the number of subordinates exceeds what the human can handle, they can add more Contractors as needed. They do this by using their link to the pack to create a sub-contract directly between the new person and a subordinate.

All these Contracts are simple enough to understand - they each function through consent and fair exchange.

Involuntary Contracts are very different. Dominance, Submission and Entrapment are all examples of this category. In these cases, the initiator holds the right to dictate terms to the other party. After the Contract is set, there is no possibility of changing terms, or dissolving it.

Mateus found it interesting that Beasts were able to Dominate humans when trying to form an involuntary Contract. Even after finishing the entire chapter, Mateus wasn't ready to start the next one. He just kept reading over the same chapter and pondering what all the implications were.

The most interesting part was how the book explained the mechanics of Contract Tattoos, but not why only Beasts can enter the inside, and humans can't. Perhaps it's a secret that's too shocking, or nobody knows.

Still, in less than an hour, Mateus found himself falling asleep. It had been a very long day, and the accumulation of exhaustion caught up swiftly.

One of the kind guards from the gate came into the barracks after his shift, and saw Mateus slumped over the Beginner's Guide. Gently he pulled the blanket over him, put the book on the table and turned off the reading light.