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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12F0G9FG2E
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8qAgvhbQb
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3Nexso8Hm
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04Q0uZKv3n
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPSGFELSPm
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6m0zUa0WX
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUOl8WtLin
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2AgX1K1lL
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1J4TIjwotE
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdsPY2klrH
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7B5RN0m8SQ
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIbs29Eo60
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlh50qmacR2
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGV8botpudJ
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGhwXAlgaS
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zAuPAIDn9
Finally, the Witch of the Night gave a piercing screech, and the creatures behind her charged us. Almeida's indecision disappeared immediately.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0U8TLxhqMB
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6IPvuyRcb
"Fall back!" he shouted.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9qWq7eJCb
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zCAOVXxDV
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLHWM7hmHZ
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZINohy6V40
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIME7zolIN
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFzLO0NLzN
Almeida looked around, searching for a way to get us out of that situation. Reluctantly, he ended up opting for the only possible solution.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwYQA0yPA2
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjH0DYedTJ
"Retreat to the town," he shouted.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfGwOVipmC
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5X5zNqY9Ym
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mrNxmBi0P
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5unqC2BiC
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoHvSQ5Pev
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2e3zxPZHVL
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsQzK1iOcK
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1rJyD0dHK
Even with the water slowing our attackers' advance, the bullets couldn't shoot down enough to prevent them from getting closer and closer.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9cb3V8Ae8
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXi9JZ0LUn
"Fall back to the historical center," ordered Almeida.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRNSvC3jYS
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9EZ8AKof8
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipGZr1akEQ
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0pMSDqHNd
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmjlPu95FMz
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSs9OQCX3TX
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1CE6ojbta
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOv4FUKsOKO
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlILcRvLDid
After these casualties and seeing that the enemy was getting closer and closer, Almeida ordered a new retreat.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7W5Yji2ZVV
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosd65kYDgb
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH07vKmTjni
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRmxdBmm7Z
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0By8dUYmG
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtmCkCF6hg
During the minutes that followed, the soldiers slaughtered several creatures with impunity. Even one of the giants fell.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64reI25nrO
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW9mAcjamz
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8iubAARWG
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAcyUseLos
I knew that town well enough to know that, although it would take some time, they would eventually find the way to our rear.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDhsXJEwaM
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCb0oWuMRM9
I was about to inform Almeida of that fact when he shouted, “Fall back!"574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8ZWM7cC5l
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKx928nrE6K
I suppose he came to the same conclusion.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwFaTxpUIt
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCl1iE6Uyni
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVKSnzTk8Q
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABkVJo4uZB
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45IkUMhgN3
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYM1xnNSFBV
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVEw6W9Z0R
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3PoVGBzww
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVv9BaT458
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68rGgTtOuC
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfh0TPUdpgC
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCW2ZIBksSQ
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNCrgDiSeN
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqUc4N7REw
Fortunately, the monsters' attack began to weaken before that happened. New creatures stopped joining the fight, and the rest ended up retreating.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ySIQghPQA
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeRmugTsHN
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokqwGe7UP8
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkMbeRqjH6
Almeida used his cell phone and called a helicopter to pick me up and reinforcements to help him hide what had happened in Amarante.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zO1CmykwV
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKCYdpKGFz
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.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjaBmkwULN
574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Y2g7qA0qQ
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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