Chapter 3: Professor Frankly

The town of Rogueport was a hustle and bustle place, which was the kindest thing that could be said about it. The denizens here - thieves, thugs, and con artists - hurried through the streets to secret destinations… streets thick with mud and sprinkled with litter and refuse. Crowding the streets were ramshackle buildings with flaking paint and holes of assorted sizes and shapes, crooked doors hanging on loose hinges, and windows caked with grime. Around the town square stood a hodgepodge of flimsy stalls selling snake oil goods while a decrepit gallows stood in its center, the hangman's rope swinging lethargically as it reminisced of better days.

One of the empty merchant's stalls here served as the hiding place for Matthew and his Goomba companion. They took the time to catch their breath. After a moment, the Goomba peeked out and said, "I think we lost them." She collapsed against the stall with a sigh of relief. Then she remarked with a glance at Matthew, "You kept the hammer, huh?"

Matthew glanced down at the hammer he gripped in his hand and gave a guilty start. "Oh yeah, I forgot I had it. Probably should return it…"

"Not right now, you shouldn't!" she hissed with a vigorous shake of her head, her ponytail thrashing back and forth like an angry cobrat. "Those goons might still be down there! You want them to catch you?"

Matthew flushed. "Right. I'll do it later then."

"But right now, we need to find a place to hide until those bozos are gone. Fortunately, I know someone who lives here. His name's Professor Frankly. We can hide out at his place until things settle."

Matthew waited for her to lead the way. After a moment, she said, "The only problem is I don't know exactly where he lives. I only just got here. I was here for five minutes when I got jumped by those freaks. Then you appeared and… well, I guess there's no way around it, you saved my life, so I guess I owe you one." She didn't look entirely pleased about this to Matthew's dismay.

"My name's Goombella, by the way," she continued. "I'm a student at the University of Goom, studying to be an archeologist."

Called it, thought Matthew, a little proud of himself.

"I'm doing a project for my final semester. Professor Frankly was my old professor, and since he lived here, I thought he could help me study the legends about this place. I guess I should have known what to expect in a place called Rogueport. Ugh!" Her face twisted in disgust. "I mean, I heard about the sort of things that go on here - stealing, mugging, extortions - but I never thought it would be this bad. Boy, was I wrong!" She huffed irritably. Then she turned to him. "So anyway, your name's Matthew, right? What are you doing here? I mean, it's obvious you aren't from around here by the clueless expression on your face - no offense - and the fact you don't know how to fight…"

She sure likes to talk, Matthew thought. He glanced over the counter of the stall and he gasped. Lord Crump and his squad had just appeared from the docks and they were looking around the square, looking for him and the Goomba. He hissed at her, "Hey, keep it down! They're looking for us!" and he pointed.

She groaned, "Great. What do we do now?"

"If we stay here, they'll find us," said Matthew. He got onto his hands and knees and said, "Stay down and follow me. Let's head into the alleys. Maybe we can lose them in there."

They started crawling toward the alleys, using the merchants' stalls as cover. Halfway there, they stumbled into a Doogan. He glanced up at the characters in white and then down at the two and said in a low voice, "In a spot of trouble, are ya? Owe 'em money or something? I could help you find a place to hide, but it'll cost ya."

"How much?" Matthew whispered, acutely aware that he didn't actually have anything.

From the corner of his mouth, the Doogan answered, "100 coins."

"What!" Goombella cried in a hoarse whisper. "100 coins?!"

"Or I could just holler and let those fellas know you're here," said the Doogan with a shrug. "What'll it be?"

Matthew clubbed him over the head. He went down with a flump, groaning. Goombella gaped at Matthew before she said, "Never would have guessed you had it in you."

"Thanks," he said before he suddenly wondered if it had been an actual compliment. He didn't bother to work it out. He jerked his head and said, "Come on. We need to keep moving."

Aside from the Doogan, they made it without incident. They ducked into a narrow alley, out of sight from the main square. But Matthew wanted to keep going. Avoiding eye contact with the shady characters that made their home in the shadows, the two of them weaved their way around, not entirely sure where they were trying to go.

