The Maelstrom of Stardew
Year 1 (Spring)
Chapter 5 – An Old Friend meets the Continuing Maelstrom
Monday, the 1st of Spring, 2017
[Quest Announcement] - Gamer Ability/Notification
-Happy 5th Chapter to this fanfiction-
[LOAD GAME]
…
[GAME LOADED. WELCOME BACK!]
Taeko was still under the effects of the [Coffee] and felt energized. He put several items in the storage chest and put the [Bread] in the fridge. The day was still young, and it was now noon. Taeko pulled up the [Game Map] and looked at it.
"Hmmm…well then. Backwoods, it is!" Taeko said a bit jumpy.
He dashed off to the Cindersap Backwoods. The backwoods had connected Shadow Farm to The Mountain in an L-shaped curve, complemented by decorative bushes. Forgeable items were rather aplenty as Taeko noticed. [Observe] came on instantly for him and Taeko found it leveled up. The data given was a lot more helpful and useful to the ronin farmer.
[Forageable – Wild Horseradish – A spicy root found in the spring, usually above on the ground within the Valley. Eating one raw is safe, but you'll want water afterward. Normal Quality-(+13 Energy/+5 Health) Silver Quality-(+18 Energy/+7 Health) Gold Quality-(+23 Energy/+9 Health) Iridium Quality-(+33 Energy/+13 Health) (Can be sold for 50 Gold (Normal), 62 Gold (Silver), 75 Gold (Gold), 100 Gold (Iridium)) Buffs: None.]
[Forageable – Daffodil – A traditional spring flower that makes a nice gift. Makes good for a quick snack or boiled to make tea. (This item doesn't heal or restore energy.) (Can be sold for 30 Gold (Normal), 37 Gold (Silver), 45 Gold (Gold), 60 Gold (Iridium)) Buffs: None.]
[Forageable – Leek – The tasty relative of the onion. It won't make you cry from its fumes. Normal Quality-(+40 Energy/+16 Health) Silver Quality-(+56 Energy/+22 Health) Gold Quality-(+72 Energy/+28 Health) Iridium Quality-(+104 Energy/+41 Health) (Can be sold for 60 Gold (Normal), 75 Gold (Silver), 90 Gold (Gold), 120 Gold (Iridium)) Buffs: None.]
"Ok, that's a lot of information. Can't the description be set to only show the cost, healing, and buffs of the current item's quality instead showing me all of them?" Taeko said.
[Description menu set.]
[Forageable – Dandelion – Not the prettiest flower, but the leaves make a good salad. Usually found above ground in the valley. Silver Quality (+35 Energy/+14 Health) (Can be sold for 50 Gold (Silver) Buffs: None]
"Better. Now to snag them." Taeko said collecting them.
He had gotten two of each item and gotten a new text box right in front his face.
[Foraging Skill Leveled Up! Level 3 provides you with +3 Axe proficiency (to make up for the ones we did not give you earlier), and crafting recipes for Wild Seeds (Sp), Field Snack, Survival Burger, and Tapper. (You were supposed to get rewards for already having 2 levels in foraging, but the Game did not give you the rewards for it. We apologize and will fix it. On that note, you'll be sent a set of rewards for your combat level being maxed on the day the mines are available.)]
Taeko pulled the ax out of his inventory and twirled it around. He had felt more skilled than before. He called up the [Crafting Recipes] menu and put in the four items needed to make [Wild Seeds (SP)] getting a set of ten. He was curious to see what rewards he would get for combat.
[Crafting Item – Wild Seeds (Spring) - An assortment of wild spring seeds, that can yield quality forageable items. Any fertilizer used on the ground to plant them will be lost when it's fully grown. (Can be sold for 35 Gold)]
"I'll be sure to plant them." Taeko said as the [Coffee]'s buff faded. "Damn it…"
Taeko left for the Mountain which had the moniker of Stardew. He found some forage to craft some more [Wild Seeds (Sp)] before running into Demetrius. Taeko did not bother to use [Observe] on him as the conversation was less than pleasant. He didn't recognize Taeko at first, but he eventually recalled Taeko's lackluster project. A text box came up.
