The Second Dragonoid's Tale

Chapter 6: Empowerment Duo

Okay, they actually might be more capable of taking care of themselves then I initially thought. With Rigurd in charge, the groups have done their best and worked hard to gather food, resources, and even make some shelter. Not great shelter, but with a good amount of [Sticky Thread] most things stayed together. It's quickly becoming the duct tape of this world. That isn't to say an overly excited wolf couldn't knock them all down without thinking. They've been behaving so it's not much of a concern.

That leaves me asking myself what it is I'm suppose to do now. I'm tired of going through [Mind Library] in the hopes of finding something useful, and I can't help Rigurd since we want him to be independent. Going to the Ogre village is an option, but it hasn't even been a day since Rimuru left. Thinking about it over breakfast, I remembered the first time I learned about my skills. One of them was [Dark Magic], there's no one around that can teach me how to use it, I'm still interested in experimenting with it. But before that, there's a matter to take care of.

"Rigurd," I call over to him as I approach.

"Yes," He replied in an anxious way. "Good morning, Lord F/N. I hope you slept well."

"Rigurd, are you worried about Rimuru and the others?" I asked, his head sunk in response. "Would it put your mind at ease to know that they're alright?"

"I'm sorry to trouble you with my worries, it isn't anything to concern yourself with. I know Rigur and the others will be safe with Lord Rimuru," I raised a hand to his words.

"[Strong Bonds]," I said, "It's one of my skills and if something happens to them, I'll be the first to know. Work easy knowing that Rimuru isn't the only keeping an eye out for them." He doesn't need to know the specifics of the skill.

Rigurd bowed his head, "Thank you for your reassuring words! I feel relieved already!"

"You sure know how to get excited. As long as you're not bothered... By the way, do you know if anyone here practices magic? I was hoping for someone to answer a few questions." I asked, expecting a no.

"Hmm," Rigurd thought for a moment, "I'm sorry to say this, but no one here uses magic."

"Master, may I make a suggestion?" Erebus spoke up, coming from speaking with the Tempest Wolves. "Since all is quiet in the forest, may we go to the river and work through your questions together?"

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Do you know any magic?" I asked, Erebus' tail kicked up.

"No, however I'm sure we can figure it out together!" Did he realize I don't know the first thing about magic, or is he just putting us in the same boat? Either way, going to the river sounds nice.

"I'll grab a few fruits and we can head over," I patted Erebus on the head.

The river he was referring to is the same one Rimuru and the others followed north to Dwargon. It was a good distance away from the village, making it a safe place to experiment with potentially dangerous skills and magic. After he saw Rimuru ride off on Ranga, I knew Erebus wanted to take me there himself and run with me on his back. Allowing for it, I learned quickly how fast the Twilight Wolves could run. If I hadn't used [Sticky Thread] there was a good chance I would have ripped his fur off.

That reminds me, I need to practice using that skill and the others. Rimuru and I had enough time in the cave to try out the skills we acquired and share information with each other, it was simply a matter of spending more time using them to be more skillful with the thread. [Poisonous Breath] is another one I need to learn how to control better without risk of hitting someone friendly. By the side of the water I stretched after getting off Erebus and removed the thread on him. I took the fruits we brought and put them into a net I practiced making for a while with [Sticky Thread].