After a few a other expeditions where we found little sign of the Witches of the Night. Finally, a portal took us to another of the creatures.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCCeXXwe6M
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK598l8YrvM
Unlike the previous ones, which left us somewhat far from the Witches of the Night and their henchmen, this one transported us directly to their camp. It was similar to the one where all the portals started, in Gerês, with several makeshift shelters built in a grove, but it looked substantially smaller. Furthermore, it wasn't abandoned. There were goblins, trolls, ogrons, ogres, and even giants everywhere.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEohTYogcT
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIt6bN2IumP
For a moment, I looked away from the camp, trying to figure out where we were. I quickly spotted two familiar structures through the trees: the Bridge and the Church of São Gonçalo. We were in Amarante, more precisely on the larger of the two islands in the middle of the Tâmega River.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6JeaZgxMP
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SKRcqKyIz
As was to be expected, there were some people on the river bank and on the old São Gonçalo Bridge. A few cars passed through the new bridge, which crossed the river right over the island, but no one seemed to notice or care about the presence of the Witches of the Night's creatures. Something was probably hiding the island's occupants from the town's inhabitants.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdcTwGs18s
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdoiQU402h
Unfortunately, nothing hid us from monsters. Before we could find cover, a goblin saw us and raised the alarm. All the creatures' attention turned towards us, and some began to approach with their weapons raised.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHca7r9HBOG
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFAgjmraUC
Almeida's soldiers readied their automatic rifles. Even though, after every encounter with the Witches of the Night, our contingent of soldiers had been increased, I still doubted there were enough of them to defeat the horde in front of us.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNMfNPiZzs
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGdwtp7nBp
The creatures were beginning to pick up speed when a howl came from behind them and stopped them. The horde then split, making way towards a huge tent, the only shelter in the camp that hadn't been improvised with local materials. In front of it, there was the hooded figure of a Witch of the Night.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPT1JdLJ3Z
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzwYL7uO21
In silence, dragging its long black robes along the ground, it approached, hovering. As soon as it overtook the creatures’ ranks, it stopped.
After a few a other expeditions where we found little sign of the Witches of the Night. Finally, a portal took us to another of the creatures.
Unlike the previous ones, which left us somewhat far from the Witches of the Night and their henchmen, this one transported us directly to their camp. It was similar to the one where all the portals started, in Gerês, with several makeshift shelters built in a grove, but it looked substantially smaller. Furthermore, it wasn't abandoned. There were goblins, trolls, ogrons, ogres, and even giants everywhere.
For a moment, I looked away from the camp, trying to figure out where we were. I quickly spotted two familiar structures through the trees: the Bridge and the Church of São Gonçalo. We were in Amarante, more precisely on the larger of the two islands in the middle of the Tâmega River.
As was to be expected, there were some people on the river bank and on the old São Gonçalo Bridge. A few cars passed through the new bridge, which crossed the river right over the island, but no one seemed to notice or care about the presence of the Witches of the Night's creatures. Something was probably hiding the island's occupants from the town's inhabitants.
Unfortunately, nothing hid us from monsters. Before we could find cover, a goblin saw us and raised the alarm. All the creatures' attention turned towards us, and some began to approach with their weapons raised.
Almeida's soldiers readied their automatic rifles. Even though, after every encounter with the Witches of the Night, our contingent of soldiers had been increased, I still doubted there were enough of them to defeat the horde in front of us.
The creatures were beginning to pick up speed when a howl came from behind them and stopped them. The horde then split, making way towards a huge tent, the only shelter in the camp that hadn't been improvised with local materials. In front of it, there was the hooded figure of a Witch of the Night.
In silence, dragging its long black robes along the ground, it approached, hovering. As soon as it overtook the creatures’ ranks, it stopped.
For an instant, it stood there, still and silent as a statue. We looked at it without knowing what to do. Almeida opened his mouth several times. Whether to give orders or speak to the Witch of the Night, I can't say, but he ended up saying nothing.
Finally, the Witch of the Night gave a piercing screech, and the creatures behind her charged us. Almeida's indecision disappeared immediately.
"Fall back!" he shouted.
We ran back to the portal, located just a couple of meters behind us. However, when we got there, we weren't transported back to Gerês. Like its companion (or was it the same creature?) in Valença, the Witch of the Night had made the portal disappear.
