Chapter 14 – Gardening

It was with some reluctance that I finally let the young elven woman go so that we could make more productive use of the day. As much as I wanted to stay in bed, grinding out a few more levels with the cute, slender Vel, there were things she needed to do, things that I would need to help her with if I didn’t want to be a burden in the eyes of the big, burly man that I was trying to get to fuck me.

It would all be much simpler if he just let me pull my weight around the house by being his personal cumdump. Although… That said, he didn’t say no so the offer is still on the table.

Just the thought of her father pinning me down underneath him as he fucked my sopping wet pussy into submission was enough to keep me all warm and tingling as I got up off the bed and dressed again. Seeing as how all this family had that could fit me was one of the father’s loose shirts, I was dressed quickly enough. Luckily, that left me with plenty of time to ogle my new friend with benefits as she got dressed.

As it turned out, Vel’s panties were kind of a mess after everything that happened earlier today. But instead of putting them on again, she simply chucked them in a used clothes hamper and fetched another pair from her dresser. Unlike the plain white ones she was just wearing, which she didn’t notice being taken out of the hamper and given a little sniff as she was getting dressed, this new pair of panties had a pink floral print on them.

Even though Vel’s panties were fresh, I was sure they would be just as messy as the last pair before the end of the day. Hell, I was still incredibly wet myself, to the point that my arousal was actually starting to run down my thighs. Between fantasising about her father and giving her used panties a good sniff, I had worked myself up quite a bit even though we had just finished having sex and did a little bit of cleanup.

However, that just reminded me of how much I really need a good pair of panties that would actually fit me. Given that I had no idea when my period was due to come, I reckoned that I was in for an extremely messy surprise if I didn’t manage to get my hands on any panties before then.

Wait a minute... I am such an idiot!

I can’t believe I really went through and specifically asked for all these amazing things on my reincarnation forms, like this amazing body and an RPG-like world, but I completely forgot about my periods. I could have easily asked for a body that didn't have them or had some workaround. I even put in that stupidly specific clause about getting pregnant in case I ever wanted to start a family, but this was what I forgot. Fuck me!

"Are you okay, Eve?" Vel asked, clearly seeing the internal conflict raging within me written across my face.

"I’m fine. I was just thinking about something, but it’s not important" I shook my head, trying not to worry the poor young woman too much. "You were going to show me around the house, right? Why don’t we get started on that before we get distracted further?"

Now that we were both properly dressed, or in my case, at least covered, Vel led me around her house, giving me the tour she originally meant to give me before we got sidetracked in her bedroom. That said, the fact that we got sidetracked with having a bit of fun together in her bedroom wasn’t really an accident, but more of the entire reason it was the first stop on the tour. She even said as much earlier.

Just like when I had gotten a momentary glimpse of earlier, the log cabin that Vel and her father called home was kind of cramped. They didn’t have the most space inside, but what space they did have was tidy, neatly kept and well used. There was a real homey and cosy feeling to the way every space was decorated as well, even the bathroom, which was decorated in a fairly modern style.

None of the wood walling, which was so prevalent around the rest of the house, was present inside the bathroom, which made a lot of sense since the humidity in there would have caused the wood to rot. Instead, most of the room was outfitted with pristine, white tiles, and what wasn’t tiled was just painted drywall.

The most surprising thing about the bathroom, though, was the fact that they had running water out here, in the middle of the forest. But after asking Vel a few quick questions, I discovered that there was, in fact, no plumbing. Although the toilet, sink, and shower looked like those I could have easily found at home on Earth, they had magic crystals built into them that provided water and cleansed waste instead of the usual plumbing.

After being shown the bathroom, there were only a few other rooms; the living room, the kitchen/dining room, the laundry room, and her father’s bedroom. In total, the log cabin only really had six rooms, and even then, the laundry room was barely around a metre in width or length. However, all rooms had similarly functioning appliances as I was used to, but with one exception. There were no TVs, computers, or other such electronic entertainment devices. There weren’t even any light bulbs in the ceiling, only a different kind of magic crystal that just provided the light instead of water or disposing of the waste.

I was sure it would take a little while for me to get completely used to and kick the addiction that was my need to go online, but the trade-off was much better. Why bury my nose in a computer when I can bury it in Vel’s pussy instead?

As the young elven woman was taking me around, showing me everything and giving simple explanations on how to use everything, as if I was a child, she also went about explaining the different chores that would need to be done over the coming week and which of them she usually did.

As it turned out, Vel’s household adhered to the more traditional gender roles, with her taking up most of the duties the wife would normally do since her mother wasn’t around for whatever reason. While Damien chopped firewood, fixed any damage to the log cabin and made sure the surrounding area was safe, his daughter took care of the washing, cleaning and cooking. The only duty she didn’t take up in her mother’s place was the sexual ones, but I was more than happy to fill in for her. All Damien would have to do was consent, and I’d be riding him all night long. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done, as the big burly man had just walked off when I offered him my body earlier.

