Here we go with chapter 2. This chapter opens with a battle between the kids and their Monsters against Lord Crump and the X-Nauts. Pretty basic and similar to the opening of the game, but of course I'm taking a few liberties. After the fight the characters get to know Goombella a bit, and she takes them to see Professor Frankly, and learn about the Crystal Stars and the Thousand Year Door, and of course learn about Missy's disappearance.

I'll be featuring the Monsters more in this chapter. I still haven't decided which will accompany the characters full-time and which will stay in Rogueport l. Of course, I can't always have ALL the Monsters and the kids AND all of the game partners. It's just too many characters to juggle. But I'm making this up as i go, so I'll eventually find a system.

Anyway, let's get started. Also, whoever reads, please be sure to review and comment. I also welcome messages. Always happy to talk to a fellow Big Mouth fan!!

Chapter 2

Jessi and her friends ran down the stairs to the dock, and ran between the strangely dressed soldiers and the Goomba girl.

The girl smiled as she saw the strangers coming to her rescue. She stuck her tongue out at her tormenters. "Like I'd go anywhere with smelly lunatics like you!! Hmph! Not likely!!"

The man in purple, the one called Lord Crump, growled in fury. " What do you think you're doing, punks?! You think you can screw up my plans?!!"

Jessi glared at him. " I don't know what's going on here, but i can't stand by and watch you hurt this girl! Just leave her alone, and everything will be fine!!"

Judd twirled his knife in his hand. "Or, we can do things the hard way."

"WAIT!!! We'll fight with you!!", yelled a voice behind them. The kids turned to see the other Monsters-Petra, the two Logic Rocks, the Shame Wizard, and the Depression Kitty. Bringing up the rear were Walter and Rochelle, and Tyler.

"I mean, there's probably logical reasons NOT to fight", Pete added. " But picking on smaller creatures is a terrible and ILLOGICAL thing. "

The Shame Wizard Lionel laughed. "Oh yes. How shameful. Do you guys also microwave kittens and burn ants with a magnifying glass?"

Petra growled. "Shut it, you two!!! Are we gonna waste these assholes or not?!!"

Lord Crump growled again. "It's always SOMETHING!! Looks like I'm going to have to give y'all a taste of the old Crump-a-bomb!! GET THEM!!!!"

Jessi's POV

At once, the red-and-white soldiers rushed towards the kids and Monsters. Jessi had never been in an actual fight before, except for a wrestling match with Lola Skumpy at a sleepover, and that felt like a hundred years ago, although it was only last year.

But Jessi knew this fight would be different. There were more of these weirdos, and there had only been one Lola. As the soldiers rushed forward, Jessi thought of what weapon to defend herself with. She thought of the Fire Flower she'd gotten at the shop, but decided against it. She might end up burning one of her friends. Then she spotted it: a wooden board laying on the ground. She picked it up in her hands. Instantly she felt splinters shove their way into her hands,but it was better than being defenseless.

As one of the costumed soldiers rushed at her, Jessi swung the board with all her strength. It hit the man in the head, and he staggered, dazed, and fell into the water.

"Good shot!!", cheered the Goomba girl, jumping excitedly.

Connie laughed. "Yeah!! Great work Jessi bear!! Now watch how Connie brings it!!"

As two more soldiers rushed, Connie reached out with her hair, which extended forward like tentacles and wrapped around the men,and tightened around them like a boa constricter.

Seeing this, the remaining soldiers backed up nervously, but Lord Crump growled. "What's the matter with y'all? Afraid of some little kids and some weird bear?!! Get them!!!"

The soldiers obediently rushed forward, joined by several more who rushed in from the shadows. 'How many are there?', Jessi wondered.

Connie, meanwhile, wasn't happy about what she'd been called. "Bear?!! BEAR??!!! How DARE YOU!!!!" With a loud cry, she flung her two captives forward, using her hair now like a slingshot.They flew forward into their oncoming comrades, knocking them down.

"Yay, Connie mommy!!! Way to go!!!", yelled Montel, who was being chased by one of the men. They ran to the end of the dock and jumped on top of a stack of crates. The man followed Montel, but once the man started climbing, Montel jumped off the top crate and kicked the stack, sending both the crates and the man toppling.

Meanwhile, Lola had grabbed one of the soldiers and was holding him underwater. "YOU'LL be the second person i drowned!!!" she yelled. Seeing this, another one backed up, terrified. "Wow, she's scary!!", he said. He turned to run away, only to be knocked out by a roundhouse kick from Ali.

