Chapter 13 Strong, Sleepless Enemy

Time was a resource Iggy did not waste. He ran toward his lab, his mind racing with all the dreadful possibilities. Doopliss was evading sleep, which was dangerous in all the ways available. Iggy hoped, prayed actually, that Doopliss wasn't doing it intentionally. There was a chance that him staying up last night was completely coincidental, that he didn't have an evil plan that he was acting out. Iggy severely wished that that was the case.

He kicked the door of his lab open with so much force that he almost broke it, and he sprinted toward the isolation chamber. He didn't go in, but he saw Doopliss sitting at the table, smiling wickedly as he twiddled his thumbs. This sight reminded Iggy of how the duplighost had refused to eat any food the day before. This reignited his rage; there was no low Doopliss was unwilling to sink to in order to put Ludwig's body through the wringer. What made this particular instance even worse was that….

Iggy felt shudders run up and down his spine. He didn't want to think about this. Each time he did, it felt like he was going to drown in worry. He couldn't let worry dominate his mood right now. He needed to deal with Doopliss, and he needed to do it as quickly as possible.

"Doopliss!" Iggy bellowed. Doopliss lifted his head, his smile growing more evil when he set eyes on the plant-haired genius.

"Oh. Hello; didn't see you there." He chuckled as he stood up, the sound as slimy as a snake. "Wanted to pay little old me a visit. How thoughtful of you." He made eye contact with Iggy, who tried not to shudder looking at him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Iggy took a deep breath and gripped his hand into a fist. "I've been told that you have been up late last night."

Doopliss blinked. "Roy decided to tattle on me, I see." He chuckled. "We need to watch that boy; he's a tattletale and a snack thief!"

Iggy grit his teeth, trying to evoke the threatening air that a hungry, wild wolf would show. "Roy is irrelevant in this case. You can't stay up late like that."

Doopliss feigned a confused expression. "Oh. And why might that be, Ignatius Magnolia?"

Iggy felt chills run up and down his spine. He was halfway convinced that Doopliss really didn't know; his tone really was dumbfounded enough to make it seem like he didn't know the danger in what he was doing. Iggy almost backed away even. Almost. He was alerted to the fact that Doopliss really was aware of the consequences when the duplighost started chortling.

"You already know," Iggy growled. It wasn't a question, barely even an observation. It was a fact. Doopliss was completely aware, and was just bidding his time until he could cause some real damage.

To further confirm this, Doopliss shook his head and stopped laughing. "Of course I know, Iggy. I know everything about the powers of a special koopa."

Iggy raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" Admittedly, his curiosity was piqued. His sense of danger and caution were still there though, so now the situation was similar to observing a bear or a lion in a zoo. You didn't want to get too close to the raging beast for fear of losing your life, but at the same time, your sense of fascination accompanied your fear and made you not want to turn away from the sight. "And how could you possibly know something like that?"

Doopliss smirked. He backed away from the door, going back over to the table. The smirk grew more nasty and more smug as he took a seat, putting his feet up on the table and crossing his legs. Iggy didn't take his eyes off of him. He needed to know what knowledge Doopliss did or didn't wield.

Finally, after a minute of tense patience and silence, Doopliss began to explain. "I've been aware of your brother's existence for a long time. In fact, most duplighosts have been aware that a special koopa lives in the walls of Bowser's Castle. And let me tell you, when I discovered that Ludwig von Koopa possessed this much power, all the way back when he was a toddler, I was…" he hummed as a happy tremble overtook Ludwig's body. "So excited!"

Iggy felt shock and unease fill him. Doopliss has been aware of Ludwig's existence since he was a toddler? Honestly, that was possibly the wildest thing he had heard so far. He already was aware of the fact that other duplighosts had learned about the existence of a special koopa. The Koopalings had, after all, battled one who had attempted to take control of Ludwig's body before. Hearing that duplighosts had been desiring to take control of Ludwig for years; DECADES even…well, it just made Iggy all the more thankful for the security and protection that Bowser's Castle had. It was just too bad that it had failed in this particular case.

"Okay…" Iggy said. He didn't take his eyes off of Doopliss, wanting to learn as much as possible. The duplighost was more than likely aware of this, as he let a silence linger in the air. The atmosphere was thick enough to be sliced like butter, and it made Iggy's heart rate escalate as his impatience increased. Just as he was about to yell at Doopliss demanding more information, he thankfully spoke up again.

"However, I knew that this was a case where just stealing bodies willy nilly wouldn't work. Ludwig is, after all, a very well known and protected figure. This castle has a lot of security measures in place, so it's not like I could just walk up to the castle doorstep, work my magic, and call it a day."

Wow, it was almost as if he just read Iggy's mind. Iggy shuddered, feeling more and more like he was dealing with a monster of demonic origin.

"No, I had to be smart. I did some research about Ludwig, specifically when would be the times where he was most vulnerable. I found out that he always leaves the castle on the same day every year, making an annual trip to the same graveyard to place flowers on one specific grave."