At first, we were flabbergasted, unsure of what to do, but soon the soldiers started shooting at the attackers. As I had predicted, even with all the automatic rifles and Almeida's pistol firing, the horde kept approaching, not least because it included several large monsters that could only be killed by a massive torrent of bullets.
Almeida looked around, searching for a way to get us out of that situation. Reluctantly, he ended up opting for the only possible solution.
"Retreat to the town," he shouted.
With the soldiers firing constantly, we retreated to the water. The river flow was low, so it wouldn't be difficult to cross the ford that led to the bank near the town's marketplace. Curiously (or maybe not), we stopped seeing and hearing our pursuers as soon as we left the island. It was undoubtedly the effect of the spell that hid their presence from the town's inhabitants.
When we got to the town, we simply waited. We had some hope that the Witch of the Night's creatures wouldn't follow us out of their camp, but they entered the water without even slowing down. The Organization's soldiers immediately opened fire on them once more.
The gunshots' noise then began to attract the attention of passers-by. Fortunately, as it was mid-afternoon on a weekday, the streets were almost empty. Still, as expected, the few who saw the monsters that chased us, after a moment of disbelief, fled in panic. They would certainly not be long in calling family and friends or even the media. The situation could become the Organization's worst nightmare. However, at the moment, we had bigger concerns.
Even with the water slowing our attackers' advance, the bullets couldn't shoot down enough to prevent them from getting closer and closer.
"Fall back to the historical center," ordered Almeida.
We did so. Even to me, a layman when it comes to tactics, Almeida's plan was obvious. He hoped that downtown Amarante's narrow streets and constant climbs would help offset the creatures' substantial numerical advantage.
With the soldiers firing constantly, we retreated towards the narrow passage that separated the São Gonçalo Church from the old bridge. It was a dozen meters beyond it, in the middle of the Praça da República square, that Almeida's men formed a firing line. They immediately started shooting at the creatures that tried to cross the passage, counting on it to let only a few enemies pass at a time and thus help compensate our disadvantage.
At first, the tactic worked. Goblins, trolls, and even ogrons crossed the passage and were immediately slaughtered by a rain of bullets from the soldiers, never having a chance to get close. However, as soon as the first giants and ogres arrived, the situation changed. These creatures were large enough to go over the bridge's parapet, which bordered one side of the passage, and forced the soldiers to split their shooting.
One of the giants even tore off one of the bridge's stone blocks and threw it at us, killing three of the Organizations' men.
After these casualties and seeing that the enemy was getting closer and closer, Almeida ordered a new retreat.
This time, we entered the narrow street that led to the top of the historical center. With the soldiers constantly shooting, we went up to the small square in front of the Senhor dos Aflitos' Church. From there, Almeida's men could shoot all the creatures that had invaded the Praça da República, including the giants, from an elevated position.
The creatures, of course, went after us, but like the passage between the convent and the bridge, the narrow street limited the number of enemies that could reach the square at the same time. And now, there was no obvious shortcut for the bigger monsters.
During the minutes that followed, the soldiers slaughtered several creatures with impunity. Even one of the giants fell.
However, our enemy soon realized that they had to change their approach. The creatures began to enter the streets adjacent to Praça da República in search of another way to reach us.
I knew that town well enough to know that, although it would take some time, they would eventually find the way to our rear.
I was about to inform Almeida of that fact when he shouted, “Fall back!"
I suppose he came to the same conclusion.
We went up the street that led from the square to the old Santa Clara Monastery, with the soldiers, once again, constantly shooting behind them. When we arrived at the next junction, we could already see, in the distance, the force sent to surround us.
Part of what was once the monastery had been transformed, centuries later, into a residential house, which now served as the Municipal Library. The librarian, when she saw us running in front of the glass that formed the walls of the ground floor, got up from her desk. But when she saw the creatures that were chasing us, she hid under it. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone else in the building to see what the public shouldn't even know existed.
We crossed the narrow passage between the library and the ruins of a chapel that had once belonged to the monastery and climbed to the top of the walls revealed by a recent archaeological excavation, looking for a high point that would give us some tactical advantage.
Almeida's men kept firing at the creatures, trying to stop them from climbing up to our positions. The giants and the larger ogres were the only ones that could reach us without having to climb, and they provoked some casualties. Still, there weren't many of them, and the soldiers' concentrated fire, mainly when aimed at their heads, managed to kill them.
One or other projectile thrown by the smaller creatures managed to hit a weak point in the protective equipment that the Organization's men and I wore, but they had little influence in the fight.
