Minutes later the three companions were walking through the morning sunshine towards the level one task board, with Aggy explaining the reason behind the heavy black walking stick she was carrying.

"When I fought in the militia I used a sword and shield rather than the big battle axes some of them favoured. It seemed to suit me better as I liked being able to block with one hand and stab with the other. But when I became a mage and realised that I would need both hands free to cast spells I decided that I was better off using a weapon I could drop at a moment's notice. I didn't fancy the idea of accidentally stabbing myself in the foot in the middle of a battle. I brought this walking stick years ago for when I eventually become old and infirm. It's made of ironwood so it's hard enough and strong enough to do the job if I need it to."

"But why use a weapon at all?" Terri asked. "If we get into a fight while we're doing the task, won't you just magic missile everyone?"

"Certainly, if I get the chance," Aggy replied. "But casting spells takes time and concentration. Five seconds might not seem like much when we're walking down the road enjoying the sunshine, but if somebody surprises you, say they jump out at you from behind or to the side, your first best plan is always to belt them with something heavy or stab them with something sharp."

"That reminds me," Terri responded after a moment, "I heard the two of you talking about daggers as I drifted off to sleep this morning, what was that about?"

"The daggers we were talking about are these ones," Flem said, opening the sides of his vest so that Terri could see two beautiful knives slotted into custom leather pockets. The weapons were each about fifteen inches long and had leather wrapped hilts but no finger guards.

Flem closed his vest and continued speaking. "I was telling Aggy that as part of my initiation I was required to steal an expensive weapon from someone in town. I'm still not sure how I feel about the crime, although I'll freely admit I love the daggers."

Terri frowned in response. "I'm not sure how I feel about it either Flem. I know that Avandar wouldn't approve, but every rogue in Gravenhall is trained how to steal so to be a Cleric of Gravenhall you have no choice but to work with a thief."

Flem looked a little sad but resolute. "Yes, I guess you're right Terri, I am a thief now. If it makes you feel any better though, the man I stole them from is enormously wealthy and I doubt he'll even notice that they're gone. That's not the reason I chose him however. I'd heard through the rogue grapevine that he beats his wife and has many mistresses, so all in all I think he should count himself lucky I took only his daggers, and not something much more personal."

Flem paused for a moment before continuing, "I didn't think much about the realities of being a rogue during my training at Gravenhall, I was too focussed on building the skills and contacts I needed to find my father's killers. Now that the matter has been brought to a head though, I find that I do have a moral streak after all. I am definitely not comfortable with the idea of harming people who don't deserve it, but as for those who do.........I feel like their punishments should be swift and severe."

Terri responded with a gentle smile. "Given what happened to your father, I don't think that's a surprise at all Flem. Avandar has a lot of strong moral views, but above all he teaches that it's the content of a person's heart that matters most. Everything I've seen from you so far shows that you've got a good one."

"I hope so," Flem replied. "I want to repay my father's faith in me, wherever he is now." After a moment he brightened a little and spoke again, "Well Terri, I've told you mine now you tell me yours. Where did you get that dangerous looking hammer you've been carrying around?"

Terri smiled sadly before speaking, "It was a gift from a good friend. When Dad and I moved to Lord Bellingham's fiefdom as serfs we weren't given much, just a plot of land to work and a mattock to dig with. The blacksmith of the estate took us in until we were able to build a shack and trade enough of our time to get simple things like plates, cups and buckets. His name was Gavin Smithson and he hit it off with Dad immediately, they were peas in a pod, they even looked a bit alike.

"When Dad died Gavin made sure that there was a proper funeral rather than the normal burial without recognition that serfs get. After that he sat me down and told me to come to Gravenhall. I hadn't even heard of Gravenhall but he explained that according to the traditional rules of fiefdom there were only three ways to escape the life of a serf. You could either die, be given your freedom by your lord, or you could enroll at Gravenhall. He didn't want me to spend the rest of my life as a peasant so he arranged for me to enroll here as a cleric and presented my papers to Lord Bellingham himself.

"On the night before I left we ate dinner together at his house and he presented me with one of his blacksmith hammers. He apologised for not being able to take me on as an apprentice and even for not making me a proper cleric's mace, but it wasn't as if he had any choice in the matter. He was expressly forbidden from using any of the Lord's materials for personal projects or from taking on any apprentices. The hammer was a different matter though as he'd brought it with him when he moved to the estate and so he was free to do with it as he wished. Every time I pick it up I think of him and Dad sitting around his kitchen table, drinking and laughing."

Terri broke off and took a deep breath. "So that's the story. It was the first thing that I consecrated when they taught us how, even before I did my amulet. I can't see myself ever replacing it, even if I do find a magnificent cleric's mace on one of our adventures."

After a moment Flem asked, "What did you mean when you said you consecrated the hammer and your amulet? I mean, I get the idea that it's about making something holy, but what's the point?"

Terri was happy to explain. "When a cleric calls on their god's power they have to be in contact with an object that has been consecrated or it doesn't work. They didn't explain to us why that was, I guess that's a lesson for another level, they just taught us how to do the consecrations."

