Passing through the gates Davin had almost collapsed, the march here and in his current condition left him a gasping panting mess, Hugh hadn't been in much better sorts, his time left in the tower left him in less than the peak condition that he should have been. The sense of the bastion's light was also a welcome grace, knowing that he'd be able to give Compass all of the details without having to try and do it in small bursts that he didn't even know if they be delivered in any form of a timely manner. Drinking from the plastic cup, glad that water was one of the basic options having switched between it and the sports drink as they had marched, but now they were both tired and sweaty, and they couldn’t even go rest yet, they still needed to take care of whatever disease that they'd been inflicted with. Sitting at the gate of the village looking in as they caught their breath, watching as the last few people that had been out and about were making their way into buildings that Davin could only assume were either homes or public houses. Hoping that the healer had some kind of marker on their place to make them easier to find, he just wanted to sleep…

"What do healers' places look like? Davin asked as he looked around, hoping that something would stand out in any way.

"Hmm, don’t know? I honestly think one of our best plans is to hit the closest public house and ask for directions." Hugh stated back as he also looked around.

"Is it weird that this kind of makes me miss malls?" Davin stated as he wished that this town had a directory.

"Maul? I didn't think that you wanted to a hammer in battle." Hugh looked confused as he offered Davin a hand to pull him up.

"Ha, if you hadn't said that with a straight face, I would have assumed that you were messing with me, but a mall is like a shopping arcade" He grabbed Hugh's hand to pull himself up.

"Arcade?" Hugh asked as he pulled Davin to his feet.

Davin was surprised on that one since the idea of a shopping arcade wasn't anything unique. "Uh… like if someone took Long Dock and made it a single large building."

"Ah, hmm, that would make things more convenient." Pointing over to a well-lit building. "Think it's that one over there."

They walked slowly, dragging their feet as the last few days on the road weighed on them. Davin grew concerned as he heard a burst of sound from the building as if a group of people had all groaned at once. As they got closer they could see that the building was the local watering hole, a large sign that looked like a large handled cup, and since he'd doubted the discovery of coffee it could only mean that it was meant to be an ale. Hugh pushed the large door open, the brightly lit room was packed, and a large number of the locals seemingly focused on a single individual in the center of the room.

"That was when I knew, I would be the seeker of the light, I could lead others along that path." A small mote of light rolled across the speaker's hands, and the light turned into a dagger, and their other hand was held up, in it a ball of darkness in the vague shape of a monster that they then stabbed the dagger into and the entire thing burst into a rain of colored light, the crowd gasped and clapped the lights dimming.

"Looks like we missed the show," Davin whispered to Hugh as they stepped into the room.

"Hmph, a bard…" Hugh whispered back. "We didn't miss much, they only seem to tell so many stories, I think I know this one." the disdain in his tone was clear.

"Don’t like bards?" Davin asked as he stepped aside as many of the patrons started to make their way out.

"No, it's not that, just I have heard a lot of things about them."

"Ah, but not actually met one?"

"I… uh, well no, not officially, but most of the members of the scribes call them scam artists and charlatans."

"Not a good idea to judge a book by its cover." Davin smiled as he stated the old idiom.

"What do books have to do with this?" Hugh stared at Davin.

"It’s a turn of phrase, it means you shouldn’t judge before you've had a chance to meet someone or try something."

"But what do the covers of books have to do with it?" Hugh started to sound frustrated.

"You've read a lot of books?" Davin asked as he shrugged.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with any of this?" The annoyed tone in his voice climbed.

"How many of them told you what all was in them just from looking at the covers." Davin held his hands up, palms pressed together, then opening them, a few tokens in his palms held out to Hugh.

Hugh stared at the tokens. "I do not like that your analogy makes so much sense… I was completely content to judge bards and not like them on principle.

"And where is the fun in that?" Davin held up the tokens. "Now, let's get a drink and ask the barkeeper if there is a healer in town, see if we can get this all remedied before I expire.

A few of the people that had stayed sitting after the bard's story seemed in pleasant sorts, most chatting casually between themselves. The bard had picked up their chair from the middle of the room and had gone over to the corner, sitting alone.

Davin walked up to the bar, placing the tokens on the bar. " Are you still serving dinner?"

