...
And yes, as people stated, this is an old-school RPG. Like Baldur's Gate (II) no-one is going to point out they're companions. Talk to everyone, explore the entire city. Do quests. Don't go storming out to find monsters to kill... there's a lot of stuff to find. In the city alone you can probably level up, and find some extreme improvements to your gear compared to what you carry.
I don't quite get why everyone seems to storm out gates? (Please tell me why)
yep couldn't agree more with that