Lord Crump screamed. "What is going on!!! You're letting yourselves get beat by CHILDREN!!! Get your act together, men!!"

Judd stepped up to Crump. "How about you and me, one-on-one?", he said, brandishing his knife in one hand and pulling out another with the other.

Lord Crump laughed. "Well, well. Somebody with the guts to challenge ME!!! Prepare to meet your maker, fool!!!"

He charged at Judd. Before Judd could strike, he grabbed Judd by the arms, pulling the knives towards Judd's own throat. Judd tried to resist, but apparently Crump was stronger than he looked.

"This is what happens when you mess with Lord Crump, general of the X-Naut army!!!", he growled, as he pushed the knives inches from Judd's throat.

Nick's POV

Nick looked over and saw Judd in trouble. During most of the battle, Nick had lingered at the top of the stairs, too afraid to actually join the fight. But now, seeing his brother about to have his throat cut by his own knives, he knew he had to act. Running down the stairs he turned to Rick.

"Rick, come on, Judd's in trouble!! He needs help!!!"

Rick whimpered. "Nick I'm scared, man!! This is scary!! We should get out of here!!!"

Nick growled. Why was Rick so useless? Why did HE have the worst possible Hormone Monster in history?

Nick looked around the harbor. Everyone was busy: Ali had rushed over to join Matthew, Devin and Gina, who had ducked behind crates and were throwing the contents at the X-Naut soldiers. Some of the dock workers had also taken to throwing stuff. The ground was totally littered with fruit, seafood, spices, and what looked like bars of gold, which his friends and the workers had thrown.

He looked over and saw Val and Kurt, who had trapped an X-Naut between them and were shoving him back and forth between them, making him dizzy. He called to them.

"Val!!! Kurt!!! Judd's in trouble!! Help!!!" Hearing Nick, they stopped pushing the X-Naut. Val held him still, and Kurt punched him in the chest. The X-Naut fell to the ground, and the brothers ran toward Lord Crump, who still held Judd at the mercy of his own knives. Nick quickly turned to Jessi, who still held the wooden board. "Jessi, come on!!" . She nodded, and together they ran to help Val and Kurt.

Together, the four attacked Lord Crump. Jessi struck him in the back of the head with the wooden board. To her surprise, it broke in half. Even more surprising, he only grunted. But he still released Judd and turned to Jessi, just as Kurt delivered a punch to the face.

Lord Crump staggered. "Grrrr!! It's not over yet!! I'm just getting started!! X-Nauts, fall in!!!"

At once, the remaining soldiers rushed to his side. "Let's show these fools the TRUE power of the X-Naut army!!!", he shouted.

Several of the men pulled out small bottles of a mysterious liquid, and, pulling up their masks, drank it. At once, they doubled in size, growing almost the same size as the Logic Rocks. Behind Crump, Judd staggered back to his feet, as Nick and his friends took a step back.

Lord Crump laughed. "That's right, now you're doomed. CRUSH THEM!!!"

The remaining X-Nauts, including the now giant-sized ones, charged forward. One of the regular sized ones tackled Nick, wrapping his hands around his throat. As he struggled to pull the mans hands off his throat, he saw the Monsters jumping between the other children and the X-Naut soldiers. The Logic Rock Pete was fighting one of the giants,trading blows with his rocky fists. Connie again was using her hair to grab her foes and fling them away. Petra, Walter and Rochelle were also engaged with some of the smaller soldiers. Nick looked desperately for his friends, but Jessi, Val and Kurt were being chased by the other two giant X-Nauts. He tried to yell for help, but the soldiers grip was too tight. He started to lose consciousness...

Suddenly, somebody jumped on top of the X-Naut holding Nick, knocking him off. Gasping for air, Nick turned to see Leah, who was delivering a volley of blows to the soldier as he lay pinned. "LEAVE. MY. BROTHERS. ALONE!!!!!", she screamed, as she delivered one final punch, shattering the soldiers goggles. The man lay motionless as Leah stood up and helped Nick to his feet.

"Leah, thanks. I thought you didn't want to help.", Nick said as he massaged his sore neck.

She shrugged. "I couldn't watch any longer and not do anything. Nobody fucks with my brothers. " She walked over to Judd, who was leaning against the wall, still dazed from his close call. "You ok, Judd?", she asked.

