Clinch River: Silence Means Security

Clinch River Valley, East Side.

An empty place, with little other than the mountain snows and the chill wind over the river. A perfect place, then, for those interested parties to begin their investigation without the eye of outsiders coming into play. But, of course, this very same empty nature made it all the more likely for multiple people to come to the very same conclusion.

This being the most reasonable point of entry for a lone investigator, two individuals would certainly both take that path.

Of course, it was not totally empty. A place to plan one's next course of action lay within the wooded valley not far from the site of the unknown emission, an old cellar under a ruined building of now-unknown purpose. Safe from the elements, and naturally hidden from sight. Anyone who came to this place on their own would find it all too welcoming if they wished to take a moment before they moved further.

Ah, the fresh air of America. Something that Iota has longed for since her rebirth, wishing that she didn't have a job to do. However, in the interim between projects Iota figured she would spread out her legs and get some things done outside of Demon World. So when the report came across her desk about some weird activity going on in the Americas, Iota decided to clock in her vacation days.

"God I hate the fucking cold." Iota would exclaim as she arrived in Tennesse, the frigid winds immediately harassing her. Of all the places that she could have gone, of all the places for things to happen, why Tennesse? Nothing really happened here, to begin with, at least not to Iota's memory, unless the horses were acting up or something. Imagine that! Iota left to go deal with some spiritually aware horses or something. What a waste of time that would be...

Anyways, the Avant's eyes scanned the horizon for anything out of the ordinary. There was the strong possibility that this could have been Ky'rin or one of the Elder God's siblings--a circumstance Iota hoped to not come to pass. Was bad enough that she lost the mentally retarded eldritch abomination, if it started to wreak havoc then Iota would beat herself up about it for at least 10 minutes. 10 minutes that could be spent better elsewhere.

As Iota watched the valley, it was clear that some significant spiritual force had appeared on the other side, simply from the energy that came across. More notable, of course, was the fact that a good deal of the focus from the paramilitary forces in the area had moved their attention, at least somewhat, toward that side of the valley.

It would certainly not lead to any easier a time breaking into the area, of course. But moving around the rest of the valley, particularly on this side of things, would be a far easier task now.

The energy itself, that both of the lone investigators had come to look into, still pulsed from the tunnel that lay in the center of the valley, an unceremonious pit dug by those who currently held the valley itself. But the faintest measure of that same energy seemed to permeate the area, particularly in the water that dripped from the wall into the cellar. Was the source through there?

There was, of course, only one way to find out.

The demon half of her had wanted to get as far away from the guys with guns as quick as possible, but her other, more curious half said fuck it and wanted to see what was up. Surely there was a reason for the commotion, surely there would be something there that could prove to make this all worthwhile. So why not go?

And go she did, at an alarmingly slow pace. It's not like this anomaly was going to just implode on itself any time soon, so it'll be there when Iota got there regardless of how fast she went. If you're curious, it was roughly a leisurely walk. Oh yeah, there was also another person, some random that had approached her. It would probably be best to respond.

"I guess you can call it an interest. I'm mainly just here to make sure someone else doesn't get it. What about you?"

Whatever disturbance had already occurred closer to the perimeter, it seemed it had grown exponentially worse, and far more dangerous in the last few moments. Even at this distance, the roar of far too much gunfire was abundantly audible.

Not so audible, however, as to drown out the quiet, almost pleasant hum that echoed through the air. Even belowground, in the cellar with its cracked tunnel, the noise was still quite clear. But in that tunnel itself, there was hardly silence. The dripping of water, the sound of a breeze blowing through seemingly from parts unknown. Most concerningly of all, however, was the faint sound of footsteps in water, and a low, croaking moan from deep within.

The energy within the tunnel was still exceptionally faint, carried out seemingly on the breeze. But to beings of such supernatural predilections as the two before it, particularly an Iramasha, even the faintest feeling of it would make at least some faint part of its nature quite clear.

It was hungry. Destructive. And the reishi in the air, the spiritual energies subjected to that unknown force, became swallowed up like they had never even been there.

Alright, now perhaps she shouldn't be so leisure with her proceedings. Even Iota has begun to take notice of the energy and just general vibe that was coming from her destination. There was just a grave sense that something bad was going to happen whether she was there or not, and despite having very little to no connection on Earth, she felt somewhat obligated to go out and solve the issue. Damn you morality and feelings.

She picked up the speed, just kind of assuming that the person she met earlier would just follow. By casting Split Impact with every step along with running at full speed, she would reach the location within minutes. Still not as fast she would have liked to, given the urgency of the situation, but it would have to suffice for now. Whoever was there that would try to stop her would have to deal with her.

"Iramasha Union, huh? I figured you all died out by now with the lack of news about them, but I guess that's not the case. That being said, I find curiosity a weak reason to travel to a whole 'nother realm." Ironic, considering Iota was here for fun. "So what's the actual reason?"

The faint sound of steps through water only became that much louder as the two moved through the tunnel, and it seemed that whatever was making those sounds had certainly noticed the two people traveling under the earth.

Slowly, but surely, what looked to be a natural tunnel gave way to what was very decidedly not natural. It was decidedly manmade, a cramped and crumbling square walkway that only barely had enough space for more than a few people to walk. But it did still seem to be empty, other than a few emergency lights that flickered and sparked even despite their obvious age. The further in they went, the further the reishi became strangled and crushed, consumed by whatever unknown energy was emanating from this place. The water slowly deepened as the tunnel moved downward, and before long it was easily waist deep.

Of course, perhaps more pressing than the water's depth was the simple presence of something beneath the surface. Black, almost hair-like growths, from the concrete floor to the surface of the water. It seemed benign enough, yet...alive. Perhaps even aware.