Even More Prologue - In Which the Adventure Gets a Proper Kickoff

We join our heroes as they trek into the slums to find Dr. Frankly.

"Here we are!" Goombella said as they approached a run-down building. She knocked on the door, "Professor, I'm back! And you won't believe what I've just found!"

The door opened to reveal an old mushroom man in a tweed suit. "Yes, what is it? What did you find?" he asked.

"Finn, if you wouldn't mind?" Goombella held out her hand and Finn handed her the map. "We've got the Magical Map!"

Dr. Frankly grabbed the map from his student. "Give it here! I need to be sure…" He rushed back inside, and then popped out again, saying, "Sorry! Do come inside, please!"

"Now, before I begin my examination, I feel some introductions are in order. Who are your new friends, Goombella?"

"Oh, this is Finn and his adopted brother, Jake. They helped me out of a jam a while back, and they were the ones who found the map," she explained.

"Hello, sir," said Finn. Jake simply waved.

The mushroom professor did a few quick tests on the map, and once he was satisfied, he returned it to Finn, saying, "My boy, I can't thank you enough for finding this map, because it is indeed the Magical Map!"

Goombella bounced about happily. "We can finally start looking for the Mystic- uh- Thingies…"

"They're called the Crystal Stars," The professor corrected.

Suddenly, Finn thought of something. "Hey, yeah! I just remembered that weird guy mentioned those Mystic Thingies, too."

"Ah! That's right! Professor, there was someone else who was probably after the treasure!" Goombella added. "He and his goons tried to grab me when I was out looking for information. In fact, that was the aforementioned 'jam' that Finn and Jake helped me out of."

"Goodness, this is turning into quite the adventure! A treasure hunt for ancient artifacts, individuals with questionable morals and motives seeking those same treasures… Ah, reminds me of my younger days," Dr. Frankly said as he stared wistfully into the distance. "But, still, you were asking about the Crystal Stars?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal about those things?"

"Well, they're powerful magical artifacts from a lost civilization. A civilization that once stood in this very spot! Indeed, the town of Rogueport was built upon the rubble of that great civilization, and I have made it my own personal mission to study the legends surrounding it and discover the truth."

The professor walked over to his large collection of books, and continued, "I've pored over countless tomes on the subject, and they all agree on one point: Finding the truth requires finding the Crystal Stars, which serve as the key to the Thousand-Year Door. And to find the Crystal Stars, I need the Magical Map, which you so helpfully brought to me."

At that point, Goombella chimed in, "'To find the Crystal Stars of Yore, hold aloft the Map at the Thousand-Year Door. And each new piece shall light your way, to find the Stones of Yesterday.'" After a brief pause, she asked, "Why is it that ancient stuff like that is always in rhyming verse or unhelpfully flowery prose?"

Dr. Frankly chuckled, patting his assistant on the head. "That's something you'll need to learn on your own, my dear." He then grabbed a cane from a bucket near his front door. "Come along, then! We've got some ruins to investigate!"

"There, uh, seems to have been a bit of a collapse since the last time I'd been to the door…" said the professor, as he looked at the wreckage of what was once a raised walkway to the Door's chamber.

"Not a problem, Doc!" Finn declared. "Yo, Jake, you mind playing elevator?"

"Not at all, bro!" Jake hopped out of Finn's backpack and stretched himself out. The others then climbed onto his back, and with a bellowed "GOING UP!" Jake extended his legs until the group could reach the entrance to the Door's chamber. "We have arrived at our destination!"

The Door chamber was an impressive sight, a huge room with a raised platform in the center covered in various arcane symbols. And, of course, the door itself was an imposing sight in its own right.

"… That's a big door," said Jake.

"I wonder what's behind it…" Goombella mused.

"There are many theories, some say untold treasures, others think some kind of powerful weapon, there are even some who say dangerous monsters are contained behind that door," Dr. Frankly explained, "Personally, though, I'm not one for idle speculation."

There was a brief pause.

"Well, Finn," the professor said, "Hold aloft the map, like in the legend!"

Finn did so.

Nothing happened.

"Huh. Disappointing," said Goombella.

"Perhaps you need to try it while standing in the middle of the platform?" Dr. Frankly guessed.

Finn walked out to the middle of the platform and tried holding the map aloft again.

This time, the arcane symbols carved on the platform began to glow, and a bright ball of light enveloped our hero. And just as suddenly as it had started, it faded away.

"Whoa, that was a serious rush!" Finn exclaimed. "I still feel kinda tingly…"

"Hey, the map's still glowing a little!" Jake pointed out.

Finn looked at the map. "Oh, hey! There's some stuff on here that wasn't there before! I can see a tiny little me standing where I assume we are on the map, and there's an image of a star over a castle in a grassy plains area off to the east of the city!"

"Let me see!" Dr. Frankly shouted as he rushed to Finn's side. "How remarkable! 'Magical Map' was indeed a perfect name for this!"

"Hey, what about that bright flash a few minutes ago?" Goombella asked.

