Riverwatch

Chapter Four: Game Night

Sam made a covert roll of his eight-sided die. Noting the result, he made an announcement to the players in front of him. "Five of the eight warriors you just killed sit suddenly back up and start rising to their feet."

"I think we’re in trouble," Jake said to Katelynn, who nodded her agreement. Turning to Sam, Jake said, "Chelmar steps back and prepares to cast a sleep spell."

"Okay. And what about Alganea?"

"She stands a few feet in front of him, out of his line of sight but close enough to defend him if the things attack again."

More dice tumble, and another grave pronouncement is made: "The first ghoul reaches his feet and turns his head in your direction. His eyes seem to glow when they see you, and he slowly begins lumbering toward you, the sword in his right hand raised overhead threateningly."

"Hurry up, Jake!" Katelynn said excitedly.

"Okay, okay. Chelmar steps up next to Alganea and casts the spell, making sure before he does so that she is behind him and therefore out of the area of the spell’s effect." Jake smiled at Katelynn winningly, as if to say that he had everything under control.

"Chelmar, you realize that you cast the spell properly, but it doesn’t seem to have any affect on the ghouls, who are in fact undead, and therefore are not affected by mortal requirements like sleep. The first ghoul is almost close enough to strike, and looking past his shoulder both of you can see that now the other four have also climbed to their feet and are starting to move in your direction."

Both of the players knew that their characters were in real trouble now. If they didn’t think of something soon, they would probably die here in the dark caverns beneath Zolthane Mountain.

It was just after 10:00 pm and the three friends were deep in the midst of a session of Swords and Sorcerers, testing Sam’s latest creation for playability. They were seated around the table in the kitchen of Jake’s apartment, with Sam on one side and Jake and Katelynn on the other, their books, papers, and charts spread out before them. The lights in the room were off, the only illumination coming from half a dozen candles that cast a reddish glow across their faces, adding to the atmosphere of the game.

Loki, Jake’s Akita, slept contentedly at his feet, head resting lightly in his paws, lost in his own fantasy world of dreams.

The game went on. "I reach out and yank Chelmar out of the range of the ghoul’s sword," Katelynn said quickly in response to Sam as soon as she heard the magic had failed to work as they’d planned.

Another roll of the dice. "You manage to pull him back just in time, Alganea. But the ghouls close in."

The game continued in that vein for another hour or so, with Katelynn and Jake managing to have their characters escape from the clutches of the ghouls, only to find themselves lost in the labyrinthine maze of passages that led them deeper beneath the earth, setting the stage for next week’s adventure.

Jake had seem distracted for most of the evening and as they were cleaning up, Sam decided to broach the subject. Jake was staring off into space, absently stroking his dog’s head, when Sam said, "What’s up, Jake? You usually enjoy poking holes in all my hard work. Sometimes I feel that the only reason you play anymore is to make certain I don’t pull a fast one on the unsuspecting public. You’re letting Katelynn do all the work tonight."

Jake laughed. "Sorry, Sam. Just distracted I guess. We had an incident at the site today and I guess it’s been on my mind all night."

He had both Sam and Katelynn’s attention now. "Somebody get hurt?" Katelynn asked, her face showing concern, the adventure module in her hand forgotten now.

"Nah, nothing like that." Remembering his first reaction to Rick’s appearance in his trailer, Jake almost smiled. "My men have been working in the cellar all week, pumping out the river so we can lay the wood floor, you know?"

Sam and Katelynn nodded. Spending as much time together as they did, they’d become almost as familiar with Blake’s renovation plans as Jake.

"Once Rick’s team pumped out the water, they found this shallow trench bisecting the entire basement. And there, at the bottom of the trench, is a set of stairs leading down into the earth." Jake looked up from where he was staring at the floor, to see if his friends were following his explanation.

They were, so he told them the rest.

About his gut reaction to the stone. About the tunnel he and Rick uncovered, and of the journey the two of them made into the darkness beneath. He told them of a phone call he had earlier that afternoon from Blake, and of the man’s request that he and his crew break through the barrier that blocked off the end of the tunnel in order to discover what lay beyond.

"What are you going to do?" Sam asked.

"Just what I was told to do. Break down that wall in the morning to see what’s on the other side."

"Want some company?" Sam asked.

"Sure. Just come ready to work. Taking down a brick wall in open air in the light of day is one thing. Having to do the same while underground in a dimly lit and ventilated tunnel is another. It isn’t going to be easy."

Throughout the conversation, Katelynn sat quietly, doing her best to cope with the flood of feelings at Jake’s revelation. A strange sense of unease uncoiled like a snake in her belly, all cold and hungry, telling her to leave things well enough alone, not to disturb whatever it was that had lain to rest in the dark depths of that tunnel for so long. She was suddenly certain that it would do them no good to intrude.

At last she spoke up. "Do you really think it’s a good idea to go down there, Jake?" she asked tentatively, not trusting her own feelings to protest any harder.

"We checked it out pretty thoroughly this afternoon. That tunnel is hewn from solid rock. There’s no danger of it collapsing on us," he replied, misunderstanding her reason for caution.

Katelynn couldn’t find a way to voice her concern without looking silly and superstitious, so she let the matter drop. Mentally, she sought some rational explanation for the fear that was rapidly spreading through her, but found that none existed. Something was going to happen when they went down there, something awful. She knew it; could feel it in her bones.

While Katelynn struggled to identify her feelings, Jake and Sam quickly agreed to meet the next morning just before seven. After that, the gathering broke up quickly.

The ride home with Sam passed in silence. When they pulled into her drive and he walked her to her door, she tried once more. "You guys really ought to just leave things alone and let Blake hire some professionals to investigate that tunnel. What if it’s unsafe and the two of you get trapped down there?"

Sam sighed. "We’re not going to get trapped, Katelynn. You heard Jake. That tunnel has been standing for a long time. One more day isn’t going to make a difference; it’s not going to suddenly come tumbling down around our ears. You’re just jealous that you can’t go with us because you have class in the morning." He chuckled, not recognizing the depths of her fear. "Go on, get inside," he said. "We’ll tell you all about it at lunch tomorrow. We’ll be fine. You’ll see." With a wave he turned away down the steps.

Katelynn was still standing there, watching, as the taillights of his car disappeared around the curve at the end of her street.

In the darkness, she shivered.