Here's the second chapter of Hope's Beginning!

"Well, this is definitely different".
Cole paused for a minute to examine his surroundings. He was standing in the center of the courtyard of an ancient stone castle, at the exact center of a stone plus-shaped pathway. Small fountains bubbled merrily away on both the northern and southern sides of the pathway (to the left and right of where he was standing, respectively), filling the air with the trickling and pouring sounds of crystal-clear water. The stone path disappeared through a pair of tall stone columns on the other side of the castle's main gate, but from what Cole could see it split and went off in three separate directions once it did. "Guess I'll take the path for now and see where it gets me" Cole muttered to himself.
The moment the young man walked through the gate, he was greeted by an elderly man in a blue robe who stood opposite the castle gates, by a building that Cole could tell immediately was a church. As the old man gestured to him, Cole walked over. "Young man, did you just come from Tutorial Island?" the man asked him.
Cole nodded. "Yes. My name's Cole, Terrova sent me. You're Phileas, the Lumbridge Sage, right?"
At the older man's nod, he continued. "Terrova said he was sure you'd be able to help me".
"I can. What would you like to know?"
"Can you tell me about this place?"
"This is the town of Lumbridge. The second-largest settlement in the kingdom of Misthalin, it is surpassed in size only by the capital city of Varrock to the north. Duke Horatio, the town's ruler, lives in the castle behind you. Our town church, which has been here for several generations, lies just behind me and to my left (which is your right). Beyond that is the cemetery and then Lumbridge Swamp, which connects Lumbridge to the village of Draynor and to the famous Wizard's Tower, both of which are west of here. If you follow the path north, it'll take you further into the town into the town square where you'll find the Lumbridge General Store and Fishing Store as well as the local blacksmith, our famous Combat Academy, and the house of Explorer Jack, who is one of our more famous citizens as well as one of three local Achievement masters".
"I'm not sure what you mean. What are Achievements?" Cole queried.
"Assorted tasks that you can do in an area in order to earn some extra cash or items. You'll find that many of the areas will have their own 'task sets' as they refer to them, and several of them will give you items that will give you benefits in that area. That's about all I know, really. I suggest you talk to Explorer Jack if you want to know more. Although he also has a quest that he needs some help with, so quite frankly I would suggest talking to him anyway".
"Quest?"
"Surely you know what a quest is. An objective, or a series of objectives that, by completing, you can earn rewards, become more experienced, and unlock completely new areas to explore and things to do".
"What other quests are there that need doing around here?" Cole queried.
The sage gestured to the church behind him. "The priest in there is having some problems with a ghost".
Pointing to the graveyard, which Cole could just barely make out by the church at the end of the path, the sage continued speaking. "Xenia, one of our world's most experienced heroes, is looking for help to rescue a girl who's been kidnapped by worshippers of an evil god".
Finally, he gestured to the castle behind Cole. "The castle cook needs some help finding the ingredients for the Duke's birthday cake".
"Thank you".
Cole bowed slightly and turned away, but before he could go anywhere the sage spoke again. "Cole. Hang on a second".
Cole turned back to the older man, curious. "Is something wrong?"
"I have something else for you. Neither of these two things is information, but they should still prove useful in whatever adventures you find yourself in in the future".
Reaching into a pocket of his robes, the old sage withdrew a device that looked similar to a PDA and then picked up a leather backpack from the ground nearby, holding both of them out to the younger man. "The backpack is enchanted. Nothing you put in there will ever spill, no matter what. It can hold up to 28 items before you'll have to empty it at a bank, so be careful. Oh, and items like money, arrows, and the magic runes we use here, only take up one space per type. The device is what we call the 'interface'. Using it, you can easily keep track of your friends and enemies, you can keep track of the tasks and quests you've completed, you can keep an eye on your inventory, you can track your 'combat level', you can cast magic with ease, keep track of your skills, check what your equipment does, you can make notes, you can play back music you've unlocked during your travels, call up a mini-map that shows you things in your immediate vicinity with greater clarity than the world map, and you can even see and access the prayers the gods have granted you".
"Sounds like a lot for one little device..." Cole muttered.
The old sage nodded. "It really is. But... well, what're you going to do? Everyone gets one at some point. And by the way, you can never lose either the bag or the device I just gave you, and neither can never be stolen from you. Good luck on your travels, then. I'll be here if you need me for anything in the future".
Cole bowed quickly in thanks and turned to walk away; his mind already made up about what he was going to do first. Following the path that led down to the graveyard, he quickly spotted the concerned-looking older woman standing by the pathway. "Xenia?"
The woman nodded. "Yes. And I'm glad someone finally came by. I need some help".
"What's wrong?"
"Some cultists of the evil god Zamorak have gone down into the catacombs with a prisoner. I have a rough idea of why they'd want to take her down there, but I don't want to go down there without backup. There are three of them, after all, and I'm not exactly as young as I was the last time I came here".
"I think I'd like to know more before I agree to help you," Cole said simply.
Xenia nodded. "Very wise. I got into a lot of trouble in my youth by rushing into a situation without knowing the full story. Ask your questions, and I'll answer them as best I can".
"Can you tell me more about these cultists?"
"Lumbridge is a Saradominist town, but there will always be some people drawn to worship Zamorak. They must have found some ritual that they think will give them power over people" the older woman replied.
"Who did they kidnap?"
"A young woman named Ilona. She had just left Lumbridge to apprentice at the Wizard's Tower near Draynor, on the other side of the Lumbridge Swamp. They grabbed her on the road. Without training, she didn't stand a chance against them".
"What's down there, anyway?' Cole queried, gesturing towards the stairs behind Xenia that led down into the darkness underground.
"Down there are the Lumbridge Catacombs. The dead of this town have been buried there for… oh, about forty years now, give or take a couple".
"Alright. Last question. Is there a reward if I help you?"
Xenia laughed. "Saving the most important question for last, I see. The cultists all have weapons, and you can keep them if we succeed. I'm sure this adventure will also be of some help in training your combat skills".
Cole nodded. "Then let's get down there".

Songs for this update:

These Dreams, by Heart

King of Wishful Thinking, by Go West