The Maelstrom of Stardew
Year 1 (Spring)
Chapter 7 – (T^T') A Slow Start
Tuesday, the 2nd of Spring, 2017
[Quest Announcement] - Gamer Ability/Notification
[LOAD GAME]
…
[GAME LOADED. WELCOME BACK!]
Taeko rolled out of bed at six a.m. feeling completely refreshed. The text box told him that he slept in his bed and he was completely healed. He also saw the current gold increase as because it was a new day. Taeko learned his gold amount changed due to him dumping item in the bin to sell.
[Current Gold Amount: 8,058]
"Damn, I guess I won't be going hungry for a while." Taeko said springing up. "Now, it's time for a bath."
While taking said bath, a floating box appeared in front showing the visage of everyone's favorite pink love fairy.
"Hey cutie." Kyu teased.
"Damn it, Kyu!" Taeko said with a blush. "What do you want?"
"Just checked your progress. You are already close to making 10,000. And from just one day. Color me impressed. So, I've decided to reward you." Kyu said teasingly. "With a skill book, it's at your door. By the way, would you be open to you, me, and T—"
Taeko closed out the window not wanting to go down that road. If the games were true, Kyu was nuts. He did not want his first time do to be with her…she'd cheapen it. He finished his shower and got dressed. He wore a pair of weighted black boots, black long cargo pants, a white T-shirt with two black stripes running down the left side, and his usual jacket. Getting his things in order, he went to the kitchen to see what he could make for breakfast.
"Oh yeah, I don't have any…what's that?" Taeko said noticing a small box in the corner of the fridge not registered in the fridge's inventory.
Taking up, he found it was full of sausage patties, but he did not complain. Instead, he put those two out to defrost. He strode outside to the coop slashing the grass with a scythe to collect hay (which was sent to the silo automatically thanks to the game).
"Hey Reiju." Taeko said as the chicken chirped.
[Chicken – Reiju – Heart Rating: 2/5 – Taeko's first chicken. She's spunky and likes the outdoors in the daytime.]
Taeko petting the chicken before remembering she would not be producing eggs yet. Sighing dejectedly, he refilled her feeding station and left. Coming back up to the farm, he remembered Kyu saying she left a package. He found it and opened it up.
[Skill Book – So You Think You Can Breakdance? – Light on your feet? Learn how to whirl about with these wicked moves. Whether it's dancing to impress or kicking ass in style, you'll look fly doing it. (Skill Requirement: Combat Lv.3)]
Taeko wasted no time "absorbing" the book and broke out into several dance moves. Taeko had a feeling those moves would come in handy as he went in to have breakfast. Sure, it cost him his bread to make sandwiches, but it was worth it. Downing a cola, he got to work watering the crops. That was a pain considering he discovered he had to upgrade his main tools for them to be more efficient. So, it took him a half hour just to get everything watered.
"I need to upgrade my shit." Taeko said panting. "And I can't mine with the Game telling me it's available."
Taeko also realized it's early in the morning and few would probably be up at the time getting the adult to groan. Taeko thought about foraging, but he really did not feel like doing it so early in the morning. However, the thought of the bridge drove him out to the Cindersap Forest swinging his sword. Axe be damned!
[An Hour Later]
Leah came out of her cottage wearing her usual wear but was still rather sleepy. An explosion rocked her awake and had her come running. She found a small crater and a panting Taeko looking thrilled.
"That was awesome!" Taeko cried out before collapsing. "Totally worth exhaustion on all my muscles."
Leah noticed many trees were slashed apart or blown up before looking down at Taeko who just seemed happy to see her.
"S'up, Leah?" Taeko said.
[You've leveled up your Foraging Skill to 5, you can select new perk!]
The world went gray as Taeko looked up to two new options.
[New Perk – Forester – Wood worth 50% more (Applies to Hardwood and Wood).]
[New Perk – Gatherer - Chance for double harvest of foraged items. (20% chance of double harvest)]
Taeko went for [Gatherer] as he felt it was unlikely that he'd be selling wood considering he needed all he could get. Wordlessly, he made a pack of [Wild Seeds (SP)]. The world returned to normal as Leah aided him up.
"You worked these old trees. I pity them." Leah said as Taeko handed her a seed packet. "What's this?"
"Something you could grow. Figured it'd be easy for you to grow up something you could eat for one." Taeko said.
"How sweet." Leah said, pocketing it. "Allow me to return the favor."
Taeko was given a [Muscle Remedy] and an [Energy Tonic] which completely revitalized him.
"I can't have my best friend unable to work. Besides, I need your help." Leah said dragging Taeko away.
