[b][u]Hirutila[/u][/b] [b]Palace of the Blachrenae, Renovation[/b] Damn, damn damn damn. This was not the way he was planning on jumping into the action. Hirutila grimaced in a mixture of agitation and sheer terror at the sight before him. The Heartless were one thing, the horde of little imps was damn frightening in its own right but the real awesome might was that humanoid mechanical monstrosity that was suddenly threatening to tear the whole palace down around them. The Empress may have managed to defend the place for that bit of time, but "Damnable Mock-Man, we don't stand a chance against that thing!" Hirutila yelled out once the sheer scale of the Gundam had really sunk into his mind. How could something so huge even exist? Was it autonomous or was it more like a suit of armor? He found his answer when Tocsax ripped the pilot out before his very eyes. So it was a suit of armor, but the pilot there obviously wasn't really controlling the mech. Hirutila gritted his teeth at the challenge. How was he supposed to fight against *that*? The damn palace was like paper to it, there was no way he wouldn't be killed instantly upon even attempting to challenge it. But better to die trying to fight than to be just a casualty in a building collapse. He had some idea on what to do. The only weapons that were going to take down the behemoth were the ones it was carrying. Certainly whatever Heartless was possessing the Gundam wanted to wipe anyone out it got in clear sight, so why not turn that against it. Hirutila looked around the room rapidly, trying to eye out anything he could use to get up close to the mech and get away before it could vaporize him. It was then that Hirutila took note of a display in the corner of his eye, a halberd of sorts with a plethora of long parts. He ran over to the weapon, pulling it out of the display and snapping the head off of the weapon, tying a long piece of rope around it. "Alright, let's hope this works," he muttered out, before running off up a staircase, shortly after Tocsax had cast the haste spell on him. Hirutila was amazed at how fast he was moving, even better than back in his prime in the pirate days. This was just like pirate days right, boarding a ship to take it out? That's what he kept telling himself as he ascended the staircase, each footstep pounding in his heart as he approached a heightened point. [i]If I can just get this into one of its joints...[/i], he thought as he stepped onto the windows sill, the vast drop of the castle below and the Gundam there before him. Hirutila swung the makeshift grappling hook around in a circle, turning back and throwing it with all his might. To his amazement, the hook landed into one of the robots arm joints. Now for the hard part. Hirutila took a deep breath, looking down at the drop before him. In his mind, it was just water, just the cold dark blue of the sea. He repeated it over and over in his head. [i]Nothing below me but sea, nothing below me but sea.[/i] And with that, his feet left the stone of the castle window as the began careening towards the Gundam, hoping that Tiw was looking over him, and praying that his feet would make contact with the robot's metal and not his back splattered against the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [b][u]Just outside of Bethelehem, Israel, 1250 AD, Green Sahara[/u][/b] [@Tenma Tendo] The cart of pilgrims returning home were all busy chattering among themselves, though whispers concerning Capella could be heard being carried among the wind. [i]You don't think she's royalty do you?[/i] Whispered one of the women to the other, who chattered back [i]A Hasmonean in a cart ride to Bethlehem? What would royalty be doing here?[/i] The other woman looked back at Capella, staring back at her for a short while before whispering back at the other, "But those clothes, how can she afford purple and still ride back in a horse cart?" The ride back was slow, yet calming. There was much to see on the road back, groves of date palms resting in the moonlight, nestled within the mountainous terrain that seemed to gently slope with the clouds. At the same time, the calm had an eerie and sinister undertone, like static in the still air. The full moon cloaked the entire roadway in a hazy bluish tinge, adding to that underlying dread hidden in the calm. Capella's concentration on such thoughts would be broken by the intrusion of a young man, who attempted to get a few words in with her. "You're not from here, are you?" The young man inquired, "What brings you out to Bethlehem. It's not exactly the most interesting place in the world. The bustle of Jerusalem to much for you?" But any small talk was cut off with the sudden cry of the horses as the cart approached Jerusalem proper. The driver let out a shriek of horror as well, as the cart became surrounded by Heartless. "They....They're everywhere!" one of the pilgrims exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger at the village, which was swarming with the little imps, running through the streets like wild beasts. Among the hoard of creatures were three more like disembodied suits of armor, bearing some kind of emblem, that were herding the other Heartless like dogs in search of something. The creatures tore through houses at the command of their superiors and watching them, the message of the letter would echo in Capella's head once more. [color=f7941d][b]There, a legion of Heartless seek to slay a child named Yeshua, a child born of a Virgin Birth. Do not let them touch him, or all is lost.[/b][/color] She would need to act fast to save the cart of pilgrims, the people of Bethlehem, and the Child before all were lost to the swarm of Heartless. They numbered 100 in total, scattered throughout the village. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [u][b]The Valley of the Moon, Canaan, 2288 AD, Green Sahara[/b][/u] Audry stared at the discolored ceiling once again, letting the image burn into her retinas as she lay on the old cot, the stuffing long rotten away, nothing more than a glorified blanket wrapped around springs. She closed her eyes, though no sleep came. It wouldn't come any time soon. She lifted her hand up, taking a look at the device now affixed to her forearm, at the scar when that ancient technology had buried its way into her flesh, digging deep into her. The uncertainty of what was to pass was much like that same burning pain, though it radiated out of her spine across her body rather than merely in her arm now. She balled her fist up and slammed it against the worn down mattress, cursing and groaning loudly as she turned herself over, only to hear the creek as the door to her room opened. Audry simply layed on her side in silence, as the monk spoke to her, urging the young woman to wake up. The day was upon them. Audry rose to a seated position, nodding her head in silence as she rose to her feet, and followed after the monk without saying a word. "You understand the necessity of this, do you not?" Audry nodded, though she could not say that she fully knew what would happen. Worlds were at stake, a future worth getting out of bed for, a future with a mother who wouldn't die of a bad cough. The Galileans believed it rested in the Middle Ages, a time so long ago it was the stuff of legends now. She was to find the Legendary Hero, and go with her to face the Emperor who resided in the Horn of Africa and kill his minions. "The Son of Aaron must die, remember that Audry, he must die at all costs." "...I know." She uttered out quietly, as the Monks began to power on the ancient machines that filled the chamber. The Abbot looked at her one last time. "When you are there, follow her trail, you'll find her eventually. The Hero must complete her quest, and you must make sure all loose ends stay down. From there, you're on your own, our knowledge can't help you once you leave our timeline." And with that, the conversation ended, once the gate was identified. Audry closed her eyes as the Chronodex activated, and she felt herself break apart, as the particles of her body accelerated, faster and faster and faster until, she was moving backward in time. When her eyes opened once more she felt her self being placed in the middle of nowhere, in seeing in the distance, the walls of a great canyon, What must have been the Valley all those years ago. Audry stood herself up, looking intently at the cliff faces. However she shook off the thought, right now her goal was to find the Legendary Hero, the so-called Child of the Sixth Brightest. Now, just where in the world was she supposed to start looking?