He nodded. "I think so. I should've been quicker. Should've acted faster. Maybe I'm not the big, bad dude I've always pretended to be. "

Leah smiled. "Maybe not. But you're still my big brother, and that makes you just cool enough. "

Judd smiled back, but didn't reply. They looked around. Pete had finally managed to knock out the big X-Naut he'd been fighting with help from Van, and the two were now fighting two-on-two with the ones who'd been chasing Jessi and Jay's brothers. Across the dock, Matthew, Ali, Devin and Gina, having apparently run out of stuff to throw, were running through the chaos towards Nick, trying to regroup. He couldn't see Lola, or Jay. He turned to Leah. "Where are the others? Andrew? Lump? The Jansen sisters? "

She pointed. "Still up there. I think Andrew's still looking for Missy. Let's just get everybody together and get out of here."

He nodded. "Sounds like a plan. But we gotta get everybody here first. I have no idea where Jay is. I haven't seen him since the fight started. "

Matthew and the girls finally caught up to Nick. "Good god,I'm NEVER fighting again!!", Matthew said. "I don't care how hot Brad Pitt is, or how good Fight Club was, this is bullshit!!!"

Devin scowled. "Well, at least YOU didn't break a nail throwing shit at these freaks!! I'm tired, I'm filthy, I'm scared, and i just wanna go home!!", she bawled, tears forming in her eyes. Ali placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Suddenly, several small objects flew out of the small crawlspace under the harbor stairs. Seconds later they exploded, and the area was clouded with thick white smoke. Jay jumped out of the crawlspace. "Smoke bombs!!! Something no great magician should be without!!"

Nick coughed as the smoke swirled around him. "Jay!!! Where were you?!!"

Jay replied, but Nick could barely see him through the smoke. "I was hiding under the crawlspace, waiting for the perfect moment to cover our escape!! Now's the time!! Let's go!!!"

Nick nodded. "I'd say so!!!" Nick cupped his hands as he shouted."EVERYONE, come on!!! Follow my voice!!!" Matthew and Ali joined in, guiding their friends through the thick fog of smoke. Jay threw a couple more smoke bombs for good measure as his friends emerged, to keep Crump and his men from following.

As he reached the stairs, Nick counted his friends as they ran by. Jay. Jessi. Judd. Leah. Val. Kurt. Matthew. Ali. Devin. Gina. He looked behind him. Lump and the Jansen twins still stood at the town entrance. Andrew must still be in town with Elijah, he realized. He looked back as the Monsters came through the smoke. Connie. Montel. Pete and Van.Rochelle and Walter. Petra. The Shame Wizard. The Hormone Monster with the blue scarf whose name he didn't know. Tyler. Rick. Tito. And last, the Goomba girl, who smiled gratefully at them as she passed.

He turned to Jay. "I think that's everyone. Except..."

Suddenly Lola came running out of the smoke, holding several of the gold bars Matthew and the girls had thrown, a couple apples and oranges, and what looked like a few wallets.

"Lola!!! What took you so long?!!", Nick asked incredulously.

She snorted as she passed by. "What, I was supposed to leave all this gold behind?!! When i get back home I'll be rich!!! Plus I'm STARVING!!!"

Nick looked back. He could hear the X-Nauts crashing into crates and each other, and heard at least a couple fall into the water as they tried to make their way through the smoke. He turned to Jay. "Let's go. " Jay nodded, and they ran through the archway into town.

Lord Crump's POV

As the smoke started to clear, Lord Crump looked around for the meddling kids and their weird monster friends, but they had vanished. Lord Crump turned to his men who were still standing.

"Where'd they go? Huh?! You!! Johnson!!! Did you see them?! Did anyone?!!!"

All around him, his X-Nauts were rubbing their sore bodies, tending to the wounded, some checking their pockets. "Hey, somebody stole my wallet!!", one of them cried. "Mine too!", cried another.

Lord Crump growled. Useless, every last one of them. Lord Crump looked at the stairs leading into town. He knew it was too dangerous to go after them in town. He knew very well about the gangs that both menaced and protected the town. The Robbo gang of thieves, and the even more dangerous Pianta Syndicate. For now, he knew, it was best to cut their losses and head back to base. But, he vowed, if these kids ever crossed his path again, there'd be a reckoning.

"Crud, they bolted!!", he muttered. He knew Sir Grodus would be furious. He just hoped this defeat wouldn't mean a demotion...

General character/multiple POVS

The friends finally made it back to town, in front of the hanging platform. For a few seconds, everyone stopped to catch their breath as they looked back toward the harbor. It didn't look like Lord Crump and his men were following them. After a few minutes, they all turned to one another and started talking.

"Man, that was scary!!", Nick said, rubbing his neck again. "That guy nearly choked me out. If it wasn't for Leah i might be a goner!!"

