Okay, readers. Here is the second chapter of this story!
Now, as I said before, the first chapter was kind of on the slow side of things, and it should take a while before the story starts to kick into high gear. But I promise that the story will get really interesting the more chapters that go by.
Anyway, enough of that. This is the chapter where we see Andrew in action, as he sees Rogueport for himself, gets into his first fight, and ends up meeting his first partner, as well as the first partner's professor. How will this go? Find out now, readers!
OUT AT SEA - ON A BOAT BOUND FOR ROGUEPORT:
It didn't take long for Andrew to fall asleep while waiting to get to Rogueport. He had heard all of the tales that the captain shared with him about Rogueport, and he kept them in mind. He was more concerned about the princess.
Why would the princess suddenly announce out of the blue about wanting to go on a treasure hunt in a foreign land such as Rogueport? And to Mario by letter, no less. Surely, she must remember what the Mario Brothers went through in the Beanbean Kingdom, right?
And yet, she decided to go on a treasure hunt anyway. And she had wanted Mario to join her. But she would be in for a surprise when she finds out Andrew came to Rogueport to retrieve her and bring her back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Unfortunately, Andrew was going to be in for a bigger surprise once he got to the foreign town. He would find out about it for sure. That was a guarantee.
After 15 minutes of having fallen asleep, Andrew was still sleeping, snoring away as the captain decided to wake him up while his bellboy steered the ship to their designated location.
"Excuse me... Sir?" The Captain tried to shake him up, but Andrew continued snoring away, having not heard the captain speak to him.
"Please wake up, sir!" The Captain yelled as he shook him harder, getting Andrew to moan as he started waking up. "The town you'd been speaking of has come into view."
"Huh... Wuh...?" Andrew murmured as he wiped his eyes with his gloved hands.
"Look! That's Rogueport!" The Captain pointed in the distance.
Andrew slowly opened his eyes as he looked off towards the direction that the captain was pointing in. He saw it for himself, as it looked like a port town surrounded by the sea, with several buildings standing out beyond the wall.
"Whoa," Andrew was now fully awake as he saw it for himself. "That's Rogueport?"
"Yes. You see? We'll arrive shortly," the Captain advised him. "Please prepare to disembark."
"Right," Andrew stretched as he grabbed his backpack and threw it over his back. "I'll need some help with my luggage."
"Not a problem. That's what my bellboy is for," the Captain walked back over to the wheel and dismissed his bellboy. "Just be prepared to get off the minute we reach the dock."
"You got it," Andrew said as he stood near the edge of the boat, watching as they were approaching Rogueport. He could only wonder how this would go for him...
AT THE ROGUEPORT HARBOR:
It didn't take long at all for the boat to reach the Rogueport Harbor as it pulled up to the side of the dock. Andrew watched as the bellboy put his luggage onto the luggage cart as the Toad pushed the luggage cart off the boat and onto the dock. He saw him leave the dock and head up to the stairs, presumably to the Inn that was located in the Rogueport Plaza.
After he had watched him walk off to the plaza, the captain decided to get Andrew's attention, seeing that they managed to pull up onto the dock.
"I must apologize, sir," the Captain apologized formally. "Our arrival was delayed just a bit by rough weather..."
"That's fine with me," Andrew sighed. "I wasn't in a hurry to get to Rogueport, anyway..."
"Right. Are you quite sure you want to disembark here?" The Captain had to ask him once again. "I...did tell you all the sordid tales about Rogueport on our way here, did I not?"
"Yes, you have. You told me about 12 times now," Andrew then had to explain. "But you see, I'm here because I need to find a princess who is waiting in this town, and escort her back to the Mushroom Kingdom. It's...a favor I'm doing for someone."
"Is that so?" The Captain tugged on his collar before asking. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you bring four suitcases of luggage with you if you are only here to pick up a princess?"
"Well, between you and me, if you've been around a while, I 'personally' feel that the world can be a terrible place at times," Andrew shared with him in a rather cynical manner. "Bad things always go wrong for people, even in the nicest of towns. So in case something goes wrong, I'll probably have to extend my stay here in Rogueport until things are resolved."
"Er... I see," the Captain understood what he was saying. "Of course, sir."
"Yeah. At least that's what I think," Andrew said calmly. "So that's why I'll be stopping into this place."
"Well, if that's what you think, then I won't stop you." The Captain decided not to stand in his way and prevent him from doing what he had to do.
"Thank you," Andrew thanked him. "May I set foot off this boat?"
"Yes. You may," the Captain allowed him to step off, which he did.
By now, the bellboy Toad had returned from dropping off Andrew's luggage at the Inn in the Rogueport Plaza, and he was heading back to the boat with an empty luggage cart. As soon as Andrew stepped onto the dock, the bellboy went back onto the boat.
Once the bellboy was back on the boat, he put the luggage cart to the side and removed the boardwalk from the dock and back onto the ship, seeing that Andrew was now on the dock.
"But, uh... You be careful, sir!" The Captain called out to him as he started the boat's engine again. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"
"I'll be fine. Don't worry," Andrew waved towards the Captain. "Until I need to head back, you take care."
"Right," the Captain sighed as he got the boat to turn around towards the direction the Toad Town's dock was located.
As soon as that was set, the boat then took off and headed back in the direction it came from. Once the boat was completely out of sight, Andrew decided to turn around and see the town of Rogueport for himself.
It was just as dreary and grizzly as it had been described. The walls looked like they were worn out and could crumble at any moment. The stairs leading up to the plaza didn't look like they were holding up too well. The wooden beams and mud that were placed on the side of the stairs didn't make it any less unstable.
Andrew also saw several barrels and crates being moved around by the sailors who were at the docks. He saw plenty of Toad and Bob-omb sailors doing their jobs by moving around the stuff. Andrew didn't bother saying anything to them as he walked off the dock and towards the path that headed north.
