The gathering of supplies was a mix of tedium and excitement, Big Green opened his storehouse to them and they gathered most of their supplies, each of them now owed him a favor, which he could call on at any point. The few things that they had to get from the actual market made Davin hate shopping all over again, Hugh was a master of bargaining, but watching wasn't what he would consider exciting, but Davin knew that he would have just paid for the tools no question asked. When all was said and done, their supplies were stacking up, an assortment of crafting tools, strange devices that Hugh said would be essential to the endeavor, one of the things that didn't seem as readily available for what he considered adventuring gear was the ten-foot pole, getting several strange looks as he'd asked multiple times for one, eventually giving up and tracking down the same furniture crafter that he had met when Jes and him and gone out earlier. Between the two men, they had a massive collection of things, Davin was glad that the travel trunk would be holding most of it.

By the time Davin made it back to Jes, she was well deep into sleep, climbing into the bed she almost instantly pulled him close, he was asleep almost instantly.

"Getting ready to set out must be exciting, when do you plan on setting out?"

"Day after tomorrow, we want to make it to Edges Rest tomorrow night so that we can start early, any suggestions on where to head?"

"Edges Rest is a good place to start, west I think will be a good way to aim you, I have felt a few more of the openings there than anywhere else."

"What regularity are you sensing them? Any details on size?"

"That is hard to tell without anyone to see them, I do not know if they are true openings, or if they are just small tears."

"So once I put my eyes on one that will give us an idea of what to expect?"

"Precisely."

"I guess that’s about what we can expect, new events and all that, and you're planning to still check in on me?"

"To the best of my abilities, as you get further from the Rainbow Bastian, the connection we share will weaken, I suspect that after the first week of travel, I won't be able to reach you unless you happen to sleep in one of the major settlements that are an extension of the bastions power."

"Extension? You mean there are different types of settlements out there?"

"Many, those that are an extension of the bastion are far fewer by comparison, not even edges rest is truly part of the city, even with its proximity. You will know these places by the ever-shifting colors of their outer wall, these places were claimed in the name of one of the patrons, and our power can touch them, even if they aren't specifically ours. My claim lies far to the north, I suggest you make your way there someday, I think that many would be excited to meet you."

"Hmm, good to know, but isn't it winter up there right now?"

"Yes, and the region tends to have mild weather year-round, so I would suggest waiting till summer for that region if I were you."

"Fair enough, I'll add it to my to-do list."

"That reminds me, you were given a Log Book, I suggest you perform that binding as soon as you can, I can enhance it so I can offer direct guidance with some instances."

"Before I leave the city I'm betting, where you're effectively the strongest?"

"And if at all possible in Big Greens Alter, he has been loyal protégé since we met, while it is not truly what one would call an altar, it more than severs the purpose."

"The patron of what accounts for those that are adventurers in my mind has an alter in what amounts to the adventuring guild? You know what, that makes more sense than I'm likely making it sound, I'll ask him in the morning, I want to get all my bindings set before we head out anyway."

"Adventuring guild? Hmmm, strangely I hadn't thought of it that way. Our time ends, see you shortly."

The dive back into blackness after speaking with the patron always felt strange to Davin, one of the things that stood out the most was what amounted to the feeling in your stomach when you were dropping down in an elevator, why he always awoke in the light rather than it staying dark also seemed strange…. The drift back into sleep caused the tangent to come to a screeching halt.

Awakening in Jes's apartment still felt weird to him, but more in the way that awakening in this world still felt weird. Jes was pressed against his back, the new bed not to arrive until after he'd set out, but he didn’t mind, the closeness still felt good. She again was wrapped around him in such a way that unless he woke her, he wasn't getting up any time soon, so he didn't this was going to be his last day in the city for a while, so he might as well enjoy it while he could.

Davin awoke once again to a soft shaking, not the same rush from the day before, his eyes slowly cracking, the world coming into focus, Jes leaned over him, smiling, she kissed him softly before getting up, letting out small grunts as she climbed over him to stand on the floor in front of him, bending and stretching as she limbered up.

"Get your shower now, once you get out of the city you won't find another one for a while." Her tone teasing but mildly somber. "And this time I'll take you up on your offer." Smiling cheekily before letting out another groan as she continued her stretches.

Now properly motivated, Davin pulled himself out of bed, thinking back to all of his years of alarm clock wakeups and the pain that he felt clocks were as a whole. The walk across the apartment as he pulled off the sleeping clothes he'd been wearing Jes let out a whistle as he walked past, the sound of water spraying filled the air as he turned on the water to get it to warm up.

