Chapter 19: The Three Wise Men, Nicholas POV (Patreon)

Chapter 19

The Three Wise Men

Nicholas POV

My jail cell and the elaborate carvings that decorated my throne room momentarily merged as I returned to the Game for the 26th Cycle. I hadn’t grown tired and fallen asleep like I usually did, instead, it was like I was in two places and two beings at once. I lifted my hand, wriggling my fingers inside and outside the Game. Then I felt the Power of my Transcendent body reach out to my human flesh and pull my consciousness away from it, like an adult taking something from a naughty child. The jail cell faded and disappeared, and I was left looking at my hand in the throne room.

My awareness expanded as Power surged through me, allowing my Domain to grow and engulf The Pantheon. It was like coming home and taking a long hot bath after a long day at work on a cold winter day. It brought me comfort. It let me relax.

Pan stood at the helm with a sour look on his face, probably noticing that our three crewmen were missing. I couldn’t see Colin, Porter, or Heart anywhere on The Pantheon. Or maybe he’d noticed that the ship hadn’t undergone the transformation he’d planned during our downtime. It was supposed to be wider and longer, but everything still looked the same despite us having left the Game Docked at Biolin.

Downtime between Cycles didn’t normally mean anything for players, but if I docked at the Bionoid space station during that time, the crew would return refreshed, having experienced shore leave, and The Pantheon could be altered. Something must have come up since we had no crew onboard, and the ship hadn’t changed how it was supposed to.

I projected my voice to Pan. “Do you know what’s going on?”

He shook his head. “No, my Liege. But I’ve got a quest to investigate the missing crew. I’ll see what it's about shortly. Until then, how are you enjoying being a free man?”

“You knew I was imprisoned?”

Pan smirked. “It was on every news channel in every country.”

“And you didn’t try to break me out. What kind of pirate are you?”

“The law-abiding kind. In here, I might blow up a planet if I’m in a foul mood. Out there, I’m an upstanding citizen.”

“That’s actually very reassuring considering what we can do. How was your vacation?”

“Entertaining. I’m alphabetically working my way through the brothels in Amsterdam. I’m still on the Bs.”

I knew he was lying because I was Transcendent, but decided to respect his privacy since he clearly didn’t want to answer. “What happened to a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell?”

“That costs extra, I’m told.” Pan chuckled, eyes scanning something I couldn’t see, which implied he was looking at his interface again.

“Did we at least find out what the secondary material in the asteroid was?”

The other material, which filled the lower deck, was all E-grade material. The Pantheon wasn’t advanced enough to process it into doubloons, so it was just sitting there, and taking up space.

Pan’s eyes darted about as he read his interface. “Ah, let me check. Yes, we did. It’s a rare S-grade material. There’s enough to make a pair of cutlasses and a scythe for Nargus.”

“A scythe?”

“God of Death has to have a scythe. I believe it’s a human tradition.”

“Can we make S-grade weapons?”

“Not even close. With your permission, I’ll deal with this quest and be back shortly.”

“Do what you need to. I could use a break.”

Pan adjusted his mustard tricorn, rose into the air, and flew to the airlock to the space station.

I let out a tired sigh.

My life outside the Game had become far too complicated, and the longer I spent away, the more unsettled I felt. Pan’s warning that humans weren’t psychologically prepared for transcendence turned into an omen as I grew increasingly restless with each passing day. The temptation to flaunt my power and ignore the police’s authority had only grown stronger with each passing hour they held me. I constantly had to fight and stop myself from walking out the door.

On the lowest deck of The Pantheon, I watched millions of survivors from Sector 3 wake up and begin writing addresses on walls. Through my Domain, I read each address and opened a small portal to the requested location in Sector 6. Hundreds of players stepped through portals every second, returning to a life of quests and adventure.

No one knew how I was doing what I was doing, and everyone assumed it was a function of my ship. No one guessed that I could see them all. No one guessed that I could hear them all. Everyone just thought it was a function of better technology.

Around the three-hour mark, the Power surging through Nargus vanished, and he began to stir. He turned his head ever so slightly, and the black tar-like substance that had coated him shattered into a thousand pieces. He absently waved his hand, manipulated his Power the way I would, and the pieces flew away, leaving his pink flesh clean and untouched.