I was curious if all households adhered to these kinds of traditional gender roles and if it was just theirs, but unfortunately, Vel didn’t know the answer to that as she was just as in the dark as me. This was just the way her father had brought her up so that he would have someone to help him with the chores around the house. But I didn’t think that was actually the case.

Since levels and stats were a thing, there was little reason for households to adhere to the traditional, archaic gender roles that dominated Earth’s history. After all, would a level 80 woman really be expected to play housewife if they fell in love with a man half their level, especially if she was a talented warrior who could crush skulls with her bare hands?

But that was beside the point, as I was more concerned with Vel and Damien’s living arrangement at that point in time. Of which, there was actually one of the household chores that the father and daughter pair tended to do together, which I wasn’t expecting. That being gardening, which they both apparently had a fondness for. It was also the gardening that Vel wanted to show me the ropes of first and took me outside soon after to do just that.

"So, this is our garden." Vel gestured towards the patch of carefully organised plants growing in a small plot behind their house.

A small fence was built around the slightly raised bit of earth, no doubt to keep the wild animals and monsters of the forest out. Within the fence was a myriad of different plants, all neatly organised into specific patches according to what type of plant they were. Some of the patches were multicoloured and extremely bright, while others were just a monotone mess of green plant life.

Just being here had a giant grin plastered on Vel’s face. Given that her class was that of a druid, I expected her to be excited about such things as gardening, but not quite this excited. "Most of the vegetables and fruits we eat are grown by ourselves, right here in this garden. But not all of what we grow is edible. A few, like those two plants there on the end, have medicinal properties, and Dad trades their certain parts of them for coin and other supplies whenever he goes into town."

Hearing that Vel’s father went into town periodically surprised me greatly. Given how much he was distrustful of people and how much he had kept his daughter secluded, I assumed that the man was just as cut off from the outside world as she was, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

"Now, what we need to do is to make sure that each of the plants is doing the best it can to grow. To help them along, we need to weed, prune, and water each one to best suit its needs." Vel began to instruct me, even going as far as kneeling down in the dirt without even a moment’s hesitation about getting her dress messy… which was not actually happening. Odd…

I hadn’t ever actually done any real gardening like this back on Earth, but it quickly became apparent that I wasn’t suited for it, and didn’t enjoy it at all. Still, though, I stuck with it, not just because I didn’t want to be a burden on them, but because watching the young elven woman as she tended to her plants was just so entertaining.

Vel had a real gentle way about her when she was caring for the plants. She would even occasionally talk to them as if they could understand her. Given that she was a druid and I was sure there were all kinds of skills and magic out there, there was a good possibility that she might even have a skill that allowed plants to understand her for all I knew.

At one point, Vel even demonstrated one of her skills as we were gardening. She put her hands at the base of one of the plants which had been attacked by some insect over the past few nights, which had nibbled on quite a bit of its leafy greens. At which point, her hands, and then shortly after, the plant began to glow with a green light as the plant regrew its damaged foliage.

I assumed that this demonstration was the first display of actual magic that I had seen, but when I voiced this to Vel, she corrected me. Apparently, this wasn’t actually magic, but a skill she had called plant growth. The skill could be used to heal and even hasten the growth of plants by infusing them with natural energies. However, she preferred to use it only for healing plants, as those that grew at a hasty speed tended to taste bland and had less potency than those naturally grown.

According to Vel, real magic was a lot more free form than what you could do with skills and was only something people really unlocked after the 2nd class evolution and only if they had a class that was capable of learning magic. But that wasn’t to say that people couldn’t be wizards or mages at lower levels, just that what they could and couldn’t do at those levels was a whole lot more rigid and not considered true magic.

Vel herself would even get access to a form of true magic called druidic magic if she continued on the path she was on. But instead of firing off fireballs and summoning lightning bolts like what came to mind when I imagined magic, druidic magic was more focused on nature and the summoning of nature spirits.

A lot of what she was telling me as we worked in the garden just went over my head, but I was sure it would make more sense as I levelled up and got context. For now, though, it was just good to have something to keep my mind occupied as we went about the mindless task of weeding this rather large garden. Now that I was actually in there among the plants, I realised that the garden itself was probably around half the size of the house it was behind.

They could have definitely done with more house and less garden, but that was not an opinion I was going to share with Vel. Although I wasn’t having the most fun I could have been, it looked like the young elven woman was having the time of her life gardening with me. The fact that she seemed more excited doing this than when we're having sex says a lot, especially since she thoroughly enjoyed every moment of rolling around on her bed together with me.

