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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vIc6fxvDo
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYWOhOLpqX
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzhizbLqjr
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST4bPydS7e
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpDvkUxj0k
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3D6tkT0o9
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPJ69KhwCQ
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡik8izy1Yrm
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7dKahMAOO
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3dYpes5Y1W
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9Tc99RBBZ
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTyzrPneiWa
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1TFAZJlW6
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUa9NPY7Kd
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIwZGOxqNU
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNfzhmV6L7
Finally, the Witch of the Night gave a piercing screech, and the creatures behind her charged us. Almeida's indecision disappeared immediately.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQfPG3otHs
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLthLVeJbuF
"Fall back!" he shouted.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Z4CiOZBxc
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEpn9Sbp4m
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzVDDFyuq7
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuq6ZNUfcw
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIF32nQKnGi
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84HDfpbOvj
Almeida looked around, searching for a way to get us out of that situation. Reluctantly, he ended up opting for the only possible solution.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqu3Pxq6ZA
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXXKb5R39l
"Retreat to the town," he shouted.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtc11fgvEe5
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeD788hA1A
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8Kq4rK37l
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPvMng9Qhw
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyy4Ar6gWC
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7JxMNF7cJ
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUXs1oRrVB
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzVf8yHoaR
Even with the water slowing our attackers' advance, the bullets couldn't shoot down enough to prevent them from getting closer and closer.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkfJlt3Uj9
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJRTM95FHT
"Fall back to the historical center," ordered Almeida.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOk8sgURVfY
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiEzfH6ZuX
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfze77resya
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXbZ63Yc66
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaI32vG995E
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7m0xxwwPxq
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eqCzda6HD
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAetm5sMlL
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFHlNh0iQR
After these casualties and seeing that the enemy was getting closer and closer, Almeida ordered a new retreat.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOd0IytDh9O
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SfM6LOdHt
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvBNydRFqm
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9frG9CFVBy
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5sku9avxf
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKKMVQmKZu
During the minutes that followed, the soldiers slaughtered several creatures with impunity. Even one of the giants fell.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SubhWNbU7
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS73aXz6gjx
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe48MjSjUJQ
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtt6RPJd4t
I knew that town well enough to know that, although it would take some time, they would eventually find the way to our rear.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULBzyye7vJ
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNKt9kApYr
I was about to inform Almeida of that fact when he shouted, “Fall back!"442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yulPCKrHq
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyVEcOS8y2
I suppose he came to the same conclusion.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T2el5ypbt
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW9SFThuZE
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8s0rjuGrz
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOVvFthMxZ
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAD7T0sslx
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFFKZzAQKp
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiNvc8MhYv
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrPuNDWm8G
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLJyw8t57f
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19lCdqFu4j
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2sKUMYADh
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13gI8QLdjU
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBVg8VnjAG
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5fQHBhhpI
Fortunately, the monsters' attack began to weaken before that happened. New creatures stopped joining the fight, and the rest ended up retreating.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7cQflZVvp
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjv9txZgcw
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj4IGDJOTp
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQED6TE2981
Almeida used his cell phone and called a helicopter to pick me up and reinforcements to help him hide what had happened in Amarante.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQsAFoTvPy
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNXO3MaiIB
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.442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcV0xpZ77O
442Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO00f33GKSu
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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