Chapter 16: Morgan Mars, Nicholas POV (Patreon)

Chapter 16

Morgan Mars

Nicholas POV

A knock at the front door caused my next words to die on my lips. I wanted out of this conversation. I wanted out of reciting all the horrible things I had seen through my Domain. Whatever the Peacekeepers had done to numb me to the horrors of what I’d witnessed only worked when I wasn’t thinking about it or while I was in the Game. Now that I was outside the Game and not distracted, it was catching up with me.

Pan and I both frowned at the same time.

We were still in the sitting room and had a clear view of a section of the cobblestone path which led to my front door. Neither of us spotted anyone walking down it, and we were both confused as to where the knock came from.

“Do you mind asking whoever is at the door to go away?” Pan asked. “This discussion is important for your mental health.”

I spread my Domain through the manor and blinked, momentarily stunned. I recognised the man standing at my door from all the interviews and pictures I’d seen of him. He was the most well-known man on the planet.

“It’s Morgan Mars,” I whispered.

Pan didn’t react the way I expected. “Is he a friend of yours?”

“No.”

“Ask him to come back later then.”

A small flash of anger surged through me. “I owe that man more than I can ever repay. I am not going to ask him to come back later.”

I pushed myself out of my armchair and marched to the entrance. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and then opened the door. Standing on my cobblestone path was Morgan Mars. The man who had given me back my mother. The man who had given us back my health and youth.

He was six foot three with light brown hair and a deep tan. I had to look up to meet his gaze. He had a rough face, not quite handsome, but not ugly, mostly because of his squashed nose. He wore a cheap navy-blue suit but still looked larger than life to me. All sorts of emotions began to leak through as my anger faded.

He smiled and offered me his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Nicolas.”

“It’s nice to meet me too. I mean you.” I took his hand and shook. “You know my name?” I was too shocked to be embarrassed about stumbling over my words.

“I make it my business to know all the major players in the Game. I’m sorry to intrude on your free time, but I was wondering if you would be open to a proposal.”

The emotions held back by a dam of anger and self-restraint suddenly spilled free.

“Thank you for what you did,” I said, tearing up as feelings I couldn’t express rushed through me. “You don’t know what you did for me. My mother had Alzheimer's. Late stage. She was so sick. There was nothing the doctor-”

I lost control, collapsing into a blubbering mess. I’d never been so grateful for anything in my life. Even at seventy-eight, I wasn’t ready to lose my mother. I wasn’t ready to be alone in a world without family.

As I balled my eyes out, Morgan reached over and pulled me into a hug. My body trembled against his large shoulder, exposing the years of repressed grief that had come from watching her wither away. Watching her go through the slow goodbye.

“I lost my mom to cancer,” he said as he patted my back. “I know the despair you must have felt, the endless worrying and emptiness that would have filled you, and the joy that must have come with the news that she was better. I never got to feel that joy, but I am grateful you did.”

He understood.

I cried harder. Morgan Mars patted my shoulder as I balled like a baby. He didn’t even push me away until I regained control and pushed him away first.

He gave me a sad smile. “I need your help.”

“Anything,” I said, wiping tears from my cheeks.

Pan stepped into the hallway and offered me a box of tissues. Without thinking about what I was doing, I floated two to my hand and blew my nose before wiping my face again.

“That’s different,” Morgan said, his eyebrows raised.

I looked down at the wad of tissues and then at his surprised expression. “Ah, I can explain.”

“I’d hope so because I’ve never met a Jedi.”

I sighed. “Being a Jedi would be easier than being Transcendent.”

“Is that what you are?”

“You didn’t know?”

He shook his head.

“What can I do to help you?”

If it were within my power, I would do it.

Morgan smiled. “I’m assembling a team of remarkable individuals capable of fighting the battles humanity can’t.”

I frowned, feeling like I’d heard those words before. It came to me a moment later. “You’re paraphrasing Nick Fury’s speech from The Avengers, aren’t you.”

Morgan laughed. “Guilty.”

Nervous excitement fluttered through me.

“Why do you want me to join your team?”

“Nicholas, you destroyed two invading fleets and five systems in a single Cycle. On top of that, you evacuated the surviving players from Sector 3. I don’t understand what you are, but you’re probably more powerful than our entire faction combined, and I want to make my sales pitch first.”

I glanced at Pan.