[You've resisted the urge to strangle Demetrius! You're a decent person!]
Taeko's hand was slipping toward Eclipse.
[You've gained 50 Gold for your moral action! Please do not kill him…]
Taeko relaxed his grip and walked away. The game at least rewarded him for putting up with Demetrius's crap. Walking away, he came across a tent with a lone wild man looking out at the mountain lake. He wore a jacket made of dried yellow leaves, a blank tank top, yellow slacks, and no shoes. His hair was unkempt, but his beard was maintained.
[Pelican Town Villager – Linus Lemuel – Relationship Level: 0.50/10 – A tough badass old man who is sick of society. Being rather quiet and reserved, he lives off the land with humble surroundings. Master forager at hand, his origins are shrouded in mystery. He is considered the town "outcast" and has no real friends aside from the Wizard. His likes center around blueberries, fish, and yams.]
"I see a new face." Linus said turning around.
"I see a new friend. Taeko Maelstrom." Taeko introduced.
"You resemble your old man. A nice, but rough guy." Linus said quietly. "This place isn't what used to be thanks to Joja."
"Joja's a poison." Taeko said bitterly. "Even if they made good cola."
"Nice to know you care." Linus said aloof.
"Here." Taeko said handing him a [Cookie]. "Least I can do."
Linus accepted and the two ate a cookie (for Taeko, two of them) in a bit of silence letting the sounds of nature flow. Fifteen minutes had flown by and Taeko had left. However, his friendship with Linus increased to a full heart. Next was the Mountain Lake, and Taeko took in the fresh air. He ran into Abigail who was on break from the shop.
"Oh, it's you. Still, touring the place?" Abigail said as she got up from her rock.
With the pickaxe, he shattered the rock collecting about 4 [Rock(s)].
"Yup. I'm getting familiar with the place and collecting a few things for the house." Taeko said calmly.
"Well, it's nice to see you're enjoying yourself at least. I'm a bit jealous of you, myself. You've got your own place and you're free to do whatever you want." Abigail admitted.
"Abigail, you do realize I have to get out of my home and work for money now. I'm in business for myself being self-employed. It's not like I have a job anymore to rely on a constant payback." Taeko said using the ax to chop down a tree to collect the [Wood], [Pine Cone], [Maple Seed(s)] , and [Acorn].
Using the crafting menu, a [Field Snack] was made as Taeko's bite to eat as he felt famished.
"Still, you got a house to yourself." Abigail said.
"That I have to maintain myself." Taeko said rolling his eyes.
"Ok, fair enough." Abigail said with a chuckle. "I should introduce you to Marlon and Gil."
"Who?" Taeko asked.
"They run the Adventurer's Guild. You'd love it as it's a place for swordsman and warriors." Abigail explained. "I'll show you."
Taeko followed Abigail to the Guild, but it was closed with a sign on the door. Emergency Meeting in Zuzu! Will Return on the 5th of Spring! – Marlon and Gil. Abigail was disappointed and Taeko got a message from the Game that he would not be seeing them until the Mines were available.
"Well, what a waste. They didn't even announce they were leaving on the bulletin board." Abigail said. "Then again, few have the heart be monster hunters. I want to be one, but..."
The world turned grey for Taeko as he was given a choice.
[Pry into Abigail and ask what was going to say.] or [Don't ask, and let the moment die.]
Taeko decided to pry and picked the first option.
"But what?" Taeko asked.
"You'd think it's stupid." Abigail remarked despondently.
"Come on, I won't laugh." Taeko insisted.
"I…want to be a swordswoman!" She admitted. "It's been a small dream of mine since I learned to fence as a kid. Kuina from One Piece had been my inspiration to be the best."
"That's noble. At least you were not inspired by Tashigi." Taeko joked.
"Oh please. She's a total tool at worst and an idiot at best." Abigail shot back.
"But why would I think it's stupid if you want to be a swordswoman?" Taeko remarked.
"Well, nobody believes in my "silly" dream. Not my parents, for sure." Abigail said bitterly. "Tell me, are you really trained with your sword?"
"My grandfather taught me martial arts and sword fighting from really young." Taeko explained. "I would be a bit rusty considering it's been a while, but I think I can still mimic the One Sword fighting style well."
