Chapter IV - A Heart, Frozen by the Reaper
"A warp pipe?" Yoshi questioned, staring at the aged transportation system. Yoshi looked inside the cave. It was very shallow and didn't go any further; all there was to see was the warp pipe. Professor Kolorado took a close look at the highly aged pipe, brushing the moss and smelling the slime, then chipped off a piece of rust and squinted at it. The mustached Koopa Troopa mumbled some, as did his colleagues about this pipe. Yoshi couldn't help but wonder as to what lay inside this pipe. Maybe Kolorado was right the whole time? Maybe it is indeed treasure? But what if it is something bad? There could be a giant monster on the other side for all Yoshi and the archaeologists knew.
"My, oh my…" Kolorado said quietly. "I'm no botanist, but from the looks of this pipe, it is well over 1,000 years old."
"A thousand years?" Yoshi asked, thinking back to when Mario opened the door with the same title in a land from afar.
"Indeed. This pipe goes way back to the day of the dragon and the sword; the Medieval Times…"
"But how come is was hidden inside the mountain?"
"Who knows? But as an archaeologist, I intend to find out!" Kolorado took a deep breath. "Smell that, dear boy? It's the smell of TREASURE!" Kolorado leapt atop the pipe and was ready to explore. "Aren't any of you coming?" he asked, thrilled about this discovery. Yoshi stepped forward. If there were a monster beyond the pipe, he would be ready; after all, he was the only one out of the group who had combat experience. And if he didn't protect the batty Koopa, who would? Two of Kolorado's colleagues also stepped forward, but the others chose to stay.
"Very well," Kolorado said, "the native and you two will come with me…" Kolorado then looked at the others, who were staying. "And you will keep watch over the pipe, making sure nobody gets into the same sticky wickets we may find ourselves in." He turned to Yoshi and the colleagues. "Are you ready?" The group nodded. "Good! Because when we're on the route for treasure, there's never any turning back when it comes to me! For I am Professor Kolorado! Off we go now!" Kolorado dove into the pipe, Yoshi followed, then the two colleagues as the group all dropped into the highly aged pipe, not knowing what treasure, chaos, or discoveries were awaiting them…
The team popped up on the other side of the pipe. They saw nothing; the surrounding area was bleak as the group stood at the base of several gray mountains, looming high and piercing the sky with their snow-covered tops. The basin they had appeared within was not natural, but man-made. Brick walls covered the parts of the mountains dug away at, the ground consisted of a tan brick, and the area was circular, the warp pipe being in the middle. Yoshi shivered, feeling a chilled gust of wind, as the temperature was low, in the 30s at least. The sky was made up of thick, dark gray clouds that truly made this land look gloomy and bleak, devoid of life. On the east end of the basin was an exit, several broken stones lying beside it and around it; obviously this place used to be sealed off, but had been breached.
"I don't like this place," one of Kolorado's colleagues said nervously. "These chills… they aren't natural…" The other Koopa remained quiet; he pretty much felt and thought the same as the other. Kolorado hummed merrily as he strolled down the path, ignorant of the Koopa's comment. The wind continued blowing, being the only sound to be heard besides the team's footsteps. Yoshi breathed hard as he began to feel nervous about this whole thing; he saw clouds form from exhaling, as the chills continued. Yoshi hadn't endured such climates in a long time; he recalled he and his friends trudging through the snow long ago. It was way back in his childhood, when he and his friends had followed a trail of fruit through here in their quest to re-obtain the Super Happy Tree from Bowser so long ago.
