I Can't Stand Myself

[Demetri Malius]

It took a few moments after the thief had managed to barely block the blow that Volvagia had thrown at him before he felt the sickness in his stomach. With a stumble, he made his way forward before coughing up more blood. He had taken quite a hit, and it would be all too difficult to land another blow. The thief leaned his ashen hand on a nearby towering rock as he clutched his side, staring off into the swirling fire and dust that seemed to combine and become one. Demetri could not help but watch as the others gave the final push, cheering them on in his own mind while he continued to spit up blood. With one hand he attempted to heal the unseen injuries below his charred leather armor, but it was a slow process, and if anything it only numbed the pain enough for it to be bearable. As his fuzzy mind became a bit clearer, he could just make out the final moments of the battle. The fiery presence of Volvagia quickly became a smoldering dead wyrm, and a grin fell upon the thieves face behind his unkempt facial hair as Nealaphh hovered beside the fallen wyrm's body, the Goron chief beside him.

"Creator, I believe the battle had ended in Victory, even against the odds. We have won."

A hoarse chuckle escaped the thief's mouth as he fell back onto the floor, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "A good time to rest then while the others decide what to do with the mess we have just made."

"Well, an entire village was destroyed."

"A shame."

"And the Gorons will probably never be the same."

"A shame as well."

"But now we no longer have a giant flaming wyrm tyhat is threatening to enslave everything in the Ashen Steppes, especially the Gorons."

"And they should be thankful, freedom always comes at a price. I only wish that they had the medical technology in order to aid my aching sternum. DO you think they can fix anything other than piles of rocks?"

"I don't believe so."

"Then a shaaame to it all. "

The thief flung his arms up before resting them behind his head, the mechanical laughing whirrs of his robot aide soothing his mind. 

"Perhaps that alchemist would appreciate some samples of the fiery beast, Creator?"

"You are disturbing my rest darling, but... I suppose we should take samples of the little bits that managed to not get banished with the rest of it."

The thief grunted as he struggled to sit up, finally making it to his feet before waltzing over to the remains of the dragon that the heated wind had not yet carried away.  With a swift hand, the thief bent over and snatched up a sharred flake of what used to be Volvagia's seemingly impenetrable scales. He softly let the piece fall into one of his many leather pockets on his satchel, before raising his hands to stretch soon after, but a sharp pain in his side interrupted him. Still not quite healed yet.

It was then that he heard the commotion. Rocks erected in the distance, worried shouts and panicked voices could be heard through the air. Demetri quickly turned to see some dust from rising rocks in the village.  Even from here, Demetri could see that the God-Mind was troubled. He began to jog forward, hoping to be able to help, until he saw the swirling green of the God-Mind injuring himself.

"Headmaster?" Demetri called out as he began to sprint, his aching feet slamming against the glowing cracks and rocks under him.

"He is injuring himself, he is taking heavy damage. We must get to him Creator, amping up your speed."

With each elongated step, Demetri burst forwards, trying to sweep across the gap in order to reach the Prime, but just as he arrived he saw another flash of light as Nealpahh started to banish itself.

"Headmaster! I will not allow you to-" He spoke as he took a final dive forwards, attempting to tackle the God-Mind, flying through the air before grasping at nothingness. The thief slammed against the unfinished home that the headmaster was attempting to build, gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of him. Connor was on his knees, eyes wide, though his gaze also swept across the remains of the village. Red Hood stood with a look of disappointment. WWith a shake of his head the Prime that had fused with the headmaster to take down the beast turned and began to walk back out of the battleground. All while Demetri simply pounded his fist into a rock wall, grunting in pain before leaning himself against it.

Were the casualties really that bad?Was it all not worth the pain and the sacrifice. Long ago had Demetri learned that sometimes you have to lose some to win some. The greater the prize the more sacrifices to be made. Whether it was time, money, or even someone's life. Perhaps the Headmaster was far more human than he led everyone to believe. However, just then, he realized the two secondaries that the God-Mind had left behind, Klee and Shen. The ones that had retrieved the hard drive of IRIS back in the Tangled Green for him.

"Perhaps we should see if we can help in any way before we return to the guild, Creator?"

With a sigh, the thief replied in a hished tone. "Perhaps. I am still in shock of the headmaster banishing himself to the depths of the underverse, has there not been any survivors of such a place?"

"None that were recorded..."

"I can only hope that the God-Mind is stronger than those that have attempted, but for now, I suppose we should inquire as to what aid we can offer."

The thief than straightened himself up as he walked over to the two secondaries, both floating about as they appeared to try gathering everyone up for the Insitute.

"Klee, Shen. I still consider myself ally to the institute, and although the headmaster may be off in the depths of hell, I wish to help however I am able. Is there a tasks suitable to my skill that either of you have in mind?