Power thrummed through him, and a black and gold Egyptian headdress and torc emerged from his flesh to surround his throat and head. The colours matched his new loincloth and the crook and flail that sat on his lap. While he sat on his throne made from skulls, he very much looked like the God of Death.

He took a deep breath, expanded his chest, and then looked at me. “Destiny wanders in the meadow and along cliff’s edge with confidence and disdain for the pebble and grass tread underfoot.”

I flinched, too stunned to say anything more than, “Excuse me?”

He took another deep breath and repeated himself. “Destiny wanders in the meadow and along cliff’s edge with confidence and disdain for the pebble and grass tread underfoot.”

“I’m not your maker,” I said, unable to believe what he was saying.

Nargus repeated himself. “Destiny wanders in the meadow and along cliff’s edge with confidence and disdain for the pebble and grass tread underfoot.”

“I made you sapient.”

Nargus nodded.

Before I’d offered him a place in my pantheon, Nargus had been nothing but an NPC. Now, he was a fully aware consciousness. More than that, he knew he had a beginning and that someday he would have an end and that right now, he was alone, unloved, and uncared for.

He wasn’t an AI who had signed up for a job like Pan. He was a sapient being the Peacekeeper had crafted to fill a role I asked them to fill. He was not Horde. He was not Human. And he had no place in the cosmos.

I swallowed. “I didn’t know that would happen.”

“The blind see what they can, praying from more, while searching for contentment with less.”

“I’m sorry.” There was nothing else I could say.

“The flower is grateful for the sun and clouds that offer the waters of life in equal measure.”

Nargus viewed me as his creator. Not in a godlike sense, but more in a quasi-father role. He’d been given sapience and independence when I made him Transcendent. He now knew about the world beyond this one. He knew he was so much more than he had been, and he wasn’t sure what it all meant.

“Are you okay?”

“Mortal shudders when Gods speak of injury.”

“Planning to take it one day at a time. I can see that sense behind that.”

Nargus nodded.

“Welcome to the land of the living.” I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, but I couldn’t think of anything else.

“Dreams wander free, searching for sleeping minds to grow wonder. The father holds his child high, wishing them to see further.”

“You want to find a purpose to your existence to anchor you. Most of us are trying to do something similar.”

“Agony is unfathomable to the stone that stabs the foot.”

“Talk to Pan. He might have some thoughts.”

“Waves of enlightenment tread gently.”

“He claims he’s using his freedom to work his way through the brothels in Amsterdam.”

“Silence never breaks.”

“Well, maybe brothels won’t have you, but there are some pretty weird people with strange fetishes on Earth.”

“Water and Sand.”

“Not into humans. Makes sense. You could try becoming an alcoholic poet. That’s what a lot of people who don’t have direction do.”

Nargus laughed. “Sorrow sings along the jester's tongue.”

“No, most poets don’t get famous.”

Nargus laughed harder and then suddenly turned. “Death whispers.” He stood from his throne without another word and flew to the door, opening it with his Power, before exiting the throne room.

As the doors closed, I stared after him, lost in thought.

“What have I done?”

***

It took me another two hours to escort the players from the Pantheon. The last few thousand wanted to stay onboard, but I forcefully ejected them from the ship, dropping them off at the largest spaceport in Sector 6 when they refused to give me an address. The entire time, Nargus stood at the helm, staring out into space. It made me worry about him. Our brief conversation hadn’t exactly been the best conversation, and I felt responsible for his circumstances.

After half an hour of nothing to do, I left my throne room, walked up to the helm, and stood beside him. He didn’t respond to my presence. My Domain showed me a lot, but I had no clue what he was staring at.

“You haven’t moved since you came out here,” I said concerned.

Two and a half hours of standing statue still wasn’t normal.

Nargus didn’t answer for several moments and then quietly replied. “Death whispers over the grave of despair, consoling the widow and drinking her tears. Strength leaves the old handed to the young with joy and the promise of eternity. When Gods walk upon divine feet dancing to the tunes of heavens melody, mortals quake in fear hearing their end.”

I stared at him, dumbstruck. “You’re going to dying pirates and offering them eternal rest to reach milestones, and it's working?”

Nargus laughed. “Soothing water quenches the parched throat, rubbed dry by desert sands.”

