Chapter One
..
..
"Advance! We're almost there GLURK!" Armed Santa, AKA Jonathan Green's avatar blinked into non-existence as he is pinged by dozens of Mass Effect rounds leaving nothing but coins and random parts of his red equipment all over the ground. His death though is barely heard among the sounds of explosions and the cries of pain by NPC's and the occasional player.
"Keep moving forward. Alliance soldiers with me!" Rodrigo Diaz AKA, John Shepard, leader of the majority of the Mass Effect fans which formed into one big clan called out, urging the rest of his twenty-man squad to advance despite the rain of hellfire that the I-Robot NPC's hailed down on them.
Currently the battlefield is on a ruined hologram of New York and the prize is nothing else but a relic of power, which is the Core of Sonny. Apparently according to game information brokers, it is one of the best power sources in the entire OASIS and can power anything from your own personal ship to a car. Surely everyone is gunning for it; especially with the fact that it can be useful for any ride for the next race for Haliday's first challenge.
The only problem is the dozens of other clans and groups, not to mention hundreds of other single players aiming for the same thing that their own group is trying to get. Around the hologram of the battlefield, it is a complete warzone with players trying to advance against the NPC's NS-5's and trying to take potshots with one another to eliminate the competition as they pushed onward. Not that it is going easy. NPC NS-5's with railguns are defending the lines in heavily defensible positions cracking down hard on any Player.
The white robots are deadly both range and melee, able to switch attack modes completely easy. It is proven enough when a bunch of three player team whose avatars look a lot like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo made a blind charge to one of the NPC lines' weak spots only to get their asses handed to them when an NS-5 appeared on their way. Solo got a gun blast to the face and Leia have her necked broken. Luke Skywalker despite obviously having better equipment than the other two with his laser sword survived the initial onslaught by blocking the gun blasts. When the NS-5 advanced to melee him though, it is a completely different story. The real Luke Skywalker could have taken out the robot NPC without problem. This Skywalker though has Luke's face and none of his skills. Two punches that he didn't manage to block with his sword, and a knee to the gut made the wannabe player crashing down on the ground like a sack of potatoes. He ended up getting killed when his foe crawled all over his knocked out body and bashed his avatar's head open with a nearby rock.
John Shepard on the other hand nearly got his head blown off when a stray railgun bullet whizzed past his head far too much for his comfort. He only got his ass saved when his partner and leading teammate Jane Shepard tackled him out of the way to the ground. "Easy there John. Focus!" hissed the female player, who is also his de-facto co-leader of the clan at his ear as she crouched back to release a stream of bullets before ducking back for cover by the rubble as the NPC return fire is heard.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of the gory end that he had seen, he crouched behind his partner, peering through the wall towards an entrenched position manned by ten or so NS-5's raining down endless amounts of rail fire at them all down. More than one unlucky looter got busted who braved the amount of bullets out in the barely covered open.
"How are we doing?" asked John as he readied his own Avenger rifle snapping off a few shots that took out one random NS-5 before ducking back just in time for their return fire.
"What do you think?" was the rather sarcastic reply. "Most of us are pinned down here and Traynor's just got a face full of rocket fire from one of those creepy Fire bending wannabees. We are down a person short and we can't advance further without getting taken out. Garrus is doing the best he can to take out the NS-5's with sniper pot shots but they're respawning faster than he could kill them from their respawning sphere.
"And the scattered loot?"
Jane Shepard jus smirked through her visor as she pointed at their clan member whose Avatar is Thane using acrobatics and taekwondo with a M-3 Predator Pistol cracking down on any looter that got on his bad side.
"Unlucky for them," smirked John as he eyed back the damned defensive line of NPC NS-5's holding strong despite the hail of counterattack the Players down them are throwing back. "What about the clans allied to us Jane? Did they manage to advance or get taken out to?"
The female Shepard only grunted as she snapped off a few shots before answering back. "The fifty or so Roman Avatar players under Maximus Aurelius are pinned down as we were north of here. Dragon Age Clan with thirty or so of their members is reduced to fifteen when those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles attack them from behind and got them by surprise when they're staging a mock battle along the right flank. They are currently making a triage point for their wounded in the east side with some solo players and smaller clans have also clumped up unable to advance.