This place looks as horrible as I was told. I'm already beginning to hate this place... Andrew thought bitterly, seeing some of the sailors give him cold looks without saying anything to him, as they continued their jobs. But I have to do this. I have to find the princess. The sooner I find her, the sooner we can get out of this dirtbag town...
But the thing is, Princess Peach was nowhere to be found. Wasn't she supposed to be nearby waiting for Mario to show up? Even though he wasn't Mario, he figured that she'd be waiting around here. The fact that she was not anywhere in sight in this town was confusing.
Now where is the princess? Why isn't she here? Where could she have gone? Andrew thought. I sure hope that she wasn't abducted again from this place... Because if she was, then I'd have no choice but to...
Before he could finish that thought in his mind, he heard someone screaming nearby in the distance.
"Hey! What do you want?!" A female voice yelled with a panicked tone. "Get away from me, freak!"
"Huh?" Andrew looked up to see who it was that just yelled. It didn't take long for him to see where the source of the yelling was coming from.
The voice came from a Goomba girl. She was shown wearing a helmet with a light and a matching torso with a red scarf and also had a large, blond ponytail. Considering that her torso was the same color as her helmet, and the fact that she wore a red scarf over it, Andrew had assumed that she was wearing a shirt.
The Goomba girl also was shown with a pink head and brown feet, she had two blush marks on both cheeks, she wore some mascara on both eyes and finally, she had one fang shown from her mouth as opposed to the two that Goombas usually have.
Shortly afterwards, Andrew got a look at three people that had caused her to scream, as they had her cornered. The one in the middle, who was supposedly the leader, was a fat-looking plump creature who wore yellow goggles over his eyes. He also wore a purple hat with two horns on both sides of it, wore a red cape with a red collar around his neck, and wore a black shirt with a white X going across the center of it. He was also shown wearing purple pants to match his hat, wore white gloves on both hands and finally, he had dark grey boots that were pointing upward at the toe part of it.
The two men accompanying him looked similar to him but were smaller and wore different outfits. For one, both of them wore white hats on their heads with ear flaps on the sides, had white collars, wore red jumpsuits with a black X instead of white, and wore white gloves and combat boots with red heels on the bottom of them.
The plump man had the Goomba girl cornered as if he was demanding something from her.
"Oh, come off it, you airhead," the plump man sneered at her. "I know it's tough for you, but don't play dumb with me! I've seen you walking around town asking for information about the Crystal Stars."
It was then the plump man pointed an accusation finger at her. "Well, now I'm doing the asking, so be a good girl and tell us what you know! Right. NOW!"
"Never! I don't have anything to say to you creeps! Eww!" The Goomba girl yelled, making a gagging face towards the plump creature while sticking her tongue out, showing just how disgusted she was with this fat weirdo.
The plump man didn't like this one bit. He 'really' didn't like being denied like this as he stared her down.
"I suppose it wouldn't be right if a sassy little lass like you met with an untimely demise..." The plump creature growled in a warning manner. It was clear that he needed to take action.
"Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh," he then turned around to face his two minions after laughing as he informed them. "Boys, we're taking this firebrand to our fortress!"
"As you command, Lord Crump! We're on it!" One of his minions saluted him, showing that they were willing to go along with it.
It was then the plump creature; known as Lord Crump, and his two minions started advancing on the Goomba girl, planning on taking her hostage as she backed away from them.
"N-No! Stop right there, you weirdos!" The Goomba girl stuttered in fear. "I'll scream! Really!"
Andrew had overheard the whole thing while standing to the side as he was wondering what he should do. Should he just ignore the conflict going on in front of him? Should he just stay out of whatever was going on?
After all, he was only here to get the princess and take off from Rogueport. Unfortunately, Andrew reminded himself that the princess was nowhere in sight. He didn't know where she was.
There was also the fact that his moral conscious was urging him to do the right thing and help out that Goomba girl, especially since Lord Crump and his minions look like bad news. His moral compass completely took over as a result. After all, helping this girl out wouldn't completely distract him from finding the princess, would it?
It was then Andrew nodded his head as he made a decision. He knew exactly what he had to do, as a stern look was shown on his face. With that being decided, Andrew marched on over there and decided to get their attention.
"All right," he yelled out to them. "What's going on here?!"
Andrew was about to advise the Goomba girl to take cover immediately. But as it were, the Goomba lady was already one step ahead of him as she ran. She decided to take cover behind Andrew as she gave Lord Crump and his minions a stink-eye.
"Like I'd go anywhere with smelly lunatics like you! Hmph! Not likely!" The Goomba girl spat at them, sticking her tongue out at them once again.
Andrew didn't bother reacting to that as his focus was completely on Lord Crump. 'Apparently', Crump had his attention on Andrew too, since he marched on over and got in the way of what would've been a successful capture.
"Whuh?" Crump sneered in irritation as he faced Andrew. "What do you think YOU'RE doing, chump? You think you can screw up my plans?!"
"So you think abducting this Goomba girl is going to help further your plans?" Andrew deadpanned in complete annoyance.
"Oh great," Lord Crump groaned as he exclaimed. "Now we're dealing with a smart mouth here!"
Andrew had to pinch the bridge of his nose as he shook his head.
"Look," Andrew decided to inform him. "I don't know what's going on here, or what this is all about. But I'm NOT letting you KIDNAP this Goomba girl!"
Andrew stayed in position and stood his ground, not budging for a minute as the Goomba girl remained behind him. Lord Crump, meanwhile, didn't appreciate this one bit. He concluded that he had to take action.
"Gah! It's always something..." Lord Crump readied his fists. "Looks like I'm going to have to give you a little taste of the old CRUMP-A-BOMB!"
"Can't we resolve this without resorting to violence," Andrew suggested rather coolly.
He immediately got his answer as Lord Crump charged towards him, with his fists up as he was preparing to attack him.
"I'll take that as a 'no'," Andrew sighed. He didn't want to do this, but this creep left him with no choice. "Well, if you want a fight, you got it."
