Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Cannot help but worry," he replied to Shiloh, even as they walked. "Is being in my nature."

He would fret over them, even as they collected supplies and were all but shoved through the portal. He fretted as they walked through the dilapidated scenery, a building of hope long abandoned, turned to something else. Shading his face with a hand, Kostya looked up through the run-down roof, then back down at the ground.

The peace was disturbed by blood. The blood led down, into darkness and into the unknown.

"Ve vill be fine," Kostya offered, summoning his weapon. The glow was strong enough to penetrate most darkness in his immediate area, and that proved to be true even as he led his allies down into the depths of the church.

"Stick close, da?"

Not that he needed to tell Otto that, of all people. He was the experienced one, after all.

The pathway lit up as they continued their trek downwards. At some point there were stairs, and at some point, the glowing blue surreal shapes of the stairs and the walls that suddenly were gone made it very apparent that they weren't quite in Kansas anymore.

No, instead of a narrow, dark, corridor, it seemed they were staring at the universe itself, thousands of specs of light floating in all directions - fireflies perhaps, or wisps, light that floated and faded as they approached, only to flicker gently back to life behind them. The stairs continued moving downwards, turning bright, vibrant colours upon being stepped on. Everything else was black, but it seemed infinite.

They continued moving downwards, it seemed like forever until finally -

- A dais at the end, floating in something. Black water, dark ripples, and only the reflection of the floating orbs - wisps - gathering around the surface. It seemed surprisingly peaceful.

Peaceful except for a shriveled up corpse lying right next to the dais. They still had one hand reaching up for whatever was upon it - a key. A simple silver key. There was something about it, something strange and very familiar. A voice at the tip of their memories -

- And then someone was calling for Shiloh, Kostya, and Otto, each one in unison. It was the sharp call of someone - anyone - important, begging, pleading for help. They were crying, they were screaming, they repeated names over and over. Otto. Shiloh. Kostya. Help me. The voices echoed from the key, and it sounded painful.

Shy's smile was reassuring, but only in a superficial way. Kostya couldn't shake the darkness.

At least the path was not so dark as they continued, but the comfort he received from the blue glow from a mysterious source soon faded into dread.

He was compelled to move on, because his instructions had been clear.

Collect the artifact. Do not touch it.

The stairs turned technicolour and Kostya felt so far away, his eyes glazed over even as he took in the stairs and the key and the voice called. It begged and did not weep, it pleaded but did not sob, it insisted and was Mimsy, and she was in pain.

He swayed as he stood, watching Otto fling the candy at the Key, because the Key-- no. The orders had been crystal clear. He had been told not to do one thing, just one thing, he could do it. He would be capable. He would do this, he would succeed, he would transfer into Death and it would become him, and--

Mimsy cried out in agony, and the Moon sucked in a harsh breath through his teeth.

There was no way she was trapped. He had seen her-- when had he seen her? A few days ago? More? How long had it been since he had seen her, and--

Kostya stepped forward, his hand reaching out, his fingertips just barely touching the metal--

It looked like an innocent key. But the way it whispered was anything but innocent, a shrill voice screaming for him, a normally soft voice twisted into horrible shrieks for help. But he knew his sister was dead, and he clung to the rationality that it couldn’t possibly be her voice, that, like the conclusion Otto had reached, that it was a trap. It wrenched his heart, but the Mars bar helped, a distraction if not a waste of perfectly good chocolate.

But it seemed Kostya had no such anchors, and the hunter was moving ahead before either of them could stop him, his fingers closing around the key –

They were somewhere else entirely. It was hot and muggy, and leafy as far as the eye could see. Something shifted behind Kostya and this time Shiloh didn’t hesitate to call his weapon, Haruko coiling taut between his hands. However, what stumbled out of the foliage was no monster, instead two young hunters who looked like trainees, about as capable as they were themselves. The voice of the hidden one sounded familiar, even if the brown haired girl wasn’t and Shiloh listened, figuring it must be someone he knew.

The hunter finally dropped his branches, and Shiloh paled. He knew that face. Oh boy did he ever.

He shot a look at Kostya, then turned his attention back to the strange girl and the baby Death lead, who was, in fact, just as frightening in his youth. Nonetheless, they had a mission to complete, and at the very least needed to figure out where the hell they were. At least, that's what he told himself to focus on before the branches at their feet moved, seemingly of their own accord.

“Is that tree alive?” he asked, unable to keep the curiosity from his voice.

The setting slid from the stark shade and coolness of a cave long abandoned into something unbearably hot and muggy, the sun shining in through the canopy above. For a few moments, Kostya stayed dazed, swaying lightly before he really came to. His eyes snapped into motion, looking for Mimsy, and he whirled around in hopes of seeing her, of not saving her because she wouldn't suffer it, but to help, to--

But she wasn't here. Immediately burning with humiliation and shame at the fact that he'd fallen for such a simple ruse, Kostya took a moment to take in his surroundings, and the fact that there were other hunters here, wherever they were.

None of the names being bandied about were familiar, none at all; and their faces were unfamiliar, too.

"Who is being Velda?" is what the moon trainee chose to ask, "Is leader of expedition here?"

Kostya carefully committed each and every name to memory. Velda. Liam. Cae-

....Caelius?

Immediately turning on his heel, the Moon trainee approached the Caelius that...spoke and talked and acted like a normal human being, instead of the bitterness that came with years of war and strife. He was a bit...spacey, even, and...normal. That was the word Kostya was looking for.

Caelius seemed normal, and it was unnerving in every way. If he saw the man smile, Kostya thought he might have an actual heart attack.

"That 'Kels' is being correct," Kostya said, carefully noting her name as well in his mental roster. He knew for a fact that at least Otto would have the clearance for both-- but it was rapidly appearing that they were from another world entirely. He debated summoning his weapon, but it might not do any good.

"What is being task? Of ...post 38?"

It took a great deal of effort, but he refrained from staring at Caelius too much, save for a glance or two that might be misconstrued, given the intensity of the look on his face.

Water bottles. Strange living branches. Friendly Caelius.

Something strange was definitely going on. Especially not the last part, the younger version of what seemed to be the Death lead (but who could be sure?) striking up a conversation with them as if it were nothing at all. He was about as sarcastic as usual but that did nothing to change the fact that he seemed almost normal and too many years too young. It was unnerving.

He shuffled Haruko in his arms, just barely catching the bottle of water in time. It was hot but even though not-Caelius had opened his, and Otto had down a fair share of his, Shiloh wasn’t entirely sold on water meant for monsters. He held onto it, and gestured at the chains in his hand when asked about weapons, backing up Gale’s answer but for the most part, letting Kostya lead, it being his mission after all.

“You guys runics?” Shiloh added gently, glancing at daggers closing off the area.

The gears in Kostya's head began to turn. Caelius' direct orders had been to avoid touching the thing, but it was too late to obey that command. This Caelius was not in any position to be giving orders, and if it was determined that they were from a different time, there would likely be consequences when they got back. He had no desire to be yet another hunter that lost their head over a mission, quite literally.

He was short enough as it was without a height adjustment.

He warily eyed them bicker about dresses and princesses. "Konstantin," he said, pointing at himself. "Shiloh," a gesture at the pink haired hunter. "Otto," and one at the blond.

"Is deal. Lead vay. Am in Moon, however." A crooked grin, forced in every way. It probably looked a little bit on the creepy side, considering the last time he had smiled so widely had been literal years ago. His lower eyelid may have twitched. "Saving vorld. Da."