Three days into the north.

“ANYTHING?” Julian yelled at me from behind his Valarian Royal Shield.

We’d just suffered poor timing; after fighting a pair of level fourty-seven glacial serpents, our party was immediately set upon by four snow leopardans.

They were like snow leopards, if snow leopards were the size of a school bus and spat venom.

“Do you know how hard it is to put a bridge down in a flat field of ice?” I asked, searching for any spot that my [Bridge Sense] skill told me would work. Usually I used this skill to find bridges, but it proved integral to searching for apt places to lay down my bridges as well.

“[Sword Slash].” Jeffry activated his ability, but instead of aiming for one of the cats, he cut a line in the terrain. “How about now?”

“By battle’s grace, [Bludgeoning Kiss].” Tully’s warhammer knocked one leopardan into another, sending them both sliding on the ice.

“Nothing.” I couldn’t duck while holding up a half-moon bridge as long as I was tall, so Julian’s [Shield] took the blow of the fourth leopardan. Visha jumped onto its back, distracting it as it bucked and eventually rolled, trying to get the elf to let go.

“[Piercing Blade].” Jeffry’s blade sunk straight down into the ice and there was a great shudder. Everyone, including the leopardans, paused mid-battle.

A crack formed in the ice, running between the swordfighter’s legs and splitting into a terrifying crevice.

Thankfully, I was a safe distance away. Jeffry, Pram, as well as the leopardan Julian was battling, all desperately scrambled to not fall in.

After an uncomfortable twenty seconds, the rumbling stopped.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

“Got it!” I dropped the bridge down on either side of the divide where I instinctively knew a bridge could go. And by instinctively, I meant it was my passive skill.

[Bridge Sense has found a usable bridge.]

I ran across the bridge. “Alright everyone, to me!”

There was a mad dash to get to the bridge, with Julian the last member fighting his way on beside me.

And then I portalled us out.

“Daddy!” A little girl with honey brown hair in two long pigtails ran up to us and threw her arms around John's leg. He swooped down to kiss her on the cheek.

“Let me go clean up and then we can play.” John told his daughter, Phoebe. She took his offered hand and they headed for the manor. Lord Johnathon Thomas had decided to install a pond with a bridge on his property in North Sumbria, so he could go home for meals. I’d portalled us all here, since it was nearing dinner.

He wandered off with only a wave over his shoulder goodbye, Phoebe already talking his ear off about the magical bubble maker she wanted to play with.

“Where does everyone want to go for food?” I asked, stretching. Pram was downing a [Heal] potion, and Visha was shouldering off her winter coat.

Pram positively glowed with excitement when he asked, “Can we go see the rainbow whales?”

“Of course, Pram.” I told the selkie.

Julian reached out and took my hand, “Know any good places to eat in Drendil?”

“Benny’s Fish Shack” I answered, remembering Henrietta’s date with Sir Phineas at the sea food restaurant. “But only if Tully orders everything alone and brings it down to the beach for us.”

“Hey!” Sir Tully wore his normal full plate paladin armor, but took off a pair of fuzzy mittens he used while in the north. “Why do I have to buy lunch?”

“You’re human?” I shot back. My free hand pointed at my tusks and then at Julian’s ears for emphasis.

“Oh, yeah. Fair.”

With that decided, and no one else requesting otherwise, I activated,

“[Sooth].”

The ability highlighted events, and gave me a general area to aim for if we were going to see the whales.

“[Troll Magic].” The second jump dropped us at the top of a hill. A wide river stretched down to the ocean below, with a cute seaside town on their right. Off in the distance, far out on the waves, swam a pod of rainbow whales. I focused my Perception until I could see them clear as if they were right in front of me.

They were swimming in the opposite direction.

“Brilliant.” Pram breathed, leaning on the small ledge of the stone bridge we were all still standing on. “Simply brilliant. I’ll meet you all here in an hour!”

With that, Pram leapt over the ledge and dropped straight into the river below. His clothing faded away and where once there was Pram now there was a blue sheen seal.

“Think he’ll actually be back in an hour?” Visha asked Jeffry.

Jeffry scoffed, “Unlikely.”

“Bet?”

“You’re on.”

The two shook hands.

“If you’re done.” Julian placed my hand on his arm. “Let’s go.”

While Tully went into town to get us something to eat, the rest of us followed a foot worn path down to the ocean. I wasn’t partial to sand, so I set up a picnic blanket on the grassy hill overlooking the surf.

Julian and I sat on the blanket and enjoyed a cold iced tea, Jeffry summoned a chair, a wide brimmed hat, and a book. Below, Visha went for a walk along the beach.

The food ended up tasting great, and Pram was only ten minutes late.