Finally, for the first time since our arrival in Amarante, the situation seemed to be under control. My only fear was that the soldiers would run out of ammunition. After all, they had been firing almost constantly for more than fifteen minutes.
Fortunately, the monsters' attack began to weaken before that happened. New creatures stopped joining the fight, and the rest ended up retreating.
Carefully, fearing a possible ambush, we went back down to the river. Apart from a few bodies (most seemed to have been taken by their retreating comrades), we saw no sign of the enemy. As such, we crossed to the island where the camp was. The creatures had disappeared completely. Only their abandoned shelters showed that it hadn't all been an illusion.
Almeida used his cell phone and called a helicopter to pick me up and reinforcements to help him hide what had happened in Amarante.
When it arrived, I got on the helicopter. It took off just in time for me to see the reinforcements' trucks arriving at the São Gonçalo Bridge.
Unfortunately, we didn't get any closer to discovering the Witches of the Night objectives, and the camp at Gerês was running out of portals to explore.
For an instant, it stood there, still and silent as a statue. We looked at it without knowing what to do. Almeida opened his mouth several times. Whether to give orders or speak to the Witch of the Night, I can't say, but he ended up saying nothing.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfAEpsM6F9
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUFPrcrZJS
Finally, the Witch of the Night gave a piercing screech, and the creatures behind her charged us. Almeida's indecision disappeared immediately.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3iIZvrHxcG
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrqcAQ7BnH
"Fall back!" he shouted.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZh2md1rR9
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVMqkMoP2r
We ran back to the portal, located just a couple of meters behind us. However, when we got there, we weren't transported back to Gerês. Like its companion (or was it the same creature?) in Valença, the Witch of the Night had made the portal disappear.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuHdrP4Hl2
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelbtkPDfZT
At first, we were flabbergasted, unsure of what to do, but soon the soldiers started shooting at the attackers. As I had predicted, even with all the automatic rifles and Almeida's pistol firing, the horde kept approaching, not least because it included several large monsters that could only be killed by a massive torrent of bullets.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujazC8Dar1
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOXJtFs7HH
Almeida looked around, searching for a way to get us out of that situation. Reluctantly, he ended up opting for the only possible solution.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYHjL1xdyH
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zT1MG2Z1k
"Retreat to the town," he shouted.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFL5UxynXhN
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDWo4oEYVH
With the soldiers firing constantly, we retreated to the water. The river flow was low, so it wouldn't be difficult to cross the ford that led to the bank near the town's marketplace. Curiously (or maybe not), we stopped seeing and hearing our pursuers as soon as we left the island. It was undoubtedly the effect of the spell that hid their presence from the town's inhabitants.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY88ca5awY3
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78LcOkdSpZ
When we got to the town, we simply waited. We had some hope that the Witch of the Night's creatures wouldn't follow us out of their camp, but they entered the water without even slowing down. The Organization's soldiers immediately opened fire on them once more.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVVwDAYFMh
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0ZQEufjQC
The gunshots' noise then began to attract the attention of passers-by. Fortunately, as it was mid-afternoon on a weekday, the streets were almost empty. Still, as expected, the few who saw the monsters that chased us, after a moment of disbelief, fled in panic. They would certainly not be long in calling family and friends or even the media. The situation could become the Organization's worst nightmare. However, at the moment, we had bigger concerns.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjgwTJ36QS
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWeNAlsvzk
Even with the water slowing our attackers' advance, the bullets couldn't shoot down enough to prevent them from getting closer and closer.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpMsaMYRW9
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3oTqUV1bX
"Fall back to the historical center," ordered Almeida.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6qBtXATud
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR0DzZdoQ6
We did so. Even to me, a layman when it comes to tactics, Almeida's plan was obvious. He hoped that downtown Amarante's narrow streets and constant climbs would help offset the creatures' substantial numerical advantage.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6qNpKQvUS
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYd9Ebw0oR
With the soldiers firing constantly, we retreated towards the narrow passage that separated the São Gonçalo Church from the old bridge. It was a dozen meters beyond it, in the middle of the Praça da República square, that Almeida's men formed a firing line. They immediately started shooting at the creatures that tried to cross the passage, counting on it to let only a few enemies pass at a time and thus help compensate our disadvantage.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPXQiAmrxc
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6A7m7W38kG
At first, the tactic worked. Goblins, trolls, and even ogrons crossed the passage and were immediately slaughtered by a rain of bullets from the soldiers, never having a chance to get close. However, as soon as the first giants and ogres arrived, the situation changed. These creatures were large enough to go over the bridge's parapet, which bordered one side of the passage, and forced the soldiers to split their shooting.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQVuPShrPB
