The Draoidh are more interested in pursuing the unknown and perfecting what is known. Seeking the unknown is the leading cause of a Draoidh’s demise, but the fear of death isn’t as powerful as their curiosity.

~Taliesin, God of Rhapsody

Two days later, the road ended. In front of them was a massive hole, and on the other side, where the path should have been, was a long groove, as if something was heavily dragged along it.

The smell was the worst part; a mixture of swamp and gastric acids caused anyone inhaling it to retch. White sticky mucus lined the hole and groove, which didn’t go unnoticed by Crow.

“What is this?” Aine asked, her hand covering her mouth.

“Draigh-talamh, maybe?” Crow said. He was unsure because there were plenty of worm-type beasts, which is what he assumed this was. However, the smell made him remember some passages he’d read.

“An Earth Dragon?” Ahote asked. “You sure?”

“The Druid Order believed that most dragons started as worm-like beasts or serpents that eventually evolved into dragons of varying mana types. Personally, after researching on my own, I believe they are just worms that absorbed fallen dragon blood essence.” This was research he did when he was looking into Nin’s origins. Even for dragons, he felt Nin wasn’t normal.

“So, do we avoid or follow?” Ahote asked. As a Beastlord, he felt an inexplicable excitement chasing down rare beasts.

“We all know you want to follow it, doofus!” Aine joked.

“I am alright with following it. This smell will scare off other beasts, so it should be safe enough until we come on it,” Crow weighed in. “Are you wanting to tame it?”

“If possible,” Ahote nodded but looked at Aine and hesitated. “As long as we can do so safely.”

Crow nodded and circled around the edge of the hole. A few hours later, they found another spot where the thing dug down again. It didn’t take long before Nuk found where it surfaced a few kilometers away. While it didn’t travel in a straight line, it appeared to be headed northeast.

“What’s it doing?” Crow asked Ahote.

“Assuming it’s behaving like a worm, there are several reasons it might surface—the two main ones are related to rain. Rain fills in their holes, making it impossible for them to breathe. Rain also creates vibrations which trigger their danger sense, bringing them to the surface.”

“So something is triggering it to surface?” Crow asked because it hadn’t rained in over a week. There could be many things causing vibrations.

“Well, this thing is no longer a worm, right?” Aine asked. “Beasts would need to eat other beasts or people—”

“The nest!” Ahote and Crow blurted out at the same time.

“Huh?” Aine replied, upset they interrupted her.

“You are right,” Crow laughed. “It’s most likely surfacing for food. I’ve wondered why that insect nest hadn’t expanded out of control since they reproduce abnormally fast. This thing was probably devouring them since it was an abundant food source. Now it’s starving.”

“Oh… is it safe to chase after a hungry beast?”

“This is even better,” Ahote said. “It’ll be hungry and exhausted, drastically lowering its combat ability. It is definitely expending more energy than its consuming. The heavy secretions indicate its sluggishness.”

While talking, they rode on Nuk, who was easily paralleling the worm’s trail. His powerful sense of smell could follow it from a distance to ensure they didn’t stumble on it accidentally.

Nuk huffed and gave a slight whine to get their attention. Even at this distance, they could see the thing devouring land as it scooted along the surface. Nuk slowed his pace to match the bigger beast, and his passengers observed closely.

Crow believed he was not looking at a Draig-talamh because it had no visible reptilian features. It reminded him more of an eel than anything else and was pitch black.

*That is a Taniwha.*

“Aren’t those water-bound?” Crow asked suddenly while Aine and Ahote looked at him strangely.

*Not it if it has had a taste of dragon blood. Technically, it still might be a Draigh-talamh. Dragons were originally primordial beasts, but for reasons I do not know, most of them had their power reduced and were destroyed. This all happened long ago, but you’d be surprised how much dragon blood essence still exists. It’s assumed that the blood essence of a dragon still retains its primordial state. The Draoidh and dragons have a long history. We’ve always believed that if enough blood essence from a dragon is gathered, it could regain its primordial power.*

“What kind of connection do we have with dragons?”

*What you call your Source, the power within, the Draoidh once believed was their inner dragon guardian. This inner dragon watched over their spirit when they died and protected them in the underworld. The old legends might be because the dragon gods have a longer history than the Draoidh, so it is believed they existed long before the Primordial Goddess of Nature arrived.*

“You’ll need to tell me more about that later. Back to this Taniwha, are you saying that a dragon’s blood essence can overwrite a weaker bloodline?”

*Aren’t you already aware of this? Your bloodline might dwindle, but it suppresses all other bloodlines when it awakens. If you could consume a dragon’s blood essence, I wonder which bloodline power would get suppressed. Or, with your luck, you’d turn into a dragon hybrid. I’m not sure, but the Draoidh bloodline power may come from a primordial, too. If neither side can assert dominance… maybe you should never try. I’d guess your Body couldn’t handle that kind of conflict, and it’d destroy you.*

“Are you talking to Lily?” Aine asked. “Bring her out!”

Lily appeared before them. Her hair had grown longer and turned more of a lavender color. She was now a little over a meter tall and had a lithe womanly figure. Her incandescent wings shone brightly in the lazy afternoon sun. Even Crow had to admit her beauty was enough to rattle his willpower and erode his mental focus.

“Wh-what!?” Aine was shocked. Although she’d met Lily, she hadn’t seen her since Crow’s Soulverse underwent its transformation.

“I can’t stay long,” Lily said, her voice like a gentle breeze. “That thing is a Taniwha, and if you can tame it, you’ll benefit greatly.”

“How so?” Ahote asked because he was on the fence. He couldn’t decide if they should kill it or if he should capture it.

“Well, an old myth says if you kill one of those, you’ll be cursed,” Lily laughed. “However, if you tame it, you can share its power. Which is related to color and light.”

“What does that mean?” Aine asked.

“Invisibility or camouflage is one example,” Crow supplied. “They are supposedly mythical creatures on their own, but the legend that stands out in my mind is that there is nothing they can’t see. If I’m not mistaken, their eyes can filter color and see the different light spectrums. Not even spirits could hide from you.”

“Also…” Lily said immediately after Crow. “I can confirm it has consumed the blood essence of a dragon. I’m sure the Beastlord knows, but most beasts that gain the Monstrous trait got it from a dragon.”

“Is it dangerous?” Aine asked.

Lily nodded. “The Taniwha were always dangerous but rarely came onto land to feed, which is why they were considered sacred. The only thing in your favor is they are terribly slow, and their intelligence is severely lacking. The biggest problem you’ll have is subduing it long enough for Ahote to attempt taming. To prevent it from diving, you’ll need to stuff its gill hole.”

“I have a plan, but we’ll need to time it right…” Crow said, thinking about its previous behavior. They spent an hour discussing it while Lily went back inside the Soulverse. Ever since they returned and the restrictions had been removed from his Soulscape world, Lily spent a lot of time trying to organize all his gains. That included the other worlds he manifested on Yggdrasil. Really, Lily only had one massive headache, and that was the nymphs. Those things really didn’t know when their pranks were going too far. To Crow’s amusement, despite their sinister-level antics, they never did anything with evil intent.