It was then Andrew went and rolled right out of the way in the nick of time. Lord Crump missed his target as he nearly stumbled and lost his balance. He managed to catch himself though, as he stood back up. Andrew then reacted by jumping up into the air and he started dropping with his right booted foot aimed for Crump's head.
In a matter of seconds, Andrew made complete contact as his foot collided with Crump's temple, knocking him back a few feet as he felt the bump on his head. Lord Crump shook his head and wiped his mouth after regaining himself before he decided to perform a body slam on the muscular man.
Once again, Andrew got on his hands and flipped out of the way before he landed on him. As soon as he was back on his feet, Andrew readied his fists as he charged for Crump and punched him right in the gut. Crump felt a little air blown out of him, but otherwise, he was okay.
He retaliated with his punch, which managed to hit Andrew right in his gut. Andrew skidded back a few feet as he felt a blow in his chest. Aside from that and a minor bruise, he was still raring to fight.
The next few minutes were spent with the two of them punching and decking each other several times. Some of the punches missed, but others made contact. It was quite a violent fight and Crump's minions were too afraid to intervene and help their master.
Meanwhile, the Goomba girl was just staring in awe at the sight before her. Who was this man? And where did he come from? Whoever he was, he was quite good at fighting, and he managed to show up at just the right time, before Crump abducted her. To say that she was completely amazed by Andrew's intervention would've been an understatement.
By now, both Andrew and Crump ceased the punches as the latter decided to body slam Andrew again. This time, Crump landed on top of Andrew's chest. Fortunately, Andrew was prepared as he lifted his legs and used his feet to push Crump off of him. He then managed to catapult him into the air, where he then landed on the ground.
Feeling that he needed to end this, Andrew then took out his wooden bat and charged right for Lord Crump. As soon as Crump got up, he was met with several blows to the head thanks to Andrew whacking him with his bat. He was doing this multiple times before he swung him away with his bat.
Crump then did another body slam on Andrew, as he made direct contact once again. Andrew did the same thing as before, kicking him up into the air. Only this time, he took his wooden bat and spun it around in his hand before hurling it right towards Crump.
The bat managed to make complete contact with Crump's head, giving him another bump on the head as he fell face-first onto the ground. It was clear that Crump was no longer able to fight Andrew, as the muscular man walked over and picked up his bat.
"That takes care of that," he said calmly as he dusted his hands. He then heard the Goomba girl running right for him.
"Jeepers! I mean wowser! You're strong," the Goomba girl ran right to his side. "That was awesome! You 'totally' decked that creep of the week!"
"Oh, well, it was nothing. Really," Andrew said rather modestly as he put his bat away.
The Goomba girl looked like she was about to say something. But before she did, the two minions of Crump came to their master's aid as they helped him back onto his feet. It was then Crump had given Andrew yet another glare.
"Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! OK, you got a couple of decent shots in, I'll give you that." Lord Crump told him sharply.
"Well maybe this'll teach you not to cause anymore trouble around here," Andrew told him rather dryly.
"Pfft. Fat chance," Lord Crump huffed as now he had something else up his sleeve. It was time for Plan B. "Cause...unfortunately for you...that means..."
It was then he cleared his throat as he then bellowed at the top of his lungs. "IT'S GO TIME!"
Several other minions that looked identical to the minions that were accompanying him appeared out of nowhere, as they had both Andrew and the Goomba girl surrounded. Lord Crump then pointed towards Andrew as he then made the command.
"PUNISH HIM!"
As soon as that demand came out of Crump's mouth, the minions all started to pile up on top of Andrew, planning to suffocate him in a dogpile. Andrew was able to sidestep out of the way in the nick of time. He was worried that the minions would've caught on to his move and that they'd remain on his tail.
Unfortunately, that worry quickly turned into annoyance as the minions dogpile into the same spot that Andrew was standing on previously. He didn't know what these creatures were supposed to be, but were all of them this stupid?
He was then brought out of his annoyed state as he saw that the Goomba girl managed to sneak out of the dogpile and was away from the minions.
"Pssst! Quick! This way," the Goomba girl advised Andrew to follow her.
Andrew obliged as he walked away from the minions and stopped right in front of the Goomba girl, who then sighed.
"Phew! What a bunch of loons," she then made the all-important suggestion for them. "Let's just sneak out of here, what do you say?"
"I'm all for that," Andrew nodded as they headed for the stairs.
Both Andrew and the Goomba girl went up the stairs as they snuck away from the minions. Once they were at the top of the stairs, they went on and headed straight for the Rogueport Plaza.
By the time they were gone, Lord Crump knew something was wrong as his minion was still dogpiling who they thought was Andrew.
"Buh-HUUUUUH?!" Lord Crump then bellowed to his minions once again. "STOPPP!"
The minions ceased their so-called assault as they then surrounded Lord Crump, who was looking in all directions for Andrew and the Goomba girl that they had surrounded. As soon as he noticed that they were missing, he decided to ask his minions.
"Where'd they go?! Huh?" Lord Crump then pointed towards one of his minions. "You! Johnson! Did you see them? Did anyone?"
Johnson and the rest of the minions all gave him a confused look; a sign that they didn't know where the two disappeared too. It didn't take long for Lord Crump to come to the revelation as to where they went.
"Uh... Crud! They bolted!" Lord Crump yelled in frustration.
A minute after he finished fuming, he decided to get his minions to follow him as they headed back to their fortress to come up with a further plan...
IN THE ROGUEPORT PLAZA:
It didn't take long for Andrew and the Goomba girl to make it to the center of the plaza. As Andrew was catching his breath, he got a look at the place. Simply put, it didn't look any better than what he saw at the harbor.
He noticed that there was graffiti drawn on the walls, some of which were skulls. He also noticed some skulls on the stakes of the fences that lead to both the East side and West side of Rogueport. Even though he noticed that there was the Inn where his belongings were brought, as well as a store behind a bulletin board, he saw some of the shady characters walking around.