"Actually, it was kind of exciting. "Jessi said. "I've never been in an actual fight until today. My mom is always saying 'women should fight with words, not fists.'", she added, mimicking her mothers voice.

Ali smiled. "I had fun too. Did you see that kick?!! That's the same move Missy used on me!! I mean, i WAS kinda scared when i ran out of stuff to throw, but it was still pretty awesome."

As the kids talked, the Monsters did some catching up of their own. They found Maury wandering around, and Connie immediately confronted him.

"Hey, Maury!!! Where the hell were you?!! We had a big situation over at the docks!!! Some freaks were harassing a girl, and Jessi just HAD to play hero, and we had to fight a whole army."

Maury sighed. "Sorry Connie. Andrew didn't want to fight, and decided to help Elijah look for Missy. And since Andrew would probably pee his pants if he had to walk around this scary town by himself, i HAD to go with him. Is Matthew ok?", he asked, being Matthew's Monster as well.

Connie laughed. "Yeah, he's fine. You should have seen it Maury: I totally kicked ass!! Those wimps had NOTHING on me!!! Our Montel fought pretty good too. You should've seen them!!! They're so fast, i could barely keep track of them."

Lionel laughed. "Let's not forget about me, shall we?"

Petra turned to him and shook her fist."YOU??!!! What the fuck did you do except stand around the entire time, saying "shameful, shameful", over and over?!!"

He laughed. "My dear, I'm a Shame Wizard. Shame is a very useful weapon. It lowers morale and breaks concentration. And look, it worked. We won the fight, didn't we?"

"Go easy on him, guys.", Montel added. "Lionel's old, but he still has a lot of fight left in him!!"

Lionel frowned. "OLD??!!! Well, I'll have you all know, I..."

"Hey, where are Emmy and the Depression Kitty?", Rochelle interrupted. "I haven't seen them since we got here. They weren't at the docks."

Walter shook his head."They're probably still at the bar in the inn. It's the kinda place they'd hang out."

Petra growled. "Well I'm gonna go in there and tear Emmy's wings off!! How dare she leave us high and dry like that?!!"

Van stepped in front of her. " No, I'll go talk to her. Emmy and i need to have a talk anyway. I'll meet with you guys later. For now, you guys just go regroup with the kids." With that she walked off toward the inn.

Meanwhile, the kids were still talking about the fight when the Goomba girl finally spoke up.

"Um, i just wanted to thank y'all for helping me out back there. My name is Goombella. "

Jessi smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jessi. This is Nick, Matthew, Ali..." Jessi introduced Goombella to each of her friends, and, when Connie and the other Monsters walked over, introduced them as well.

Goombella looked at the Monsters. "Wow, this town is full of creatures, but I've never seen any like you guys before. "

Jessi frowned. "Well, there's LOTS of Monsters like them in my world. Until today I'd never met Goombas or Toads. Or whatever THOSE are", she added, pointing to a purple mouselike creature walking around. "This world is so different from mine. We're from Earth."

Goombella looked confused. "Earth? Never heard of it. I can see that you are all new here. Me, i already HATE it here!! There are freaks and weirdos EVERYWHERE!! It's NASTY!!! I mean, i know the place is called Rogueport, so I should have expected it, but sheesh!! I'd never come to a place like this if there weren't some legendary treasure here!!"

Devin frowned. "Trust me, we know exactly how you feel. I just want to go home. "

"How exactly DID you all get here, anyway?", Goombella asked.

Jessi shrugged. "No idea. We were in school, and suddenly there was an earthquake, a bright light, then we were here!!"

"It was like something out of one of those low-budget sci-fi tv shows.", Matthew added.

"I don't know what that means, but I've never heard of an earthquake transporting people to other worlds. Usually people use warp pipes to travel from one place to another. "Goombella said. "Then she added: "Hey, are those your friends too?"

The friends turned to see Andrew and Elijah running towards them.

"Oh, thank God you guys are ok", Elijah said. "We were worried."

Andrew laughed. "Oh, i knew you guys would be ok. I mean, you guys had Judd, and Kurt and Val. I'd just get in the way."

Lola snorted. "Typical Andrew, running from danger." She was eating one of the apples she'd taken, and her face was covered with bits of it, like the pig she was.

"Did you find Missy?", Jessi cut in, before Andrew and Lola could start arguing.