"So currently we're all in a stalemate," concluded Jane. "No one has the numbers or skills to advance anymore without taking heavy losses along the way. Not with the next race starting up in a few days again. Everyone's trying their best to conserve both money and items for the event then and becoming killed here would be a bad luck for everyone; especially with the sad fact that you're both losing items and money. The NS-5's are making sure that bad luck keeps on though if the rate of dropped items without owners is anything to go by.
"We need to take out that gun emplacement," John finally spoke as he stared at the center line of the NS-5's. "That's the only way we can break through. The robots themselves are not a threat, not with the numbers that we have with us yet aiming to push through. But that rapid fire weapon can take out any number of us within seconds the moment we try to break through,"
"And how do you propose we do that?" asked the female Shepard. "Every time a sniper takes out a gunner, they would just replace it. And it does have a portable barrier that can stop any sort of missile or explosive to pass through. Who's mad enough to even charge it in the first place?"
"Would it be too late to say that I volunteer?" a gentle voice nearly made the two Shepards to jump their hearts out only to lay eyes at a very familiar figure well-known throughout the OASIS.
Dressed in a red jacket type of shirt over a long dark blue inner attire. The person or his avatar is a handsome young man. He has shiny black hair that is well-groomed in the back but flows in sweeping bangs which fall over the right side of his face, obscuring his right eye. Atop his head is a red bandanna. His visage is also that of peace and gentleness, not coinciding with his position as one of the top players of the game. And at his side hanging from his belt is a long katana.
"You-you're…," began Jane unable to mutter even the words as the man smiled gently at her.
"Leave this to me," as soon as that gun emplacements down. Advance with your clan so that the others can follow understood?"
The two of them simply nodded dumbly as the man stepped out of cover and moved away from them forward to the next rubble.
"Is that who I think it is?" John asked still unable to believe his eyes that he had seen one of Oasis' legends and probably one of the richest men currently in the world.
"It is. I never thought I would meet him in my lifetime," Jane replied looking at the back of the red jacket.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, John tapped into his communication module. "Everyone this is John Shepard of Clan ME. We are about to charge in a few minutes once that gun emplacements down. All players, I repeat. We are going to charge the enemy lines once that gun emplacements down,"
"Who is taking out the bunker John?" the Krogan avatar of Grunt holding a large shotgune, one of his members asked.
John only sighed still unable to believe to whom he had talked to a few seconds ago. "Captain Sagara,"
..
..
"You really enjoy messing up other people don't you?" the rather amused female voice made the black-haired katana wielder turn his head back to the smirking face of his childhood friend and co-worker both in the real world and here in the game.
"Laetri, what can I say? I enjoy it a lot," Sagara, AKA Timothy S. Williams, owner of Sagara Foundation and one of the richest and most influential men in the world, smirked at his secretary whose avatar is that of a pretty female Night Elf in the familiar old Warcraft armor which is barely clad in anything that resembling armor anyways. To be honest it is more like a two piece with shoulder pauldrons and a long cape showing off the avatar's toned body for the entire world to see. It is both completely attractive and distracting. Very good points that is useful for PVP games. It's only an added bonus that Timothy also knows the simple fact that his secretary's avatar resembled her face a lot in the real world which is both angular and catlike in appearance. The only difference is that here on the game, her skin color is light violet, her eyes the color of silver blue gemstones and her hair which fell to her back in a long waterfall is a lot longer here in the game than in the real world, though not by much.
"So what's the plan?" asked the Night Elf pulling an arrow from her quiver and knocking it on her bow, her slanted eyes peering through the rubble that the two of them are hiding only a few meters away from the gun emplacement who had turned a little away from their direction as it focused on turning to dust two looters who made a break for some rare items in the open area.
Sagara only smirked at her rather serious face. Give it to Cassandra or Laetri to take even a game seriously. It's one of the things he liked about her though. "Distraction and destruction," he simply answered. Smoke arrows for cover the moment I advance and is our other friend finally here by the way?"