They consisted of Little Mousers, Doogans, and Goombas who wore green tunic hats on their heads. But the one thing that stood out the most for him was what was in front of him. It was a gallows, which he assumed was where criminals were hung for their crimes. He could've sworn that he saw some blood on the pavement and the walls nearby.
It was official. This place was horrible. As soon as he found the princess, they were getting out of this dirtbag town. Instantly, Andrew was gotten out of his thoughts when the Goomba girl got his attention.
"Wow, Mister!" She decided to thank him for the save. "You... You 'totally' saved me! Thanks!"
"Oh. It's like I said, it was nothing," Andrew said rather humbly. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. That's how I managed to help you."
"Still, you were amazing out there, Mister," the Goomba girl proclaimed. "And for that, I have just GOT to give you a little reward!"
"Oh, come on, now. There's no need for anything," Andrew had his hands up. "That won't be neces-"
He was immediately cut off when the Goomba girl jumped up and kissed him right on the cheek. This was an act that got him to flinch, as he was NOT expecting something like this.
"...sary." Andrew blinked, having shaken off the flinch that he just did, and got right to business. "Well, I think I should know your name..."
"Oh right! Of course!" The Goomba girl then introduced herself. "My name's Goombella. I'm a student at the University of Goom. Nice to meet ya!"
Okay. So she happens to be a college student... Andrew thought to himself as he then said to the Goomba girl, who was named Goombella. "Nice to meet you too, Goombella."
"Yeah," Goombella decided to ask him. "So, uh... Who are you?"
Andrew looked like he was about to introduce himself when he saw Goombella's face and the rather cute and determined look she was giving him. He seemed a little flustered by this, but he didn't let it show. He kept it to himself as he then found his voice.
"Uhhh...it's A-Andrew. The name's Andrew," Andrew cleared his throat as he told her his name. "And I came from the Mushroom Kingdom. I take it that you never heard of me before, have you?"
"No. I'm afraid I haven't," Goombella said honestly as she shook her head. "Sorry, Mr. Andrew."
"It's okay. I'm not exactly popular anyway," Andrew exclaimed. "I usually tend to be a loner."
"I see. Well, that's fine with me, Andrew," Goombella then decided to change the subject. "Anyway, no offense, but it looks like you just rolled into town yourself. Right?"
"Yes. And this place has already given me its first impression. I'm not too fond of Rogueport," Andrew nodded as he told her before asking. "How do you feel about it, Goombella?"
"Me, I already HATE it here!" Goombella gagged. "There are freaks and weirdos EVERYWHERE! It's nasty!"
"Glad to know that I'm not the only one here who feels that way about this dirtwater town," Andrew proclaimed.
"Yeah! I mean, I know the place is called Rogueport, so I should have expected it, but sheesh!" Goombella huffed.
"Tell me about it," Andrew deadpanned in agreement.
"I'd never come to a place like this if there weren't some legendary treasure here." Goombella proclaimed.
Legendary treasure? Andrew thought briefly before saying something about it. "Hey wait a minute, the reason I came here has something to do with the legendary treasure."
"What? Do you mean you're looking for the legendary treasure too? Seriously?" Goombella, sounding a little hopeful if he was.
"Well, not exactly. You see, I came here to look for someone who wanted to go looking for this treasure," Andrew told her as he took out the map that he brought with him that he got in the mail. "I got a letter in the mail asking me to find someone who had sent this person a letter with a map included."
Goombella took notice of the folded-up map that Andrew now had in his hands, and it got her curious.
"Whoa whoa WHOA, bucko! Whatcha got there?" Goombella asked him.
"It's a treasure map that I got," he opened it up.
"Can...Can I take a look at it," she begged, hoping it'd be alright.
"Sure," Andrew said awkwardly as Goombella went ahead and looked at the map herself. As soon as she examined it for herself, her eyes suddenly lit up with anticipation, as she knew what this meant.
"Omigosh! Is... Isn't that a treasure map?!" Goombella yelped. "You HAVE to tell me where you got that!"
"Well, you see, it goes like this," Andrew explained to her. "This map was originally founded by Princess Peach. The princess had intended to send this map to Mario to go on this treasure hunt with her. But due to some exhaustion, the map ended up in my possession instead, as I came here to find Princess Peach for the Mario Brothers."
"...Princess Peach found it? What?" Goombella was so completely flabbergasted that she couldn't quite comprehend what Andrew revealed to her.
"Great hoogly-boogly!" Andrew and Goombella heard an elderly voice call out to them.
They turned around to see it was none other than Toadsworth, who had approached them. He was pretty much an elderly Toad and was Princess Peach's advisor and steward. Andrew turned to face him as he found his voice.
"Uhhh... it's Mr. Toadsworth, right?" Andrew asked.
"Yes, indeed. That's correct," Toadsworth looked over Andrew. "Hmm...I was expecting Master Mario. But who may you be, young man?"
"Uh, the name's Andrew, and I came from the Mushroom Kingdom," Andrew told him. "I don't think you ever heard of me before."
"Sad to say, I haven't," the elderly Toad remarked. "I'm sure the princess has heard of you though..."
"Yeah," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief awkwardly.
"In any case, what brings you into this wretched little burg?" Toadsworth decided to ask.
"Well you see, sir, I came here to find the princess and possibly bring her back to the Mushroom Kingdom," Andrew explained to him. "I got a letter from the Mario Brothers which included the letter that Princess Peach sent to Mario himself. And they wanted me to bring the princess back before something happened to her."
"Indeed?! You have?!" Toadsworth was a little shocked to hear that from Andrew. "Intriguing..."
"Yeah. Speaking of whom," Andrew decided to ask him. "Do you happen to know where Princess Peach is?"
"Erm... I was asking myself the same thing," the elderly Toad decided to elaborate on that. "We stopped in this town to acquire a spot of fuel for our ship, don't you know..."
So they WEREN'T planning on staying in Rogueport after all... Andrew thought.