Elijah shook his head. "We looked all over, even in the back alley. Just a lot of shady characters and garbage. It's filthy. No way Missy would go back there. I'm really getting worried. We even asked everybody we saw. Nobody's seen her since we first arrived. "

He pulled something out of his pocket. "We DID find this though." He held it out and opened it up. It was a large piece of faded paper or perhaps parchment. On it were detailed pictures of places, including what looked like the very town square in which they stood.

"It looks like a map.", Jessi said. "Where did you find that?"

Elijah pointed to the hanging platform. "Right there. Somebody must have dropped it. It looks very old, but the pictures are amazing. Look, there's some kind of forest, and an island. And right there, it looks just like the town we're standing in!"

Goombella jumped excitedly. "Oh my gosh, that looks like a treasure map!! Like i said, this town is supposed to be home to great treasures. We HAVE to find out more about it!!"

Jessi shook her head. "No way. We HAVE to find our missing friend, then find a way back home. We don't have time to look for treasure. "

Goombella frowned. "Awww, that's too bad. But, at least come meet Professor Frankly. He's here researching the treasure too. He'd probably like to see that map. And maybe he's seen your friend. His place isn't that far away. Please?"

Jessi and her friends turned and looked at one another. They really didn't have any other ideas. Andrew and Elijah had already searched everywhere they could think of.

Jessi shrugged. "Ok, i guess we'll go talk to him. It can't hurt. "

Goombella jumped again. "Awesome!!! Let's go!! Professor Frankly lives just a few minutes from here. C'mom, I'll take you right to him!!!"

So the friends followed Goombella through the streets to another archway, leading to another part of town they hadn't seen before.

Van's POV

Van walked into the bar at the Inn and saw Emmy sitting at the table, holding a glass, several empty glasses in front of her. The Depression Kitty stood in the corner of the bar, holding a glass as well.

'I KNEW I'd find these two in here', she thought, as she walked up and sat beside Emmy.

"Emmy!! You've been here this whole time?!", Van said. "We could have used your help out there: some goons were harassing one of those Goomba creatures, and Jessi and her friends went to save her. All the Monsters fought too, even Montel."

Emmy burped drunkily. "Oh, it's fun here too!! Everybody here is so cool." She pointed to the fancy-dressed man singing in the back of the bar. "That guy's name is Flavio, and he has SO many awesome stories to tell!! Did you know he owns several ships? Talk about rich!!!" She turned to the man behind the counter. "Hey, Podley, how about another? And one for my gorgeous friend here!!"

The bartender frowned. "I'd say you've had quite enough, miss. " He moved over to help another customer. Emmy booed after him. "Party pooper!!", she yelled.

Van placed a hand on her shoulder to restrain her. "Emmy!!!", she cried. "Listen!! There's a situation here, and it might require all of us Monsters!!! Please, get out there and help!!"

Emmy finally turned and looked Van fully in the eye. "Why are you even HERE, Van? Not that I'm not glad, it's just... i thought you were taking time off to, quote, "work on yourself.' End quote."

Van sighed. "I really don't know. I was at home, just, thinking about stuff. My life. My choices. My past clients. And, yes, i guess, about YOU. Then, suddenly, I'm here, with everyone else. But seeing you all,it makes me rethink even THAT. Like maybe i SHOULDN'T have left. If I'm here, and YOU are, and everybody else, it must be for a reason. You must need me. This WORLD needs me. Those KIDS need me. They need US, Emmy. "

Emmy nodded. "I suppose you're right. Maybe that's REALLY why I'm here drinking. I feel like I'm supposed to be... PREPARING for something. I don't know what it is, exactly, but once i arrived here, i felt like...i don't know, this place is totally alien, yet somehow familiar. "

Van smiled. "Yes, it feels that way to me too. I don't know exactly what it is, but we have a purpose here, Emmy. i just KNOW it."

Emmy smiled back. "Well, I'm just glad we're BOTH here. Together. " She reached out and placed her hand against Van's hard yet smooth hand. They smiled at each other.

"Please, don't EVER leave again.", Emmy said. "Every night since you left, I've seen your face in my dreams. And every waking moment. When you left, i tried to keep it together. To wear a straight face, but inside i was torn up. When General Malice and her thugs took the office, and they were threatening to kill us, i thought of you. Your face. I wanted it to be the last thing i saw,in my minds eye, in case... in case..." She suddenly started crying.

Van reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I promise. I'll never leave again. At least not YOU. I heard about the attack too, and i was worried. If anything had happened to you, i... i don't know what. When i was sick,i had this dream where i was visited by the ghosts of all my past clients. I suppose that's the real reason i shut others out. Cause people die. I try not to get attached. But with you, it was different. You showed me that "maximize pleasure, minimize pain" is wrong. Pain can be terrible, but it can also be beautiful."

