The log that Nimbus had been standing on had fallen into a growing crevice in the ground that was getting wider and wider every second. All around us, trees and bushes creaked and cracked under the pressure of the crevice and the shaking, with more than a few birds and squirrels in the trees overhead flying or running away in response to whatever was going on.
As for Nimbus, he had hopped off the log at some point and was now on the other side of the crevice, away from me and Ruth. His golden eyes were as large as dinner plates with alarm as he hopped up and down fearfully.
That is, until the crevice suddenly widened underneath him. He thumped his foot at the last second and phase-stepped over to me and Ruth. Specifically, he landed in Ruth’s lap and immediately snuggled against her before looking at us and saying, “What are you two looking at? Run!”
Nimbus didn’t need to tell us twice. The crevice was widening toward us, so Ruth and I jumped to our feet and ran into the trees that had not yet been claimed by the hole. Just as we crossed the tree line, however, the rumbling in the earth ceased, and everything went quiet again.
Coming to a stop a few feet into the trees, I turned around to see the damage that Nimbus had somehow caused.
That was when I saw it.
A massive wooden door, its surface etched with carved, glowing green glyphs, stood in the small clearing where we had been talking just a few minutes ago. The door was built directly into a small mountain of dirt, bushes, and grass, looking as if it had been carved from the same trees surrounding us. It had seemingly emerged from the crevice in the ground, though I hadn’t heard it appear. Or had that wooden door been the cause of all the rumbling and shaking from earlier?
The door built into the mound of dirt was surrounded by fallen trees and broken rocks, but it otherwise appeared to have finished emerging from the ground, so it was probably safe to approach at this point.
Ruth stepped beside me, holding Nimbus in her arms like a cat, a look of disbelief on her face. “Nimbus, did you do that?”
Nimbus wriggled his nose. He seemed a lot calmer about this discovery than Ruth and I were. “Indirectly. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting that to happen myself, either. Usually, when I activate Node Sense, I just get a vague idea of where the nearest active or hidden Node is. But I guess because this is the entrance to a Node Dungeon, maybe my Node Sense somehow caused the entrance to appear after it pinged its hidden Node.”
I looked at Nimbus in confusion. “That’s what that spell does? I saw it on your Codex sheet a while ago, but I didn’t realize it could uncover hidden dungeon entrances.”
Nimbus shrugged. “I didn’t realize that, either, so I guess we are all learning something new today.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Ruth pursed her lips. She seemed very hesitant about all of this. “But how do you know that is a Node Dungeon entrance? There’s no signage or anything.”
Nimbus looked up at Ruth as if she had just said something dumb. “Didn’t either of you two see that Codex Achievement notification congratulating me on discovering this hidden Node Dungeon entrance?”
I was about to ask Nimbus what he was talking about before my portable pinged at the same time as Ruth’s, and then a glowing golden scroll unfurled in my vision:
Codex Achievement: Dungeon Discoverer
Category: Exploration, Research
> Congratulations on discovering the entrance to a previously undiscovered Node Dungeon! This is a rare feat often only accomplished by experienced and trained Codex Explorers. Now you and your companions will be known to other Codexers as Dungeon Discoverers! This may help you complete other quests in the future and attain status with certain other Codexers.
Rewards:
-
+200 Words
-
+10 Insight
-
Title unlocked: Dungeon Discoverer (go to Titles tab for more information on the benefits this Title provides)
-
First Access to [Unnamed Node Dungeon]
Codex Note:
>“The integrity of the Node Network is built on finding and reactivating as many Stationary Nodes as possible. By discovering this Node Dungeon and its inactive Node, you are doing your part to restore and upkeep the stability of the Node Network itself.”
If my jaw could have dropped any farther when I read that notification, it would have fallen straight off my face. I had just gotten 200 Words from one achievement. That was crazy. I had always known that discovering new Node Dungeons was a big deal, but I didn’t realize the kind of rewards you could get if you were the first to discover a new Node Dungeon.
What kind of rewards would we get if we completed it?
“Aaron, did you see that achievement notification?” said Ruth, whose gaze was slightly distant, probably also reading the same achievement notification that I was. “It says we got a new title and even First Access to the new Dungeon. That’s amazing!”
I nodded, still reading my notification just in case there were any details I might have overlooked the first time. “You aren’t wrong, but I’m surprised that all three of us got the same notification. We aren’t even in the same party.”
Nimbus shook his head. “It’s a bit unfair if you ask me. After all, I was the one who discovered it. I shouldn’t have to share two hundred and fifty Words, twenty points of Instinct, a special title, and First Access to the Dungeon with you two, who just happened to be in the same area when I made that amazing discovery.”
Ruth and I both looked at Nimbus, and I said, “You got two hundred and fifty Words? We only got two hundred each.”
Nimbus looked a lot smugger. “Oh, well, in that case, I guess we didn’t all get the same things. I appreciate that the Arcane Codex understands the concept of fairness. Though I suppose it must be generous as well if it decided to give you and Ruth a few scraps, perhaps so you wouldn’t feel left out.”
I shook my head, still thinking about the notification and the rewards we got. It meant that Nimbus had reached Page Two in his Chapter, and I wouldn’t be far behind once I distributed my Words between my Banked Progress and Casting Pool accordingly. We had both gained a lot of Words, and so had Ruth, for that matter, who looked both surprised and pleased with what she had received.
Or maybe she was just happy it turned out there really was a new, previously undiscovered Dungeon in this part of the First Kingdom. It made it easier for her to find the Harmonic Genesis, after all.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud rustling sound coming from the trees around us. It sounded like a bunch of people were running nearby, though with how thick the trees were around here, it was impossible to tell for sure.
Nimbus’s ears shot straight up, and he looked around in alarm. “Who’s there?”
I was about to tell Nimbus to stay calm when somebody emerged from the trees nearby.
It was Martha—covered in blood, crawling on her hands and knees with a fearful expression on her face.
patreon.com/LucasFlint
Codex Trial sign up and download page