"I only took my eye off her for a moment, but as soon as I did, she vanished," Toadsworth revealed.
"What?" Andrew asked rather quietly. "She vanished? What do you mean she vanished?"
"Well, I don't suppose you know her personally, but she's quite the headstrong woman she is," Toadsworth told him. "I just assumed she'd be back momentarily... But at this point, I fear we must embrace the possibility that she may never return."
"You don't think that she's been kidnapped, do you?" Andrew wondered.
"It's a possibility. But it's one that we are quite unsure of, as of now," Toadsworth remarked.
"I mean, because if she was kidnapped by the likes of Bowser, then the entire Mushroom Kingdom would've been notified immediately about her abduction," Andrew proclaimed before adding. "Especially Mario."
"Yes. Ahem. Master Mario would've been informed of this, post haste," Toadsworth said. "But as it stands, I've been at a loss as to what to do. I've been fraught with worry, I tell you!"
"I'm truly sorry that something like this happened, sir," Andrew apologized to him.
"But of course, with someone like you here, I feel a tad bit more at ease," the elderly Toad insisted. "Surely we'll find her! Surely! But I know my place, and this is not it. I leave this task to you."
"Me? You want me to find her?" Andrew pointed to himself.
"Well, that is what I said, now isn't it," Toadsworth adjusted his glasses.
"I...I dunno... I'm not sure if I'm the right guy to find her," Andrew tugged on his handkerchief. "I mean, shouldn't Mario be the one who finds her? After all, he's the one who's been rescuing her for years, right?"
"Precisely why I was hoping that it was Master Mario that had shown up to this wretched little burg," Toadsworth sighed. "But since he isn't here at the moment, and since you look quite strong and may have engaged in combat, that's why I have no choice but to leave this task up to you."
Andrew had to do some thinking. He never did anything on this grand of a level before. It looked like things were going to be more serious than he thought. Thankfully, he had made preparations to extend his stay in Rogueport if it was 'absolutely' necessary. After thinking it over, he finally said.
"All right, Mr. Toadsworth. I'll see if I can find the princess and come back with her," Andrew told him. "But as soon as I find her, I'm bringing her back here and then we can head back to the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Precisely what I had in mind, provided that she can be found safely," Toadsworth remarked before yawning. "But in the meanwhile, I believe I'll recline in the Inn right over there and enjoy a spot of tea, perhaps. 'In fact', I highly recommend it, particularly if you are quite worn out from fighting. Just drop on INN! Ho ho! ...Yes, anyway, a little rest there will help one feel refreshed and feel like they're 20 years younger."
Toadsworth then took a deep breath before he then admitted. "I must say, though, the rest of this town is a bit...rough. Yes, rough, indeed..."
"Yeah. No kidding..." Andrew said sheepishly, not commenting on the pun that was made as he watched Toadsworth head back for the Inn, muttering to himself while he was at it.
As soon as Toadsworth entered the Inn and closed the door behind him, Goombella was finally able to find her voice, as she then got Andrew's attention once again.
"Um... Princess Peach?" Goombella started asking a barrage of questions. "Did he mean, like, Peach, the Mushroom Kingdom princess?! The princess who always gets nabbed by Bowser, the Koopa King? The one that is rescued by Super Mario? That Princess Peach?"
Goombella had to contain herself as she shook her head. "Wait a sec'! This is crazy! Princess...PEACH found that map and intended to send it to Mario, but then you got possession of it in the mail instead?"
"Yes. That's pretty much the bulk of it," Andrew nodded, officially confirming it to be true.
"Whoa. This is 'really' intense," Goombella stared at the ground while thinking about this whole ordeal. "Well, where could she have gone, then, do you think? You think maybe she got sick of waiting and went to find the treasure on her own?"
"I dunno... That would be wishful thinking if she did," Andrew remarked, putting his right hand on his chin. "Though given her reputation, it's likely that she may have been kidnapped while trying to look for it on her own..."
Andrew did some more thinking. Where did the princess go exactly? And why would should decide to go look for it on her own, even though she planned on going with Mario? Thanks to the cynical perspective that he had, Andrew concluded that she may have been abducted yet again. He just didn't know if it was the work of Bowser or someone else.
Suddenly, Andrew was brought out of his thoughts when Goombella came up with an idea, and she immediately got his attention.
"Oooh! Oooh! I know, Andrew! Come with me!" Goombella jumped briefly.
"What?" Andrew was a little puzzled.
"One of my professors is here researching that treasure," Goombella told him.
"One of your professors?" Andrew queried.
"Yeah! Professor Frankly," Goombella explained. "He happens to be the head of the archaeology department at U Goom! And I was in his archaeology class last year."
"You happen to be into archaeology? You're taking archaeology classes?" Andrew wondered.
"Well yeah. So?" Goombella gave him a look. "I happen to love archaeology. I plan on being a well-known archaeologist one day. And Professor Frankly happened to be my professor."
"Oh. I see," Andrew shrugged. "That's some interesting dream."
"I know, right?!" Goombella beamed, giving Andrew a wink before continuing. "Anyway, we'll show him your map! If we start looking for the treasure, then maybe we'll catch up to Princess Peach!"
"Well, I got nothing to lose. And it would help to know where the princess ran off to," Andrew did some thinking before he decided. "Sure. That would be a great idea."
"Great! We're all good, then!" Goombella was certainly psyched about this. "Let's go, Andrew!"
"Right. And I presume that you'll be sticking with me until we find the princess, right?" Andrew guessed rather dully.
"You betcha, Andrew!" Goombella smiled. "But first off, we gotta go find my professor. Thing is, since I just got to town myself...I, um, don't 'actually' know where he lives."
"Well that's certainly a big help," Andrew said rather sarcastically as he moaned.
"Hey!" Goombella yelled at him. "You aren't the only one who just rolled into this garbage pit of a town, y'know?! We just need to keep an eye out for him!"