At that moment Aggy broke in, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Aren't we looking at a chicken and egg situation here? How did you consecrate the hammer if you didn't have a consecrated object to do the consecration with?"

"Easily," Terri replied, "I borrowed one."

"That doesn't solve the mystery though," Aggy complained. "We still don't know how they did the first ever consecration without an object. See, chicken and egg."

Terri laughed. "Ok, when we've saved up enough tokens and get back to training I'll be sure to make that the first question I ask, alright?"

"Sounds good to me," Aggy replied, "and while you're at it you can also ask about these pointless Gravenhall amulets we all have to wear. At least you managed to give yours a purpose by consecrating it, mine's just an ugly lump of quartz that bounces along on my chest all day."

"You don't have to wear it all the time," Flem answered, "just when you're out on Gravenhall business."

"Oh aye," Aggy retorted, "only when on Gravenhall business. And if you forget to wear it just one single time when you're out on Gravenhall business, well then they kick you out instantly with no chance to ever return. Seems a bit of an extreme response to not wearing your Gravenhall identity badge. Mark my words, there's something odd about Gravenhall and this overbearing amulet rule is just one part of it."

Aggy paused for a moment while she shifted her backpack into a more comfortable position. "Ok team, the task board is just up around the next corner so it's time to get our game faces on, we're about to go into battle."

"Who with?" Flem asked, looking around a little anxiously.

"With the giant gecko who's proclaimed themselves the leader of our team without so much as a 'by your leave'. If they aren't waiting around this next corner with their tail between their legs and a heartfelt apology ready to go, there's going to be some fisticuffs."

The three friends rounded the final corner and were confronted by a task board without Thisss or anyone else standing beside it. This wasn't particularly surprising as enthusiasm ran high among the newly minted level one teams, prompting them to visit the board first thing in the morning. Aggy looked up at the sun and seemed about to speak when she was interrupted by the time bell in the middle of the city beginning to toll the ninth hour of the day. When the echos had died away Aggy turned to her companions. "Right, it looks like our cold blooded, self appointed leader isn't turning up so I suggest we have a look over the board ourselves and pick out something nice and easy for our first ever task for Gravenhall."

Due to their late arrival there wasn't much left on the board for the friends to choose from. The only tasks that remained sounded either ridiciously mundane (splitting and stacking firewood) or horrifyingly dangerous (find the nesting location of a rabid hippogriff). Flem was arguing that 'a token for splitting firewood is still a token' when they heard the sound of footsteps and then a hissing voice behind them.

"I see that you know how to follow instructions. I am pleased by this, well done."

Aggy spun round, her face flaming red with fury. "Follow instructions! We're not your bloody servants you snake faced troll. Now give us the reason that you've twice been late to our meetings and it better be a bloody good one."

"I do not like to wait." Thisss made the statement as if it were a perfectly reasonable explanation and seemed slightly taken aback when Aggy exploded in response.

"You don't like to wait! You don't like to wait! What about us having to wait, you landbound sea serpent. I can't believe what I'm hearing! The only, only reason I haven't already beaten the reptile out of you, or thrown you out of this team is because both of those things are expressly forbidden by the rules of Gravenhall. But if you think I'm going to put up with any more of your insulting, dismissive grandstanding then you are gravely mistaken."

Aggy then stood there, hands on hips, quivering with rage waiting for Thisss' response. It was short and to the point.

"None of this is a surprise to me. I suspected that warmbloods would be too emotional to be good teammates and now I am proved correct. I must therefore complete the task alone. You will be able to collect your tokens from Gravenhall after I am finished."

Thisss then turned and walked back the way they had come down the east road that led to the edge of town and beyond. Several seconds of silence followed before Aggy spoke again in a tight voice, "Don't say it lass. I know what you're going to say and I'm telling you not to say it."

Terri said it anyway. "We can't let Thisss go alone."

"Of course we can," Aggy exploded. "The big skink wants to go solo. You heard them, us warmbloods are too emotional to be good teammates. Thisss doesn't want our help, and I don't want to help Thisss."

"Alright," said Terri, "I understand what you're saying, but despite all that I can't let Thisss go on this mission alone. We have no idea what the task is that Thisss was talking about, for all we know it'll be a death sentence. The tasks are graded for four level one guild members. If Thisss has picked a really dangerous task, then even a giant lizard isn't going to be a match for it."

Aggy dropped her head and sighed, her fury giving way to resignation. "And if you insist on going, then I'm going to insist on going so that I can look out for you. But let me make one thing absolutely clear Terri Tillerson. I'm going on this little adventure for you and you alone. If that walking pair of boots gets themselves into trouble I'm not going to bail them out."

"Understood," Terri replied. Then she turned to Flem who had remained characteristically silent throughout the whole exchange. "What are your thoughts Flem?"

The dark haired elf paused for a moment and then replied, "My thoughts are that we'd better get going if we want to keep Thisss in sight, that long lizard stride really eats up the ground."