Taeko was given the warning he was about to be pulled into a heart event by the Game and all Taeko was thinking was it was still early for this. Taeko found himself inside her cottage with a sculpture in the center of the room. It was abstract art out of wood, and it was the kind that hard to describe.
"Once you get past the outer layers, the true nature starts to show..." Leah said.
Due to his high friendship with Leah, Taeko was given leeway in his options on what to say.
"I'm about to be blunt. This is abstract…the kind of stuff you'd see in someone's office. Now, that's not a bad thing. It's just not dynamic. It feels more of a background place." Taeko admitted. "I still like it."
Leah looked a bit deflated by that but perked up.
"Thanks for being honest at least. It's not easy to pay the bills as an artist." Leah said with a pout.
"Uh…there's deviantART? You could sell your art there." Taeko suggested.
Leah facepalmed hard enough to leave a mark on her face.
"Yoba-damn it! I completely forgot about that site!" Leah said springing over to her laptop. "I was only using it for getting off and reading smutty fanfics…"
Taeko sniggered and Leah blushed bright red.
"Wait, why am I blushing? I know you do that too!" Leah said, turning towards the snickering gamer.
"Too busy with farming for that." Taeko said coolly. "I guess I have better control of myself."
Leah rolled her eyes and pulled up her account. Taeko had one as well where he posted up drawings and so forth. He actually did manage to sell a few products much to Leah's twitching eye. Leah felt like a dumbass but ske kept her cool.
"Taeko, thanks for the help. You should go. I have work to do." Leah remarked.
Taeko left to see a text box come up saying Leah's 2-Heart event was completed, but no reward came out of it.
"At least, it passed the time. It's finally nine and Pierre's open." Taeko said running off for town.
Taeko strode into town only to bump into Alex, as he was the last person Taeko was in the mood to see.
"Watch it." Alex said fluffing his jacket as he got up. "Your sword jigged me."
"Sorry about that." Taeko said trying to be civil.
"I don't even get why you carry the damn thing with you everywhere." Alex said sharply.
"Swordsmanship is a thing that runs in the family. It's a bit of a rite of passage." Taeko said before going on his way. "Better to pack a blade then to fumble with your balls."
Alex was a sputtering wreck, and Taeko victoriously snickered. Taeko did not make any gains, but it was worth it to see him flustered. Entering the general store, Pierre was talking to Willy who turned to see Taeko come in.
"Taeko! I was going to deliver a message to you but seeing you're here. I'll just give it to you now." Willy said, handing Taeko a fishing rod. "Tell me, son. Got any experience fishing?"
"Does playing it as a minigame in MySims Kingdom or dealing with that shite levels in Sonic Adventure count?" Taeko said weakly.
This actually got Willy to laugh alongside Pierre.
"This guy…. You remind me of Abigail. She thought she could drive because she used her fancy wheel controller for racing games." Pierre said beating the desk with his fist while laughing.
[You got a good laugh out of Willy and Pierre, 250 Friendship Points gained!]
[Calculating…previous fishing experience found! Fishing Skill leveled up by 2 – You can now make bait. Fiberglass Rod upgrade unlocked at the Bait Shop.]
Turns out his little incident on the lake yesterday was counted, and Taeko was told the Game had overlooked it earlier. Taeko only wished he could brag, but he kept silent on it. He turned to Pierre, clearing the throat showing he was ready to shop.
"I'll take 4 cases of [Wheat Flour], 3 of every kind of fertilizer, 5 [Bean Starters], 5 [Potato Seeds], 8 [Tulip Seeds], and a bag of [Rice]." Taeko said curtly.
"That'll be 2,085…" Pierre said sheepishly as Taeko paid up.
"Taeko?" Abigail said, coming through the door leading to the rest of the house. "Hey."
"How's it rocking?" Taeko remarked. "Just came to do some shopping and some work. Over than that, I am free for most of the day."
Taeko subtly gestured to his sword giving Abigail the signal and a smirk.
"So, Abigail, what's the plan for today? Going to lay about the store?" Pierre asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Actually, I promised Taeko I'd help out on his farm. Figured I'd started earning some of my own money." Abigail lied calmly.
Taeko looked surprised, but he had to calm down when Pierre turned to him.
"Well, that's wonderful. I'm finally glad you're starting to work instead of lazing about all day. How much are you being paid?" Pierre asked.
Before Abigail could answer, Taeko cut down.
"2 gold an hour, plus lunch on me." Taeko remarked quickly. "It's the best I can provide considering it's a small farm for now."
"Well, that's nice." Pierre said.