He sighed. “We can talk later.”

Morgan smiled at him. “You’re an AI, right?”

Pan froze for a fraction of a second. “I’m surprised you could tell.”

“Your face gives it away.”

Pan frowned. “How?”

“AIs don’t have frown or smile lines when they get their body. None of your facial muscles have developed the way human adults would. Most people won’t notice, but you can spot the difference if you know what to look for.”

I couldn’t tell Pan wasn’t human, even with Morgan pointing it out. That made his ability to notice details even more impressive in my eyes because I had a Domain. I may have been getting a little starstruck.

Morgan turned to me. “If it's not too much trouble, would you mind coming with me? My sky yacht is technically invading foreign airspace, and the longer I stay here, the more likely it is that someone will notice.”

“I’ll get my suitcase.”

I projected my Domain through the entire manor, seeing the nursery that I hadn’t been able to make myself enter for nearly thirty years. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs. The curtains and blankets were rotten from age, and nothing looked the same way as my wife and I had prepared it.

I kept the horror from my expression as I levitated my escape bag off my bed and through the hallway, past the closed door of the nursery. There had been a good chance my plan to get everyone out of Sector 3 would fail, and I’d been ready to go on the run if it did, waiting until everything calmed down. Being lynched was a real possibility after stealing from so many people, so I’d planned ahead.

I caught the strap of my suitcase as it flew down the stairs and turned to Morgan. “I’m ready.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “You keep a packed bag on hand?”

“I do when I rob an entire sector.”

He chuckled. “You think ahead when you cause trouble. I should learn how to do that. Come on.” He turned and walked away from the door. “We’ll be lifted onto the sky yacht by an elevation field. It resembles being abducted by aliens, so I hope you’re not afraid of heights. Ship, take us up.”

I followed him outside, and by the third step, we started to rise into the air. It felt like someone was pulling on every inch of my body at once, and if I was being honest, it was a little uncomfortable. I didn’t want to complain, so I raised my head and looked up, trying to work out how long I would have to endure the odd sensation.

Morgan’s ship looked like a cruise ship. Only it floated in the air above my property instead of sailing in the ocean. I’d seen pictures of it on the news, so its appearance didn’t surprise me. It was only a minute away.

“This is kind of slow,” Pan said several feet below us, before willing himself outside the field and flying ahead.

Morgan stared at Pan, mouth dropping open. “That’s cool. Can you-”

“Yes. I’m just getting used to the idea.”

“Was it a reward you asked for?”

“No. Apparently, human psychology can’t handle the changes that come with being Transcendent. I’ll have a mental breakdown or do something dangerous if they don’t give me a weaker version of some of my powers outside the Game.”

“Is there anything the Peacekeepers can do about it?”

“No. They’ve already done everything they can. Going insane is the price I have to pay for wielding so much power.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If this is too much for you, please tell me.”

“I will.”

The elevation field took us over the ship's side and dropped us on the deck. Despite how we arrived, nothing about the sky yacht looked like it was beyond human capabilities. In fact, it brought back memories of a cruise I’d taken a decade ago. Pan finished circling the ship and landed next to us.

“Come on,” Morgan said. “They’re waiting for us.”

Morgan quickly led us through a generic interior, past dozens of doors, to a conference room that could have been in any building. There was a long table in the middle of the room with chairs down one side that faced a wall-sized screen.

Tee, the world’s richest man and Morgan’s station AI, was reclining in an ostentatious blue and gold suit beside a beautiful woman in a stylish black dress. She had a laptop in front of her and a notepad beside her with three small spherical drones circling her head. I didn’t get the impression she was a sectary. I felt like she was the one in charge.

Tee and the woman were facing the wall-size screen, discussing something with four men over video chat. Three of the men were black silhouettes. The fourth was General Prime. The combat AI that controlled a lot of Earth’s military.

Everyone stopped talking the moment Morgan entered.

He turned as I stood in the doorway and smiled at me. “Welcome to The First Line of Defence, Nicholas.” He glanced at Pan. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you, and it’s only just occurred to me that I should ask you if you’re willing to take an active role in Earth’s defence, or are your in-game and out-of-game lives separate?”

Pan paused. “Outside of the Game, I’m not allowed to be involved in anything strategic that’s not directly related to The Pantheon. With my Liege’s permission and a laptop, I can write a report on what a Transcendent is, the capabilities of The Pantheon, and my limitations so you have more information, but I can’t do much else.”