"Okay. Okay. Fine. It's no big deal. We can find him together," Andrew then made a simple request. "But do you at least have a picture of him so I know who I'm looking for?"
"Of course," Goombella pulled out a photo from her helmet as she showed Andrew the picture of Professor Frankly. "Here's what Professor Frankly looks like!"
Andrew squinted his eyes as he examined the professor. He happened to be an elderly Goomba who had grayish-brown eyebrows and puffs of hair on both sides of his head, had two square-shaped fangs rather than being pointy, and he wore thick glasses that had swirls in the center. Those kinds of glasses reminded Andrew of the ones that Professor E. Gadd wears, at least from what he read about once. Still, this was at least a bit of a help to him.
"Okay. This kinda helps," Andrew moved away from the photo. "Let's go find him."
"Gotcha Andrew," Goombella put the photo away as she motioned towards the East Side of Rogueport. "Let's go this way!"
"Fine with me, Goombella," Andrew shrugged as he and Goombella headed for the East Side of Rogueport, with hopes that they would be able to find Professor Frankly.
Unfortunately, the minute they set foot into the East Side of Rogueport, they were greeted with an unpleasant surprise. Coming out of nowhere, a blue-colored Bandit rammed right into Andrew, nearly knocking him over as a result.
"Oops! Pardon me, sucker!" The Bandit said in a rather smug manner.
"What the...?" Andrew regained his balance as he furrowed his eyebrows slightly. Goombella didn't seem any happier about this.
"Hey! What's your beef, pal?" Goombella then raised her voice for the Bandit to hear. "YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
Goombella realized that calling out for him was fruitless, so she turned around to face Andrew again. It was then Andrew realized something was wrong, as he was quick to figure it out.
"Uhhh, that Bandit just stole some of my coins, didn't he?" He guessed in a dry manner.
"Yup," Goombella nodded before groaning. "That is SO lame! Ugh! I HATE this town!"
"You and me both," Andrew agreed wholeheartedly with her on that comment. "Guess we better track down this thief."
Goombella didn't argue with Andrew at all as the two of them headed back to the plaza.
Their hunt for the thief eventually led them into the back alley in the plaza. They found a hideout that was right behind Podley's Place, which was below the Inn. As soon as they went into the hideout, Goombella couldn't be prepared for what she saw next.
What she had witnessed was a dump. No. It was worse than a dump, as she looked like she was going to be sick.
Ick! This isn't a hideout! This place is a pigsty! Goombella thought in disgust. There's garbage all over the floor! The place stinks like rotten Goomnuts! Jeepers, it's worse than a pigsty, and...OHMIGOSH! Did...Did I just see a cockroach pass by me!? EWWWWWWWWWWW! OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOSH OMIGOOOOOOSH! That is so GROOOOOOOOOOOOSSSS!
Now Goombella looked completely green in the face as if she was about to throw up. Andrew wasn't too keen on the place either. However, his focus was on something entirely different; the blue Bandit who was the only one in there. There was also a Star Piece nearby that Andrew took notice of.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeooops!" The Bandit yelped as Andrew was glowering at him. "Uh... Fancy meeting you here!"
"Don't play dumb with us. You know exactly who we are," Andrew marched over to him. "And you know what you stole from me."
"You're pretty dang persistent, buddy!" The Bandit complained. "What a pain!"
"Yeah. Yeah. Now why don't you return the money that you stole from me," Andrew gave him a stern and firm look.
"Fine! FINE, OK? You got me," the Bandit gave in and obliged to his command as he placed Andrew's coins in his hands. "I'll give you your coins back. Here."
"That's better," Andrew pocketed his money and went to grab the nearby Star Piece before pocketing that too. "Don't ever do that to me again. Consider this a warning."
Andrew turned around and faced Goombella before saying to her. "Come on, Goombella. Let's get out of here."
Goombella looked completely green around the gills to say anything, but she nodded wholeheartedly to what Andrew said as she dashed right out of the hideout along with Andrew.
"Well, that takes care of that," Andrew dusted his hands.
After a few moments, Goombella caught herself now that she wasn't forced to endure that smell. She then wanted to suggest to Andrew.
"Hey, Andrew," she panted. "Can I make a suggestion?"
"What is it, Goombella?" Andrew wondered.
"Let's never go into that hideout again. EVER!" Goombella proclaimed in disgust.
"I'm all for that, too," Andrew sighed, happy that he got his money back. "Now let's go find Professor Frankly."
"Right," Goombella agreed, still feeling faint from the hideout they were just in.
With that, Andrew and Goombella left the alley and headed back to the East Side of Rogueport...
As they were exploring the East Side of Rogueport, Andrew took notice that this side of the town was quite possibly the most dangerous in the area. Aside from another dark alley which he guessed wasn't safe, he saw what appeared to be a Craw named Gus guarding the area beyond that wall, and that they'd have to pay a toll of coins to pass. Andrew didn't want to get involved with that kind of conflict right now, so that side was out of the question.
Eventually, they settled on the building that was right next to the one that had a picture of a Shine Sprite, which Andrew assumed would become important to them later.
As soon as they entered the building, Andrew noticed all of the books that were on the shelves above. It was a bookworm's dream come true, based on the looks of it. There seemed to be other important archaeology material at the top of the shelves, including four orbs that had symbols of some kind on them. Something else Andrew saw was a yellow trash bin in the left corner, as well as a desk in the right corner. On the desk was an open book that was being read by someone. That someone was a Goomba, and once Andrew observed him from a distance, he concluded that he was Professor Frankly. He looked exactly like he did in the photo that Goombella showed him earlier.
So I guess that's Professor Frankly... Andrew thought to himself as Goombella immediately recognized him.
"Oh, hi!" Goombella called out to him. "There you are! Professor Frankly!"
This got the professor's attention and he turned around and jumped.
"Whuzzuh?" Professor Frankly yelped. "Who's there? Who wants me?"
Goombella went over and approached Frankly with Andrew following right behind her. Once she was in front of Frankly, the professor got a better look at her and realized that she had seen her from somewhere before.