However, the time was different, as was the scenario; there was no snow here, nor were his friends with him. He wouldn't be able to cure himself should trouble brew, and even if trouble had occurred… by the feel of the winds and the gloom that plagued this land, it was long gone. But still, Yoshi thought, if the chaos that may have plagued this land is gone, how come I still feel it is here? Is it just resting, hibernating until a new prey comes? Is there even a chaos plaguing this land? What if we're just paranoid? I mean, just because a land is bleak and cold doesn't mean something bad happened…
The group continued down the path until
it opened up and widened at its peak, revealing just where everyone was
going. The whole group went wide-eyed as they gazed at something not even
Professor Kolorado could imagine. They all gazed beyond as ahead of them,
under the darkened sky, above the dried, hardened dirt, and between the
ominous mountains, lay an ancient city. But this city was not one to be
wondered; the buildings, even at a distance, revealed their age and damage
as stone bricks were stained with frost, browned by the filth from a lack
of upkeep. Wooden roofs and fences, once tan and brown in all their smoothened
glory, were now splintered and gray, like the rest of the land. Next to
the town were small fields once used for farming, or so observation said.
The soil within their limits of the fences, once rich in nutrients and
cultivated by hoes, was now ruined and covered with weeds and high grass,
all dead as they exposed their yellows and browns. But beyond the town,
beyond the farm, beyond it all lay a castle. This castle stood high above
all else, once symbolizing royalty and superiority, now imaging despair
and age as time continued to shed its tears as it had been since its time
of darkness. This land clearly was not at peace; something had happened
that history never mentioned, as the group stared in disbelief over this
now dead land.
Chapter V - Apocalypse Unknown
Yoshi finally broke the silence when he quietly asked, "What on earth is this place?" His colleagues were silent, still shocked by this sight. Kolorado, however, had a glow in his eyes as he gawked in amazement over the ruined city. He chuckled quietly as he slowly stepped forward, then ran towards the city, laughing merrily. The colleagues hurried behind the professor, telling him to wait up and to be careful as the town may be rigged with traps. Yoshi stood there, wondering. Something about this town, Yoshi thought, it feels… odd, somewhat nostalgic… His zoning was cut off as one of the Koopa workers shouted to him to get moving. Yoshi snapped out of his daze and soon followed the group, into the city of an unknown apocalypse.
He arrived at the entrance to meet up with Kolorado and the colleagues. As he gained a closer look at the town, he could tell that the town was old; at least 1,000 years, as Kolorado had implied. The team observed the area, from houses to roads. There was no sign of life, not anymore, anyway. While the two colleagues looked nervous, Kolorado was looking at the sky, overcome with glee. It was kind of odd, even creepy to see someone actually being happy in a place like this. Yoshi, although a little freaked at Kolorado's happiness, tapped his shell and dared ask him as to why he was so happy about being here.
"Can't you smell it, dear boy?" Kolorado said, taking a deep breath, "This is treasure, no- bigger than treasure. This is glory we're dealing with here; rich, fulfilling glory!"
"Glory?" Yoshi questioned. "How can a wrecked city such as this have glory? Can't you feel the chills coming from this place? I'm no medium, but we can all feel that something isn't right here."
"Exactly! This place was erased by history, and as an archaeologist, I intend to restore it to the books in which it so rightfully belongs! Just think about it; we discovered the treasure of a lifetime, a priceless artifact full of mysteries! Oh… I feel a tad faint…"
Kolorado grew limp as he passed out on his shell, faint from all the excitement. As the group leaned him against a wall, they could hear him mutter, "Haven't had a thrill like this in years. Can't wait to tell the missus." When Kolorado was positioned against a wall, his colleagues were still nervous about this place. One of them actually had strong considerations of running back to the pipe and not turning back. Brave little Koopas, aren't they? But then again, Yoshi wasn't exactly highly brave about this whole exploit; the chills were getting to him, and this whole "land of death" was frightening him some. Of course, Yoshi only felt it natural since he has been frightened on his ventures before.
"Well now, men…" Kolorado soon got back up, regaining his strength from the shock, "first thing's first, we are to explore this area and look for anything necessary." Start looking, already? Yoshi was curious about Kolorado's aspects, but the man was clearly ready to start, regardless of how many men were at his disposal.
"Isn't it a little soon, Professor?" one of his colleagues asked. "Shouldn't we wait until we get more recruits?" Kolorado did nothing but chuckle at his colleague's comment.