Emmy pulled herself out of the hug and looked Van in her eyes. "So beautiful. " She moved her face closer to Van. Van did the same. Their lips were inches apart when there was a knock on the Inn door.

"Emmy? Van? You two in there?" It was Pete. "If you two are in there, please hurry. The kids and other Monsters are going to meet some professor. I feel we should regroup. Just meet us over there." They heard him hurrying away.

Van sighed. "I swear, that guy..." She groaned."I suppose he's right, though. Maybe we can finish this later?"

Emmy smiled. "Definitely. I'm not letting you go ever again. But while I'm here, i might as well work. Did you see the way that girl Jessi was looking at her friend Ali? I think there's something there. As it turns out, Jessi was one of Sonya's clients. I feel i should finish what Sonya started. I owe it to her, for everything she taught me, about being responsible. I have to try and be a better Lovebug, for her."

Van laughed. "Good luck with that. Don't work yourself too hard." She turned to the Depression Kitty. "Come on, pussycat. It's time to go."

The Depression Kitty sighed, but tossed her empty glass behind her, and followed Emmy and Van out of the Inn, and together the three walked off to meet the others.

General character/multiple POVS

The kids followed Goombella through the eastern part of Rogueport. As they walked she told them about this seedier side of town. "You've got to be careful here. This part is the home turf of the Robbo thieves, led by Ishnail. They're at constant war with the Pianta Syndicate. Despite that, many of the lowlifes and bandits are on friendly terms with the Robbos, often looking to them for protection, or certain...um, favors. "

Val laughed. "Sounds like our kinda guys.", he said to Kurt. They laughed. Kurt nudged Judd. "What do you think, Birch? Looking for some work?"

Judd didn't reply. He hadn't said much since the fight at the docks. His close call seemed to have shaken him to the core. Seeing his distress, Leah scowled at them. "Leave him alone, you guys.", she snapped.

Apparently oblivious to the arguing, Goombella carried on. She pointed to a house with a sun or perhaps a sort of star above the door. "That is the home of Merlon. He's said to be a wizard of sorts. For the right price, it's said he can give people new special powers. And THIS", she turned to the house next to it", is Professor Frankly's."

"What's over there?", Jessi asked, pointing to another archway. In front stood a gray-skinned humanoid with a beaklike nose. He was dressed in tattered clothes and wore a bandana on his bald head. In one hand he held a spear, which he held out threateningly as they approached.

"That area belongs to the Robbos. Their hideout is back there somewhere. The Trouble Center is there too, but the archway is almost always guarded, so it's hard for anybody to use the center. We don't need anything over there right now, so let's just go see Frankly. Come, quick!"

The group quickly entered the house Goombella had pointed to. Inside was a room packed almost floor to ceiling with books: shelves of books, books stacked on top of each other, some lying unceremoniously on the floor. In the middle of the room, almost hidden by another pile of books, was an elderly Goomba with oversized glasses. He was bald except for two tufts of white hair on either side of his head.

Goombella smiled. "Oh hi. There you are, Professor Frankly!!"

The old Goomba stared at the group with a confused expression. 'Whuzzah? Who's there?! Who wants me??!!!"

He walked closer, examining the group one by one: the kids, the Monsters, who he looked at with with great interest, obviously having never seen their like before. Finally he stood in front of Goombella, trying to place her.

"Ah, yes. You. Now you, uh... I've seen your face before. Yes, that face... wait for it... Just a moment...Don't tell me, now!! Silence!!! I'll get it right!! Ummm, it's not Goombriel. It's not Elizagoom... Hrrmmmm... Errrmmmm... Ahha!!! I've GOT IT!!!! You're Goombella, aren't you?! You were in my archeology class last year, am i right?"

Goombella laughed. " Wow, yes sir!! That's me, Goombella, a junior at U Goom!! Gooo Goombas!!!"

Frankly nodded. "Of course i remember you. Not to toot my horn, but I'm pretty good at remembering things. You though, you stick out in my mind because you were such an exceptional student. And these people behind you are..."

One by one, the kids and Monsters introduced themselves. They told Frankly about their worlds, and how they were suddenly transported to Rogueport. They also told him about saving Goombella at the docks, and about Crump and the X-Nauts.