"You're not going to melt me with how hot you like it right?" Davin asked with a tone of fear in his voice.

"The water doesn't get that hot." She stated plainly.

"Just because I won't melt doesn’t mean I won't burn."

"Then make it as hot as you can tolerate and we can go from there."

Davin adjusted the water, steam filling the room, feeling his skin grow clammy before stepping into the flow. Immediately jumped out again as it was just too hot, slowly inching his way in, before he had a chance to get fully acclimated, he was pushed in and Jes pressed him to the wall and started kissing him passionately.

Davin spent the rest of the morning making breakfast and a few treats for Jes, making use of the last bit of the dark chocolate that he had made, brownies, cookies, and a small stash of hot chocolate. Wrapping everything in paper and putting them in boxes, he stashed a few of the brownies for himself so that Hugh could try them too. Pulling all of his gear together was a little heartbreaking, but mostly in the fact that it felt like he was packing to move, after just having moved, Jes on the other hand was excited, she'd helped him pack up some of the extras that they had bought and his bag seemed almost bursting by the time he made it to The Hall.

Hugh, Grim, Gale, and Big Green were waiting for them when they arrived, the staging area of the hall separate from the main rooms, with a few last-minute supplies the large chest that Davin could only assume was the travel chest sat in the center of the room, open and mostly full with the supplies that they had gathered and the assortment of strange tools that he could only assume they were the monitoring gear that he got from the scribes.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Was beginning to think you'd changed your mind." Gale eyed Jes, she had a large grin that seemed to not be all under her control.

"Had to make some last-minute things that I wouldn’t have been able to make on the road," Davin said as he sluffed his bag to the floor.

"Heh, sure, can think of something that you were making." Grim chuffed and grinned over at Jes, she swung and punched him in the arm, letting her hit him since she wasn’t the strongest in hand-to-hand.

"That is none of your business, but if you must know, it was cookies, and something called brownies." She drummed her fingers together in a plotting sense.

"The hell is a brownie?" Grim and Gale asked almost in tandem.

"Chocolaty gooey deliciousness." The groan of pleasure that Jes let out made everyone but Davin step back.

Davin chucked. "Had to leave a few treats so that way she would know what she was missing." He gave Jes a small peck on the cheek.

"Glad you made it, I just got here a bit ago, don’t let these weirdos make you think that they'd been waiting all day, they were each a few beers in by the time I got in," Hugh said as he took Davin's bag, setting it into the open chest and closing the lid. "We all set?"

"Almost, Big Green, can I make use of your… alter?" Saying the last part in almost a whisper.

"Alter? Oh, heh, yeah, follow me, we can get you set up, figured you'd have done those already." Big Green smiled and waved for Davin to follow.

"I would have, but I had some inside information that suggested that I ask you for help in the matter." Speaking softly.

"I figured, otherwise, you'd not have known about it. Do you have two to do? The gloves and the log?"

"Yup, was told that you'd have what I need to get the second set up."

"Hmm, not sure why, the bindings aren’t anything special."

"There's always the one-off, but I was encouraged to do the binding somewhere that was dedicated to him."

"Ah, so he must have something extra planned for you." Nodding as he swung open a door to a small room, seemingly full of old equipment.

"Here you go, we all have a different type of alter to him since I am the adventurer and the leading of The Hall, this is how I show my appreciation, each of those was one of the greats in my mind, some are millennia old, but each has a story, of hope, compassion, and adventure, some mine, some others, but none has truly forgotten." the somber tone sent waves of energy over Davin.

"Thank you, I'll be done soon, and then we can get out of your hair." Pulling the few items from his hip pouch.

"No rush, I'll bring drinks for everyone."

With that, Davin set the small book on the altar, going through the motions of the binding ritual, as soon as his hand entered the glowing circle, everything shifted.

"Welcome back, Are you ready?"

"Ready as I can be."

"Heh, well here is a gift for you, this log is now bound to the both of us, I can't talk to you in the same way, but as I have bound this book to me, I can send limited information, and with some I will only know it if you write it in here, check it daily, I should be able to guide you if you near any incidents."

"Isn't it supposed to be a rift?"

"Hmmm, limitedly, there may be different forms that it could take."

"Ah, good to know…."

"It is better than going in completely blind."

"Fair point, thanks."