Then Goombella startled Matthew with an, "Oh!"

He spun around in alarm. "What's wrong?"

She hopped up and down. "I think I found Professor Frankly's place! See? In the window, you can see piles of old, musty books! Who else would have that just sitting in the window?" and before Matthew had a chance to examine it, she ran to the door and pounded on it. Matthew didn't see how she did it.

Almost immediately, the door opened a crack and a hoarse voice whispered, "Princess Peach?"

Goombella responded indignantly, "Princess Peach? No, Professor. Don't you recognize me? I was your student, last year."

"My student, you say? Impossible. No decent person in their right mind would come all the way here just to visit me… would they? This is Rogueport, you understand."

"Yeah, we got that. Got a nice welcome from some friendly goons, who wanted to take me far away. We've only just escaped and we were hoping you could help us."

"Oh dear, dear, this is not good," muttered the voice behind the door. "First the Princess and now a student! Right then, you'd better come inside." The door opened wider to let them through.

The house inside was very small, made smaller still by the collection of books piled high against the walls, their titles ranging from Ancient Civilizations of the Sands to Merlon: A Geneology to By the Skin of my Shell: the Adventures of Kolorado.

Behind them the door shut quietly. "I think we're safe though I'm a bit worried about Princess Peach. I was expecting her, so you'll forgive me if I was a little brusque," said a wizened old Goomba with tufts of curly, white hair protruding from either side of his head and wearing a pair of thick spectacles that enlarged his eyes dramatically. This must have been Professor Frankly.

Matthew piped up, "Wait, did you say, 'Princess Peach'? As in Princess Peach from the Mushroom Kingdom?"

The old Goomba frowned. "I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"His name's Matthew," Goombella answered. "He kind of saved my life so now we're in this together. Hey, you met Princess Peach?"

"Uh, yes." Professor Frankly turned to the young Goomba. "Hang on a moment while I…" He bit his lip with his lower teeth, which were unusually square, as he looked her up and down. "Not Goombriella… or Elizagoom… definitely not Goomantha… aha!" He gave a small hop, looking pleased with himself. "Of course. Goombella! You were the one who wrote that article on Sky Land's Tower."

"Yes, you remembered!" She hopped excitedly. "I just found it so fascinating how that tower was built as a bridge between the ground and the sky and the cargo that was transported between them…"

"Ahem," Matthew cleared his throat to gain their attention. "Excuse me, Professor Frankly, but you mentioned Princess Peach? Is she in trouble?"

"Oh yes, I did mention her." His expression became somber. "We met at the post office. She was sending a package when I came in. Of course, I was surprised to see someone as important and fair as the Princess in such a shady place as Rogueport, so I asked her what she was doing, and she told me she had just sent a map to someone in the Mushroom Kingdom… let's see, what was his name…"

"Mario?" Goombella suggested.

"Yes, that's the name. She said she planned to wait for him and then they could explore the map together. I was concerned for her safety so I suggested she stayed with me while she waited. Then trouble showed up. Some brutes in white came up and said that she was going with them. She refused, of course, and then things got hairy. They tried to take her, but she clubbed them with her parasol while I did my best to help. We then hightailed it out of there and hid out here for a few days while we waited for her friend to show… only he didn't."

Goombella frowned. "Mario didn't… wait, that doesn't sound right. He wouldn't just not show up if Princess Peach was in trouble. Do you think maybe he didn't get that package she sent?"

"What was in the package?" Matthew asked, who had only been half listening.

Professor Frankly barked impatiently at him, "A map, my boy, a map! And I'd wager that was what those brutes in white were after. Anyways, when he didn't show after a few days, the Princess wanted to go to the post office to see if he sent a reply, but I told her it was too dangerous. She wouldn't listen though. Marched straight out to the post office and I haven't seen her since. I fear the worst."

"You mean, she might have been kidnapped?" Goombella said with a gasp.

Matthew was deep in thought. He had just remembered the map he had in his pocket. He also had a roughed-up letter. He pulled them out of his pocket and studied them. On the envelope were the faded letters M-A-R… the first three letters for "Mario"? He pulled out the letter and read the message. His face grew longer with every line.