The barkeeper looked them over and nodded. "Yeah, but it's only stew and some rolls, my cooks out."

"We'll take two and ales to go with it." Davin slid the tokens over.

The blue heavyset man nodded as he turned away and headed over to a pot that looked like it had been stewing for days. Bringing over the bowls, setting them down, reaching under the counter pulling out a few glasses, and walking over to a large keg on the back counter, pulling the drinks, spilling off the foamy head from the top.

"Staying the night?" The barkeeper asked.

"After we find a healer, are there any that would still be open?" Davin asked as he took a spoonful of the stew and took a taste.

"What's wrong with you that a good night of sleep won't fix?" Eyeing them both up and down.

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"Got bit by something nasty, need to get it taken care of… expiring isn't on my to-do list for the day."

"Hmm, that sounds like something more than just the normal bumps and bruises that our healer tends to treat… might need to get yourself someone with a class, our healer is a bit more self-taught, so what you got might be a little outside their specialty…"

"Shit," Davin stated as he put his spoon down and let out a groan… "Welp I was hoping to last at least a month before my first expiration."

"If it makes you feel any better, there is a mage in the scribes that I heard about that died on day one, another reason that I decided to not be a rogue," Hugh stated as he took a deep swig from his beer.

Davin punched Hugh in the arm. "It's not that bad."

The barkeeper looked over into the corner at the bard. "Could always ask them."

Davin looked over, seeing the bard drinking and eating alone, the group's novelty in them completely evaporated. The conversation in the room had calmed down as the bulk of the crowd had made their way home. Hugh was still grumbling, his inherited distaste for the class evident. The way the barkeeper pointed out the bard made Davin a little more than confused…

"Does everyone not have class levels?" Davin whispered to Hugh as he worked on his stew, the barkeeper having gone to tend the fire under his pot.

"Short answer, yes, long answer, no." Absently flipping his hand back and forth.

"Yes and no?" Davin sounded confused.

"Yes in that everyone gets classes, and no in that not all of the classes that are available are…" Pausing as he seemed to be trying to find the best way to word what he was about to say. "Are meant for the adventuring lifestyle."

"Wait, not everyone gets adventuring classes?" Davin seemed shocked by this, and from how Hugh just stated it, it was common knowledge.

"I'm surprised that you didn't know, most of us get offered the minor classes before we get offered our adventurers class." Hugh's eyes were wider than usual as he started at Davin.

"No…. I just thought that everyone was just an adventurer to some extent like they chose to retire… and now do what they do…. Like Warf Rat." Remembering the few stories that the rat man had told him while they chatted.

"Hmm, you are a protégé of Compass. I don't think that he's ever had one that hasn't been an adventurer… you could ask them." With that Hugh patted his book, hinting at the log book that Davin carried.

"True, but from what I felt, This place is an extension of the rainbow bastion, so likely will see him when I sleep." Davin shrugged lightly.

"Wait… This is? How can you tell?" Hugh's eyes went wider.

"Uh…. I don't know…. It just has a similar feeling, I noticed it when we passed by the outer gates." Davin found himself leaning away from Hugh as the wizard was now partially leaning over him, eyes boring into him.

"Hmm, might be for how fresh you are… I've heard that newer souls tend to have a deeper connection to the Bastion."

Davin just shrugged holding up his hands to emphasize the gesture. "Is it not?"

"It is, the wall is constructed in part with stones that are mined from the bastion."

"Wait, there is a mine in the bastion?" Davin felt a little dumb as he repeated what Hugh just stated.

"It's not been in operation for years, there hasn't been anyone that has wanted to make a new settlement in ages."

Davin felt his head spin a little, the information seemed to not line up with anything else that he'd come to know.

Hugh stared at him. "You aren't looking too good, let's get you over to that bard, I don't think that you're going to make the evening let alone the night." Hopping out of his chair, and quickly moving over to the corner with the bard.

Davin crossed his arms, leaned forward, and rested his head on them, trying to ground himself. Davin could catch bits and whispers of conversation from across the room, but he couldn't focus on it. Davin had been on the cusp of sleep, head swaying as he could feel his eyelids growing heavy. So, the sudden upheaval of his person from the bar came as a surprise.

The unfamiliar voice caught in his ears. "We need a room."