"You are welcome, now, enjoy it out there, and be safe, don't forget to come home."

With that Davin opened his eyes as the flash from the binding hit, sitting in a daze, he put the gloves onto the altar and repeated the ritual.

[Gloves of the brawler]: When both gloves are worn, you gain a bonus to unarmed strikes

Davin chuckled as he looked them over, then looked at the patch that Grim had also sent with them.

[Patch: Flowing strikes]: Your unarmed strikes count as finesse weapons.

The patch, on the other hand, was fantastic, since that meant that he could perform his sneak attack as long as he was using a finesse weapon. Attempting to apply the patch didn’t seem to work no matter what he tried, but the space wasn't large enough for it on either glove. Giving up he walked back to the staging room. The gloves pulled onto his hands, the fingerless gloves having a heavier plate over the knuckles, and seemed a little heavier than they looked. The group was chatting about what they had for a plan, Hugh and Jes being the only ones to have an idea of what was planned.

"Hey Grim, how do I attach the patch on these gloves? It's way too big." holding up the patch to the larger man.

"Ah, yeah, you ain't had splits yet. You gotta put it on while they're nexta one another, with the patch area touching."

Davin pulled the gloves off, laying them in a way that the patch space on the gloves seemed to line up, placing the patch so that it would be as close to even on the gloves, and getting a new prompt.

[Do you want to apply this patch? Warning: This is a paired item that you are applying it to, if one part of the item is destroyed, the item will no longer function, do you still wish to apply this patch to this item?]

[Yes] [No]

"Ohhh, that totally makes sense," Davin stated as he hit yes. "I thought that it was too big for the gloves."

"Nah, patches only come in the one size," Grim responded with a grin.

"Weird, they're all the one size? Is that for any particular reason?" Davin asked curiously.

"That is the smallest that they can be and the power in them still functions properly, and most of the time people want to fit as many as they can, and as for as anyone knows, you can't gain any extra effects by making them any larger," Jes responded knowingly.

"So no point in being any larger since space is a premium?"

"Exactly, and since they're usually pretty fragile, they tend to go onto under armor rather than on the outside," Hugh added in.

Pointing at his glove. "This isn't on my under armor?"

"Nah, that one's made of tougher stuff, it was made with you in mind, someone more dexterous than they are strong, that one is meant for combat," Grim stated as he held up his hand with similarly styled gloves with a different styled patch.

"Combat? So I know that there are a few different types of patches, I bought one while I was in Long Dock that is meant to detect mimics. What other kinds are there? The vendor mentioned ones that were single use."

"Weapon, Armor, Spell, and Support." Gale counted off the types putting up a finger as he stated each one.

"The one on your gloves is support, granting an extra ability while worn, your Keen Eyed patch is the same. The Mimic patch counts as a spell patch, since once it's triggered it breaks. Weapon patches attach to weapons and add some extra effect to them, the same for the armor. Support is the largest category having subcategories such as area, personal, and tool." Jes explained.

"Hmm, good to know. Who makes them?" Davin asked as he threw a few punches.

"It's a mix, some are drops, usually the stronger ones, but the parts have to be collected from monsters from the wilds, so keep your eyes open while you're out there, worth quite a few tokens," Gale stated while rubbing his fingertips together in the weirdly universal symbol for money.

"Handy, will definitely keep that in mind."

"The next tram is going to be arriving soon, so we better get moving, as much fun as all of this is," Hugh stated as he started drawing a circle on the floor around the bags and trunk.

"Good point," Davin stated as he pulled Jes in for one last kiss.

Hugh began chanting and moving his hands around in a rhythmic pattern, the whole ritual only lasting a few minutes, the whole thing culminating in a bright flash similar to the binding ritual, but with this now the lights traced in the air, shot to the floor circling the markings that he'd put on the floor, moving faster and faster until the whole thing snapped into a dish that slowly floated upward, bringing the gear that was once in the circle up with it.

"Well, that was neat." Davin said absentmindedly.

"Complex magical ritual boiled down to neat." Hugh chucked with his sarcasm.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the novelty will wear on me and it will become just another trick," Davin responded equally sarcastically.

"Ready? This only lasts about an hour, let's get a move on." Making a few steps to the door at the back of the staging area.

"Ready, shaking hands with his friends, he followed Hugh to the docks, from the staging area it was more or less a straight shot down the stairs nearby. The freighter had just pulled up as they made it to the docks.