“That is such a cheat. I’m almost jealous.”

Nargus laughed harder.

“So, you’re not overwhelmed by all of this?”

“Mortals shudder when Gods speak.”

“Throwing yourself into work to ignore your fears and problems isn’t healthy.”

Nargus shrugged. “Heat and pressure forge diamonds.”

“You do have other options. You could talk to Pan. He’s basically the ship's councillor. You remember Pan, right?”

Nargus sighed and nodded. “Death whispers.”

“You're using work as an excuse.”

“Death whispers,” he repeated.

“I don’t care. I’m sending Pan over when he gets back.”

***

Eight hours after he left, Pan returned to The Pantheon. As he exited the airlock, I immediately stepped through a portal onto the main deck. We needed to talk.

I didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Why didn’t you tell me making Nargus Transcendent would make him sapient?”

Pan reached for his tricorn to bow and froze, dropping his hat. “Say that again, my Liege?”

“Why didn’t you tell me making Nargus Transcendent would make him sapient? I didn’t know what to say when I found out, and I don’t think he’s coping well.”

Pan stared at me blankly.

I knew that look. It was the same look I’d given Nargus when he told me he was sapient.

“Ah, you knew this would happen, right?”

Pan's mouth dropped open. “Do I look like I knew that this would happen?”

“No, not really.”

Pan sighed and then turned to the helm. “Stupid information filters. How’s he taking it?”

“Not well. He feels lost. He’s not human. He’s not Horde. He doesn’t know where his place is. I suggested he talk to you.”

Pan nodded. “Is that why he’s staring like that?”

“No. He’s thrown himself into work so he doesn’t have to think about things. He’s appearing before dying pirates and offering them eternal rest. He’s been gathering followers this entire time. He’s already passed two milestones and is approaching his third. He doesn’t know how he wants to grow stronger yet, so he hasn’t spent the transcendent points.”

“Ignoring your problems isn’t a good way to deal with them. I’ll go talk to him.”

“See that you do, but when you get a chance, I could also use some advice on controlling my new impulses.”

Pan froze. “How much trouble are we talking about, Nicholas.”

His question was soft and calm, but there was far more concern than I’d ever heard him give me. The fact that he’d used my name rather than say my liege said a lot.

“I’m having a problem with respecting other's authority,” I admitted. “When someone tells me to do something or not to do something, I keep having the thought that they don’t have the power to stop me from doing anything I want to.”

“Did you harm anyone?”

“No.”

“Did you want to?”

“Yes.”

Pan sighed. “I was afraid of this.”

***

Instead of talking to Nargus, Pan stayed with me for over an hour, listening to my experiences with the police and giving advice on methods that might help me deal with the changes that were taking place. He was concerned about my attitude, but he also understood why I was developing such an attitude. The ability to see entire sectors all at once and end their population with a thought was not something a human had ever had to deal with. Having even a fraction of my power meant I didn’t need to play by the rules of others, and even though I knew my urges and thoughts were wrong, it didn’t stop me from having them.

After Pan finished dispensing advice, he went to speak with Nargus, and I returned to my throne room. Once there, I retracted my Domain to give them privacy, sitting alone with my thoughts.

Morgan Mars had asked me to go to Sector 1, collect the capital building, and deliver it to Sector 13. Based on the maps Tee had shown us, that would take more than a Cycle. With how quickly my mental state was deteriorating, I wasn’t sure what sort of person I would be by then.

I felt like I was slipping away.

And sitting here doing nothing wasn’t helping.

Pan only talked to Nargus for ten minutes before coming to find me again. He didn’t bow or call me my Liege, so I knew he was worried.

Pan sighed. “He’s not in a good way, but he has one of the most self-reflective personalities I’ve ever seen. I think if we give him enough time, he will be okay. But he’s hurting right now.”

“Why’s he hurting?”

“You rejected him. He told you he thought of you like a father, and you said nothing. He’s a Horde without a herd who understands how humans think. That makes him unique in the universe. Which also means he’s alone. He’s looking for something to hold onto and all he has is work. I think he hopes you will accept him if he does a good enough job. It’s a naïve hope, but he doesn’t have many experiences to draw on.”

I sighed. “I’m not his father.”