Morgan smiled. “That can be arranged if it’s okay with Nicholas.”

I nodded that it was.

Morgan turned back to Pan. “Would you mind answering questions when they come up?”

“Yes. Everything I can say will be in the report.”

One of the drones circling the woman floated past me. “This way, sir. I will take you where you can relax and write your report.”

Pan followed the drone back the way we had come.

Morgan immediately began making introductions. “This is my wife, Melody. My friend and station AI Tee. The gentlemen on the screen, starting with the top left corner and moving right, are The Priest, The Rabbi, and The Theologian. They make up The Three-Man Army and prefer to keep their life in the Game and outside separate, which is why we don’t know what they look like. The last member of our little organisation is General Prime. Everyone, this is Nicolas Thistlebush, Earth’s first Transcendent. Take a seat, Nicholas.”

Morgan moved to the seat beside his wife and pulled out the chair on his other side for me. I entered the room in a daze and sat in the seat he pulled out. I hadn’t known he was married, and everything was moving far too fast. I watched his wife slide a page of notes to him and him scan them.

“I believe we should start by informing Nicolas of the purpose of The First Line of Defence,” General Prime said, glancing at me through the screen. He didn’t wait for anyone to agree. “As you might know, I am a combat AI on loan to humanity for their first season of the Game. My mission is to help the governments of humanity make tactical decisions that will cause them to succeed in the Game. I do not discuss decisions made by one government with another, and I might give one government advice that will weaken another because it can improve their government’s position. I am impartial, but I do have overriding directives to help humanity as a whole when I see something that is going to cripple them. When Morgan Mars declared Martian independence, he received half my time allotment outside and inside the Game. This was done at my suggestion. I am aware that you are now the owner of Titan and that it will be terraformed. The Three-Man Army has decided to disregard my request to declare the Moon independent to free up more of my time, so I must implore you to declare Titan independent.”

That was too much information to take in.

Morgan glanced at me. “Don’t answer right now. It’s a big decision, and I’m still dealing with the repercussions of declaring Mars independent, which is why the Three-Man Army decided not to do the same for the Moon.”

General Prime scowled but nodded. “The First Line of Defence is like many groups in that it is devoted to keeping humanity in the Game. It differs from these groups because it does not work with governments or companies but with major players within the Game. Individuals who have done something that has greatly increased their capabilities to affect the Game, the human faction, and others. As time goes on, more players will distinguish themselves, being able to enact more change and grow our numbers and influence.”

“You really are The Avengers,” I said.

Morgan shook his head. “Not really. The Avengers didn’t get political or work against foreign nations. I’m trying to build a faction in the Game which is about as political as you get. The First Line of Defence is a group within that faction with a great deal of autonomy but a common purpose. We’re currently running around putting out fires and could use your help. Once again, don’t answer right away.”

I looked from face to face and then frowned. “What exactly do you think you can achieve with your group? You’re just seven people.”

Morgan smiled. “That depends on how difficult it was for you to do all that damage to the Horde sector?”

“It was easy.”

“Why did you do it?” General Prime asked.

“It’s complicated.”

Melody smiled at me. “Before we go any further, why don’t we have Nicholas explain what happened to him this past Cycle? We’re working under the assumption that he did what he did to help everyone escape Sector 3, but that assumption may not be right.”

General Prime scowled. “I vouched for his character when Morgan proposed he join this group. I am all the checks and balances you need.”

Melody nodded. “You are, General Prime, but humans are social creatures, and we still need to understand each other if we want to work together constructively.”

General Prime sighed. “You are speaking of group morale, trust, and related understanding. I withdraw my objections. Nicholas, please inform everyone of what you have done and why?”

I swallowed. “Where do you want me to start from?”

“When did you decide to steal everything from everyone?” Tee asked. “That was a ballsy move, by the way.”

“I made a connection between several quests that existed in Sector 3 during the 17th Cycle, but I didn’t consider doing anything with the information until the 22nd. I won’t bore you with the details of how I put everything in motion. All I think you need to understand is what happened in the recent Cycle.”

I began explaining how the 25thCycle began and when everything took a strange turn. I explained my Domain and what I could do with my Power, the trouble I had with my bionoid crew, and the ease with which Rob had destroyed Simple Mike. I had nothing to hide.