Iggy blinked. What was Doopliss talking about? Iggy had never heard of this. How was it possible that Doopliss knew more about his brother's pattern of behavior than he did? Iggy felt a hollow void form in his gut, making him feel physically ill. He should have paid more attention to his oldest brother. He should have been aware of times like what Doopliss had just described. Maybe if he had been, he could've prevented Ludwig being cursed in this manner.

That thought ignited a horrible feeling in Iggy. Calling it guilt would be a gross understatement. It was like a deep black hole in his heart, crushing his insides and sucking up all positivity. He almost backed away from the door, wanting to run away from the reality of the situation even more than he wanted to escape Doopliss and his dark evil.

"But even with that knowledge in my possession, I wasn't prepared to take Ludwig down," Doopliss continued. "There were just too many variables that needed to be just right before I could properly and fully take control of the special koopa. One of which needed to be the strength of my own dark powers." He chuckled a little. "One particular flaw that most if not all duplighost magic has in common is that we do not take on the voice of the person whose body we steal. We still sound like ourselves, and our victims are just as vocal as they are while clothed in flesh and bone." He snickered. "Almost makes our body snatching pointless if we don't have the ability to do it as discreetly as possible." The smirk returned to his face. "I immediately knew that I needed to increase the strength of my own powers."

Iggy gulped. Part of him didn't want to ask this next question. However, like a raging addiction, he couldn't get the thought out of his mind and needed to act on it. "And how did you do that?"

"Well, that was a tricky task, to be sure," Doopliss said. "I started by stealing more bodies, waiting for my victims to turn into duplighosts themselves." There was an insanity in his eyes as he grinned, one at a level that no living being could replicate. "When they did, I sucked up their powers. It was easy as draining the juice from a juice box; and it only got easier the more I did it." He cackled. "Nothing beats the rush of draining the life out of those people, of watching them shrivel up and die as I became arguably the most powerful duplighost in existence."

Okay, now Iggy felt sick. This whole thing made him want to vomit up every last thing he had ever eaten. There was nothing to compete with the chills or the danger in this scenario. Listening to Doopliss talk…it was like watching a murder happen right in front of your very eyes. It shook Iggy to his core, it made him feel like his own innocence and sanity were being chipped away piece by piece.

"It was such a satisfying realization," Doopliss continued, "when I knew that I was powerful enough to overtake a special. And what made it even sweeter for me was when I discovered how specials get stronger the less sleep they get." He cackled again, sounding like…there wasn't a description or comparison in the world that could capture how…how…rotten the noise was (and even rotten was a gross gross gross understatement). "When I found that out, I knew. I knew then and there that I would not let this body sleep a wink. I would let Ludwig's physical being drain away as the Galaxium in his cells became so prevalent that it turned his blood purple." He licked his lips. "Even now, with only having lost two nights of sleep, I am stronger than I ever hoped to be." He laughed. "This metal suit that you slapped across my chest is not going to hold me back for long. In fact…" Doopliss took a deep breath, rising an inch into the air.

Iggy's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. "You…you…" he began hyperventilating.

"I know; it's so amazing that it can render even you speechless." Doopliss giggled as he sat back down. "Once I'm powerful enough, I'll be able to go toe to toe with anybody; even that stupid hunk of meat that you call a king." He licked his lips a second time, as if trying to get a taste of the flavor that all of this overwhelming power produced. "And once even the mighty King Bowser is gone…well, that's when my mission will be complete. I'll rule over the entire Koopa Kingdom; nay, the entire WORLD! The Mushroom Kingdom will crumble under the influence of both my physical and political powers, as will all the other kingdoms. The whole planet will quake at my might, for there's been no one like me before and there will be no one like me after." He giggled again, the sound high strung and chilling. "Everything is falling into place so beautifully already. Even staying locked up in this makeshift cell is nothing more than a minor setback."

Iggy shook his head. "No…" he swallowed the lump accumulating in his throat, trying to find the resolve to face this demon. "You…you won't!" He put on his bravest face, forcing himself to look in Doopliss's eyes despite the fear eating his insides. "You won't get away with this. Even a special at full power can't fight against a whole world's worth of people."

Doopliss laughed. "Oh, Iggy. Sweet, precious Iggy. I thought your brain was smart enough to realize that is nothing but a fallacy." He sneered. "No one has seen a special at full power. NO ONE! Except, of course, for your brother." His sneer grew darker. "He tapped into his full potential once before, and he did great things with it. Things that show me how much promise is wrapped up in this little body of his."

Iggy blinked. "What are you talking…" he shook his head. "You know what? It doesn't matter." He gripped his hand into a fist so tight that it could shatter diamond. "You know why? Because I'm not going to let that happen. You won't reach full power. I'm going to make you sleep before you do."

Doopliss chortled. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

Iggy didn't even bother giving that question a verbal answer. He started backing up, giving Doopliss a glare strong enough to match his sneer. Once far enough away, he bolted out of the lab. He had a plan now. A plan that was going to shoot down every last desire this power hungry ghost possessed.

Hopefully.