Farmer or Cultivator? Why not both?

It was yet another morning in the quiet village of Tunish. Most of its residents had risen, and people were beginning to set about the business of their day. Ren’s experiment had proven to be a success. He had so thoroughly dominated the market that he was now the sole seller of milk in Tunish, and not just any milk, but the impressive blue milk that people had found utterly irresistible. The water of elaxis preserved the liquid far longer than Ren had expected. He had kept a bottle hidden for over a week in a warm place to speed up spoilage, and when he finally uncorked it, instead of a foul smell rushing out, a sweet one drifted up instead. That gave him the courage to try it. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? At most, he would spend the day in a furious bout of diarrhea and disappoint his customers. Not ideal, but survivable.

"Mmmm!" The milk tasted just as delicious as ever. There was a slight difference, a very mild tanginess, but still incredibly good. Ren looked down at his dog Neg, who wagged its tail so enthusiastically it was almost its own event. The dog had developed a taste for the drink and found it just as irresistible as the rest of Tunish.

Ren washed up and bathed. He stepped out the door with a yawn, stretching. He could have used more sleep, but Enesh had no coffee to speak of, and Ren had no idea which plants even produced the beans. He yawned again, pressing his hand over his mouth. It was in the middle of doing this that he spotted Rokku above. The spirit animal stood on a branch with both wings spread wide and eyes closed. Ren could see the energy gathering around the creature, mana pulling itself toward him from the surrounding air.

Ren’s eyes went wide. "He has achieved convergence. Son of..." He had just lost a significant advantage. A major gap between them had always been convergence. Ren could recuperate his mana and Rokku could not, and that had been a deciding factor in every spar they had shared. He was no longer as far ahead as he would like. Still, he was glad for the evolved rooster. Rokku had been training without pause. Ren had never known a harder worker.

"I checked him yesterday and he hadn’t achieved it yet. He must have gotten it overnight. Crazy talented bastard."

Neg barked once at the sight of the spirit animal. The dog had tolerated Rokku for some time now, but it was plain that it remained quite afraid of him.

"You still haven’t gotten along with him? You are very stubborn, Neg. You know that?"

"Rokku! Rokku!" Ren called out. The spirit animal slowly opened his eyes at the sound of his name. He would have preferred to continue meditating, but it was his master calling. He would not ignore that.

Rokku leaped from the tall branch, spanning his wings wide and driving mana into them, gliding down from such a height that it almost appeared to Ren that the creature was flying outright. Ren watched with a smile.

"Master Ren," Rokku called out, holding both wings up in deference. He had read enough of the Tome of Mahābodhivān to know that students and servants were meant to address their masters this way.

Ren nodded. "We are both going to the market today."

The spirit animal had barely shown an ounce of emotion since awakening. He was like a wall in that regard, unmoving and unshakeable. But Ren’s words clearly shook him. However shaken he was, he did his best to hide it. He bowed.

"I suppose it is time I met the rest of the village."

Ren picked up the crate of milk containing twenty bottles. Rokku took the wooden box of fruits and vegetables. Together, they headed to the market.

[The god of intelligence finds this to be a bold move.]

[The god of war is invested.]

I don’t care for you bastards.

The moment the two entered the edge of the village, eyes locked onto them. Gasps and sounds of surprise broke out from every direction.

"What is that?"

"A demon? What is Sir Ren doing with such a beast?"

"Is that not a rooster?"

Ren was betting on the people’s curiosity. As long as it stayed curiosity and did not cross into something else, they would be fine.

A crowd gathered and followed them. By the time Ren reached the market, a proper trail of people was behind them. The sweet ladies who had become good acquaintances screamed at the sight of Rokku.

"Sir Ren, don’t yer see? A monster is by yer side!"

Ren raised his hand to urge the woman not to overreact. He got to his stall and began setting up with the crowd still watching intently. Once he was done, he looked up at them. It was time to make the introduction.

"Daydawn everyone. I can see you are all curious about who I have with me. This is my good friend and assistant, Rokku. He is a spirit animal, a creature chosen by fate to ascend and become far more than what it once was. He is intelligent, very strong, and friendly." That last part might be a difficult sell. Rokku’s face was constitutionally incapable of softening from its stern, intensely masculine expression.

"He speaks very well too. Show them, Rokku."

"Daydawn, people of Tunish. I am Rokku, and Master Ren is my benefactor. I am his extra hands." Rokku said it with the mildly clucking sounds that came between nearly every word he spoke.

Silence. Nothing but the wind.

"I thought I was your extra pair of hands," Onova called out.

"Oh, Onova. You are still here."

"It speaks Maldrinaeh," someone in the crowd said, before the crowd parted to reveal Eldrad walking through.

"Chief. I am glad you are here."

"Of course I am here. I live just beside this square, and you have drawn quite the gathering to yourself. This is quite the surprise, however." He looked Rokku over with clear fascination. "So this is a spirit animal?"

"Yes indeed."

"Magnificent. A true blessing upon us. This must be a sign."

A sign? What’s old man Eldrad talking about?

Eldrad stepped forward and ran a hand along the creature’s feathers.

"Splendid. You truly are a spirit animal." He straightened and turned to the crowd. "Oh, I must pray and thank the gods greatly today. People, this is indeed a spirit animal. They are said to be beings admired by the gods themselves, and they bring great fortune wherever they go." The faces around them had softened somewhat from Ren’s words, though wariness still lingered. Curiosity, above all else, had won out.

"Why did you bring him here today?" Eldrad asked.

"He is going to help me sell. I did mention he is my partner. Him and Onova, of course."

"Sell?!" Eldrad was astonished that Ren would use it for something as mundane.