"Ah. Yes. You. Now, you, uh... I've seen your face before..." Professor Frankly admitted. "Yes, that face... Wait for it... Just a moment..."
Goombella was about to open her mouth, but the Professor stopped her. "Don't tell me, now! Silence! I'll get it right!"
Professor Frankly then did some serious thinking as he deduced who she couldn't be.
"Ummm... It's not Goombriel..." He proclaimed. "Err... It's not Elizagoom... Hrrmmmm... Errrrmmm..."
It was at that moment, it finally dawned on him. It was all coming back to him.
"A-HAAA! I've got it!" Professor Frankly declared before facing Goombella again. "You're Goombella, aren't you? You were in my archaeology class last year, am I right?"
"Wow, yes, sir! That's me!" Goombella sounded flattered as she admitted. "I'm Goombella, a junior at U Goom! Gooo GOOMBAS!"
"Wow," Andrew blinked. "I didn't know that you had a preppy side, Goombella."
"Believe me, Andrew. There's plenty of interesting stuff about me that you don't know of," Goombella told him with a smile.
"Of 'course' I remember you," Professor Frankly didn't acknowledge Andrew's presence as he continued talking to Goombella. "Not to toot my horn, but I'm pretty good at remembering. You, though... You stick out in my mind because you were such an exceptional student."
It was then Frankly took notice of Andrew who was still standing behind Goombella. "And that guy behind you is..."
Professor Frankly paused, giving Andrew the cue to say something.
"Me?" Andrew pointed to himself.
"WHO?!" Professor Frankly abruptly finished his sentence, straight out of nowhere, which nearly caused Andrew to lose his balance.
Thankfully, Andrew kept his hands on a nearby shelf as he kept his balance before dusting himself off.
"The name's Andrew, Professor Frankly," Andrew introduced himself. "And I came from the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Yeah, Professor. Andrew is this guy that I met at the harbor, where he got me out of a jam," Goombella told him. "He's pretty strong, but he isn't exactly popular."
"She's right, professor," Andrew rubbed the back of his neck in flattery. "I'm not popular anywhere."
"It wouldn't matter if you were popular, sonny," Professor Frankly told him. "I'm such a bookworm, I haven't a clue about what's 'hip' right now."
"Yeah. That makes sense," Andrew sighed at this.
"In any case, what sort of errand brings you two 'all the way' to a place like this?" Professor Frankly decided to ask.
Andrew wanted to say something to him, but Goombella beat him to it as she stepped up. "We were hoping you'd tell us about the legendary treasure said to be below Rogueport! I thought that if anyone knew anything about it, you would, Professor Frankly..."
"Of 'course' I know about it. The reason I came here was to study that very subject," Professor Frankly exclaimed before he queried. "But why do you tykes want to learn about the legendary treasure? You know that most say it's a little more than a fairy tale, don't you?"
This got Andrew confused as he raised an eyebrow at this. Goombella decided to speak up about it. "Archaeologists and historians have to search for truth in those fairy tales, though! Me? I believe the legendary treasure truly does exist! And I 'REALLY' want to find it! Er...I mean, Andrew and I would like to find it."
Andrew realized that she brought him into the conversation he just shrugged. "Yeah. I guess I'm curious as well."
"Good point! And well made! In that case, I'll cooperate with you however I can," Professor Frankly said. "First of all, about the treasure... There are many mysteries surrounding it."
"What kind of mysteries?" Andrew asked curiously.
"Some say it's an infinitely vast treasure hoard, while others say it's a magical item," Professor Frankly explained to them. "Some books say it's 'actually' a monster, while still others claim it's an empty chest... So many different theories..."
"No kidding," Andrew admitted as Goombella was seen smiling in anticipation.
"'Obviously', it's impossible to divine the truth among them," the professor proclaimed. "...But all agree on one point: to find the treasure, one must have the Crystal Stars!"
Crystal Stars? Andrew played that thought in his head several times. He remembered Lord Crump confronting Goombella earlier at the harbor about wanting to know more about the Crystal Stars.
Could Lord Crump and his minion be looking into finding the Crystal Stars as well? And what did it have to do with the princess? Regardless of the answers, Andrew realized that both Lord Crump and his minion would become important later on.
"To find the treasure of yore, take the seven Crystal Stars to the Thousand-Year Door!" Goombella recited a line that she read in a book before. "...You mean the Crystal Stars in that old saying that super-elderly people pass down?"
"Indeed, the same," Professor Frankly confirmed this to be true. "As the saying goes, if you want to find the legendary treasure... You must first collect the seven Crystal Stars."
"Hold the Magical Map aloft before the entrance to the Thousand-Year Door. Then the stars will light the way that leads to the stones of yesterday." Goombella continued to recite before stopping. "Yeah... A lot of the lore I've read says that if this Magical Map is taken to the doorway..."
Goombella took a deep breath before finishing. "...then it'll show you where to find the Crystal Stars!"
Andrew was taking this all in as he was left wondering. Was there 'really' such a thing as a Thousand-Year Door? And was it possible that he had the Magical Map that was mentioned?
It was quite likely that the map he had currently was the same Magical Map, but he only heard tales of the Thousand-Year Door. He didn't know the full story, but he had assumed that it had something to do with what happened a thousand years ago.
It was then Professor Frankly got him out of his thoughts again as he decided to speak.
"Correct!" Professor Frankly yelled before claiming. "And the Thousand-Year Door is supposedly here, deep beneath this town. Yet the critical piece of the puzzle-the Magical Map-is lost. If only we had that map!"
Goombella then decided to make the big reveal to him. "But we DO have it, Professor!" She then realized her mistake as she corrected herself. "Or... Well, not 'we', exactly... ANDREW has the Magical Map!"
Andrew perked up after she said his name, as Professor Frankly jumped up, completely surprised by what she said.