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg85CIhrXZo
One of the giants even tore off one of the bridge's stone blocks and threw it at us, killing three of the Organizations' men.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvM6vC2bnDA
After these casualties and seeing that the enemy was getting closer and closer, Almeida ordered a new retreat.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl0X9uJdSq
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73wXoPesh3
This time, we entered the narrow street that led to the top of the historical center. With the soldiers constantly shooting, we went up to the small square in front of the Senhor dos Aflitos' Church. From there, Almeida's men could shoot all the creatures that had invaded the Praça da República, including the giants, from an elevated position.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIXOKEPSch
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumD61Hbx0x
The creatures, of course, went after us, but like the passage between the convent and the bridge, the narrow street limited the number of enemies that could reach the square at the same time. And now, there was no obvious shortcut for the bigger monsters.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BgGF9OrQt
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFcetE1aoN
During the minutes that followed, the soldiers slaughtered several creatures with impunity. Even one of the giants fell.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjISOOIEKA
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Cryx4Uq9g
However, our enemy soon realized that they had to change their approach. The creatures began to enter the streets adjacent to Praça da República in search of another way to reach us.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyd6LOGKdQ
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvUi43bXHX
I knew that town well enough to know that, although it would take some time, they would eventually find the way to our rear.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCPOB4ld6m
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYppS0RBKNy
I was about to inform Almeida of that fact when he shouted, “Fall back!"571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcolorS94yJ
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfalYW03eCV
I suppose he came to the same conclusion.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcJ9BWteSI
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9MnENvsEc
We went up the street that led from the square to the old Santa Clara Monastery, with the soldiers, once again, constantly shooting behind them. When we arrived at the next junction, we could already see, in the distance, the force sent to surround us.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeOYpts6rU
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugrXLSFr83
Part of what was once the monastery had been transformed, centuries later, into a residential house, which now served as the Municipal Library. The librarian, when she saw us running in front of the glass that formed the walls of the ground floor, got up from her desk. But when she saw the creatures that were chasing us, she hid under it. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anyone else in the building to see what the public shouldn't even know existed.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnLHHlC0yU
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9lgcUtyPF
We crossed the narrow passage between the library and the ruins of a chapel that had once belonged to the monastery and climbed to the top of the walls revealed by a recent archaeological excavation, looking for a high point that would give us some tactical advantage.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCpkjyPyVD
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPVqn8C8CQ
Almeida's men kept firing at the creatures, trying to stop them from climbing up to our positions. The giants and the larger ogres were the only ones that could reach us without having to climb, and they provoked some casualties. Still, there weren't many of them, and the soldiers' concentrated fire, mainly when aimed at their heads, managed to kill them.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IWaeSlSs5
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVyLnLVp4p
One or other projectile thrown by the smaller creatures managed to hit a weak point in the protective equipment that the Organization's men and I wore, but they had little influence in the fight.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpOmG9Nagt
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkwZiqphN7
Finally, for the first time since our arrival in Amarante, the situation seemed to be under control. My only fear was that the soldiers would run out of ammunition. After all, they had been firing almost constantly for more than fifteen minutes.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEaUajx4Ed
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmiSCv0orT
Fortunately, the monsters' attack began to weaken before that happened. New creatures stopped joining the fight, and the rest ended up retreating.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd03jgsFeUm
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhT4UIG8CaL
Carefully, fearing a possible ambush, we went back down to the river. Apart from a few bodies (most seemed to have been taken by their retreating comrades), we saw no sign of the enemy. As such, we crossed to the island where the camp was. The creatures had disappeared completely. Only their abandoned shelters showed that it hadn't all been an illusion.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfHAwtFVaG
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3YDrNdeYO
Almeida used his cell phone and called a helicopter to pick me up and reinforcements to help him hide what had happened in Amarante.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQhQbHP0lQ
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IRK1hifIH
When it arrived, I got on the helicopter. It took off just in time for me to see the reinforcements' trucks arriving at the São Gonçalo Bridge.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCxwwmCQiT
571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YMjNJPIHR
Unfortunately, we didn't get any closer to discovering the Witches of the Night objectives, and the camp at Gerês was running out of portals to explore. Your story here...
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