"Awww you, prefer her more than me? And here I thought I am showing enough skin to get your attention," she pouted at him making Sagara blink to shake his thoughts off about the distracting violet-haired elf's words before glaring at her.
"You're a tease you know that?"
She only smiled innocently. "And you love me for it, so what's the problem?" And without warning she stood up loosening three arrows from her bow creating a powerful explosion that sent large amounts of rainbow colored smoke all over the open area between them and the NS-5 emplacement gun.
Sagara only frowned at the smoke. "I hate you,"
"Love you too. Now go!"
He needed no further urging. Jumping over the rubble he is taking cover at. Sagara immediately charged forward towards the cover provided by the rainbow colored smoke. Activating the glasses that is specifically designed to protect his eyes from this color he pushed in, feeling the usual feeling of blinded for a few seconds as he ran before finally reaching the other side, almost there in front of the gun emplacement manned by the NPC's.
Sagara never knew that NPC NS-5's can make an expression. However these ones surely did as they stared at his rapidly charging form. The shock did not last though as they immediately turned the direction of the manned turret towards him. Normally this is a move that no player would dare to take… at least no player except him. The distance may be shorter but it is still not close enough that the guns would not be able to take down anyone approaching. Fortunately he is not just anyone.
Using his momentum to slide upward, Sagara only smirked seeing barely a second after lines of yellow swiftly pass where he is before. Quick hand movements to reverse the polarity of his gravity boots pushed him upward flying in the air and down straight to the open cover where five NS-5's are manning the turret.
The katana blade immediately left the scabbard cutting two by the first swing and badly damaging another before landing in the ground. Instincts honed from years of Kenjutsu practice made him sidestep the lunge made by another NS-5, smashing the hilt of his blade to its dome the moment it stepped past him.
"That's four down," he thought mentally as he turned just in time to see the last NS-5 attached to the gun emplacement which looked like one of those World War Two Calibers being turned slowly towards his direction.
"Too easy," pulling a gum grenade from one of his red jacket's pockets. He simply lobbed it at the NS-5 who NPC or not by instinct tried to pry it away from its chest not seeing the Spartan kick that sent it flying away into open air from the bunker they are in to explode just in time outside.
"CHARRRRGGGEE!" the sound echoed outside and Sagara despite the smoke and debris flying everywhere could see that the other players at this side now clear from being pinned down are pushing forward, leaving their covers as they met head on the NS-5's who also had broken their defensive line formation meeting the players head on turning the battlefield into one big melee contest. Perfect.
Moving forward in fluid motions that made him famous throughout the OASIS as a player, Sagara flitted this way and that surprising both NPC's and players as his sword flashed in seconds taking down any NPC barring his way within seconds. The sword, the Grass Cutter also known as Kusanagi is designed to elongate to any size and specifically to cut through anything with the NS-5's are a good example of that, their flimsy frames becoming digital mesh once more once his sword swerves through them like a loan mower. Sagara is known throughout the OASIS not because of his reputation as the leader of the Seikihoutai group which is one of the biggest guilds reaching hundreds of members and owning their own planet MULE, which supported a large industry of the game with cities there. Rather he is known with the way he fights. Unlike most players, he never used a range weapon other than hand-held grenades, the occasional exploding knives and shuriken. His skill with a sword is unmatched and the Seikihoutai dojo at MULE is always filled with hopeful applicants.
Decapitating five feet away an escaping NS-5 with extending his sword, Sagara paused for a minute as he looked at the direction that the battle is going. The players so far are gaining ground despite the stubborn resistance. The Mass Effect guys apparently spread the word and nearly every available Player that is pushing through to win this artifact is trying their best to break through. As far as he can see, everyone has no such luck yet though. They are making good time but the NS-5's are clumped together especially those that are blocking the top of the ruins which is the only pathway to the top where the Core of Sonny is located.
"Yaaaaaaahhh-ayieeeehhh!" the charge of a player's avatar looking like a hobgoblin exploded into pieces as an arrow got stuck between his head and his body in the neck.
