Gods Aren't Perfect - OFFICIAL

Chapter Twenty-Seven: It's Just Business, Kid

Carolyn tumbled out the portal and landed on the rocky floor, narrowly missing a small stream of magma. "Ayyyy are we gonna die?"

"No," Ophelia responded.

"Yes," June replied.

"Maybe," Atticus finished.

"Look, we aren't going to get answers like this. We have an angry god behind us, a god we need to beat up, and still one world between us and the Highest Peak, the closest thing we have to home." Rosa spoke up as everyone turned to the honey-blonde in surprise. "And yes, I'm awake."

"How- when?" sputtered Nyx.

"Just now," came a voice from behind her. "And you're gonna have to pay for that, miss."

"What-" Faceless turned to see what appeared to be a tiny UFO, a pair of little ferrofluid eyes looking up at him. A tiny wire net hung underneath it, packed with McGodNalds in little paper boxes.

"I said you have to pay for it."

"We, uh, don't ha-" Eleanor began before Farrah threw over a large bunch of coins that were definitely legal in this world and also definitely not from the last one. Thankfully, the ferrofluid eyes didn't seem to be actual eyes, as the UFO didn't even look to check and accepted them anyway. More boxes of McGodNalds tumbled out for them to consume.

"Good, good. Now what business would you have here in The Forges?"

"The... uh hello yes, we are here for business," Tronso saluted. "Can you turn down the temperature?"

"You want me to turn down the temperature of a volcano."

"Yes."

"Hm. We could use that portal the boss found..." the little machine mused. "But that's not the point. Why are you here, seriously?"

"We are here for diplomatics," Rosa quickly spoke up. "We want to talk to your boss about a... business interview."

"There's just one problem," the UFO replied. "Our boss is, uh, kind of busy. We don't have time for diplomatics."

"Did she stutter?" Faceless interjected, stepping forward with one hand in a fist. "Take us to your leader. Now."

"I hope I made myself clear when I said it's kind of busy." The UFO's wise net began to twist and transform, forming a giant death claw. "So make yourself useful and get out of here."

"GET TH-" Lizzy began before Ophelia pulled her away. The rest of the deities, one by one, begrudgingly followed until they all stood safely behind an extremely large crag of rock, blocking them from the sight of the UFO and from any future mechs that would come their way.

Carolyn looked over the scene. "What was that all about?"

"We need to break in somehow. I don't know how, but I do know that we're going to break in." Atticus responded.

"They're a business, aren't they? There has to be some way we can make it in and then get to their boss, whoever that is." Rosa crossed her arms. "Who here is a good tailor?"

"Nobody here is a decent tailor, let alone a good one," June replied.

"So how are we going to disguise ourselves and sneak in?" The blonde snapped.

"Ahem." Atticus interrupted.

"Well, we could always try asking nicely and pretending that we are UFOs like them?" Eleanor replied.

"Fat chance. We can't fly," Nyx reminded her.

"Koumei and Carolyn probably can, sort of," Lizzy interjected.