As I awoke from my two day slumber, I found myself surrounded by all walks of life in Thessalia's shop. I had grown tired after I had searched through her selection of new garbs and once I had gotten out of the soiled outfit and into clean new garments I felt accomplished enough for the day to go to sleep. In that groggy awakening, I woke up not fully remembering what I had done previously and saw within my site a laundry list of items that I had not even begun in the City of Varrock. I read the short scripted notes that had been left for me and I started along my way to find the Aubury teleporter. As I searched the crowded streets, I asked many passerby, and was greeted with many tidings of well-wishers, but none that had the knowledge that I so desperately needed to continue. I then found one townsperson who told me to follow them, but they moved with such deftness and agility that I could not keep up with them and found myself lost and alone once again without any inkling of a solution.
Oh Varrock..how you did make me feel so lonely and out of sorts. I could only think back to the great times I had had earlier in the town of Lumbridge, where I had made great strides with the Restless Ghost, and had earned the respect of Xenia and had stopped the cultists in the catacombs. I longed for Lumbridge and quickly searched my bag for the map that would lead me away from this lonely unfamiliar place. Upon locating my map, I chartered a course back to Lumbridge where I knew the surroundings and I also knew that adventure would await me there.
As I briskly fumbled through the streets, I maneuvered past several quarrels, making sure not to get caught up in anything that would delay my return. To say anywhere was my home, would be a folly, but at this point in my life I wanted nothing more than familiarity. I continued through the streets knowing that my help was needed. As I approached Lumbridge, I heard word of the cowardly actions of the Cook's Assistant who had fled town in advance of the Duke's birthday. The Cook's Assistant had been stealing from the castle for months and his head on a platter had been rumored to be the present that the Duke had desired more than any other.
I made haste to the castle and dodged all who stood in the way of me and the cook. When I reached the cook, he looked scattered and disheveled and his eyes revealed the foreshadowing of his own death if things did not change. As I spoke to the cook, he quickly poured out the details of the fleeing of his assistant and relayed to me the materials that he needed to save his life by baking the best cake he had ever made for the Duke with only the finest ingredients in all of the land. This cake was going to be his saving grace, but he was running out of time and was bereft of the ingredients that would truly make his cake stand out. He quickly rattled off the ingredients, high-quality milk, extra-fine flour, and a super large egg and he highlighted locations on my map that could contain these ingredients.
I left at once, bumping into others as I ran to the locations the cook had left me. In my travels I avoided one goblin after another, those ugly and putrid creatures. After I passed the goblins, I came upon Farmer Tom, who accused me of stealing his chickens; he should have paid more attention, because when he went to accuse another I quickly poached one of his eggs. I then quickly escaped his property and ran into the local milk maid. Although, she could not tell me anything about the quality of her milk, I knew of the time-frame that the cook was under and I bought her milk, hoping that it was quality enough. Finally, I made it to the mill and talked to the keeper. She was helpful, but also a little cryptic in her statements. I wondered why she would just not sell me some grain as I could have easily made it worth her while, but instead she directed me to her field and told me I could pick whatever I wanted. I then would have to return to the mill and the hopper and mill it myself.
Oh how I wish she would have shown me instead of just telling me what to do. I wasted precious time searching for the controls to the mill, and she had vanished. I could not seek any more advice. After running around like a lunatic, I finally cracked her code and figured out how to mill the flour. As I ran down the ladder, I saw her and was a little perturbed, but time was of the essence so I collected the flour and ran back to the castle to give the cook all the ingredients. When I saw the cook he was perspiring more than before and it looked as if the life had been drained from his face. I gave him the ingredients, but he rejected my egg and my milk. For a man worried about his life, he was surely arrogant enough to reject my ingredients. If I did not have any desire to be on good terms with the Duke, I would have left then and there and never returned. I now had a good idea as to why the Cook's Assistant fled!
I ran with haste because daylight was passing quicker than the sands of an hour glass. I snuck back in to Farmer Tom's chicken coup and once again ran away with an egg, this time a prized extra large egg. Oh I am sure someone else will pay for my transgressions, and for that I am sorry, but the Duke needs a cake! I then ran across the bridge to the area the cook had highlighted as having cows. I talked with the milk-maid who was honored that I had chosen to get milk from her cows for the Duke's cake. She so kindly pointed me in the direction of her most prized cow and told me to milk it. I guess I had no choice, but I had never milked a cow before. You would think that a milk maid would milk the cow for you, especially her prized cow, but beggars cannot be choosers, so I milked it and then sprinted back to see the cook. As I entered the castle I was hoping that I would not be too late. I ran straight to the kitchen and found the cook who looked worse for the wear. I proceeded to give him the ingredients of which he finally approved. I asked if I would be invited to the dinner, and he snidely pushed that request aside. To go even a step further he insinuated that I would never be good enough to be at table with the Duke! I'm not one to keep grudges, but I will be glad one day to see the cook again and this time he will be running around town to make me a cake I see fit!