"Hey Sagara! You're spacing out a lot these days," the tinkling laugh of Laetri is heard as the graceful Night Elf jumped up from where she is hiding giving a roundhouse kick to one of the NS-5's sending it careening to a nearby player who is caught off guard by a robot flying in his direction.
"Laetri, you're late…again," he only smiled back in response at her who shrugs as if saying: "What you gonna do about it?" before looking back at the prize of this contest.
"Sooo…you've got a plan yet?" asked the Night Elf following him forward in a light jog towards that direction, her hands gripping twin silver knives putting down any NPC on their path, which is not by much with the majority of them focusing on defending the path entrance.
"I believe we can just push through their lines you know. Take down anyone along the way and claim the prize if you get what I mean," he simply said smirking inwardly at the thunderous scowl that adorned Laetri's face.
"That's it?"
"That's it," he simply shrugged.
"So that's our plan? Move forward, kill everyone that try to stop us, hope we don't get killed along the way and win," she repeated in a sarcastic tone that Sagara simply nodded to.
"Right in the spot, simple and precise, easy to remember,"
He isn't exactly surprised that she blew the gasket afterwards. "YOU ASS! Not even you and I with our skills can push through all of that. We'll be taken down and I exactly have no plans to get myself blown up before the upcoming race,"
"Whoever said that it is simply you and I?" he made a show of picking his digital nails laughing at his friend's confused expression just in time for a blur of yellow to suddenly appear in front of them, smiling brightly enough to rival the sun.
"Yow pips! Sorry I'm late. I'm busy saving as much as possible of our Roman allies from being decimated at the other side of here," the newcomer greeted.
"Janine what, why are you here?" asked a flabbergasted Laetri knifing a curious NS-5 who tried to peek on them before focusing her shining eyes on their old friend once more.
Janine Beric Holly, also known as Rapid Gunner33 in the OASIS is one of the leading females ranged weapon user in the game. Unlike the other players, she is the only player in the entire game to have been logged in three years straight without stopping as the same time as Sagara first appeared. Her avatar is also every guy player and some females' version of a wet dream. Her attire is nothing more than that of a yellow trench coat above a leather bra, showing off her curvy body and short shorts that completely failed to hide her long legs. She's also wearing high-heeled combat boots and steel studded gloves. Her primary weapon is that of two Colt Pistols designed specifically to be fitted in by any ammo…or explosives. Her rapid way of reloading and firing is the one that made her very famous in the OASIS. More than one unlucky suitor got first-hand experience of her unique way of shooting guns. Not to mention that where Sagara goes, the Rapid Gunner is also there.
"Sagara here mentioned something of a challenge to keep me interested to joining the battle," she answered smiling with her perfect teeth gleaming on her heart-shaped face. "Besides," the gunner whipped her long hair to remove the strands of it to stop covering her amber colored eyes. "You know that wherever Captain Sagara goes, I go,"
Seriously, Sagara doesn't know what the story between the two is as the two female avatars glared daggers at each other. Despite his best efforts, the two of them simply can't be friends with one another. Confusing too since their two attitudes are almost the same, kind and sweet with a hint of gentleness. So for the life of him, he doesn't know why they are trying to bite each other's head off every time they meet. It's even worse when he's around for some reason.
"Girls, girls, can't we leave the fighting for another day?" the black-haired avatar spoke in a placating tone only to face two pairs of glaring eyes redirected in his direction. It's impossible to sweat drop in the game, but there's just that something in the female glare that can make you extremely uncomfortable "I'm not intruding or anything, but else we move, the artifact won't be ours," he pointed out forward to the direction of the uphill climb where a bunch of Pirates of the Caribbean wannabees are making a demented charge over the larger group of NS-5's.
"Oooh, they're about to get slaughtered. Should we help them or should we fight with them?" asked a too happy Gunner.
"Let's just use them as a distraction as we advance," grunted a still very unhappy looking Laetri as she knocked ten arrows on her bow. "What do you say Sagara?"
"I say to each his own," he simply shrugged knowing that the Pirates are getting decimated anyways if the cries of pain are any indication to what is going on as the NS-5's mobbed the wannabes. "Let's move out!"
"Sir,"
"Aye,"
..
..