"Hmm, yes…" Kolorado muttered, disappointed in having to wait until further excavating his discovery. "Go get the others, and we'll start! And remember to be quick; we have a city to uncover!" The two colleagues ran off, looking eager to go back to the pipe. Yoshi stayed with the professor, still wanting to adventure, despite his fears. "So you're staying, huh?" Kolorado asked the Yoshi. The dinosaur nodded in response. "Good. So maybe now with those two colleagues of mine out of the way, we can really do some work." Yoshi was confused. Work? As in doing what archaeologists do? He was hesitant at first, feeling that the idea of blowing dust off of a bunch of old stones would be boring, but agreed to help him out for now. Who knows? He might find something truly outstanding.
The two, now alone and unbothered by the other Koopas, progressed deeper into the city. Kolorado mentioned something about wanting to check out the castle first, meaning they would be checking that out first. The two walked towards the castle, but they still had awhile to go; it was on the other side of this town. As the two walked through the town, Yoshi simply couldn't help but sightsee. He saw quite a few things; some amazed him while others just freaked him out. He saw the beauty of the houses from 1,000 years ago underneath their age and damage. Inside his mind, he pictured it a thousand years ago.
He could imagine peasants, nobles, and merchants walking the streets of this medieval town. He could see them trading crops for coins. He could imagine the blacksmith and his apprentice smashing a piece of hot metal on an anvil, shaping to perfection. Perhaps they were crafting a spear? Or maybe the blacksmith was really a swordsmith, hammering upon his next finely crafted piece of weaponry. He could imagine knights trotting down these lanes, making sure all was safe as they rode their Yoshis, majestic and strong. Yoshi sighed as he breathed in the history of this place and what it might have been like so long ago. But the chaos… where or how could it have happened? What could've possibly ended this once-thriving civilization? What could have killed everything in this land? So many questions, Yoshi thought, I can't answer them all. I'm not even sure if I can answer even one.
They eventually made it to the town square, where their latest discovery was a questionable one. In the midst of this square stood a stone statue in the middle of what looked like a shallow well, broken and now covered with dust. The statue was a small one about the size of a regular Koopa. Upon closer inspection the statue was indeed a Koopa. He was an elder, as he had a long beard and wrinkles could be seen around his face. He had long hair to match his beard, and wore a long, flowing robe, heavily torn at the edges. He was kneeling, as if from exhaustion, and he was clutching his heart tightly. The man had a pained look in his eyes, yet they looked content, as if he had accomplished a major deed that he was proud of. Perhaps he had died a happy man, but from a painful illness, like a heart attack.
"Goodness," Kolorado said, observing the statue, "whoever crafted this statue must have been an amazing artist. The detail is excruciating and so refined!" As he continued observing, he seemed a little confounded. "Odd… There's no name or plaque to commemorate this statue. No description or anything…"
While Kolorado was admiring the stone piece of work, Yoshi looked around at the square. It was horrific; the buildings here were smashed as walls were torn and glass was spread everywhere. Rooftops were blackened and charred from past fires, and staining the walls and ground was a dark substance, now dried and dusty from time itself. Yoshi couldn't decipher it; it looked black in appearance and was browned by dust, it was splattered on the walls of the buildings and roads randomly. Yoshi gulped hard, hoping to high heaven that it wasn't blood. He tried to ignore it by looking down the path leading to the castle, but it did no good; the buildings and walls were smashed and stained from Town Square to the castle. Yoshi whimpered lightly, losing a little of his nerve, but one thing was certain: whatever wrecked this town occurred between the town square and the castle itself. But in what order was still a mystery.
Kolorado, after finishing observing
the statue, looked around the square, as well as down to the castle. He,
too, was shocked. "What on earth…? Hmm, looks like we're nearing the end
of the mystery of how this town was ruined…"
Chapter VI - Royalties Forbidden
The two adventurers walked down the road to the castle, the chaos continuing as they saw more smashed walls and stains of the unknown origin. They were seeing what could've been a great battle or perhaps a raid of sorts. However, as Kolorado observed the buildings and the roads, he was baffled to notice there were no bodies lying around; it may have been a thousand years, but there at least should have been bones or skeletons lying about. As he looked around, he saw no bodies at all… only chaos. The professor didn't feel it could be that important, so he remained quiet about the matter.
