The Golden Throne

Chapter 33: The final showdown

The hallways of the ziggurat were dimly lit by green bricks that made up part of the walls. The gang had been fumbling around in the darkness for twenty minutes or so. The inside of the ziggurat was practically a labyrinth, but thanks to Hilbert's memory, they could roughly make their way around its empty, spacious corridors. The sounds of their footsteps bounced off from the walls around them. The air was unusually crisp here. Taking a breath was almost invigorating for Hilbert. The gang reached a crossroad.

"Which way?" Hilda asked him.

Hilbert did his best to remember. He pointed to his right, "this way."

They continued walking for another ten minutes. With each passing moment, everyone's anxiety grew. "Hilbert," Kye broke the silence. "When we do meet Zultan. What do we do? The Emperor said stop him once and for all, but he didn't elaborate on how."

"He wants us to use our imagination," Zeno said bluntly.

Kye's eyes opened wide in shock. "We aren't going to... kill him. Right?"

"No!" Hilbert glanced at him. "No one is killing anyone."

"We can beat him in a battle," Hilda mumbled. "Then he'll have no choice but to allow us to bring him back to the Empire for a proper trial."

"He won't be alone, that's for sure," Hilbert said. "Hey," he turned to everyone, "we do our best."

Hilda nodded, "I'm with you."

They walked down a long flight of stairs that ended at a massive open doorway. As they approached the doorway, an ear-piercing explosion shook the ground beneath their feet. "What was that?!" Hilda gasped.

*

"More dynamite!" Zultan ordered. Before him were the legendary Glass Doors of Ranor. The last round of bombs failed to blast the doors open. His men began stacking up more explosives next to the doors. A thin, bespectacled old man with a bent back approached Zultan and bowed.

"My lord," the old man mumbled, "the doors are invincible. attempting to open them by dynamite will only prove futile. Allow me to use the poem."

"That is a last resort," Zultan said, his eyes still focusing on the legendary doors. "Again!" He shouted.

A tremor shook the ground again and Hilbert, Hilda, Kye and Zeno lost their footing. "We're not alone!" Hilbert yelled, "this way, hurry!"

"Twenty explosions and still, not even a scratch on them," Zultan murmured, staring at the Glass Doors in awe. He turned to the old man, "Dr. Gith, how long will opening the doors take if you use the poem?"

The old man, Doctor Gith answered Zultan eagerly, "five minutes, my lord."

"Why didn't you insist that we do that?!" Zultan hissed. Dr. Gith wanted to tell him that he did, but he held his tongue when he glimpsed Zultan's claws. He didn't want to have his lips ripped off like that poor Zaff boy named Jacob. "GO! I want my Eilda now."

"O-Of course!" Dr. Gith bowed. "I'll do it in one!" He took out a book from a bag and rushed towards the doors.

"Stop!" Hilbert's voice echoed across the entire chamber. All heads turned towards the entrance of the chamber to see Hilbert, Hilda, Kye and Zeno standing there.

They were in a  massive chamber that had two crystalline, ceiling-high doors at the other end. It illuminated the entire place with its lustrous, turquoise glow. However, that wasn't the only thing in the chamber- inside were a few dozen Zaff henchmen, all glaring at them. Beside the Glass Doors was Dr. Gith, fumbling with the doors' buttons with one hand and reading a book with the other, and at the center of it all was none other than Zultan.