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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1UOeNHD6Z
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSK0WAn97F
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwXZf9Rw2C
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqO7pVdouW
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07Ua6b6eGW
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8v4Fcs4qP
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHxkx9WJm61
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsY4mysUETP
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLMAwi5MKP
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO6FSX1bdr
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XI5n3xqyV
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkP92jcluR
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXd9SfmvXvq
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQX8yBzyXC2
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CJyCWlG3b
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuvT7YUTh4
Finally, the Witch of the Night gave a piercing screech, and the creatures behind her charged us. Almeida's indecision disappeared immediately.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigz9LY3HTv
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgV1oFULwFD
"Fall back!" he shouted.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5P1cNi6Q8g
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwi36hvXCbG
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvJmfEj06i
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbR7IJxJ2p
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHApudqaXmI
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAQbAnTM1I
Almeida looked around, searching for a way to get us out of that situation. Reluctantly, he ended up opting for the only possible solution.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIHPQooyET
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIA2TeXqhaF
"Retreat to the town," he shouted.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtYeENwGJs
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5mjSLUp2G
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Yn1tU3buM
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoTYOaUOaN
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemkIO6fqLD
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54opYjy0jE
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazi3ieJHdl
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgkWWZX3OV
Even with the water slowing our attackers' advance, the bullets couldn't shoot down enough to prevent them from getting closer and closer.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhepDPaYty
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2dLancxtZ
"Fall back to the historical center," ordered Almeida.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwn1eD636sR
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UjS1jPBY9
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCApNcXIu9e
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSKGJytmCK
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡroeEUI4utX
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX51R3WLNXw
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsKkBdgBZb
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XDWIJYkEq
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8ZEkM5OeT
After these casualties and seeing that the enemy was getting closer and closer, Almeida ordered a new retreat.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27wSjhZ751
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuKM24DXea
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIzJMZjJAs
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTFvanxMIs
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTXS0nsjLx
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfnji2mC6x
During the minutes that followed, the soldiers slaughtered several creatures with impunity. Even one of the giants fell.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIbLgh7wKh
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRI5mqS8HaK
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJeTEymIhm
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvP5RArScHj
I knew that town well enough to know that, although it would take some time, they would eventually find the way to our rear.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpJa8mjl1w
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7W3UQ5m2I1
I was about to inform Almeida of that fact when he shouted, “Fall back!"582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwd0VQ79I8
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKzYOlwRkE
I suppose he came to the same conclusion.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM0gyzARZO
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpt1RvRbdI
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2WGneIhny
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4kd382GPI
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Eh68xwB4c
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe00cNaBmR1
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNBKaYUmGo
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcVUwIi3RK
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg7XD8gvnV
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuDsdLtn7H
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkJ3PSARpx
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNvUOIYEAN
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCJr0keMGL
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQxQiFJzZM
Fortunately, the monsters' attack began to weaken before that happened. New creatures stopped joining the fight, and the rest ended up retreating.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlFFKCODwd
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLiB0nR3jn
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKKzF39sXK
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXFHPSEd7Q
Almeida used his cell phone and called a helicopter to pick me up and reinforcements to help him hide what had happened in Amarante.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Smx7bzDrv
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxM7zDUlK3Z
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.582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr19CojqSKY
582Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLALHfVEUB
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...
Press Shift+Enter for multiple line breaks.
