Chapter 34 A Ghostly Battle Part 2

Ludwig's breath caught in his throat. If this went wrong…if for whatever reason this ended poorly for both him and Lemmy…Ludwig wouldn't know what to do with himself. This past week was horrible, in every sense of the word. If it somehow extended into an eternity…

"Ludwig, you're hyperventilating," said Lemmy. "Are you alright?"

The oldest Koopaling took a deep breath. This calmed his breathing down, at least enough to speak "I…I will be." He drew in another breath, praying to Grambi in his head. Dear Grambi, let this go well. My whole life is on the line here. Please, I beg you, don't let me get stuck like this.

As Ludwig prayed that prayer, Lemmy bit his lip. Of course, he heard every word. His heart ached with every word, stung with every syllable. He swallowed a lump and pressed forward.

They spotted the duplighost entering down at the base of the Peach statue, so they shot down in that direction. Both Koopalings studied the interior in awe; the staircase spiraled upward for miles. Lemmy flew up. His heart beat escalated the further up he went. His head hurt, but he didn't know whether it was because of the high altitude or the high tension.

Finally, they entered through the door. Lemmy landed and allowed Ludwig to hop off his back before studying his surroundings. The polished wood floor, covering both the observation deck and the museum in the other room, the ladder leading up toward a second museum on the second level, the binoculars looking out through the glass windows that created Peach's eyes…it was all very prestigious. Lemmy had to admit; this was a nice place. Not as nice as the inside of Bowser's Castle though. Or a three ring circus.

Lemmy sniffled. That was another reason this had to go well.

Ludwig took a step forward. His fear, palpable and strong, filled the room like smoke. He gave Lemmy a concerned look. "Where's the duplighost."

Lemmy shrugged. "I don't…YAAAH!"

A shocking sensation hit Lemmy in the shell. He turned around and felt like screaming even louder. There was the duplighost. He wore a wicked grin as magic surrounded his hands.

"It was brave of you two to follow me." He snickered. "If by brave you mean positively foolish."

Ludwig put on a brave face and stepped forward. "Look. We aren't leaving until we're back to normal. So I suggest that you reverse the spell before this escalates any…"

The duplighost shot an arcane blast right at Ludwig, He went sailing backwards and landed right on the binoculars.

"Ludwig!" Lemmy flew towards his brother, who groaned like a zombie. Lemmy cringed when he saw there was a bump on the back of his head. "Ludwig, are you…?"

"I'm okay." He put his hand to his chest and winced. "I've felt worse."

The duplighost chortled. Lemmy turned toward him, a vein throbbed in his head. He grit his teeth and seethed. Flames covered his hand.

"If you do that again, I'll end your…."

He never finished that sentence. The duplighost shot an arcane blast right at him. It hit him square in the chest, causing him to fly backwards. Into the window.

Crash!

"LEMMY!" Ludwig jumped to his feet and ran toward the window. He could hear Lemmy's screams, growing more and more distant. Sweat formed all across his brother's body.

"Oh ho ho!" The duplighost cackled. "Fifty percent! Not too shabby!"

Ludwig turned toward him. A spike of fear shot through his soul; his opponent gave him the most evil of giddy looks.

"Let's see if I can pull that up to a passing grade," he whispered.

With his heart in his throat, Ludwig took a step back. He hyperventilated again, his chest hurting. He couldn't fight back! He had no weapons, no powers, no fighting style of his own. The only real option he had was to run away.

Ludwig internally cringed at the thought. He never ran away from fights. He was known for kicking his opponents butts, and you couldn't do that with your retreating back facing them.

But then again, what choice did he have?

With one last breath, Ludwig got in his shell. He circled around the duplighost, his speed able to make a lightning bolt envious. Once he was certain he had built up enough speed, he bounced, hitting the duplighost in the face. When he exited his shell, he turned and spotted the ghost, disoriented and holding his hands to his face. With a satisfied breath, Ludwig bolted into the next room.

…

"AHHHHHH!"

This was hell! This was actual hell! He couldn't think, couldn't move, couldn't feel. The only sensations filling his mind were terror and adrenaline. The ground kept getting closer, like the spike rocks resting at the bottom of a giant waterfall. If only Lemmy could fly…

Oh wait, that's right. He could.

Lemmy smiled. He took a deep breath, letting it out as slowly as possible. His fall speed decreased dramatically. With a giggle, he let out another breath. He stopped falling and started levitating.

He giggled some more. "Man. I can see why Ludwig likes using his flying power so much." When he finished saying that sentence, he gasped and looked up. "Ludwig!" With that, he bolted up.

…

The tension was terrible. Ludwig his behind a statue, practically hugging the back as he hid behind it. The duplighost searching around for him made the air about twenty degrees colder.

"Come out come out wherever you are," the duplighost said. "You can't hide forever."

Ludwig sucked in a breath, keeping it locked up tight in his lungs. He could feel the duplighost staring at the statue he was hiding behind. He didn't even need to look to know this was the case. He inched in closer, freezing Ludwig's blood in his tracks.

What do I do? He moved his foot a little to the side, and it hit something cold. He looked down and spotted a coin. As slick and as quiet as a mouse, he picked it up and threw it across the room.

Ping.

The tension growing stronger by the minute, Ludwig waited. For a solid minute, Ludwig felt like he would faint. He couldn't help but feel relieved when he heard the duplighost go to the other side of the room. He ran back out into the main room. Looking around, he let out a breath when he spotted the ladder. He began climbing it, his relaxation increasing with each rung he climbed. He smiled when he got to the top.

The smile fell right off his face when the duplighost teleported right in front of him.

"Hello."

Ludwig gasped right before the duplighost kicked him. He fell all the down, his shell feeling like it cracked when he hit the floor. Wincing, he tried to get up right before the duplighost laid his foot on his chest.

"Well well well. I always did want to take down a special." His eyes glittered with malice. "It's a shame though; the jury's still out as to whether or not this counts."

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

The duplighost looked up a second before he was hit by a blue fireball. As he went flying back, Ludwig looked up to see Lemmy ablaze.

"IF YOU LAY ONE MORE FINGER ON HIM…!" He flew forward, yelling as he charged at the duplighost. The ghost just smirked. In a blink and you'll miss moment, he turned into a purple silhouette version of Ludwig and fired a beam at Lemmy. The flames dissipated as Lemmy stared at his opponent in terror. He struggled against the arcane bindings, but he couldn't break free.

The duplighost chuckled. "Finally. It took one lost fight, but I will FINALLY be in control of a special's powers!" He guffawed. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

Ludwig seethed, his eyebrows slanting as he glared. No. The duplighost had already done a lot of awful things, but if he left Lemmy with nothing but a wispy shadow to control…

Without thinking twice, he jumped into the field and wrapped his arms around his brother. A blinding light filled the room as the duplighost shrieked in pain.