"Next time when you say that you owe me a small favor! I'm going to demand extra pay!" Parzival, AKA Wade Watts yelled despite the firefight as he unloaded a stolen rifle energy weapon that he managed to nitch on the battlefield during the first push.
"I never thought that this would be this hard of a resistance," Helen Harris AKA Aech replied as the large avatar of hers ran this way and that trying to stem off jumping NS-5's from breaking their line. "With the Romans here alongside some of the major clans, I didn't know that it would be just a small push that can help us stack up some money and rare items,"
The sudden explosion that followed made the two friends take cover as one of the Romans they are tagging alongside went flying over their heads thanks to the impact force
"You and I have a very big difference on the word small," Parzival growled out snapping off a few beams catching an NS-5's arm off of it before ducking back as rail fire zeroed in on his position.
Around them, the Romans and some solo players are also pushing forward, taking cover as best as they can despite the deadly return fire. More than one player has gotten themselves zeroed out already, their items picked up by looters or other players.
"We're never going anywhere with this. Time limit for this round is almost over," he muttered over his radio as he finished the last of his rifle's clip to the one-handed NS-5 before shifting to his pistols.
"You're welcome to jump in and make a break for the prize if you want," suggested Aech also reloading his bigger weapon. "Besides, even if we cannot win, that doesn't mean we performed as bad as the Sixers,"
Despite himself Parzival only snorted. The well-known IOI players in the Southwest despite their fancy equipment and with heavy armor support got their asses handed to them by the NS-5's that they tried pushing through.
Reloading his gun, he's just ready to open up again when the sound of rapid fire is registered by his senses, a sound that he only has seen and heard through the vids about the famous players of the OASIS.
"No way, that is Rapid Gunner33's-," he didn't even finish his words as he like every other player peeked out to see the familiar yellow trench coat of the famed player dodging this way and that, her pistols loading and reloading in a way that would have made any gun user green with envy.
"And that is the Night Elf, Laetri. One of Captain Sagara's, companions," called another player making Parzival turn his attention to the violet-skinned beauty a little bit farther than the yellow gunner taking pot shots either through magical exploding arrows to splitting arrows that can separate as they fly taking groups of enemies at the same time.
His eyes though are contained to one person cutting through the enemies like fire on grass, taking down anyone unlucky enough to get in his way. Of course he knows who he is. He is the one representing the Sagara Foundation in the Oasis, the head honcho of Planet Asgard and the famed leader of the second largest Clan that rival the IOI players in terms of numbers, the Seikihoutai. "Captain Sagara!" he didn't even realize that he had spoken the name out loud. Like all other players, he had observed that player's rise to legend for the past three years. He even had recordings of his tweets, the numerous wisdom phrases he posts on his page and his walkthroughs and discussions. He's seeing personally a legend in action and damn it if he's not drooling right now.
"Come on Z! What are you lazing there for?" the booming voice of Aech brought him out of his stupor as he saw his friend running alongside the Romans who with some solo players are charging to the now broken defensive lines of the NS-5's thanks to the efforts of the three top players of the OASIS.
"Hey wait for me!" morphing his guns to appear at his hand once again, he ran after his friend who had pulled a massive mini-gun to be his primary weapon mowing down the nearest NS-5's. Up ahead he could see the Golden trio pushing down NPC after NPC like dominoes.
"Why are we even trying to advance?" asked Parzival blasting an NS-5 trying to crawl with its hands like a creepy zombie. "It's pathetically obvious that the golden trio is going to get the artifact if the rate of destroyed NPC's they're clearing is any indication,"
Aech only laughed as he dismembered to a hundred pieces his own opponent. "That's true Z. But unless you can't see, everyone is recording this battle," he pointed out making Parzival to where indeed the others have their own floating cameras out recording the fight. The odd thing is though; they are angled to include the image of the three forward players.
"Everyone wants a record of this fight for bragging rights," Aech elaborated still blasting with his mini-gun. "It's not every day people met a member of the Seikihoutai, and even rarer to fight alongside the clan leader of them most of all. So unless you want to be the only one without a record, I advise you pop your floating camera up before this game is finished,"
..
..
