Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

P aige crouched lower as the large turtle towered over her.

"Jump on his head, Paige!" Dewey shouted as he floated above him.

"You jump on his head. You can fly!"

"Unhelpful. I'm too small."

"Bull. If he hits me, I'll turn small, too." Paige danced around as the Koopaling charged toward her, lumbering on its thick legs and shaking the floor.

Paige struggled to stay upright until he stopped.

"He's stopping. Quick! Squash him!" Dewey shouted.

The turtle hunched over, squeezing his paws into fists.

Paige tried to gauge a leap onto his head. "What's he doing?"

In answer to her question, a myriad of tiny Kuppas burst from his shell. They flew through the air, smacking off walls before they slid to the floor and started their patrol.

"Ah! Paige! Look out!" Dewey hurried to fling fireballs at them. He knocked two away while Paige took out another two while doing her best to avoid the bigger enemy .

Two more Kuppas continued to patrol closer to their king while he set his sights on Paige.

"You gotta tromp on him, Paige. Get at least one hit in before he sheds more Kuppas." Dewey fired another blast, taking out one of them.

"Right." Paige followed the large turtle's movement again. When he doubled over to release the Kuppas, she pounded across the cavern's floor and leapt in the air. She landed on his head and gave him a stomp before she leapt off.

Stars formed above his head as he shook it and lumbered around in search of her.

"Good one, Paige," Dewey said as he took out the last Kuppa roaming around the floor. "You got a hit in, and you stopped him from releasing more Kuppas."

"Yeah, good job me. Now, I just have to time it for whenever he does that again. He stops moving then, so it's easier for me to jump on him."

The turtle continued to waddle around for another few seconds until he stopped and leaned over.

"Now!" Dewey shouted.

Paige raced across the floor and flung herself in the air. She landed on top of him and pounded her heel down on his head.

The stars circled around him as he lumbered around again before he swung to face her.

Paige's eyes went wide as he raced toward her. "Whoa. He's in super speed mode."

"He's on his last legs. One more hit, and he's a goner!"

"Let's hope I'm not," Paige said as she scrambled to stay away from him.

He scrambled closer to her and swiped at her with a sharp claw. She danced backward, smashing into the wall behind her. "Come on, buddy, you've got to be tired."

He finally crouched down, but she was unable to get a running start. Instead, she used the time to skirt around him, but he was already on the move again by the time she spun to face him.

Six new Kuppas patrolled the floor.

"Great."

"Stomp him, Paige!" Dewey called as he tried to take out the smaller turtle creatures.

"I'm trying!" A Kuppa barreled toward her, coming dangerously close to smacking into her before she fired at him and knocked him away.

Three more Kuppas still roamed when the Kuppaling king stopped his ambling to produce another attack. Paige raced forward, jumping on a Kuppa's shell and using it to launch herself into the air. She landed on the king's head and stomped on it again.

The turtle king roared in pain before he slumped to the ground and melted into the floor. The Kuppas he'd produced blinked out of existence.

Dewey flew down to her and perched on her shoulder. "You did it, Paige."

Paige wiped at a bead of sweat on her brow as she blew out a long breath. "Yeah. Thank goodness. And you say I have to do this four times?"

"No. Three more times. You already did one."

"Ugh," Paige groaned as she lumbered toward the pipe across the room. "I can't believe this. And it's only going to get worse. I can't survive a water world."

"You're going to have to," Dewey said. "We have to get out of here."

Paige entered the pipe and ambled down its length. "Why do these things always happen to us?"

"Just think of the stories you'll be able to tell your grandkids. "

"If I survive to have any," she said as light shined through the other side of the pipe.

"Will they be tiny versions of Henry or Devon?" Dewey asked.

Paige shot him an irked glance. "Why does everyone think I'm going to marry either of them?"

"Well, you have two offers on the table," Dewey said as they emerged in a plane with floating islands floating in a bright blue sky. Winged Koopas fluttered around patrolling them while their non-winged counterparts wandered back and forth on each island.

"And I didn't ask for either of them. Look, I just got my dream job," she said as she leapt over a flying Koopa onto another island and kicked one of the walking Koopas off of it, sending it careening into its winged counterpart. "I'd like to enjoy being me for a second before I give my life away to someone else. Plus, it'll be someone I choose, thanks, not some random person who decided to offer marriage for bizarre reasons."

"Whoa, okay, Miss Independent." Dewey fluttered forward and hovered over the next island. "You do you."

"I plan on it," she said as she used a cloud as a springboard and sailed onto another island.

"Let's start this plan of yours by getting back to the real world and going to Scotland. If it's not too much, I'd really like to stop at Dean's place again."

"You and your stomach," Paige said with a shake of her head as she skipped across another two islands and approached a large airship hovering in the sky.

"I can't help it he has the best fish and chips. And we're literally right there."

"Dean's place and Scotland are not literally right there, but okay."

"It's worth the trip. Just don't wreck the car like you did last time."