Goombella finished the story. "They were looking for the treasure said to be buried beneath the town. We came here hoping you could tell us more about it. I thought, if anyone knew anything about it, you would, Professor Frankly. "

Frankly laughed. "Of COURSE i know about it! The reason i came here was to study that very subject. But why do you tykes want to learn about the legendary treasure? You know that most say it's little more than a fairy tale?"

Goombella frowned. "Archeologists and historians have to search for the truth in those 'fairy tales. ' Me, i believe the legendary treasure truly DOES exist. And i REALLY want to find it!!"

Frankly nodded. "Good point!! And well made!! In that case, I'll cooperate with you however i can. First of all, about the treasure... there are many mysteries surrounding it: Some say it's an infinitely vast treasure hoard, while others say it's a magical item. Some books claim it's actually a monster, while others claim it's an empty chest. So many different theories. Obviously it's impossible to divine the truth among them. But all agree on one point: to find the treasure, one must have the Crystal Stars. "

"To find the treasure of yore, take the Crystal Stars to the Thousand Year Door ", Goombella recited. " You mean the Crystal Stars in that old saying super elderly people pass down?"

Frankly smiled, pleased at his students knowledge. "Indeed, the same. As the saying goes, if you want to collect the legendary treasure, you must first collect the seven Crystal Stars. "

Goombella recited again: "Hold the Magical Map aloft to the entrance of the Thousand Year Door. Then the Stars will light the way that leads to the stones of yesterday. Yeah, a lot of the lore I've read says that if this Magical Map is taken to the doorway, it will show you where to find the Crystal Stars.

Frankly nodded. "Correct. And the Thousand Year Door is supposedly HERE, deep beneath this town. Yet the critical piece of the puzzle, the map,is lost!! If ONLY we had that map!!!!"

Goombella laughed and jumped excitedly. " But we DO have it, Professor!!! Show him, Elijah!!!"

Frankly gasped. "Whaaat???!! Hummina hubbity hubbida hippity hoobida hammala huffala hoofala...REALLY??? You... you actually HAVE it?

Could I... just take a quick look at it, if you don't mind?"

Elijah took the map out of his pocket and spread it out over the tiny desk in the corner of the room. Frankly looked over the map excitedly, his eyes growing wider and wider behind his glasses.

"Astounding!!", he cried. "This is it, the real thing!! The one and only Magical Map!!!"

He handed it back to Elijah, who folded it up and put it back in his pocket. "This is great, fantastic!! Wonderful even!! With this, we can find the Crystal Stars just by holding this aloft before the legendary door!!"

Goombella jumped again. " Right on, Professor!!"

Frankly gasped again. "Good golly, what are we doing just sitting here then? Goombella, kids, Monsters!! Off we must go this instant!! Let's take the legendary map to the legendary door!!"

He led them back outside, and lead the way toward a small fenced-in area at the end of the street. He turned and smiled at them. "I bet you didn't know this rotten old thing came off, did you?"

He turned and fiddled with the fence, and a piece fell off,leaving a hole big enough for people to walk through. Stepping closer they could see what lay behind it: a large green pipe, with a hole big enough for a person-or Monster-of almost any size to fit through. Jessi stepped up and peered into the hole, trying to see a bottom, but saw only darkness, heard only silence. She turned to Frankly.

"Um, what exactly IS this?", she asked.

Frankly frowned. "I keep forgetting you kids aren't FROM this world. This, my dear, is a Warp Pipe. People of this world use these to instantly travel from one place to another. There are hundres, if not thousands, of Warp Pipes throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, and almost all are connected. They will take you to wherever that particular pipe comes out. It makes it way faster, and safer, than walking, so you don't deal with monsters or other dangers of the open road. This particular pipe leads to Rogueport sewers, part of which is home to an underground city,and the site of the Thousand Year Door. "

The kids listened, taking this all in. They all turned to one another and started talking.

"Well?", Jessi asked. "Should we go?

Devin laughed sarcastically. "I'm NOT going down there, forget it!! I already almost died ONCE today!!! No way I'm jumping down some strange pipe, especially one that leads to the sewers!!"

"But if Frankly is right, there are other pipes, and one might take us back home!!", Jessi insisted. "Besides, Missy might have gone on ahead down this pipe or another. She might have worked out a way home by herself. She's smarter than all of us. "

"Or, Missy might have been transported back home by whatever brought us here.", Nick said. "If we all just wait here a bit longer, we might all get transported home too."

Pete smiled. "Now THAT'S logical. I like this kid.", he said, patting Nick on the shoulder. Nick winced.

