Reward: Iron-rank (uncommon) magic bracelet.

One of the monsters had emerged on Jason and Hiram’s side of the channel, the others on the far side. They all looked about, disoriented, then made a straight line for the village. The sideways walk of the creatures wasn’t a breakneck pace, but was faster than what Jason had seen from the one in the tunnel.

“What do you think, Hiram?” Jason asked.

Hiram’s face was stern as he stared at the creature on their side of the channel. It looked to have at least two broken legs and the shell around its body was cracked and oozing.

“I think I can take one,” he said. “If it’s injured. But what about those kids on the other side?”

“I’ll get the kids away,” Jason said. “Then I’ll deal with the other shabs.”

“Are you up for that?” Hiram asked.

“I guess I’ll have to be,” Jason said, flashing Hiram a grin. “Don’t worry. I’ve still got a gimmick or two.”

Jason started sprinting towards the channel. It was a natural waterway, thirty or so metres across. Jason leapt off the short embankment, landing on the gently flowing surface of the water as if it were solid ground. He laughed with delight as he sprinted over the surface to the other side. He ducked down briefly as one of the dead shabs floated past, long enough to brush his fingers over its shell.

This monster corpse is unclaimed.

Would you like to loot [Shab]?

Jason kept moving as he looted the body, rainbow smoke rising behind him.

1 [Monster Core (Iron Rank)] has been added to your inventory.

10 [Water Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.

10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.

He recalled an odd potion he had looted from the first shab. After climbing onto the grass on the opposite embankment he pulled it out of his inventory.

Item: [Shell-Skin Potion] (iron rank, uncommon)

Potion that increases the hardness of skin at the cost of agility (consumable, natural).

Effect: Skin is hardened against physical attack and [Speed] attribute is decreased for 10 minutes.

Uses remaining: 1/1.

The kids, five of them, came running up to Jason with the fearlessness of children.

“Are those things monsters?” one of them asked.

“Yes,” Jason told them. “You need to run back to the village.”

“Are you going to fight them?”

“Yes. You need to run back to the village.”

“Can we watch?”

Jason sighed, and dropped down to one knee.

“Look, everyone,” he told them. “I have an important mission for you. I need you to go back to the village and warn everyone about the monsters.”

He took five iron-rank spirit coins from his inventory, holding them in front of the children.

“This is a very important job,” he told them solemnly, “and I need some brave junior adventurers to help me. Do you think you can help?”