"I'll see you there, Abs." Taeko said rushing out of the store.
He was a bit sore over having to pay Abigail, but he was making decent money. Plus, he could sell stuff to make gold either way. Crafting three more Field Snacks, he ate one on the way back.
"Thank God, I cut in. If she had said anything higher, I would be broke before the end of the week." Taeko remarked walking down the dusty road back to the farm.
Taeko's first action when he got back was to dump some food items in the fridge. The [Rice], the [Beer], the [Cookies], all of the [Wheat Flour], and 35 of his [Joja Cola]. He stored away half of the tulip seeds and took out four of the [Blue Jazz Seeds]. He had a goal in mind to plant a simple garden and with Abigail on the way, he'd get it.
[STATS]
Taeko Kiba Maelstrom
Occupation: Farmer/Freelancer Ronin
Age: 20 years
HP: 570/570
Energy: 350/350
Overall Level: Tiller
Farming Skill Level: 1
Mining Skill Level: 0
Foraging Skill Level: 4
Fishing Skill Level: 2
Combat Skill Level: 10
Gold: 2748
Taeko is a former employee of the corrupt Joja Corporation. 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) (Augmented by Anasatsuken fighting style)
Brute – Damage is increased by 15%
(New Perk!) Gatherer - Chance for double harvest of foraged items. (20% chance of double harvest)
[Relationships]
Sandy – 4.40/10 Hearts – 1100 Friendship Points
Pam – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Lewis – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Pierre – 2.4/10 Hearts – 600 Friendship Points
Robin – 0.4/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Abigail – 3.25/10 Hearts – 812.5 Friendship Points
Caroline – .40/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
George – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Evelyn – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Alex – .40/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Harvey – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Maru – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Linus – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Gus (and Cosette) – 2.4/10 Hearts – 600 Friendship Points
Sebastian – 2.25/10 Hearts – 562.5 Friendship Points
Haley – .40/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Emily – 0.25/10 – 62.5 Friendship Points
Penny – 1.4/10 – 350 Friendship Points
Jas – .40/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Vincent – .40/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Demetrius – .40/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Clint – .40/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Willy – 1.40/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Leah – 10/10 Hearts – 2500 Friendship Points
Marnie – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
Elliot – 0.4/10 Hearts – 100 Friendship Points
Shane – 0.9/10 Hearts – 225 Friendship Points
Sam – 1.4/10 Hearts – 350 Friendship Points
(Status of the Farm)
Column 1:
Row 1) Parnsip (Basic Fertilizer) (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 2) Parnsip (Basic Fertilizer) (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 3) Parnsip (Basic Fertilizer) (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 4) Parnsip (Basic Fertilizer) (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 5) Parnsip (Basic Fertilizer) (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 6) Wild Seeds (SP) (Speed-Gro) (Days in the Soil: 1/6)
Row 7) Wild Seeds (SP) (Speed-Gro) (Days in the Soil: 1/6)
Row 8) Wild Seeds (SP) (Speed-Gro) (Days in the Soil: 1/6)
Row 9) Rhubarb (Speed-Gro) (Days in the Soil: 1/12)
Row 10) Rhubarb (Speed-Gro) (Days in the Soil: 1/12)
Row 11) Parnsip (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 12) Parnsip (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Column 2:
Row 1) Parnsip (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 2) Parnsip (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 3) Parnsip (Days in the Soil: 1/4)
Row 4) Rhubarb (Days in the Soil: 1/13)
Row 5) Wild Seeds (SP) (Days in the Soil: 1/7)
Row 6) Wild Seeds (SP) (Days in the Soil: 1/7)
Row 7) Wild Seeds (SP) (Days in the Soil: 1/7)
Row 8) Wild Seeds (SP) (Days in the Soil: 1/7)
Column 3:
[Empty]
Column 4:
[Empty]
(Day 2 Total Profits: Day Is Not Over Yet)
(Shadow Farm's Total Profits (This adds all the money made by the end of each day): 8,508 Gold)
[SAVE GAME]
….
[GAME SAVED]
(A/N: I had to slash the chapter in two to improve my pacing. Considering a major new perk was given, I needed to slice it. I reorganized the farmland to keep better track of how long the crops will grow. Doing so (along with fixing the inventory txt file) has made this fanfic much easier to write this fanfiction. Either way, Abigail's coming to visit, and training will commence. Will sparks fly? Find out next time! By the way, I'm thinking of including elements from the MySims games. Comment on that. I want to hear your thoughts.)
(Remastered A/N: Not too much say here. Just made sure to clean up the chapter.)