Spark(8)

She probably still got horrible messages, but she had a secretary now who screened everything, only forwarding the real fan mail for her to answer.
On stage, the emcee began the VirtuMax introduction, talking about the search for a seamless virtual experience, the incredible talent who worked on the project, and the faerie-world inspiration behind Feyland.
If only they knew.
The game had connected to the actual Realm of Faerie in ways she didn’t quite understand. The lead programmer, a guy named Thomas Rimer, had drawn on old faerie lore and legends to create the content. And then, somehow, the realm had crossed over into reality. Tam and Jennet had tried to explain, but at a certain point there were no answers beyond one.
Magic.
“And now,” the emcee announced, “as part of an exclusive SimCon demo, please help me welcome Spark Jaxley!”
The crowd cheered, the noise raw and excited. A stagehand pressed a wireless mic into her palm, and Spark stepped onto the stage. The noise redoubled, and she let it wash over her. She couldn’t see faces beyond the blare of the lights, but she smiled as if she could.
“Hey, everybody,” she said into the mic. “It’s good to be here.”
She waited as the audience settled down. Not too far down, though; the theater still buzzed with a low hum of excitement. The premiere of the FullD system was the whole point of SimCon, after all.
She strode over to where the gleaming system sat, spot-lit in the center of the stage.
“Here it is,” she said. “The sim-system we’ve been waiting years for. VirtuMax’s FullD!”
More shouts and applause. She grinned at the invisible crowd.
“Want me to fire it up?” The noise rose in volume—but not enough. “Are you sure?”
The theater practically shook. Spark lowered her mic and swept her gaze across the barely visible packed seats, nodding. At last the frenzy subsided.
“I’ll give you a taste tonight of what the system can do, and show you highlights of Feyland. Tomorrow morning we’ll have a number of FullD systems on the floor for you all to try out.”
Not enough, of course, and the lines would be severely long. At least some of the convention-goers would get a chance to play. The ones that didn’t would just have to be content with an autographed picture.
Spark handed her mic to the emcee, then pulled on the gaming helm they’d wired into the theater display system. Even though the watching crowd wouldn’t be able to feel what she felt, they’d see and hear her gameplay; plus she’d do her best to narrate everything she was experiencing in-game.
She settled into the chair and loaded up the character creation screen of Feyland.
“Most of you are familiar with the types of characters here,” she said. “We’ve got casters, distance fighters, healers, melee classes—but a few new twists, too.”
With a couple of quick finger commands she called up her avatar, a magenta-haired character with pointed ears and a bow strapped to her back.
“This is the avatar I played in beta. She’s a Kitsune, with control over the elements and a few surprise talents.” Spark sent her character into Feyland, where she materialized in the familiar ring of mushrooms. “As you see, when you first enter the game, you’re in a clearing in the woods, surrounded by a faerie ring.”
She paused a moment, concentrating on the sensations.
“There’s a breeze—I can feel it against my cheeks. The moss underfoot is soft and springy, like walking on crash-test foam.”
That got a small laugh. Smiling, Spark stepped over the ring—pale mushrooms mixed with white-dotted red ones—and gestured to the path leading between the trees. “Following that path takes you to your first adventure. I’ll let you explore that part yourselves. No point in ruining all the surprises. For now, we’ll jump ahead to the city.”
She keyed in the command to take her to the next preset scene. After a quick fade to black, her character reappeared on the crest of a hill overlooking a city. White towers gleamed, colorful pennants flying over an orderly maze of cobbled streets. A high wall enclosed the buildings, and the glint of a lake at the far side of the city was just visible, the blue waters shining beneath the sun.
“The city of Stronghold,” she said. “Here you’ll find vendors, combat trainers, and a huge variety of quests that send you off to explore the many fantastical areas of Feyland.”#p#分页标题#e#
Though, hopefully, not to the Dark Court, where the merciless and lovely queen ruled, hungry for entry into the mortal world. Spark shivered at the memory of the queen’s sharp-edged smile. Quickly, she sent her character striding down the road and through the city gates.