You have met the minimum requirements to learn a general skill.Do you wish to learn the general skill, Gardening?

Gardening, Rank 1(General, Druidic)

Some people love sticking their hands in the dirt and spending all their time with plants, caring for them as if they were their children. You aren’t one of those people, but for some reason, you have stuck with it. Maybe one day you’ll understand what’s so good about nature, but you’re going to get very dirty before that happens, and not in a good way.

General skill slots remaining: 2/5

Eventually, my efforts earned me the chance to learn the gardening general skill. But after a slight chuckle at the description of the skill, I immediately dismissed it. I hadn’t realised it at first, but the skill descriptions just had to be personalised. That was really the only reasonable explanation for why the system was written the way it was.

It was around that time that I heard a rustling in the nearby forest, and since I was looking for any opportunity to distract myself from the tedium of gardening, I looked over in the direction of the sounds. A part of me was curious as to why Vel wasn’t at all concerned about something potentially being out there. After all, there were monsters not that far away if Saph was anything to go by. However, Vel’s reason for not being concerned was immediately made apparent when her father strode out of the forest.

Although the fact that it was the big burly man and not some wild monster or boar set me at ease, Damien’s appearance was an absolute mess. The man’s clothes were utterly covered in what looked like a multitude of different coloured blood. There was red, green, and blue blood of various different shades, the majority of which was dripping from the axe that was casually slung over his shoulder as he walked.

Any concern that Damien was injured or hurt in any way instantly left me as I heard him whistling a merry tune on his way to the log cabin. The man only paused slightly when he noticed us in the garden so that he could give us, or more specifically, Vel, a nod before continuing on inside to presumably get washed up.

However, I was still rather astounded by what I saw and couldn’t help but question my new friend about it. After all, when she told me that her father kept the surrounding areas safe, I didn’t expect that to have anything to do with the amount of blood that seemed to suggest genocide had occurred. "Umm… Vel, what exactly was your father doing out in the forest?"

"Oh, Dad? He was probably just hunting monsters." She casually responded as she continued to tend to her plants.

My mouth dropped. I couldn’t believe just how nonchalant she was about this. I was making sense now of why Saph was so afraid of the man. If they ever crossed paths with him, it was likely they would just wind up with another blue smear dripping from the head of his axe. "How many monsters are out there that he would come back literally covered in blood? And just how strong exactly is your father?"

"Although Dad makes extra sure that the nearby areas of the forest are safe for us, he doesn’t just hunt monsters around here. He was appointed by the King of Artellan as the royal ranger of this forest. It’s his duty to protect it and the villages bordering it not only from the monsters that could spawn within but also from deforestation and overhunting of the natural wildlife." Vel finally paused her gardening as she explained exactly what her father did. However, as she went on to answer my second question, my jaw almost hit the floor. "Oh, and Dad’s well past his 3rd class evolution. Although I haven’t asked him what level he was at in a while, I expect that he is still somewhere in his mid-eighties."

I didn’t really know if a level in the mid-eighties was actually high or not, and neither did Vel really, but given her level of 11 and the fact she was twenty years old, it sure felt high. At the very least, it shed new light on just how powerful the man was. Sure, I already knew he was bound to be at a much higher level than me since I was just starting out, but now I was aware that he could probably kill me with a wave of his hand if he wanted to. Weirdly, that just kind of made me more aroused by him.

My stomach growled, cutting off any potentially lewd thoughts and fantasies that came with knowing how high a level Damien was at. I hadn’t eaten anything that wasn’t pussy for what was literally my entire life and was starting to get a bit peckish after all the gardening that I had done.

Since it was around lunchtime anyway, Vel spoke up, saying. "I think now might be a good time as any to take a break and have some lunch."

However, as I stood up, elated to finally get away from this accursed garden, the young elven woman broke out into laughter. It was clear she was laughing at me, and I only realised why when I looked down at myself. I was a complete mess. Unlike Vel, who had somehow remained relatively clean, I was covered in dirt. From my feet to my legs, my thighs to my chin, even the shirt I was wearing was a complete and utter mess.

"How are you not just as dirty as I am, Vel? You were rummaging around with your hands in the ground much more than me." I gave the young woman a dirty look, but I was only teasing her.

"It’s just a druid thing." Vel tried her best to stifle her laughs, but every now and then one would escape her. "With just how dirty you are. Eve, you should probably take a shower before lunch. I’ll have something to eat ready for you when you get out."

As soon as the young woman mentioned taking a shower, a thought popped into my head. Oh, maybe I can walk in on Damien while he’s in the shower. I’m sure he won’t be able to just walk away this time when I ask him to help clean my dirty body. And then, bam! He’ll be fucking me in the shower before he knows it.

A big perverted grin stretched across my lips as I immediately ran off into the house.