"WHAAAT? Hummina hubbity hubbida hippity hoobida hammala huffala hoofala... REALLY?" Professor Frankly was curious about this. "You... You 'actually' have it?"
"I...I think so," Andrew stepped up and rubbed his right arm with his left hand before he took out the folded-up map again. "I believe this is the map..."
"Could I...just take a quick look at it, if you don't mind?" Professor Frankly requested.
"Sure," Andrew unfolded the map and gave it to the professor.
Moments after looking at the map, Professor Frankly looked like he had finally found what he was looking for. It's as if a missing piece to a thousand-year puzzle had just been solved.
"Astounding! This is it!" Professor Frankly declared proudly. "The real thing! The one and only Magical Map!"
Afterwards, he was done looking at it and he gave it back to Andrew.
"You, son, are my HERO!" Professor Frankly told him. "You're great! Fantastic! WONDERFUL, even!"
"Oh come on Professor. I'm not that great," Andrew said rather modestly. "I just got lucky is all. I'm no hero..."
"Nonsense! With this... We can find the Crystal Stars just by holding this aloft before the legendary door!" Professor Frankly insisted before declaring.
"Right on, Professor!" Goombella cheered in excitement.
"Yeah. Glad that I could help out," Andrew said rather sheepishly.
It was then Professor Frankly knew what they had to do. It was now the time to get started with solving the mystery behind the Thousand-Year Door.
"Good golly, what are we doing just sitting here, then?!" Professor Frankly stepped away from his desk as he motioned towards the door. "Goombella! Andrew! Off we must go, this instant! Let's take the Magical Map to the legendary door!"
"Gotcha, Professor," Goombella beamed before facing Andrew. "Let's get going, Andrew."
"Sure," Andrew shrugged as he pocketed the map for now. "I'm ready to go. I'm curious to see if the Thousand-Year Door 'really' does exist."
"Excellent," Professor Frankly opened the door as he stepped out. "I tell you, we are ANOTHER step closer to solving this thousand-year mystery. Let's make haste."
Not saying anything else, Goombella and Andrew stepped out of Professor Frankly's house as they followed him to what appeared to be a worn-out fence. And beyond that fence was a green pipe. Professor Frankly went to the side of the fence that was being held up by duct tape.
"I bet you didn't know this rotten old thing came off, did you? Heh heh!" The Professor touched it, which caused the piece of the fence to fall off and crumble the moment it hit the ground. Professor Frankly now stood right in front of the green pipe that they'd be taking.
"We can use this pipe to get down under the city streets; straight to Rogueport Sewers," Professor Frankly declared. "Come on! Both of you! Let's get moving!"
"Right, Professor," Andrew and Goombella said simultaneously as they walked over to where the professor was standing.
Before they could go down the pipe, the Professor remembered something as he got his attention.
"Oh, wait, hang on a second... Andrew!" He got his attention. "Something just occurred to me."
"What is it, Professor?" Andrew was curious.
"I'm fairly certain there are quite a few hoodlums below. So, uh...keep your guard up." Professor Frankly warned him.
"Ah, no need to worry about me, Professor," Andrew insisted. "I can hold my own if someone tries to pick a fight with me."
"He's right, professor," Goombella beamed in agreement. "Andrew is a 'really' strong man. He completely decked this creep who tried to kidnap me earlier, and he's good at fighting. And he has muscles."
"Oh stop it will you, Goombella," Andrew told her shyly while waving it off. "I'm flattered."
"Well if you two say so, I'll take your word for it," Professor Frankly was willing to trust Andrew for this trip to the Rogueport Sewers. "Well, down the pipe we go. Just stand on the pipe and sink into it."
"All right. I've traveled through pipes before. I can do this," Andrew then jumped onto the pipe and managed to go down through it.
"Wow! Andrew does know how to travel through pipes," Goombella admitted before jumping up on top of it. "All right Professor. We'll see you at the bottom!"
It was then that Goombella managed to go down the pipe too as she was going to join Andrew in the Rogueport Sewers. Professor Frankly didn't say anything else as he jumped onto the pipe and succeeded in going down through it as well.
And so Andrew, Goombella, and Professor Frankly were heading to the Rogueport Sewers, where they were hoping to find the exact location of the Thousand-Year Door. Things were going to get interesting...
END OF CHAPTER 2...
Well, that's it for this chapter. There's a little more action here thanks to the fight with Lord Crump. But it's only going to get more exciting later on.
Yeah, this chapter pretty much showcased Andrew's establishing character moment, being that despite his cynical perspective of the world, especially with a place like Rogueport, he will always be willing to do the right thing and help out, like how he kept Goombella from being kidnapped by Lord Crump and his minions.
Also, while it's true that he's a loner and that he doesn't talk much, that does NOT mean Andrew is incapable of talking at all, as he will have a conversation with someone if it's necessary, as shown in this chapter. Andrew is also depicted in this story as being a modest and humble young man, and parts of his backstory will be revealed bit by bit later on.
Another thing worth noting, this chapter follows more from the game's script than the first chapter did. However, what's noticeable here is that plenty of dialogue was changed and altered to fit the situation with Andrew. The discussion between Andrew and Toadsworth is a perfect example of this. This will be something that persists throughout a good chunk of this story. That's something I promise you all.
Lastly, I hope I did a good job with handling Goombella's characterization, as she seems to be very preppy, somewhat energetic, and has a huge interest in adventure and archaeology. This is also to help make a dynamic with Andrew that'll last until later on, when more partners join them, which will be the time Andrew gets some character development.
Anyway, I think I've ranted off enough here. So next time, Andrew, Goombella, and Professor Frankly go through the Rogueport Sewers, deal with some Goombas, find a black chest, Andrew gets a new ability, and some other cool stuff will occur. How will this go? Find out next time, readers.
For now, only if you like, you can leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. This is just the start of it, so it'll take a while to get into the ease of it.
Otherwise, that's all that I have for now. So until next time, I hope you look forward to more chapters in this story. And on that note, thanks for reading again, everyone!