The sound of servos breaking brought Timothy back to the real world as he took off the glasses (that is a step up from the uncomfortable goggles) used for entering the OASIS. As usual, three of his aides sitting and reading through their data slates is at his side helping him out from his harness. Being the owner of Sagara Foundation may be troublesome at times, but it does have its perks, the money included.
Timothy Sagara Williams. That is his complete name. Only son and heir of the Sagara line in his mother's side. The Sagara Foundation is one of the top tiers companies of the world, not because of digitalization as most of the richer companies like IOI but by food production and humanitarian efforts. With the world going into the deep end and poverty spreading out like locusts as the people lost hope and interest on making the world a better place. Sagara Foundation stood up to the challenge.
Pulling all its resources together that the company nearly went bankrupt, Sagara Foundation focused on the three basic things to keep people living, food, clothing, shelter; especially the food. All around the world Sagara Foundations bought large tracts of land that are dead lands with no one living on them and transformed them to great agricultural plains that are used for farming and breeding livestock. Cloning also became one of its leading projects to replenish the depleted fish population of the ocean. The large number of job openings also gives an opportunity for many that are homeless and lacking of work, helping a little on reviving the poverty problem. One thing led to another and before Timothy knows it, Sagara Foundations is one of the richest companies in the world with governments of countries breaking deals with it to streamline goods, especially the food.
With a lot of money training in, the board and him included agreed to extend their business to the much valued OASIS. With enough money and team recruiting, the designers managed to build and establish Asgard, probably one of the largest hubs planet on the OASIS primarily policed and owned by the Sagara Foundation. It is also the world's currently largest center of education. All in all, the Sagara Foundation is the anti-thesis of the IOI and the Sixers and the Seikihoutai ever since have been odds with one another. IOI ships continue to attack Asgard every now and then and the Seikihoutai do their best to try on disrupting Sixer operations. The only difference is the fact that Seikihoutai members are stronger and more skilled than IOI "drone" players with them coming up top all the way. All in all, for Timothy, life is good so far and he had a lot of time on his hands focusing on personal problems.
"Tim," the musical voice of his secretary and his childhood friend, Cassandra (who is Laetri's avatar) brought him out of his musings from where he is sitting. Apparently she had logged out to a little bit later than he did. Or did she just use it to freshen up? If there's one thing that Timothy knows about her, is the fact that she's a neat freak.
"Yes Cassie? What is it?" he asked looking at her holding a data slate.
"It's just a priority message," answered the pink-haired twenty-one year old, only three years younger than he is. "There's this Aech offering to pay a lot of money for listed spare parts we have at Asgard,"
"And you brought this to me why?" he asked. Cassandra never brought anything to him unless it's something she deemed important.
"Some of the parts this person is ordering are deemed unimportant Tim. However once we put the parts together, they can result to something….strong; strong enough to withstand the strongest firepower on the OASIS. I need you to look over this Tim,"
"Fine, fine I'll be there in a second," he sighed once more looking over the teenage girl whose hand he is holding. "I'll come back later Zyra," he whispered before kissing the cold knuckles of the girl strapped unto a bed to an Intensive Care Unit. On her eyes though is the goggle of OASIS with a headband attachment over her head that kept her connected to the OASIS despite her unresponsive body.
Moving over to the side of his best friend, he wasted no time flinging an arm over her back pulling her playfully to him that earned him a mock scowl. "Come Cassandra, tell me about this Aech you are so worried about?"
..
..
So this is my first Ready Player One Fanfic. I never read the book though Im planning to buy one. Anyhows I just based this on the movie version and the timeline is a few days before the first race in the movie.
I really adored it that's why I'm making a very concentrated effort on writing this. Hope you readers like it. I've noticed that there's very few fanfics about Ready Player One. I plan to up that number with mine. Hihihi.
Anyway please review and just message me if you have any questions. Lady of the North Star Out.
Character based OC's.
Captain Sagara- Samurai X Seikihoutai Leader
Laetri- Warcraft night elf art by amigani.
Gunner33- Bounty Hunter on Daybreak Legends
Easter Egg question: Can anyone guess who is Gunner 33's real person controller?