Karin Guide — Stella Sora

Shia is going to be the greatest seafaring Trekker of all time, and I'll become the second-best, right behind her!

Always at Sea

Often sails with Shia. She's a bit less skilled, but her keen danger radar has bailed them out many times.

Magic Conch

Wind through a shell carries ancient songs—okay, that's a stretch. But Karin swears she can tell different conchs apart by sound alone.

Standing Long Jump Record

Nailed an incredible 4-meter jump at the Trekker Association's "Fitness for All" event.

"Contact Lenses"

Poor vision meant she was stuck with thick glasses, until a Monolith wish with Shia granted a rare Artifact: clear discs worn right on the eyes to replace her heavy frames.

Bargain Hunter

Knows every local sale and coupon drop inside out. She's always first in line to snag the best deals.

You have to spend time with her to see the energy packed in that tiny frame. She sells herself short around me, but she's actually beating me at tracking and fishing lately.
—Shia

I know her! Sea treasure hunting sounds amazing! I've always wanted to pick her brain!
—Teresa

Verified.
That bunny trailing after Shia might look frail, but she's got a fierce spirit.
—Willow

A Friendly Warning

Never sneak up behind Karin, get near her ears, or startle her.
—Unless you want a swift kick from legs trained for over a decade.

Shortly after Shia's grandmother passed away, Karin showed up, saying she wanted to learn how to sail. Shia, however, wasn't thrilled about the idea. Sailing with someone new brought back too many painful memories of her grandmother. So, while she treated Karin kindly, she'd always steer the conversation away from actually going out to sea.

Karin didn't give up. If she couldn't get on a boat, she'd just write down everything Shia mentioned about sailing or her grandmother. She'd go over them again and again to soak up every bit of experience she could.

As the days turned to weeks, the two fell into a comfortable rhythm.
Seeing that Karin was fast becoming someone with perfect textbook knowledge but zero practical experience, Shia finally caved, though she only took her on a quick, almost symbolic trip to fish in the shallows.
"Maybe I'm the one who's still stuck in the past," Shia thought. But then she caught the look on Karin's face—a look of pure wonder.
"This is amazing! So this is how it works?! I followed the steps in my notebook, but doing it for real feels totally different!"
Watching the small girl, Shia couldn't help but see a reflection of her younger self. It dawned on her then: since losing her grandmother, her world had been gray. But because of Karin, the color was finally seeping back in.

The weather on the coast can turn on a dime.
One day, the two returned to port after a routine trip. Late that night, Karin realized she'd left her notebook on the boat. Terrified it would get ruined in the rain, she rushed back out into the brewing storm alone to grab it.
With only a flickering candle inside the dark cabin, Karin listened to the howling wind violently rattle the ship's hull. In that moment, she finally understood what Shia always meant: the sea wasn't just beautiful; it could be terrifying. Pushing her fear aside, she squinted in the dim light, desperate to find the notebook and leave.
A flash of lightning revealed a monstrous wave crashing toward the harbor. Karin had just found her notebook and turned to go when a violent jolt sent her slamming into the wall, knocking her out cold.
The massive impact snapped the boat's mooring lines. Adrift on the churning water, the ship was swept out into the raging storm, heading straight for the unknown...

Hours later, a loud thud jolted Karin awake. She opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by completely unfamiliar waters.
The thudding against the hull kept going. She scrambled onto the deck to see what it was, just as a marlin the size of an Artifact vehicle burst from the water. Its massive body blocked out the sun, casting a deadly shadow over the bow. It was the biggest, most terrifying fish Karin had ever seen.

Lost in uncharted waters far from Port Sailstead, Karin found herself locked in a grueling, hour-long standoff with the monster.
Hours earlier, the giant predator had decided Shia's boat was trespassing and launched a relentless attack. Drawing on nothing but the theory she'd memorized, Karin frantically steered the ship, doing her best to dodge the marlin's strikes.

"I was in such a rush to get away, I don't even know where I am now..."
"The compass is busted, I don't have a map, and food... I'm almost out."
The ocean was eerily calm after the storm. Drifting alone on the empty sea, Karin felt completely abandoned by the world. Tears streamed down her face—not because she was scared for herself, but because she felt she had failed to protect the ship that meant everything to Shia and her grandmother. If she could, she would gladly stay at sea just to get the boat back to Shia.