“I know. But that doesn’t change how he feels or the fact that he’s going to be the only Horde on Earth when you leave the Game at the end of the Cycle.”

I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “Do you know why the ship didn’t change or where the crew is?”

Pan noticed my mood and accepted the change in subject. “They’re separate but related events that took me longer than expected to unravel, so let me start with some context. Bionoids have a class-based society, which is based on technology grades. E-grade members of their society are similar to slaves in human culture, making our crew lower than slaves. D-grade members are the working class. C-grade can own property and run shops. B-grade can become warriors. And A-grade members are Lords. Lords are different to those below them because they cause all weaker bionoids to worship them. The bigger the technological difference, the stronger the effect, which is why only B-grade members are warriors, anyone weaker will serve whichever ruler is closer.”

“So, the crew didn’t join The Pantheon for doubloons. They joined to improve their class.”

“Yes.”

“What does this have to do with our missing crew and the lack of changes to the ship?”

“I’m getting to that. Think of the port we’re at as a pirate town outside civilised society. As a pirate town, it’s controlled by the biggest baddest pirate around, which has recently become someone we know.”

I sighed. “Rob.”

“He goes by Little Rob now. And Little Rob will only approve the reconstruction of The Pantheon if we do him a favour.”

I folded my arms and leaned back. “He’s stronger than both of us. If he’s not willing to do it himself, then it would be suicide for us to try.”

“Which is the primary reason I turned him down.”

“That answers my first questions, so where’s the crew?”

“They’re waiting on the other side of the airlock. They’re the main reason I was gone so long. The doubloons they earned from Simple Mike’s fleet was a small fortune, and it attracted unsavoury attention. E-grade pirates kidnapped their families to extort them for money, and I had to track them down to get them back. Then, I had to convince the three of them to return to The Pantheon so Little Rob didn’t kill us, which they only agreed to do if you let them bring their families on board.”

“It doesn’t sound like we have much of a choice.”

“They still want your permission.”

“Why?”

“They respect you. They know you won't harm or double-cross them if you allow them to bring their families.”

That was true.

I sighed. “They have my permission to bring their families, but I want to talk to the three of them right now.”

Pan left the throne room and went to the airlock. A minute later, he returned to The Pantheon with a tide of people. There were men and women, children and adults, and more than a dozen babies. They wore threadbare clothes, appeared malnourished, and were covered in sores. I counted one hundred and twelve additional crew members, which was much more than I expected.

Pan led Colin, Porter, and Heart to my throne room. They stopped before me and met my gaze. Our relationship had clearly changed. When I looked into their eyes, I saw men of purpose.

I didn’t bother standing. “I don’t like to be manipulated, Gentlemen.”

Colin nodded. “We don’t mean any disrespect, Captain, but your actions made our actions necessary.”

“I’m aware that your families were kidnapped, and I’m also aware that Pan brought them back.”

“This isn’t about the kidnappings. This is about what you did to Rob. You made him a pirate lord, and now he can’t return to our people without allies and a crew.”

“I take it you want me to make your families stronger?”

Colin nodded.

This didn’t sound like the worst repercussions for using Rob to save ourselves. It changed my plans a little, but not by much. “That will take time.”

“Captain, please don’t insult our intelligence. We know you’re holding out on us. You can make us stronger whenever you like.”

“I’m limited by my own understanding, which is currently F-7 technology.”

Colin glanced at the other two, who nodded back. He turned to me. “We’ll accept F-7 dreadnaughts for our family.”

Above me at the helm, Nargus spoke. “The wisdom of ages grows under gentle a breeze.”

I forced myself not to groan. Nargus could still see whatever he wanted and had been watching our conversation. Pan hadn’t been exaggerating when he said that Nargus wanted to please me by doing a good job and being helpful. He’d just invested his first three milestones into Wisdom, which was fifteen points. With my Domain buff, he could build D-2 ships.

The problem with that was, we didn’t have any D-grade materials. There was a lot of E-grade material on the lower deck from the asteroid we had found, but no D-grade. I also wouldn’t upgrade them to that if I could. That would make them far too powerful.

I decided to ignore that problem and focus on the one in front of me. “If you want dreadnaughts, you’ll have to collect the resources yourselves.”

The three of them grinned and responded at the same time. “Find us a fleet, Captain.”