"Plus, have you even THOUGHT of the diseases we might catch down in a sewer?!", Andrew cried. "There's surely rats, and only God knows what else!! No way, no how am i going down there!!"

Jessi yelled. She couldn't believe her friends were chickening out after they had just fought of a dozen or so weirdos at the docks. "Will you just LISTEN to yourselves!!! This might be our way back home, and Missy could be down there!! If it was one of US, and she thought WE were in trouble, she'd go!! She wouldn't think TWICE!!!"

Ali smiled. "I'll come Jessi. I ain't afraid of a few rats!!"

Lola laughed. "Count me in. I TOLD you we'd visit the sewer, Jessi!! i just wish I'd brought my galoshes!!!"

"But what if we all go and Missy comes somewhere we haven't looked?", Elijah said. She'd freak out, and think we left her!!"

Suddenly everybody started arguing. Bickering whether they should go or stay, some saying they should split up, half go through the pipe, half stay behind and keep watch for Missy. The arguing attracted the attention of both the pedestrians and bandits. The guard at the archway grit his teeth, wanting to cover his ears. Ishnail didn't pay him near enough for this shit!!

Finally, after near several minutes, Goombella whistled to get the mobs attention. "EVERYBODY, QUIET!!!!!"

The kids and Monsters turned to look at her. "Ok, look, i see y'all are worried about your friend. And maybe Jessi is right. Your friend might have gone down this Warp Pipe. Look, as Frankly said, there is an underground city down there, right near the exit of the pipe. If it will put your minds at ease, we'll stop there first. I actually like the city, it's kind of neat. We'll ask some of the people there if they've seen Missy. Then we'll head for the Thousand Year Door. Sound good?"

The kids all looked at one another, and all talked again for a few minutes. Nearly everybody agreed, even Matthew. Jessi finally turned to Devin and Andrew.

"Look guys, please come. Andrew, i KNOW you still LIKE Missy. Don't you WANT to find her? And Devin, you were very brave at the docks. We probably couldn't have done it without your help. Please, be brave one more time. Just come along. "

Devin sighed. "Ok, fine. Without Devon, what point is there anyway? I didn't get killed back there. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll manage it down there."

The Depression Kitty purred. "Oooh, i like this one. Let it all out, baby. " She reached out a paw toward Devin, but Devin slapped it away.

Andrew groaned. "Oh ok, fine. But let me just go on record to say this is a BIG mistake. I just KNOW something down there is going to eat us!!"

Montel laughed. "Are you kidding? This sounds FUN!!! I bet the people down there live there caused they're all ashamed, too scared to show their faces up here!! I'm anticipating a smorgasbord of shame!!!"

"Does this underground place have a bar?", Emmy asked, with a drunk hiccup, but nobody answered as they all lined up. Frankly went first, looking relieved that the arguing had stopped. Then Goombella. As they jumped in the hole, they were sucked out sight by some invisible force, disappearing into the darkness of the pipe.

Jay jumped in after them. "This is how a REAL magician disappears, y'all!!", he cried as he jumped in and was sucked out of sight.

Lola snorted. "Lame!! Watch this, Jessi!!" Lola jumped, trying to do a swan dive, but hit the side of the pipe and rolled over, and seconds later was sucked down.

Jessi decided she'd go next. Nervously she approached the pipe, looking into the hole her friends had disappeared into. She wouldn't admit it, but she was nervous. She stared into the pipe, trying to see where her friends had vanished, trying to hear them,but again heard only silence.

Connie placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right behind you, babe."

Jessi nodded, and, taking a deep breath, stepped into the pipe.

Instantly, she was sucked down, grabbed by some invisible force. She felt air rushing her by, blowing her hair in her face. She tried to scream, but the rushing was too loud. She had expected darkness, but to her surprise, the pipe exploded with light. She saw many other pipes,and through them she thought she caught glimpses of rooms of the buildings and houses they lead to and from. She was jerked one way and then another. She felt her stomach churn, as if she was on a ride at the fair. Just WHERE was this pipe taking her? And WHAT would happen when she got there?

End of chapter 2

Sorry it took so long y'all. I had a bit of writer's block. As i said I'm trying to stick to the game as best as I can, storywise and dialogue wise,but since I'm using these characters, i have to make some changes, and trying to use ALL of them is getting to be a challenge.

Next chapter we'll see the famous underground city beneath Rogueport, and also the fabled Thousand Year Door. Also we'll learn the location of Crystal Star number 1. If you've played the game, you should already know!! And, at the end, Blooper time!!!

Anyway, see y'all next chapter, hopefully sooner than this one!!!