"Ah, I have a theory about that, but we'll need to return to my house so I can do a bit of research on the subject." the professor explained.

And with that, they all returned to Dr. Frankly's house.

"Aha!" The professor had just finished poring over one of his books. "I believe I have enough information to confirm my theory. Our young friend has just obtained a Star Power!"

"So, what does that mean?" Finn asked.

"It means that you have access to a special ability that will help you in difficult situations. According to my studies, the map can generate an aura of healing energy." Dr. Frankly answered. "There are also legends relating to the powers of the Crystal Stars themselves, but I don't want to bore you with things you probably don't need to know now."

"Speaking of the Crystal Stars, any idea where that first one is supposed to be located?" asked Goombella.

"Well, after comparing the image on the Magical Map to the charts of the area surrounding Rogueport, it would appear to be located in a place known as Petal Meadows. Interestingly enough, it was widely believed that one of the Crystal Stars might have been located there! As such, it was quite the destination for would-be treasure hunters."

"Ah! Speaking of treasure hunts, the entire reason I have the Magical Map at all is because I was invited on one by my friend, Princess Bubblegum!" Finn suddenly cried.

"Hmm… Princess Bubblegum, you said?" Dr. Frankly thought for a moment, "Would she perhaps be a rather elegant lady scientist apparently made of her namesake?"

"That's PB, all right."

"Yes, someone like that did come to visit me a few days ago, asked a couple questions about my studies… I may have mentioned the theories surrounding Petal Meadows…"

Jake poked his head out of Finn's backpack. "Dude, you think she might have gone on ahead of us?"

"On a hunch based primarily on rumors and legends? Doesn't sound like Peebs at all," Finn replied.

"Yeah, I guess so," Jake conceded.

"Maybe you could ask the locals when we get there?" Goombella suggested.

Finn shrugged, "Worth a shot, I suppose." He turned to the professor. "So, how do we get to Petal Meadows from here?"

"Hmm… The local gangs would likely try to charge a 'protection fee' if you try to leave by the east gate…" the goomba doctor mused, "But perhaps… Yes, that should work nicely. There's a tunnel in the catacombs that leads to a sewer exit just outside the east gate. That'll get you past the gang checkpoints without needing to pay a single coin!"

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Finn asked.

Dr. Frankly slumped into his desk chair. "You know what? You two can go on by yourselves. I'm worn out from everything that's happened today, plus I think I might be a bit too old for a potentially world-spanning adventure, anyway."

And so our heroes went on their way.

Or they were about to, when suddenly, Dr. Frankly yelled for them to wait.

"I just remembered! It's dangerous to go alone, take this!" he said, pressing a small object into Finn's hand. "I've always wanted to say that," he grinned.

Finn examined the object that the mushroom professor had given him. It was a metal pin in the shape of a particularly sturdy-looking hammer. "That's great, but how will this help me?"

"It's a badge," Dr. Frankly explained. "If you pin them to something that you're wearing, they grant special powers. For example, that one I just gave you will allow you to channel extra striking power into your weapon attacks. It might prove useful against enemies with strong defenses. When you need to use it, just give it a tap. "

Finn pinned the badge to one of the straps of his backpack. "Cool, thanks Doc. I'll be sure to put it to good use."

And with that, our heroes headed off.

"I hate sewer levels," said Jake, as he burrowed deeper into Finn's backpack.

"Well, hey, at least we're getting it out of the way early," said Finn. "And anyway, we haven't run into any monsters down here, yet."

At that moment, as if just to spite him for bringing up the lack of monsters, a giant squid creature burst from the water.

"Way to jinx us, there, Finn," Goombella said.

"What is that thing?" Finn asked, reaching for his sword just in case the creature turned hostile.

"It's called a Blooper. They're generally harmless," Goombella explained. "They're also generally not this big…"

The Blooper grabbed Goombella with one of its tentacles, eliciting a scream from her. "Help! It's a tentacle monster and I'm dressed like a schoolgirl! I've seen too much anime to not know how this might end!"

"Don't worry, I'm on it!" Finn shouted, drawing his sword and swinging at the tentacle, but he failed to do more than scratch it. "All right, let's try this, then." Finn tapped the badge on his backpack strap, and then instinct took over. He gripped his sword tightly and focused, and the blade was suddenly wreathed in a bright glow. He raised the blade over his head and, with a loud cry, brought it down, slicing cleanly through the tentacle.

"BLOOOOOOOP!" the monster squid cried as it swam away. The sliced tentacle released its grip on Goombella, who let out another shriek as she fell out.

"I've got you!" shouted Jake as he shifted his hand into a giant catcher's mitt.

As soon as she was back on the ground, she let out a relieved sigh. "Let's get out of here, in case it decides to come back with friends," she said, and the three of them hurried toward the exit.

End of Prologue!

Well, this was a decent amount of time coming. But I had it more or less written and ready to go, I just didn't feel ready to post it. I guess I am, now. Hope you enjoyed, and reviews are always welcome.