A sudden splashing sound came from below deck. Panicking that the hull had a leak, Karin stumbled to the railing, only to see a school of small, dark blue fish swimming alongside the boat. She noticed that the earlier hits had ripped open her bag of fishcakes. Crumbs were floating on the surface, drawing the curious little scavengers.
"Why do fish even like this stuff?! Sorry guys, but this is literally my last meal!"
As Karin bent down to clean up the mess, she spotted a terrifyingly familiar fin slicing through the water toward them.
"That stupid fish! Why is it back?! Eek!"
Chasing the small fish, the giant marlin slammed into the hull once again. The impact knocked the last of the fishcakes right out of Karin's hands and into the sea.
"Dang it! I have to... I have to at least save the ship!"
Karin scrambled back to the helm. She pictured Shia in her head, asking herself what her mentor would do in a crisis like this.
"If I can't shake it, I'll just keep sailing until it tires out!"
Feeling for the wind, Karin hoisted the sail, locking herself into a bitter battle of endurance with the stubborn sea monster.

Finally, enraged by its elusive prey, the marlin launched itself into the air, aiming a lethal dive at the ship from Karin's blind spot. By the time she saw it coming, it was too late to turn. But just before the fish could skewer the hull, an impossibly massive creature breached the surface and bit the marlin clean in half. The leviathan cast a quick glance at Karin's torn fishcake bag, then sank back into the depths, taking its school of tiny blue fish with it.

The battle was over. A gentle drizzle began to fall over the quiet sea, and Karin collapsed flat onto the deck, too exhausted to even wipe the rain from her face.
She hadn't actually beaten the marlin herself, but she had done what mattered: she kept Shia's most treasured ship safe.
Just as she was about to black out, she heard the distant shouts of fishermen. Cutting through the noise was a gentle, unmistakable voice. She felt the heavy thud of boots on the deck and knew exactly who had come aboard. A second later, a pair of warm arms pulled her into a tight embrace.

Karin had finally gotten her wish to sail with Shia. But weeks into their voyage, she still seemed down in the dumps.
"What's eating you, Karin? Not a fan of today's lunch?"
"No way! Anyone who knocks your cooking must have busted taste buds!"
"Shee? Ish weally good, mmph..."
"Hehe, glad you like it. But maybe swallow your food before you talk."
"Mm... It's just... I'm a little bummed out."
Karin gazed out the window at the ocean, and Shia instantly knew what was on her mind.
A few hours earlier, they'd spotted a ridiculously expensive fish out on the water. Word was they used to serve it exclusively to royalty, and even now, you'd only ever catch it on a noble's dining table.
"Still moping over that fish? It's a bummer we missed it, sure, but it's not like we're scraping the bottom of the barrel for our next meal."
"If only I had a decent weapon on me, maybe we..."
"See? It's much easier when you're honest about what you want. Come on, I know just the place."

Down at the bustling port of Sailstead, Shia led a hesitant Karin up to the Trekker Association counter. A petite girl, busy tinkering with an Artifact, hopped off a high stool to greet them.
"Nuz, we're back. How's the tuning on Snow Rabbit and Night Rabbit going?"
"Artifacts this delicate take time. Anyway, how'd your browsing go? Find anything useful in the warehouse?"
"Karin, tell her what you think."
Karin just shyly held up the gun-shaped Artifact she'd been clutching to her chest.
"Ah, that one. Nothing wrong with it, but it's pretty unforgiving. You'd need killer reflexes and dead-on accuracy to actually use it."
"If you don't like it, don't be shy. Shia and I go way back, so you're welcome to pick out another—whoa!"

Before Nuz could even finish, the Snow Rabbit and Night Rabbit shot out of her hands. They smashed right through a window and started zipping around the room like crazy.
"Crap! I forgot the safety lock! Someone stop those things!"
Karin reacted in a flash. Kicking off the table, she launched herself into the air and fired two quick shots, knocking both rogue Artifacts right out of the sky.
The Trekkers in the hall erupted into applause at the sudden "show." Realizing everyone was staring, Karin turned beet red and ducked behind Shia.
"Sorry, Shia... I think I busted your Artifacts..."
"As long as you're okay. That was some incredible shooting, by the way."
"Sorry about the mess, Nuz. Just put the repair costs for the Artifacts and the window on my tab."
"Why am I getting major déjà vu right now? Haven't we done this before...?"
"Nah, my bad this time. I'll tally up the damages for the Artifacts later."
Shia nodded and led Karin out of the hall. Nuz watched them leave, then turned back to the shattered glass on the floor with a heavy sigh.
"Maybe I should ask Willow to spring for bulletproof glass..."