I have all 6 slots full, mainly so that if one quest is annoying me, I can switch to another character on a different level and do something else!
Yeah, the stretches of space in Mooshu are irritating, I agree!
For the character stuck in the counterweight quest, what's mainly annoying at the moment is that she is a Balance wizard, and thus doesn't have a terribly good defence! i could really do with a buddy, but it seems to be quite quiet on there atm, and none on my friends list are on when I'm on! i'm planning on playing in an hour or so, see if I can't get this quest out of the way once and for all!