"Wait, you can actually preform those moves?" Abigail said with wide eyes.
In reality, Taeko could actually mimic the posing. Taeko was hoping the Game would actually let him pull one off. Saying nothing, Taeko reached for his sword to unsheathe it. With a nervous grin, he readied himself. Abigail took some steps back. Taeko first holds Eclipse horizontally above the shoulder of his left arm (he usually uses his left arm to swordfight). Little did Taeko knew that he was about to trigger the combat feature.
"[Ittoryu: Sanjuroku Pound Ho]!" Taeko said performing a circular swing toward the lake.
The swing launches an air compressed projectile spiraling into the lake causing a huge splash to Taeko and Abigail. To add more to it, the splash caused five [Lakewood Bass] to flop on the ground and a [Treasure Chest] to crash on the ground.
"Holy shit!" Abigail said./Taeko thought.
Taeko knew the shockwave was not as strong as the real deal, but he was just shocked it worked. Abigail turned to Taeko, and he noticed she looked flushed and shocked.
"Teach me." Abigail said blankly.
Once again, Taeko was given a choice, but he didn't bother with it. He quickly hit yes.
[Your friendship with Abigail shot up to three hearts! You've earned the title of "Sensei"! 2-Heart Special Event available, visit her when she's in her room. You can also enter her room whenever you want.]
Taeko thought that was a nifty reward.
"Well, how does Thursday and Friday Night sound?" She asked still blankly. "Or would what you prefer?"
"I could call you when I'm available." Taeko said. "I can try to make it once a week at night."
"You got a phone?" Abigail asked as Taeko handed her his.
Still blank and wide-eyed, she keyed her digits into his contact list before returning it. Taeko had used [Observe] on the fish.
[Fish – Lakewood Bass – A popular fish that lives in lakes, yet for some reason only five people in town are neutral to it. (Normal Quality) +38 Energy/+17 Health (Size) Range from 11 to 31 inches]
Taeko took up all five of them (two of them had silver quality) before kicking open the treasure chest. Inside it was a…[Treasure Chest] to Taeko's confusion.
[Rare Item – Treasure Chest - Wow, it's loaded with treasure! This is sure to fetch a good price. Basically, the Nugget of this game. It's useless for anything, hated by all as a gift, and only good for being sold. Can be sold for 5000 Gold]
Taeko was thanking all the days of watching anime because now he did not have to go hungry at all. Collecting the item, he bid goodbye to Abigail before heading off. Abigail was completely lost.
"That was so intense… and so hot." She mumbled.
She let a squeak when she realized a certain place got a little wet. She let out a sigh of relief to know Taeko was long gone. A blush came to her face. She always had a bit of a crush on Zoro and it didn't help that Taeko faintly looked like him and just performed one of Zoro's actual attacks. Abigail set off for home for a shower….a long cold one.
"I had to admit, I'm curious about Taeko all the more." Abigail thought.
Taeko was back in town cruising through having a drink of Joja Cola. He knew the game classified it as trash, but he still drank it. He decided to pass by and say hello to Gunther before visiting the local blacksmith. As he walked into the blacksmith shop, Westwood and Sons, Taeko met Clint.
[Pelican Town Villager – Clint Westwood – Relationship Level: 0/10 – A rather boring man who's rather good at being a blacksmith. He's not really boring in a sense, he's just awkward. He's got a huge crush on Emily though. His likes center around gems, geodes, and certain cooked dishes.]
"Well hello, you must be the Maelstrom kid. I'm Clint Westwood, your humble blacksmith." He says.
"Charmed." Taeko responds. "I'll be happy to do business with you. Unfortunately, I'm just passing through. I'll let you know when I need your services. I do have to introduce myself to all in town."
"Of course, we can talk in the saloon." Clint says bidding goodbye.
Taeko left the place for the next destination. Taeko checked the game's clock to find it 2:00 in the afternoon already.
"What next? Maybe I should visit Cindersap Forest." Taeko thought. "Why not? I could run into some nice forage."