"Maybe we should send another letter to Mario," Goombella suggested. "Then he can come and save the Princess like he always does."

"Does he?" said the professor. Apparently, this was news to him. "Well, if that's the case, then I don't see the harm in trying. But it will take several days for the letter to reach him and several days more to journey to Rogueport. I'm not certain how much time the Princess has. We don't know what's happened to her or even where she is!"

Matthew unfolded the map. A flash of light from the ink inside blinded him and alerted the two Goombas. With a gasp, they scurried next to him. Professor Frankly stammered, "M-m-my boy, what is that you have there?"

"The map Mario was supposed to get," Matthew answered, blinking away the spots from his eyes.

"Incredible!" The old Goomba snatched it from him and his eyes dashed across it. "This map! Why, I've heard legends, but never did I dream that the magical map actually existed!"

Goombella spoke up, "The magical map? What's that?"

Professor Frankly paced around the room with the map in front of him. "According to legends, this map leads you to the Crystal Stars, artifacts of potent power which have been scattered abroad and hidden."

Goombella hopped in excitement. "So that's what those freaks were after! I heard about the Crystal Stars but I didn't know they were magic. I was just asking around, and they must have heard me and thought I knew something."

"Yes, well, the Crystal Stars are certainly valuable prizes for someone looking to flash a bit of power, but there's more to them. According to legend, they are also keys that when brought together open the thousand-year door."

"The thousand-year door?" Matthew said, perking up. "What's that?"

Professor Frankly lowered the map to give him a piercing look. "An ancient door that is said to seal away a great mystery. Most believe it's a vast treasure hoard - mountains of gold, silver, and gems and even artifacts of even greater power than what the Crystal Stars contain."

Matthew breathed, "Wow." Then he said, "But what was Princess Peach doing with it? Where did she find it?"

"To World -1 if I knew, boy. I'm sure the Princess could tell us if she was here."

"Then we should find her," Matthew declared.

Both Goombas' mouths dropped open. Then Goombella cried, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, there, kiddo. Are you out of your mind? Those goons are probably still out there, and the last time you got in their way, they kind of pummeled you. Besides, we don't even know where to start looking!"

"The guys in white probably do," Matthew said. "We have what they want. We could probably convince them to trade Princess Peach for the map."

The old Goomba professor shook his head. "I don't think that's a smart idea. The Crystal Stars have power, remember. Who knows what sort of mischief those hooligans have in mind with those. We can't let them have the map."

"We don't have to give it to them," Matthew explained. "We'll just say we know where it is and we won't give it to them until they give back the Princess."

The group fell silent as Professor Frankly considered this idea. Then Goombella spoke up, "What if we had the Crystal Stars, though? Couldn't we use their power to force them to give back the Princess? Maybe use the Stars to wish her back? Can they do that?"

Professor Frankly hemmed and hawed on the idea before he spoke. "You may be on to something there. If you could collect all the Crystal Stars then it's plausible that we could wish the Princess back. And because the Crystal Stars are all drawn to each other, we should have little trouble locating them."

"Then that's what we ought to do!" Goombella cried excitedly. "What do you think, Matthew? You up for a treasure hunt?"

Matthew hesitated for a second. "I think I'd feel better if I knew Princess Peach was okay."

"Believe me, son, we're just as worried as you are, but presently this is the best plan we've got," said Professor Frankly. He gave the map a shake to straighten it. "Now give me one moment to study this map so we know where to begin our search."

They gave him one moment and a few more. After taking almost a minute, the old Goomba professor announced, "It seems we must begin our search in the ancient ruins below Rogueport."

Goombella gasped with excitement. "You mean the sunken city that Rogueport was built on? Ooh, I've been dying to explore the ancient city! They're supposed to have all this technology that makes ours look primitive in comparison! And art that puts all the museums to shame! And it's said their architecture is some of the most breathtaking designs ever constructed in this world – some that took decades! Ooh, I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it! Hey, how do we get there, huh, Professor?"

"Just follow me," he answered, rolling up the map. "And please, whatever you do, don't get separated!"