There and Back Again

I have a RuneScape Classic account from the reopening in November 2009. I barely played on it until this week, when I went in to find out just how different the quests are from RuneScape (2). One quest tested my memory: Fishing Contest.

I'd been fishing shrimps at Draynor and got the urge to get to Catherby for more variety. Seeing as I don't have the magic and runes for a teleport over White Wolf Mountain and I kept getting my cabbage handed to me attempting to go over it, I talked to the dwarf at the little hut to see about using the shortcut under the mountain. I accepted the mission to get him the fishing trophy, wandering back to Draynor to level up my fishing skill. While dipping my net into the water, I tried to figure out a way to get to Catherby safely. RuneScape has changed so much that I'm not sure if the travel methods there would be in Classic, but I really had nothing to lose except my life. I had no idea if the boats traveled from Brimhaven to Ardougne, or even if Ardougne was there.

As I did in RuneScape, I found the nearest man and started repeatedly mugging him for change. I needed 60 coins to pay for boat fares - Port Sarim to Karamja and Brimhaven to Ardougne (hopefully). I managed, even learning the art of timing 3 combat rounds, and found myself walking across the volcano, avoiding the scorpions. Oh, the Brimhaven boat was there! I walked up to Catherby and discovered I was back to shrimp fishing but in a different location (and there's no range either). 

After another day of fishing to level 10, I had to do more random muggings to gain fares so I could go to Falador for a spade. Sure, I could've just wandered up WWM, died and respawned in Lumbridge. I was proud of my memory proving accurate, so I took the boats and headed to find the possible spade spawn in Falador. My mind told me it was at the house next to the furnace. I wandered about town to keep myself active, looking out for red dots, while I opened up the Classic Wikia for a description of this place. Nothing was said about a spade spawn and farming hadn't been thought about yet, so I kept wandering inside buildings. It took 2 days, but I did find the spade (and a gloves spawn too) which is in a house near the north wall.

I packed up my traveling supplies - bronze platebody, bronze platelegs, iron dagger and 12 cabbages - and made certain I had everything from this side of the mountain - garlic and spade - and set off again via the boats (after more judicious thieving). The next hard part was getting the red worms from the woods without dying to a guard dog. More time was taken finding the loose fence (it's the wooden bit along the east wall) and the dog's bite nommed me for half my health before I could run away. I dug up 2 red worms and escaped. The best part of this is that I could speed through it. I paid my fee, plopped the garlic in the sewer pipe and then started the fishing contest. 

I fished up 2 big carp, handed them over and got the trophy. Walking to the other WWM dwarf and giving it to him got me 4 fishing levels. Not bad and now I can use the under shortcut. :)