They all listened to me in shocked silence, which made me feel better about everything that had happened because their reaction matched mine. It was as ridiculous as I thought it was.

An hour later, General Prime interrupted me. “So, you attacked the Horde to improve the loyalty of this crewman to 100%. Then you made him a Transcendent being like yourself.”

“Yes,” I replied. “I have no idea why killing them worked, though.”

Tee frowned. “From what I’ve learned, the Horde are extremely territorial and have a strong system for establishing dominance within their herd. If Nargus thought of your ship as your collective territory and the crew as his herd, he might respect you challenging the other Horde who have entered your territory, which is why he became more loyal.”

Morgan sighed. “It’s a pity you already used your transcendent minion token. I would have loved to have seen what would have happened if I became one.”

“Transcendent beings can’t attack transit stations, and station masters can’t become Transcendent,” General Prime replied. “They’re both top-tier classes. You’ll trigger your own destruction if either of you try.”

“What about the Three-Man Army?” Melody asked.

“Nicolas is a pantheon God. They would have to become pirates for him to make them Transcendent, making it difficult for them to perform their current mission.”

I frowned. “How did you know I’m a pantheon God?”

“I am aware of all human player capabilities. It was wise of you to invest in your Domain and Power. Continue to do so until you reach peak SSS grade. You should also conquer a sector during the next Cycle. The achievement reward is unclaimed and will give you more Transcendent points.”

“What about turning Nargus into a Transcendent?”

“I have no objections to your actions. Raising your loyal crewmen into Transcendent beings increases your destructive power and your capabilities in the short term, making it easier to further our objectives if you are willing to help.”

“What are your objectives?”

“To start, they’re all new,” Tee said cheerfully. “Until you came along, we were working with The Three-Man army to secure Sector 13. However, your destructive capability allows us to create a united faction territory with the races humans can co-exist with.”

A map of space appeared on the screen in place of General Prime. There were thousands of different coloured circles everywhere, which meant absolutely nothing to me.

“This is our branch of the galaxy in the Game,” General Prime explained. “A branch is divided into clusters, which is divided into sectors, which is divided into systems. Our branch has 53 clusters, which contain 25,842 sectors that hold 956,372 systems and 181 Collective factions.”

I raise my hand.

“You have a question?”

“My Domain first let me see an entire system, then an entire sector. Will the next stage allow me to see one of these clusters?

“That is my assumption.”

“You don’t know?”

“Much of what I know is hidden from me until humanity discovers it for themselves, but I can make assumptions. I believe if you reach SSS grade with both your Domain and Power, you will be able to see ten separate branches of the galaxy simultaneously.”

I took a slow, deep breath.

It didn’t help.

I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing that many horrific acts. It would break me.

A single circle grew larger on the screen.

“This is our branch’s entry point, where a single transit station protects us from the rest of the galaxy. A century from now, this branch of the galaxy will be controlled by either a single faction or a united faction, and that point will be where we attack and defend from. We are here.”

Twenty or so circles expanded on the opposite side of the branch entrance. It was a long way away from the entry point.

“I estimated Nicholas’s destructive capabilities to be great enough to allow humanity and our potential allies to expand into this territory.”

A few hundred sectors started to expand.

“If I have underestimated his capabilities or he grows stronger, the next optimal defensive line is here.”

Several thousand circles expanded, taking up the entire far end of the galaxy.

“This objective will take several years to achieve, even with your ability to instantly transport to any location you have been to and your capability for large-scale destruction.”

I got the feeling that General Prime had grossly underestimated my capabilities.

Morgan scratched his head. “It looks kind of intimidating when it’s shown like that.” He glanced at me. “The smaller united sector group will become our goal if you join us. There are 43 sectors that will become our faction’s territory, our faction being the new Mars faction, not Earth. There will be a few sectors for independent players outside our border. They can do what they want but won’t be politically affiliated with us.”

I frowned. “Why are you so worried about politics?”

“Because it’s a necessary evil,” Melody said. “Factions in the Game have well-defined lines of who are and are not a part of their faction. Many species have secular governments like humanity, and many of them do not work with each other, openly going to war within the Game. The members of these internal factions have to comport themselves to a certain level of civility when dealing with their allied factions. Our allies won’t care if a bunch of humans attack their mining vessels if they know they aren’t part of our faction. Their response will be to kill them and continue with their day. However, it will become a political issue if they can’t clearly see the distinction. We might end up with multiple Kilocksin neighbours, some of whom we are allied with and some that we are at war with. The Kilocksin might end up with two separate factions of human neighbours and have to deal with this same issue.”

