The Portal Soldiers

Chapter XXIX

XXIX

The Ranch

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The ship docked on the port of Jayreenn, and the Juniors had already made their way out of the ship.

"Let's ask someone if they know any ranch," William suggested.

"No," Amy said.

"Why not?" Tom and Elise asked.

"Because we're very near to it," Amy said and pointed a big ranch at their right side of the port's gate.

They immediately made their way to it. A man was with some horses, and he is feeding them with some kind of grass.

"Good evening, sir," Lance greeted.

"Ah, I know you," the man said took his gloves off. "The Juniors from Portland Goldens!"

"We're here to borrow enough horses for us," Amy explained. "We believe the Kininvas stole them. We promise, we will return them to you once we had ours."

"There are no Kininvas anymore, Juniors. Well, then, I'll just ask our manager if you can... borrow some, okay?" the man said.

Although they contradict the man's belief that the Kininvas are gone, they nodded and smiled. The man turned his back and walked away. He reached a house-like office and entered it. After he entered, the Juniors sat on a new bench beside the white wooden gate. When everyone chose to chat, Amy moved closer to Elise.

"Elise, can you come with me?" Amy whispered.

"Where?" Elise asked.

"To the manager," Amy answered.

"Why?" Elise asked.

"Uh... it's just—I just feel something... is not right," Amy answered.

"Oh, okay but... I think everything seems to be alright. What do you feel, anyway?" Elise randomly said.

Amy tapped her forehead, like someone in grief, and shook her head.

"Bad. That's it. I feel something bad," Amy said and readied her bow.

"Okay," Elise giggled. "Let's go."

Amy and Elise stood up from the bench and furtively ran to the office. The door of the office was open and unintentionally swinging. Inside the office, a short table and chair can be seen at the right.

"Oh, goodness!" the man they talked to a while ago screamed. "Where is the manager? And how!"

Since only the man is visible to them, Amy and Sally fearleasly entered the office without knocking. It's the best way to calm the man down, Elise thought.

"We're here, and don't worry," Amy said. With a second, Amy already have an arrow on her bow, and it's aiming at the Kininva. Like how fast Amy took an arrow, the Kininva destroyed the nearest window and got out of the office through it. Elise raised her right hand with her left hand under her elbow. With a second, Amy understood what Elise meant.

Amy and Elise passed through the Communal Portal, and when the lights left them, they found the Kininva at their front.

"Where do you think you're going?" Elise scoffed.

"I can recognize you," the Kininva said. "The Juniors."

"We know!" the voice of Lance said.

Wait, Lance? Amy thought. Realization hit them and they found their teammates at their side, on the bench. The weapons were readied by their owners. Amy swung her bow to transform it into her cutlass. She ran forward to lead her team and swung her sword to kill the Kininva.

Unfortunately, the Kininva caught her right arm and wrung it. Amy was thrown onto the ground. Lance ran to Amy then helped her to stand up.

"Come on," Lance said.

Elise and Sally, who readied their arms for any attacks, stood at the back of the Kininva while William and Tom were aiming at it. Amy dashed her cutlass into the air and Kininva. Once the cutlass was thrusted to the Kininva's torso, it turned into ash. Amy picked her sword from the ash, raised it, and turned into a bow.

"I've watched you. You're... great." Searching for the source of the voice, everyone of them looked around to see who spoke.

And it's heard again, "Thank you. You really saved me... and our ranch." The man, all of them thought.

"But where is our real manager?" the man spoke again.

Amy picked a handful of the ash from the Kininva, and mumbled, "I hope this works." She threw it into the air. The ashes landed on the ground and made a trail. Amy gingerly followed the trail of ash. The thing it led to is strange.

A large treasure chest.

"Come nearer," Amy commanded. "This must be where the manager is. The Kininvas' side loves strong padlocks."

When the man and her teammates were with Amy, all of them fixed their eyes on the emerald lock and the banging of the manager inside the chest.

"How are we gonna open the chest?" Lance asked while pulling the padlock off of the chest.

"I think we should melt this one," Sally suggested.

"But we might be needing this lock," Tom said. "It's also aesthetically ravishing."

"Tom's right... but we have no choice other than to destroy it," Amy hesitated. "We have to me—"

"Wait!" Lance said.

"Why?" Amy questioned him while looking at him in the eye.

"I think we should use your sword as the key," Lance answered.

Without a word, Amy pushed the tip of her bow, then it transfigured into the cutlass. The padlock sprung open. Amy took the diamond padlock from her pocket and showed the diamond and emerald lock to her teammates.

"I consider it a good thing that that diamond lock is not in the saddle of Airie," Tom grinned, "or else, they'll have their property back."

The chest opened and caught their attentions.

"Thank you, children!" the manager from the treasure chest said.

"You're welcome. We're always here," Amy replied.

"Oh, and sir," the man called the manager, "they are the Juniors! They also need horses. And they saved my life!"

"Thank you so much, Juniors!" the manager beamed. "I have the best horses in Jayreenn, and I allow you to use it."

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