Meanwhile, Yoshi was wondering what those black stains could be. As he looked at them, he shuddered, getting many a bad thought about them as he tried to focus on other things. He closed his eyes tightly and continued enduring his fears. I want to go back, Yoshi thought, I want to go back to the pipe and back home where everything is normal and there aren't any apocalyptic tragedies. As he continued walking with his eyes sealed shut, another part of him had something else to say.
No, I can't cower like this, this other half commented, I've been scared before. He recalled memories of how he'd braved dark caves, skeletal zombie dragons, fierce lava beasts, whirling blades, and so much more. No, I'm not going to cower just because I feel like I'm part of a Resident Evil cliché. Yoshi chuckled, looking at the stains, knowing that they might not even be blood. For all he knew, they could be mud, oil, or anything. Heh, doesn't even look like blood now that I think about it. Yoshi chuckled, now feeling braver than before after his mental pep talk, eager to take on what lay ahead.
"Feeling scared, native boy?" Kolorado asked, looking ahead prominently. "It's natural if you are, what with the surroundings and all."
"I was," Yoshi replied, chuckling, "but I can brave it out. I've been through worse, after all."
"Is that so?" Kolorado commented. "Let's hope you stay brave once we enter the castle up ahead."
The archaeologist pointed at the crumbling castle, which lay not far now. Yoshi took a deep breath as the two approached the steps leading upward towards the castle doors. One of the doors was already destroyed, lying on the ground, having the same black filth on it, as did the buildings leading up towards this forsaken fortress. The other door was heavily beaten but still holding; the hinges and the handle itself were almost completely rusted out and even the slightest movement could cause it to shatter, dropping the door on whomever was unfortunate enough to be in the way. Yoshi, not wanting to crushed by a heavy piece of wood and metal, decided to step over the other door, the fallen one with the stain. Kolorado followed suit after tapping the other door unwisely a few times.
The castle inside was a wreck. Pillars that may have been holding up the upper floors were thrashed, forming giant holes in the ceiling, allowing what little sunlight there was to beam through to lighten the place up. Piles of fallen and smashed brick lay everywhere, as the Koopa professor wiped his shoes on the badly torn, badly aged purple rug that flowed from the doors up a set of stairs leading into the throne room, no doubt. Looking at the walls, he could see they were once covered in green paint with black trims along the bottom. The paint had aged greatly as it faded so much that the bricks they had covered appeared gray yet again. Statues next to the carpet were either smashed or tipped, revealing broken pieces everywhere; and unlike the statue of the Koopa warlock sitting in the town square, at the bases of these statues lay engraved text. However, it was not of any language known to this world today.
"I recall seeing this language somewhere," Kolorado said, squinting at the letters and symbols. "It has been dead for so long, however. Nobody uses it anymore, and most professors have never even heard of the language. I can't recall the name myself."
"So you're saying we might never be able to translate this?" Yoshi asked, blowing dust off of the text of another statue.
"Never is only a word antagonists use to keep their foes from defeating them," Kolorado said. "Where there is a will, there is always a way - so to speak."
As the professor spoke, a falling brick almost struck his cranium. It missed, however, breaking in two from the impact with the cold stone floor next to the rug. Kolorado looked up; the castle was still crumbling, it seemws. Even after a thousand years, it was still falling. Yoshi observed the text a little more before he and Kolorado moved onward up the stairs into what might have been the throne room. They approached yet another set of doors, this time closed shut. The two looked at one another and were about to shove at the doors, opening them, when they were interrupted by a distant voice.
"Professor? Professor Kolorado!" It was the voice of one Kolorado's assistants. The Koopa scientist sighed as he let back on the door, saving whatever treasure lay inside for later. Yoshi let back his force, as well. Kolorado summoned Yoshi to go back with him to the castle doors and find their colleagues. Didn't think they would come back, Yoshi thought, they sure hurried to get out of here before. Yoshi and Kolorado stepped outside the castle and saw their colleagues back at the square.