“I don’t want to be involved with politics,” I said.

Everyone except Melody laughed.

She didn’t lose her smile, though. “I find politics fascinating, but I realise I’m the only one in the room who does. Everyone else just wants to know who they can shoot and how many times.”

“And how much we are getting paid to do so,” Tee added.

“So, my role in this will be blowing up fleets and planets,” I said. “What about my followers?”

“They’re pirates,” General Prime said, face reappearing on the screen. “I believe I understand their limitations better than you when I say they hold little military significance. They cannot be used as an army. At best, they may provide a tackle advantage in weakening our enemies, but they don’t hold a great deal of significance beyond that.”

“What about the natural wormhole network?”

“Your followers will listen when you put certain factions under your protection, but trying to tell the pirate kings to let another faction’s fleet through their territory will lose you followers. And we don’t want to do that. Your strength is our strength. We want to make you as powerful as possible.”

“Really?”

Everyone nodded.

“Power is everything in the Game,” Morgan said. “That’s why we don’t deal with companies or governments. You single-handedly took down an entire sector's banking system, transferring almost all its assets to your name. You might have only been able to keep those assets for 30 minutes, but you used that 30 minutes effectively. You flipped a switch and made a massive difference. Everyone in this meeting is capable of doing something like that?”

Tee huffed a breath onto his fingertips and then polished his nails on his shoulder, smirking. “I’ve been known to topple a bank or two in my time.”

“More like a system or two,” The Theologian said. “I’ve got things to do, so speed this along. How are we supposed to work with someone who can topple entire sectors? The Three-Man Army is a tactical infiltration group. We don’t work on his scale.”

“A being who can form a functional battleship with their Power doesn’t need to be able to develop blueprints or construction procedures,” General Prime replied. “You operate on entirely different scales, so your mission hasn’t changed.”

“What’s their mission?” I asked.

“They’re recovering the credits and atomic fabricators from the falling sectors and relocating them to Sector 13,” Morgan replied.

“And we’re still five Cycles from finishing our current mission,” The Theologian added. “If we’re talking about objectives that far away, then I’ve got things to do. Nice to meet you, Nicolas. You won’t regret joining us.” He reached for his screen. “I’ll talk to you about your proposal tomorrow, Mrs Mars.”

His screen went dead.

“I’m willing to offer my services as a lawyer,” The Rabbi said. “I’ll look at the constitutions and body of law you’ve created when you’re ready to send them through.”

Melody smiled. “I’ll have the constitution and laws written in a few hours. It’s a basic single planetary constitution and legal system, so it’s not difficult.”

The Rabbi sighed. “There was a time I wouldn’t have agreed with you, but then I learned the complexities of the Peacekeeper’s legal system. It makes human law systems look like a monkey hitting two rocks together and calling it music.” His screen also went black.

The Priest stretched out his arms and then clicked his back. “I have a mass to lead in a few hours that I would like to prepare for. However, Nicolas, I would be remiss if I did not offer you a sympathetic ear. From what I’ve heard, you think you’ve been made a God within the Game. I can only imagine the power you must have to destroy fleets and break sectors. I imagine that power is intoxicating. I imagine that it is also overwhelming. You might find the reality between who you are and what you are blurring. If you need someone to talk to, my door is always open. Tee will put you in touch. If you don’t find yourself needing a sympathetic ear, then would you humour an old man and share your experiences? I find myself having a crisis of faith and believe talking with you might clear that up.”

“I’ll think about it,” I lied. I wasn’t sure how I felt, but I knew wasn’t ready to talk to a stranger about my experiences on anything more than a surface level.

The Priest nodded, and his screen went dark.

General Prime cleared his throat. “I have a meeting with the prime minister of New Zealand in fifteen minutes. If possible, I would like to use this time to talk to Nicolas about his class.”

Morgan glanced at me. “Do you mind if we listen in? It might give us a better understanding of how we can fit you into our plans.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t bother me.” I turned back to General Prime. “What do I need to know?”