Taeko took off for the southwest end of town only to run into someone. He had brown shaggy hair, an equally shaggy beard, a worn brown cap, red jacket, a lighter red plaid shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots. This was Willy.
"I'm sorry about that." Taeko said.
"Equally sorry. Wait, you're that Maelstrom kid. You look a lot like your grandpa." Willy remarked. "Name's Willy."
"Taeko." Taeko said using [Observe].
[Pelican Town Villager – Willy Longcod – Relationship Level: 0/10 – Willy comes from a family who follow and have careers dealing with marine life. Willy was a former navy man before leaving for the life of a fisherman. He's an expert fisherman, and he hunts for the fish of legend. He runs the Fish Shop on Star Stud Beach. His likes center around iridium bars, diamonds, catfish, mead, and pumpkins.]
"Well, Taeko. We'll meet up more tomorrow. I've got to work on the chum." Willy said walking away.
"Right." Taeko said heading into Cindersap Forest.
The forest was rather expansive with a lake, river cutting through the place, and pathways galore. Taeko walked over to the river that seemed to slice a piece of the land away. It was then Taeko noticed some things that looked like women's clothing. A pair of stripped panties was near his foot which Taeko took up. It disappeared once he did.
[2/11 Panties collected!]
"Oh shit." Taeko thought as bubbles came from a spot on the lake.
A woman came up from the water. One that Taeko knew in the past. She had orange vibrant hair done straight and flowing (her hairstyle from the games is a bit hard to describe) which ended in one big braid, she had peach skin with a few freckles around her chest, and Taeko could feel she had a sizeable pair of 32-Cs because she was completely naked.
"Taeko?" Leah said.
He was frozen. He could see everything now down to her hairy snatch. This was new ground for Taeko. He had never thought of his best friend in a sexual way before. Mostly because Taeko was more busy drooling at anime girls or staring at the popular girls. The shock was too much for his brain to process. Blood shot out of his nose, and he collapsed.
[Taeko fainted! No shit.]
Before Taeko could lose any money, Leah got up on land and woke him up.
"Leah?" Taeko remarked.
"Yeah, dolt, it's me." Leah said teasingly. "You act like you've never see a naked woman before."
"Didn't expect it to be you." Taeko said getting up.
Leah chuckled.
"Well, it's nice to know you talk I am attractive." Leah teased gesturing to the bulge in his pants. "You've certainly grown."
"Hardy har har, at least I didn't have to lose weight." Taeko chided.
Leah was a bit chubbier in her schooling days, but she looked a lot thinner. Leah was also a tad taller standing close to Taeko's own height. Taeko's [Observe] kicked in.
[Pelican Town Villager – Leah Gardenia – Relationship Level: 10/10 – Leah lives alone in a small cabin just outside of town. She loves to spend time outside, foraging for a wild meal or simply enjoying the gifts of the season. She's a talented artist with a large portfolio of work… yet she's too nervous to display it to the public. She is also your longtime best friend from the past, so you know what she likes. (She is one of the six eligible bachelorettes.)]
Taeko felt a twitch and the Game conveniently gave him Leah's likes and dislikes. Taeko blushed inwardly that the option to marry Leah was on the table. He also got a message that he could trigger heart events once he's been on the farm for about five days.
"Well, living off the land does that. I quit the junk food…mostly because I couldn't really afford it. Joja's expensive as hell." Leah said, getting dressed. "So why are you even here?"
"I run Shadow Farm now." Taeko said proudly.
"Wait, you're the farmer everyone's been talking about. Small world. I moved here to get away from Kel and my parents." Leah said a bit bitter.
"What happened?" Taeko asked.
"My parents wanted me to give up being an artist and work for Joja!" Leah said fuming.
"I just quit that shithole. I ruined them and that's why I'm here now." Taeko said.
"That was you!" Leah said with a smirk. "You're the talk of our old high school."
"So, what happened?" Taeko asked.
"We had a fight and I left home for good. I wandered from island to island on little money until I ended up here. The cottage was originally abandoned, but the mayor let me keep it because the original owner was long dead. And I've been staying in the valley ever since." Leah says. "All that running and living on little food was what caused me to lose weight. Now I live off what I can find around the forest."