Waking felt awful, his body hurt more than it had ever, his head thrummed, his mouth was dry, and waves of nausea rippled through his body. Letting out a long groan.

"Why does it hurt more now than it did earlier?" Groaning out his whispered question.

"Oh, you're awake? Figured you have slept till morning." The stranger stated.

At that moment Davin Felt the urge, recognizing it as what woke him up. "I need to pee." Davin whimpered.

"Ah, yes. Oh, um."

The thunk of a pot being set down next to the bed that Davin was laid on, Davin opened his eyes, letting out another wince of pain.

"Just let me step out before you do anything." The sudden sound of someone standing and pushing back a chair. "Hugh, he's up, he needs to use the pot."

It took a few moments for his eyes to fully focus, Hugh was standing over him, offering his hand to help Davin up.

"I'm not going to take off your pants, so you'll have to do that, But I'll keep you steady."

Davin struggled with his pants, having only one free hand to operate them, Hugh looking up and away the whole time. The relief that he felt was sobering like he'd been holding it all day long.

"What happened?" Davin asked, his speech slightly slurred.

"Not entirely sure, best I can guess is that you wore yourself out while having nothing left in the tank, and it just caught up with you." Hugh kept his eyes averted.

From the other room their 'guest' chimed in. "You aren't far off. I'm betting if you check your status, you'll have a level or two of exhaustion."

"Exhaustion?" Hugh and Davin said in unison.

"Have you two never really left the bastion?" their tone incredulous.

Davin finally refixing his pants, sat back down. "No, I've not even been here two weeks yet."

"Two weeks? And you're already trying to 'adventure' are you mad? But you're a rogue? How did you get your class so fast?"

Davin felt like the odd man out. "What do you mean so fast?"

Hugh also looked confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

Stepping back into the room. "It takes months to fully unlock classes, and you're saying you did it in days?"

"I don't know what you mean?" Davin looked at Hugh.

"Wizards take months, but a lot of that is us learning how to use magic, I just figured each class was different."

Davin pulled up his status, checking his current condition.

Davin O'wild

Human Rogue (1)*

Patron: Compass

AC: 15

HP: 4/9

Experience

335/300

Condition: EXH. 2

Unarmored AC: 13

Temporary HP: 0

Ranger *training*

Currently: Armored

Bonus: n/a

"Oh, yeah, Exhaustion two, and my hit point max is back up to nine, oh, and it looks like I can level up too."

Mentally focusing on his level, he tried to expand on it.

[ Level 1 rogue. XP cap for this level has been reached. Cannot level up due to negative conditions. ]

"Well that sucks, I can't level up yet, since I have a negative status condition."

"So a few days of rest first, that isn't too bad, I've still got a few hundred before I hit level three," Hugh said as he was going through his status. "I've also got exhaustion two."

Their guest just stared at them. "You've already gathered enough of the light to increase your strength? It took me months."

"Light?" Davin asked. "Oh, I'm so sorry, we haven't been introduced!" He held out his hand to the person that they'd been chatting with. "I'm Davin O'wild, nice to meet you."

The pale-skinned what looked to be a human seemed confused, yet stepped forward and took Davin's hand, the glint from the halo that floated above their head caught Davin's eye. Shaking hands gently.

"Cadence and it is nice to finally meet you too." Smiling softly as they shook hands.

"Hopefully Hugh hasn't been too annoying while I was out." Davin chuckled as he Eyed his Elvan friend.

They chuckled. "No he's been worried about you since you passed out in the bar, I can't blame him for that one."

"You make it sound like I'm some kind of monster." Hugh huffed as he crossed his arms and looked away.

"Well, hopefully, our new friend Cadence changed your opinions on bards." Davin chuckled again as he sat himself up more looking for some water.

"Your friend?" Cadence sounded surprised as they looked at the other two.

"You helped me, makes you a friend in my book." Davin nodded at Cadence.

"But you don't know anything about me…"

Hugh piped in. "I agree, you didn't even hesitate to help us."

Tears seemed to well in Cadence's eyes. "Okay, friends."

Davin's eyes went wide. "Oh, are you okay!?"

A loud sniff cut the tension in the room. "No one has called me friend since I've been here, I didn't realize that I missed it so much."