“Since you became a Transcendent, I have lost many limitations around what I can and cannot share, and I’m going to be condensing information because of time restraints. There are stages to the Game. Transcendent life forms sit at the peak of power for an individual class, but if you die, you don’t come back.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Are you aware that your pantheon will cease to exist when you die? When this happens, your followers will lose the power you offer them, and everything you’ve built will weaken.”

“Weaken in what way?”

“Your existence is the glue that holds your followers together. Without you, stable alliances will crumble, and the fabric of any society your followers are part of will be torn apart. It won’t happen all at once, but it will happen. For that reason, your followers can’t participate in the faction Morgan is trying to build. It’s too big of a risk.”

“I’m fine with that.”

“I’m glad to hear that because I don’t have the time to convince you otherwise, and there is so much I need you to know. Do you know what ascending is?”

“No.”

“Think about ascending like you would think about retirement. There comes a time when every Transcendent has to decide between ascending or staying among mortals and risking death.”

Tee chuckled. “That sounds nothing like retirement.”

General Prime ignored him. “Players can’t keep up with Transcendent beings this early in the Game, but that will change. In the mid stages of the Game, fleets will threaten you. In the late stages of the Game, they will hunt you.”

I frowned. “What if I reach the peak of power?”

“You’ll be hunted last, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. Ascending removes your ability to participate in the Game as a Transcendent being, but it creates a legacy. Your legacy will leave your Domain buff and other blessings behind as a permanent ongoing effect.”

He was offering me a way out. “What do I have to do?”

“Once you have a single S grade attribute, you can ascend whenever you wish. If you destroy a sector next Cycle and invest the achievement reward in your Domain, you will have all you need to make your Domain Buff a permanent fixture of eight sectors. If you can achieve another two milestones and invest in your power, you can permanently buff eight clusters, assuming my assumption is correct.”

That would be impossible. I needed ninety million more followers for my next milestone. “Do you know any other achievement rewards?”

“Only the ones for conquering a cluster and a branch of the galaxy. Both of which will take you time to achieve.”

“I’m not sure I can bring myself to do that.”

That was too much violence, and I was already having a problem with what I had done.

General Prime sighed. “I understand and don’t think any less of you for being unwilling to do so. However, you need to understand that most Transcendent beings appear in the mid-stage of the game. Very few who appear as early as you have make it to this mid-stage. The fact that you can potentially ascend during the next Cycle and make your Domain buff a permanent fixture of humanity’s territory is enough to make you Earth’s second-largest contributor to her ongoing success. You’ve done your job.”

That was somewhat reassuring. “Why don’t other Transcendents survive?”

“Other NPC Transcendents hunt them down and kill them.”

Memories of Simple Mike surfaced. “Are there a lot of NPC Transcendents?”

“More than you can imagine. Almost every NPC faction has its own pantheon. Some pantheons will appear to protect their people if you try to interfere, and others will not. Some will have billions, even trillions of followers and others will only have a handful. Some will have no living followers but have once had quadrillions, being peak Transcendent beings despite having no one that calls on their names. You need to be aware that you are not alone.”

“So, stay away from the NPC factions until I ascend.”

He shook his head. “You have millions of followers already, and I imagine interfering directly to save only a few of them isn’t worth your time unless they’re important. This is the same for all Transcendent beings, so there is little risk in attacking a fleet or planet only holding a handful of followers.”

“Unless they’re important,” I said.

“Ignoring all NPC races won’t keep you safe. Other Transcendent beings will seek you out to challenge you. They might want to kill you to grow their pantheon, or they may just enjoy violence.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Not all of these interactions will end in fights. Some will try to build alliances, while others might want to join your pantheon. If a Pirate God with a pantheon finds you, they might challenge you for leadership of your pantheon. The winner will receive the other’s pantheon with control of their Transcendent beings and followers. Some Transcendent beings will just want to trade. Some might need help with something. There is an entire quest aspect of the Game you have opened up, and not all of it is bad. You might even earn favours that can help humanity. A God of technology who owes you a favour might bestow a gift of technology that you can pass on to our faction. There are many rewards you can earn and a great deal you can do beyond destruction. However, one thing remains true. The more you travel, the more you risk coming in contact with one of these Transcendent beings or pantheons.”

“What do you recommend I do?”

“Grow as quickly as you can and then ascend. Even with all of your power, you won’t last long.”