"Come on, dear boy," Kolorado said,
jumping down the stairs, almost falling, "Can't keep them worried. Without
their leader, their morale drops quite some, indeed. And I plan to dig
this whole town inside out in my ventures!" Yoshi nodded, and raced Kolorado
back to their colleagues. However, since Kolorado couldn't keep up, the
dinosaur offered him a ride on his back to speed their progress.
Chapter VII - A Chamber of Secrets
"Professor!" shouted one of the colleagues as the Koopa archaeologist rode in on Yoshi. "Where were you? We thought something had happened!"
"But something DID happen!" the professor said, pretending to have Yoshi trot in front of the group like a king. "We were on the verge of discovering treasures unseen!" The Koopa got off the Yoshi and spoke of his claims, only half of which were true. The group spoke a variant of "ooh's" and "ahh's" as they listened with great intrigue to his tales. Yoshi listened as well, willing to recollect everything again when he looked down at his feet to see that there was a black mark on his shoe. Apparently, not all of the mystery paint was dried out… Yoshi scraped the substance off on the wall around the well as if it were… well, moving on… While he was scraping the black substance off, Kolorado looked to him. Yoshi explained how he had accidentally stepped in the unknown substance, but Kolorado decided to open up his archaeologist kit and scrape the substance into a small dish - one often used in science laboratories - before allowing Yoshi to scrape any more off.
"Perhaps the lab back at the islands can decipher this substance, at least," Kolorado mentioned, placing the dish back inside his kit, alongside other dishes. While Yoshi was attempting to scrape it off, he noticed that it was different from the other substance he was familiar with stepping in. This one was a tad rough, as though it were partially frozen, and could be peeled or chipped off like a packed ball of snow or a slushed ice treat. While scraping it off, the dinosaur lost his balance, tipping backwards. To prevent falling, Yoshi turned and ran some steps forward. While he may have stopped himself from falling on the ground, he wasn't prepared to prevent himself from falling INSIDE the ground.
With his final step of recovering balance, the ground around him imploded and sank, like a pitfall. The dinosaur yelled as he dropped into the unknown, falling nowhere near as long as he'd figured. He landed on his back over a few bricks that had collapsed underneath him when he'd stepped on them. He lay there in pain for a few moments, moaning. The others didn't notice his falling, being too diverted by Kolorado's talks. After a minute or two, Yoshi got up from the ground and stretched his back. Nothing broken, Yoshi thought, stretching his limbs as feelings of sharp pain shot through his arm and head. His right arm was scraped some after the fall, and he had a bump on his head from hitting the bricks. He would be fine, however; the scrapes were minor and it was a small bump.
He observed the area around him to find, to his surprise, that it was lit; small crystals lined up in the edges of the walls and ceilings glowed a bright bluish, illuminating all around it. He seemed to be in a chamber, a man-made one clearly. As he looked around, he noticed an altar next to him, elevated upon a table. Upon close inspection, he observed the table was stained brownish-black. This stain was not by the mysterious substance, but rather ashes as it tainted the surface, as well as a brownish liquid that Yoshi was unfamiliar with; it was used often. Next to the black altar were two more black splatters of mystery. What could that stuff be? Next to one of the splatters was a scroll; an ancient dusty scroll, fragile from the wear and tear time has done to it. Yoshi picked it up and opened it slowly, so as not to damage anything. Inside read the same type of text that was on the statues. However, rather than relying on the professor to figure out what this could possibly say, Yoshi blew the dust off and kept it to his side. Taking one scroll wouldn't hurt, right? Continuing to look around the room, he saw some broken urns, as well as some vials shaped like pyramids. They were all empty, and most of them were broken. Yoshi saw a doorway leading into another room. Not expecting help from the professor anytime soon, Yoshi entered.