"And how you even make any money?" Taeko asked with concern.
"For one, you can find some neat stuff. Plus, I fish. I can sell a little to Lewis and make enough scratch to buy essentials." Leah remarked.
"Well, I'm just glad you're all right." Taeko said taking out a Joja Cola to drink.
"You still drink that? Pass one over." Leah asked.
Taeko does so in confusion.
"I thought you hated junk food." Taeko said.
"I do. However, I find so many of these in the river and the trash. Better to have liquid refreshment." Leah said. "I was living off these in the winter…"
Taeko felt an air of awkward blow through them as they drank their cola in silence. 4 more to go…
[STATS]
Taeko Kiba Maelstrom
Occupation: Farmer/Freelancer Ronin
Age: 20 years
HP: 510/510
Energy: 300/300
Overall Level: Greenhorn
Farming Skill Level: 0
Mining Skill Level: 0
Foraging Skill Level: 3
Fishing Skill Level: 0
Combat Skill Level: 10
Gold: 2050
Total Amount Earned: 0 Gold
Taeko is a former employee of the corrupt Joja Corp. Screwing it over, he got away with it free to chase his dreams and ambitions. An anti-hero and a roughneck, he won't take crap from no-one. Now he's the head farmer of Shadow Farm along with being essentially a ronin. His favorite food is pepperoni pizza. His favorite gifts tend to center around gaming, manga, and combat.
[Taeko's Perks]
The Gamer's Mind - Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of Mind. Immunity to Psychological Mass Effect and Hypnotism.
The Gamer's Body - Grants the user a body to live life like a video game, Immunity to Physical Damage, but not the pain. Sleeping in a bed fully restores HP/Energy, Sleeping in a tent restores HP/Energy by 75% of total amount, and sleeping on an improvised surface (a couch, the ground) restores HP/Energy by 50% of maximum amount.
Made of Iron – You can survive your HP going down to zero, and you only need four hours and ten minutes of sleep to function perfectly. (Downside, you have to bed before 2 A.M. or else you pass out.)
Fighter - All attacks deal 10% more damage. (+15 HP)
Brute - Damage is increased by 15%
[Relationships]
Sandy – 4/10 Hearts – 1000 Friendship Points
Pam – 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Lewis – 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Pierre – 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Robin – 0/10 Hearts – 0 Friendship Points
Abigail - 3/10 Hearts – 750 Friendship Points
Caroline – 0/10 Hearts - 0 Friendship Points
George - 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Evelyn - 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Alex – 0/10 Hearts - 0 Friendship Points
Harvey - 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Maru - 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Linus - 1/10 Hearts – 250 Friendship Points
Gus (and Cosette) – 2/10 Hearts – 500 Friendship Points
Sebastian – 2/10 Hearts – 500 Friendship Points
Haley – 0/10 – 0 Friendship Points
Emily – 0.25/10 – 62.5 Friendship Points
Penny – 1/10 – 250 Friendship Points
Jas – 0/10 – 0 Friendship Points
Vincent – 0/10 – 0 Friendship Points
Demetrius – 0/10 – 0 Friendship Points
Clint – 0/10 – 0 Friendship Points
Willy – 0/10 – 0 Friendship Points
Leah – 2500/2500 – 10 Friendship Points
[SAVE GAME]
….
[GAME SAVED]
(A/N: I'm glad to have my laptop back in working order. This was long overdue, and I made sure to make the chapter longer than usual. I think I did well because there's only four more people to make an introduction too. Then the story can truly begin. As for training Abigail in sword fighting, I wanted to justify Abigail's sword a bit more. It's never really brought up in the game much other than once for the most part. As for Linus, he and Taeko will become fast friends mostly due to their similar anti-social vibes. As for Leah and Taeko, I do not have the intention of pairing them like I said earlier. It would be too easy. I hope you all stick around. I'll be reworking my writing schedule in due time.)
(Remastered A/N: Ironically, the reason for Pierre thinking her dream is 'silly' kinda morphed into a different season over the course of this story's development. (But it really comes down to Abigail being mostly talk until Taeko gave her the kick she needed.) It's crazy to look back at these chapters to see how much solely changed as the Game updates.)