The darkness was all around him, it's touch so wet, and cold like a lover coming out of the storm.

Having never experienced death before, Gregor was certain that he was dead, although why he still felt pain he did not know. He'd always assumed that being sent to the underworld for all the things he'd done would be painless or at the very least there'd be a few demons to greet him, but all there was, was pitch black darkness. A most bitter and disappointing end. Still he shouldn't be surprised this in itself was a kind of torture, unable to move or speak with silence only to keep him company. Maybe they reserved this kind of torture for those they despised the most. If so it was starting to work. Already he could feel himself slowly drifting in and out, his eyelids so heavy.

Then something dawned on him, or to be move precise the stone pressing his head into the ground shifted, letting in a ray of light that was so blinding that Gregor was certain that the demons must have cast some wicked spell to drop him off his guard. If so they would get a nasty surprise.

Blinking back tears that streamed down his cheeks Gregor looked up into the glaring sunlight, readying himself to pounce somehow, only to let out audible gasp of shock at the sight of Gorrack looming over with a stupid grin plastered across cheeks, and thick black beard covering his face. "Glad to see you're alive and well. Lorna was worried you mighta gotten yourself killed by now."

Mouth gaping, Gregor briefly wondered if the orc too was dead, but that no longer made any sense to him. Which meant he had to be alive. The realisation should have pleased him, but in truth Gregor had been curious to see this underworld the demons had come from, but perhaps he would adventure there another time.

Throat dry with dust, Gregor tried to speak, wanting to know how the orc had found him, when Gorrack's his expression turned grey as he glanced back over his shoulder. "We'll need to hurry Lorna, he doesn't look too good."

Lorna muttering to herself hovered into view with a disgruntled expression, her usually luxurious brown hair thick with dust, muck and dirt.

Glowering down at him, she rolled her eyes as though blaming him for his current predicament before holding up her arms to weave her fingers and whisper words, her hands glowing with a soft blue energy as the rubble shifted and moved.

Runnels of sweat dripped down her forehead, and her eyes closed shut as she focused the energy into the collapsed wall that had fallen on top of him, sliding it slowly away, causing Gregor to let out a groan as waves of pain, long held at bay lapped up through him.

Breath coming a little quicker, Lorna's brown eyes snapped open as she knelt down beside him and placed a hand upon his chest, easing the pain inside of him, until finally he could sit up. "Thanks," he managed to grunt.

Lorna's lips quirked into a dry smile. "You got lucky fool, a moment longer and you would have been dead."

Glad to see she hadn't changed at all, Gregor grinned back at her and took hold of Gorrack's proffered arm, the big orc hauling him up to his feet, giving him a wide view of the destruction wrought here. Whoever had attacked the tower, had done a thorough job of it with debris cast about for many miles in all directions with only few outcropping of fleshy stone clinging together, it's pulsating veins dark as the life gradually ebbed from it.

He thought back to the mage he'd released from the chest, and wondered if this were her handiwork, but couldn't believe any mage dead or alive would be capable of such destruction. The Towers of the Abyss were supposed to be impregnable fortresses. Daedalus wriggled inside back of his mind as though wanting to say something, but remained silent.

"How did you find me," asked Gregor.

"Sarsonel. It seems she doesn't want to lose her champion just yet," replied Lorna with another roll of the eyes, "Come on, we still have a long ways to..."

Her voice trailed off as she stared behind him.

Hand instantly dropping to the empty sheath at his waist, Gregor spun around, and felt his heart leap into his throat at the gigantic head pushing up out of the water. The ocean cascading off light blue scales, revealing a monstrous body almost the size of the island itself. It's body sinuous and long like that of snake with massive tentacles attached to it's sides.

If not for the lack of wings, Gregor would have assumed that it was a sea dragon, but clearly this was something else. Something a lot older with large green eyes that peered down at him, a voice blasting through the back of his mind. "Thank you for freeing me warrior, it's been so long since I've held my true form and bathed myself in the seas cleansing waters. As a gift for releasing me from my prison, I shall take you anywhere you so choose, so long as you hurry with your answer. I do not have the same patience others of my kind posses. I've spent too long in that chest, and do not relish waiting here any longer than need be."

Jaws working reflexively, Gregor tried to think of an answer but all he could think about was how this couldn't be the woman he'd seen in the tower. She couldn't possibly be Balmera the cursed? And yet the presence he felt suggested otherwise. No wonder, the mage's feared her, she was incredible with power unlike anything he'd ever felt before oozing out of her, a being of pure magic.

Turning back to face Lorna and Gorrack, Gregor asked, "I'm assuming you heard all of that? So what's it going to be? I say we head to the Island of Blood Tides, I have some business to attend to there."

Snapped out of her reverie, Lorna stared at him incredulously. "Are you insane, you barely got out of that tower alive and now you want to go to Island of BloodTides?! Why?!"

Not exactly sure why he didn't want to tell them, Gregor replied, "Like I said it's important."

Face reddening with anger, Gregor thought for a moment that she was going to lash out at him before calming herself down and brushing aside some twigs out of her hair. "Then this is where we must part ways again. You might be willing to abandon our quest and forsake the world to another bloody war, but I shall not. The BloodStorm is rising, and we must be there to face it."

With that last word, she stormed off in a huff, Gorrack staying briefly behind as though about to speak before nodding his head and walking away.

It felt strange to lose his companions again so soon, but this felt like the right path to take. With the help of Daedalus he would be able to gather an army and face Tazrael on an equal footing rather than relying on luck and chance to see him through to the end. So why is it that he kept watching Lorna grow smaller and smaller into the distance until she disappeared from view?

Hearing an impatient cough in his mind, Gregor turned back to the creature. "Take me to the Island of Bloodtides."

Emerald green eyes sparkling with delight, Balmera let out a roar of excitement.