Inside this next room was a hall, with a large assortment of small cabinets lined up against the walls, as well as against the square pillars in the middle. Above these cabinets were paintings of various people. However, due to age, grime has built up on the paintings. The grime was so bad, Yoshi could only see blotches of dark colors, smeared with age and dust. It would take a professional to clean them and return these to their former beauty. As he looked at the cabinets, he saw they were all locked and hadn't aged too much from rust. Yoshi tugged at the door of one, but failed to open it. As he walked through the room, about to enter another doorway, he noticed one of the cabinets was blasted open, as the door lay on the ground, scratched and torn at. Inside were a few shelves, but they were empty and instead splattered with a black and brown residue as the vial and urn inside were already destroyed. The painting had been destroyed in the same manner as the cabinet door, scratched and torn away at. What happened here? What made this person stand out above others so much as to have his cabinet disturbed like this?
Pondering about the wrecked cabinet, Yoshi entered the next hallway. It was more or less the less the same as the last hallway. For a few minutes, Yoshi walked through what seemed more like a maze than a chamber. Where am I? Yoshi thought. Am I lost? Where's the way out? As he continued walking through room after room, some of which had a destroyed cabinet or two, he eventually entered a different room. This room set itself apart from others, as the bluish glow was gone and replaced by a golden glow. However, it was in far worse condition than that of other rooms; just about all of the cabinets were destroyed and most of the crystals lighting the room were destroyed, making this room very dim compared to others. Yoshi examined the walls, then the cabinets and thought back to what it looked like before chaos reigned on this city. He could imagine this room was a royal chamber, as the walls, now dusty seemed to glow with a bright gold and red under the age. The pillars were a clean white, and in the middle of the room was a large, beautiful crystal chandelier. However, the walls were smeared with the blackening and age, the pillars were smashed, and the chandelier was shattered on the ground, leaving broken fragments of glass-like shards lying everywhere on the ground. The floor, once rich with red carpet and white tiles, was now stained a dark brown from the ashes within the urns and the liquid inside the vials. Clearly there was something very large about these people, something very big. It had to have been, why else would their cabinets get disturbed like this?
As he looked around, he noticed that
one of the cabinets was not disturbed, at least not fully, anyway. Only
the top part of the cabinet door was broken off, revealing a hole inside.
Yoshi peered inside to see a scroll. He moved his hand towards the hole
and made a fist; he could fit his hand inside. The door was locked on this,
so the hole would be the only way of getting to the scroll inside. He reached
inside and grabbed the scroll, having a paranoid fear that something inside
would grab him. However, nothing grabbed him as he pulled the scroll out
and read it, revealing more of the usual language. Yoshi placed it to his
side next to the other scroll and walked out of the room. In this next
room, he finally found a staircase leading up. He walked up the stairs
and back above the no-longer-so-solid ground.
Chapter VIII - Praising the Forgotten
Yoshi walked up the stairs. For some reason, these stairs were going up for a while, as if Yoshi was walking up a hill. He reached the top of the stairs, tired from exhaustion, and walked past a doorway; the large doors sealing the way had fallen, most likely from this city's dawn of darkness. Yoshi observed the area to see he was inside a room - a library to be more exact. As he continued looking, he saw several bookshelves on his left and a desk at his right. The bookshelves still housed a supply of books, as only a few were lying on the ground, torn from time. No doubt these books could tell who knows how many years of history that had occurred in this place, but until the language could be deciphered, they would remain quiet to all. On the desk was an assortment of papers, most of which were blank. As odd as it seemed, these papers were well organized; undisturbed for the past millennium, with the exception of dust and possible cobwebs. Next to the papers were a bunch of scrolls, and next to that was a large book with an odd symbol on it. Yoshi opened the book, knowing the scrolls wouldn't tell him anything, and the first page he saw was of an illustration.
