Audiobook Sample: Ready Player One - Ernest Kline

Transcript

Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
I took a deep breath, raised my sword and placed my right foot on the bottom step of the dais. As I did, there was a sound like cracking bones. As a Sara slowly lifted his head, the rubies in his eye sockets began to glow with an intense red light. I took several steps backward, expecting him to leap down and attack me, but he didn't rise from his throne. Instead he lowered his head and fixed me with his chilling gase. Greetings, pars of all. He said in a rasping voice. What is it that you seek? This caught me off guard according to the module, the lich wouldn't speak. He was just supposed to attack, leaving me with no choice but to kill him or run for my life. I seek the copper key. I replied. Then I remembered I was speaking to a king. So I quickly bowed my head, dropped to one knee and added your majesty. Of course you do. As Sara said, motioning for me to rise and you've come to the right place. He stood and his mummified skin cracked like old leather as he moved. I clutched my sword more tightly. Still anticipating an attack. How can I know that you are worthy of possessing the copper key? He asked, holy ****, how the **** was I supposed to answer that? And what if I gave the wrong answer? Would he suck out my soul and incinerate me? I racked my brain for a suitable reply. The best I could come up with was allow me to prove my worth, noble Sara. The lich let out a long disturbing cackle that echoed off the chamber's stone walls very well. He said, you shall prove your worth by facing me in a joust. I'd never heard of an undead Lich king challenging someone to a joust, especially not in a subterranean burial chamber. All right. I said uncertainly but won't we be needing horses for that, not horses? He replied, stepping away from his throne birds. He waved his skeletal hand at his throne. There was a brief flash of light accompanied by a transformation sound effect which I was pretty sure had been lifted from the old super friends cartoon. The throne melted and morphed into an old coin operated video game cabinet. Two joysticks protruded from its control panel. One yellow and one blue. I couldn't help but grin as I read the name on the game's backlit marquee joust Williams electronics 1982.