Paige jumped onto a cloud island and floated toward the airship. "I didn't wreck. The werewolf attacked us, and I did the best I could with the tools I had."

"Let's hope this time there are no werewolves. Oh, I wonder if I can get Otis to use the magical transfer to send me my wool sweater."

Paige leapt across a bomb-like creature wandering around before she ducked to avoid a cannon that shot at her. "If we get out of here alive."

"Oh, come on, Paige. It's not that bad. You're going through this world like nobody's business. In a few short minutes, we'll just have to stomp on another Koopaling King, and move on to the water world."

"And then the volcano palace," Paige reminded him before she trounced on a cannonball to knock it away before she climbed on top of another platform before leaping to one at the end of the ship and wrangling herself to the top of a pipe.

"Right. Okay, here we are. Another world nearly down. Let's go kick this Koopaling's shelled behind."

"How about you tromp on his head this time?"

"Paige," Dewey whined. "I told you, I'm too small for this."

"That's crap. If I take two hits, I'll be your size unless I find a mushroom, so you could help out."

Dewey narrowed his eyes at her. "Fine. I'll do my best to get a hit in on him. But you'd be far better at this than me."

Paige heaved a sigh as she wiped sweat from her brow. "Okay, let's do this."

She leapt into the pipe and rode it down into the cabin of the airship. She fell to the floor below and whipped around to eye the room.

Dewey fluttered in, staying in the air as he searched for their foe .

From a dark corner, a large turtle rose to its hind legs and pounded forward, shaking the ship.

Dewey snorted a laugh. "I'll leave this to you, Paige. It's a girl one. Should be easier to beat."

Paige offered him an unimpressed stare. "You're joking right?"

"Sort of. Anyway, here she comes. Give her a stomp, and let's blow this popsicle stand."

Before Paige could attack, the massive turtle released a series of bubbles into the air that bounced around, smacking into walls before they changed their trajectory in search of a victim.

"Whoa!" Paige danced backward, pressing herself against the wall to avoid the onslaught of the toxic strike.

They dissipated after a moment.

"They're gone, Paige!" Dewey shouted. "Quick, give her a stomp!"

Paige peeled herself off the wall and hurried toward the turtle. Before she could leap into the air, the Koopaling let loose another barrage of bubbles, sending Paige diving for cover again.

Dewey dropped in the air to avoid one, scrambling to pull back up before another zipped his way.

"Dewey! Look out!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying," he said, winded from his constant darting around. "Stomp on her! Stomp on her!"

It was nearly impossible for Paige to run across the room and attack the turtle. She'd have to stay as close as she could while avoiding the bubbles, so she could attack the Koopaling before she released more deadly bubbles.

A few of them blinked out of existence, leaving a clear path. Paige used the opportunity to race forward and take the flying leap to land on the turtle's head before she released any bubbles .

"Nice hit, Paige. Two more," Dewey cheered.

Paige heaved a sigh as she landed on the ground again, gulping in air from the constant movement.

"Paige! She's at it again!"

"Oh, shi–" Paige dove to the ground, knocking the wind from her lungs, as a bubble floated close to her. "That was way quicker than the last time."

"Yeah. She must be riled."

Paige flipped onto her back and kicked her feet to propel herself away from the turtle who threatened to step on her.

"Paige! Look–"

Dewey's words cut off as Paige backed into a bouncing bubble. A shock shot through her body, and they both lost their orange coloring, no longer able to shoot fireballs.

"Oh, great," Paige said as she scrambled to her feet.

"Shake it off, partner. She's revving up for another strike. Hit her!"

Paige pushed her legs to carry her forward before she flung herself in the air. She missed, colliding with a thick spike on the turtle's back. Her missed shot stopped the turtle from emitting the bad bubbles, at least.

Another electrical shock shot through her body. This time when she stood, the walls looked taller.

"Paige! You're tiny. You only have one hit left before it's game over for us."

Paige wrinkled her nose as she stared down at her tiny legs. "How am I going to jump onto her now?"

"Carefully," Dewey answered, even smaller than his normal teacup size. He looked like a pixie buzzing around in the air.

The turtle slowed her movements, ready to unleash another attack. Paige pounded across the floor and jumped into the air, landing on the turtle.

With a second strike in, she hopped to the ground and hurried away so she wasn't squashed by the turtle's giant feet as she rumbled across the floor.

"That's it, Paige. Just one more hit, and we're good."

"Yeah," Paige said as she raced away from the Koopaling. "But the problem is, one mistake and we're done.

"I know, I know. But you gotta stay focused. You've got to time this one right. Don't miss the opportunity when it comes up."

"I'm trying to stay focused. This isn't easy, you know! I'm not just flying around in the air avoiding bubbles."

"Hey, it's just as dangerous up here." Dewey jabbed a teeny claw at the turtle. "She's going for another attack. Now's your chance!"

Paige glanced at the turtle. She was too far across the room for her to make it. She'd never get there in time before she released the bubble brigade. And Paige doubted she'd survive another round of those. This time, they wouldn't make it to the next level.