On this illustration were three characters: a Koopa with long hair and a short beard (different from the Koopa seen in the town square), a Shy Guy in torn black cloths carrying a scythe, and a female Yoshi with a staff. The Koopa and the Yoshi had a round circle around their heads, as if illuminating halos. The Shy Guy was above them, holding his scythe high above a field of fallen characters. The characters were all too small to identify, but they could be seen as Toads, Koopas, Yoshis, Shy Guys, and so on. The Koopa and Yoshi were in the foreground, holding their hands up high at the dark Shy Guy. Next to the illustration was simply just more of the confusing text. What is this, Yoshi thought, a holy book of the sort? Did these residents have a religion? Am I in a church or something? Yoshi closed the book and left it; he couldn't carry it with him, as it was too large and heavy. He saw a door next to the desk and opened it. In this next room was a large hall with multiple doors on the left and another hall with a door on it to the right. He opened a door to his left to see a simple bedroom. A bed lay against the corner with a small table next to it carrying a candle, melted to the tabletop. On the other side of the room, next to the door was a desk with more writing on it. Looking at this room following that book, Yoshi realized he was inside a monastery.
Yoshi closed the door and took the hall on his right and opened the door. In the next room was a large hall with an altar on one side and two large doors, surprisingly standing in their places closed, opposite the altar. Yoshi approached the altar before heading for what seemed like the exit. It was lined with many candles, and behind it was a large painting. Like the ones in the underground chamber, this portrait was also covered with age, censoring it from its admirers. This portrait was painted just above the pipes of an organ. The keys were now browned from time itself, as the organ was very old. Yoshi could see a music sheet at the center, just above the many keys. It looked a lot like regular sheet music, but Yoshi didn't know how to read sheet music… Yoshi turned to pay attention to the altar. Atop the altar lay a book similar to the one seen in the library; it was already opened. Yoshi looked at the book to reveal another illustration; this time, it was of a Toad. This Toad was wrapped in robes and his Mushroom cap was blank of spots. He, like the Koopa and the female Yoshi, had a circle around his head. He was standing above two Goombas with his arms out, holding what looked like a Fire Flower in one and a hammer in the other. Yoshi couldn't understand what was going on, so he ignored the book and progressed toward the doors. He pushed hard against them, hoping they wouldn't fall on him. He continued pushing until he heard a creaking; the doors had opened up for him, revealing the land around.
The sight explained the reason for the long stairs leading up before. Yoshi noticed that the building was on the outside of the town, atop a large hill, meeting the mountains halfway. Yoshi walked a little away from the monastery to get a better look at it. It was indeed a large building, with a stained glass portrait atop the steeple, showing text written in the language unknown. Next to the pathway leading from the building were two statues, one on each side. They were of the same Koopa and female Yoshi in the book. Who were these people? Prophets? Apostles? Maybe even gods? At the bases of each statue were what looked to be their names, but still, nothing new came from reading it. He walked and almost lost his balance, seeing that the pathway ended and thus started a stairway down. He almost lost his balance and fell from the stairs as he looked down; the stairs were long and great, as the hill the monastery stood upon was high above the town and was almost as high as the castle itself. Step by step, Yoshi walked down the stairs; it was a long way down.
When he reached the base and made it back to the city, he was now lost, not being able to see the square nor the castle. No matter, Yoshi thought, he'd eventually find one of the other. After all, the city couldn't be that big, could it? His instincts were right, as he found the well… almost an hour later. Nobody was there. Yoshi approached the well and kneeled over, stomach rumbling. I haven't eaten since breakfast, Yoshi thought, Is it noon already? He looked around as he could see small images of the Koopa workers inspecting the houses and digging up artifacts. The dinosaur looked at his scrolls and decided not to show them to Kolorado or his men, at least not until after lunch. The dinosaur was exhausted and needed food inside him. He'd just go back, eat lunch, and then show Kolorado the artifacts. It wouldn't take long, right? Yoshi walked away from the well, towards the entrance, and back to the rusted warp pipe. He jumped inside and popped back out on good old Yoshi Island. Next to the pipe there was a Koopa worker, one of Kolorado's colleagues. Apparently, Kolorado had told him to guard the pipe from outsiders and intruders. Yoshi got the look-out's permission to go back to help Kolorado after his lunch. So without any worries, Yoshi rushed home with the scrolls.