Fifteen-year-old Michelle saves the world on a daily basis...with her trusty video game controller, of course! Naturally, she jumps at the chance to play an experimental virtual reality game.
The beautiful fantasy world of Starrs? Check. The power...
Video games usually start out cheerful. You have an ordinary boy living a boring life on a sweet little island or in a cute fairy forest, when destiny calls and whisks him away on an adventure of a lifetime.
I guess this is the kind of game where I'm thrown into the frying pan from the start, which sucks because I was really looking forward to a stroll down Tahitian docks. I knew the peaceful boat ride with Gediyon was too good to be true...
As the boat approaches the village, the thick fog blocks out sunlight until it's as dark as night. A cool breeze swirls through the mist. Blazing torches illuminate the wooden docks, and I'm not even sure if they're grounded to anything. The docks and lower level huts must float directly on the surface. The boat ripples the water, and the docks make a hollow clunk against their posts. Above, the higher huts hang from the trunks and branches of massive trees that grow straight from the sea, and narrow walkways connect one tree to another.
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"This place would be awesome if it were sunny," I mutter.
I look back at Gediyon. Apparently, the fog is affecting him too—his smile has faded. He pulls into a swaying dock, where the other boats are tied, and anchors his own.
"So, what happened here?" I ask.
"The dam has breached," Gediyon tells me, "contaminating the Crystal Lagoon with the toxins of the TaintedSea. Even the purified drinking water has become poisonous."
"Is it deadly?"
"It can be, yes, but the effects are gradual. When enough poison has accumulated in the body, it renders a person immobile." He gestures toward the water sphere. "Normally, it's illegal to capture these fish, but I've permission from King Oresonn himself to cook these for the villagers." He smiles at me. "It's great luck that you had attracted them when you fell into the water. I might not have found them otherwise. When properly prepared, they produce an adrenaline rush that is otherwise fatal, but for these people, that's just what they need to recover. This fish can't sustain them for long, though, and that's why we must also repair the dam."
"So that's what I'm here for!"
"Everyone will appreciate it if you could do that for us, Michelle, but we should probably consult the mayor beforehand."
He manages to stand up without rocking the boat. I couldn't tell when he was sitting down, but he is really tall. Not like a professional basketball player, but still over six feet.
He steps onto the dock, then reaches toward me to help me out. I take his hands and—geez, how could anybody have hands that are so strong and gentle at the same time?
With a flick of his hand, the water sphere rises out of the boat and follows us down the dock. Looking around, I can't help but feel that something will jump out of the water and attack me, and I don't even have a weapon yet. At least Gediyon is with me; I walk closer beside him.
