Chương 66: Chapter Sixty One: Divinity. No More Questions.

I stretched out and over onto my side, except…the warm body that was supposed to be next to me had disappeared. The rug, his obnoxious snores, and the gaudy blanket, too. I blinked.

"..."

"What the fuck, Mel?!" Standing over me with her gory eyeholes on full display was a sloppily dressed Mel. Her hair was not only a bird's nest in the metaphorical sense, but it was also literally holding a live chicken in its broken ends. She stared at me and opened with the strangest smile I'd ever seen in my life. One side was completely curled up, the other drooping down beyond her chin.

"What did I tell you about watching me sleep?" Goosebumps rose, and I rubbed at the ones on my arm. She offers,"Do it often?" I kicked her in the stomach from my spot on the bed, and she grunted when it connected. I threw the covers away and almost killed Harry. Sitting on top of my legs is a hairy white goat affectionately named Harry. I think he's a she, but I don't really want to check. So, for now, Harry is a unisex name.

"What are you all doing here?" The chickens clucked, and I looked underneath my bed to see the rest of them hiding there.

"We were waiting in here with you. It's scary out there…" She giggled to herself, and I ignored her theatrical tone.

"Scary? Scary how? Where's Penguin?" She pointed at the doorway and cracked herself up so much that she started crying and laughing. I shoved her out of the way so I could crawl out of bed and looked all the way down at myself.

"Did you…Did you change me?" She wiped tears from her eyes and gave me a rueful smile without answering. Crazy ass…Rolling my eyes at her latest fit of lunacy, I left the bed and adjusted the dress. Where did she even get a red dress? She better not have used the system store. I left the house and immediately tried to walk back inside when I saw what was waiting.

"What in the ass is that?" Mel shimmied into my side, and I elbowed her. She solemnly stated.

"We're calling it Tartarus's asshole. What do you think?" She caressed the feathers on top of the chicken's head, and I just shook my head in disbelief."This is fucking insane and it needs to be fixed. Why is he just sitting there?" Outside in the black expanse of space known as my soul, a couple of miles away, was a giant chasm. Blinding white light I could've mistaken for a spotlight streamed in from the massive hole, and I shielded my eyes with my hand. What is he doing?

"I'm fine, by the way." Mel interjected.

"..." I kicked her back into the house and closed the door for good measure. The chickens cried for help, and I hoped she hadn't killed one of them too brutally. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It can mess up the cut of meat for later. Tentatively, walking past the garden and towards the light. Penguin sat there on the precipice of the ledge, looking straight into its light without any sign of pain at all.

"Penguin? What's going on? What is that?"

"..." He continues staring, and I kick at his back to get his attention. He startles and turns to see me. His blue eyes take me in without blinking and I try to keep my shit together.

"I'm going to ask you this one more time. What is that?" I pointed at the glaring issue.

"What are you doing? And when are you going to fix it? It's hurting my eyes and scaring the other flightless birds." Not to mention a full goddess.

"I can't." He slumped.

"Excuse me? Let's try again, this time in my ears?" I cupped them in order to turn up the volume.

"That woman…did a number on you. I don't have the necessary materials to patch up the hole." He gives me a strange look that I don't quite notice since I'm just blown away by all of this damage.

"What woman?" I think better of it.

"You mean Hypatia? She did this?" Looking around in wonder at the rip, "What is it?" Penguin. Flippers dangling by his sides deadpanned.

"A hole."

"..."

"No fucking shit birdbrain. But I mean, what is it, exactly? What did she do?"

"She took a trip down memory lane with a flame thrower." He spits out with flames billowing out of his beak.

"..." Pinching the space between my eyebrows, I tried again,"What do you need to fix it?"

"Admirall, IX, a year's worth of coca…" He lists off, and my foot raises. He dodges the incoming attack and responds seriously.

"Fine! Fine. The only thing I can think of is a shard of a Godcore. But we don't have any of those in stock at your local Mom and pop unfortunately." I tilted my head unsure of what I'd just heard.

"Mom and pop? That's an awfully pop culture term for you." A Godcore, huh? That lady did say something about that when she was in the process of painting me with her brush thing.

"I think I might know where to get one. She said that witches have those right? Or their descendants do. So I should, in theory, have one." He rolls his electronic eyes and stretches his fins out.

"I know. You're looking at it."

"..." •••~"This is a Godcore!" What the hell! The ground I'm standing on shakes with the pitch of my squeal. I have a godcore.

"I'm a God?" I put a hand to my chest almost flattered.

"When were you going to tell me?" I'm a God. I clenched and unclenched my hands. Do you know what this means? Does that mean I don't have to do anymore stupid heathen club activities with those lunatics upstairs?

"I did!" He stood up on his tippy toes, to scream at me even harder. I pointed at his lying ass full of disdain.

"No. You said I was a Godkiller." Killer. Not the best way to describe a…It doesn't matter. In my own God. He shrugs, "Same difference." His beak whirs and the little megaphone inside it smokes a little. Did he take a direct hit or something?

"If you want to get technical, Demi-God might be a more apt terminology. Anyway your idea sucks and I have a better one." He raises his fin smugly and I frown. Why do I have the feeling I won't like this.

"Really? Let's hear it."

"Open the orb in the inventory." He points an already waiting screen. I shot that down, "Pass. Next idea."

"Miseria…"

"Why is everyone using my full name these days? No! Want to hear that in espanol? El No!"

"That doesn't even make any sense." I walked away from the chasm with a chattering Penguin right behind me.

"Ria, if we don't take preventative measures, the core will be destroyed, and this space along with it. Stop being stubborn and permit me to do this." I shake my head in refusal."It's not worth it. That thing gives me the heebie jeebies." Penguin whines.

"I promise it's nothing bad."

"Just like you promised, that the system was there only to help me? And there was no consequences to buying that stupid skill!" He stopped in his tracks, and I stepped around growing charred cabbages.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't play dumb. I'm wise to your bullshit. There's no such thing as a free meal in any world. Including this one."

"..." He waddles after me and continues to bother me.

"Ria. Ria. Ria. Ria. Ria. Ria…" I plugged my ears and drowned him out. The entire space hummed. What is that? A delayed feedback sound has me plugging my ears with my fingers. The feedback fades away and I unplugged my ears. That's when he chooses the moment to strike, "Ahem. Ahem."

"Riaaaaaaaa!"

"RIAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" I lost my shit.

"WHAT!" I turned around to see Penguin holding a virtual glitching megaphone and preparing to scream at the top of his lungs into the karaoke machine attached to it again. Marching over to grab it from him. He disappeared and reappeared a good two yards from me.

"I don't have time for this!" On the verge of ripping my hair out, I moaned under the psychological torture of his brain rot. I can't do this all day and potentially again tomorrow. Ugh.

"Fine! Open that stupid crystal ball and get it over with!" He flapped his flippers and twirled in a victory circle. Disclaimer: Please remember that I protested this from the beginning. He waved his flipper and summoned the mighty inventory page. Its blue screen glitched and flickers now and then. The far right box ominously glowed with a black light. My stomach churned, and I held out a hand.

"Wait!" Penguin gave me an unimpressed look.

"What now?"

"What's in that thing? Don't give me any excuses, or I'll never let you use it." Its metal eyebrows drew together with frustration. Its blue eyes looked between me and the page. Finally, it decided the orb was more important than keeping me in the dark.

"Divinity. No more questions.."