--- The Hospital Retake ---
In the outskirts of the hospital, an intense battle is raging. The platoon where the cadets are located is fighting against soldiers who constantly try to hinder their advance. Pedro has lost count of how many of them he has taken down. The Guarani and the Centauro are at the forefront leading the charge. The enemy tries to form shield walls, but the 30mm cannons of the Guarani and the 120mm of the Centauro 2 break through any enemy resistance.
"Why do these guys keep showing up, haven't they realized we have superior weapons?" said a soldier.
The hospital is already visible a few meters away; everyone is agitated. Dealing with enemy resistance up to the hospital hasn't been difficult, but you never know what might be inside. Outside the hospital, more precisely in the parking lot, there were about 40 or 50 beings that closely resemble Minotaurs, standing 3 meters tall, slightly smaller than ogres but still quite intimidating, all armed with axes and wearing chest armor.
"What are these things?" the sergeant wondered.
"Minotaurs, sir, from Greek mythology," Gabriel replied.
The sergeant let out a slight laugh and said, "Well, that doesn't matter much, actually. If they're alive, that means they can be killed."
The Minotaurs had not yet noticed the approaching convoy. They were feasting on some dead humans who apparently were hospital staff or wounded being treated.
A precise shot from a 30mm cannon pierced the head of one of them, causing it to fall instantly. All the other Minotaurs formed a battle formation and roared in anger as they saw the convoy approaching the parking lot. More bursts of 30mm fire flew towards the beasts; out of the 50, 30 were instantly killed. One of them grabbed a car to hurl at the convoy but was interrupted by a quick 120mm shot from the Centauro that practically tore the accursed beast apart. The remaining Minotaurs sought cover among the cars and kept retreating further towards the hospital entrance. "Keep firing!" shouted one of the officers.
In the end, only two Minotaurs managed to retreat inside the hospital. The number of survivors among the beasts would have been higher if it weren't for the powerful blast of the 120mm cannon that obliterated anyone in its path.
Hundreds of Brazilian army soldiers captured the hospital parking lot, seeking cover among the cars and the Guarani. "Alright, men, let's go in. Be careful, the enemy could be in every corridor, and don't forget that two of those creatures retreated inside the hospital," said the convoy commander.
Before the first man could enter the hospital, a ball of blue fire was launched towards the Centauro 2. Everyone looked up and saw that in one of the windows, there was a hooded man holding a staff. Everyone opened fire at that window. The man managed to hide before the visible bursts of 7.62mm rounds could hit him. "Cease fire!" said the commander, "We don't know how many civilians have been taken hostage, so be careful when firing!"
The attack had almost no effect on the armored vehicle; the fire was quickly extinguished with fire extinguishers, and all that remained was a black smudge on the front of the armored vehicle.
---
As they opened the door to enter the hospital, dozens of arrows were shot in their direction. They quickly took cover.
"What!" shouted the sergeant. "They have archers guarding the entrance!" yelled the sergeant to the rest of the soldiers who were coming right behind to enter the hospital.
A soldier quickly rose from the cover he was in and unleashed a powerful burst of 7.62mm from his FN MAG machine gun. You could hear screams from the enemy in the background as everything was obliterated by the MAG. When the shots ceased, it was possible to see six enemy corpses at the end of the corridor. Surely, the rest who were not caught in the bursts fled in despair.
"Well done, soldier," said the sergeant. "Alright, men, let's advance!"
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As the entrance corridor of the hospital was cleared of enemies, about 20 men cautiously advanced towards the next corridor. This convoy that surrounded the hospital had a total of 150 men, so it was planned to enter gradually with 5 groups composed of 20 soldiers each. The rest would protect the hospital's entrance. Each group would clear a sector of the hospital while also searching for surviving hostages.
Pedro and Gabriel weren't assigned to enter the hospital, but their mission was to guard the hospital entrance with the other 48 soldiers and cadets. Gabriel and Pedro are looking at a child who appeared to be 12 years old, lying dead on the ground. "This is all..." Gabriel sighed, "a big mess," he added.
"I think that's well beyond the 'crap' category," Pedro chuckled at Gabriel's frustration, not because he didn't care, quite the opposite, he knew his friend was right.
"But these guys, they just invade and kill everyone in their path," Pedro said frustrated.
"They're practically barbarians, just like in the games and medieval fantasy stories," Gabriel remarked.
"You're right," Pedro said after covering the dead child's body with a sheet.
Suddenly, Pedro's radio broke the silence. "Attention, we've managed to retake 80% of the territory occupied by the enemy. The fight is now concentrated around the portal. All available units, listen up, after clearing your respective positions, advance to the city center. The enemy's air attack force is almost 100% neutralized. Good luck, men, and may God be with you. General Osvaldo, out."
Everyone there received the message, and it was clear. They were winning and kicking the asses of whoever these guys were. As they stood guard at the hospital, always keeping an eye on the hospital windows because you never know when the enemy might attack. A loud roar was heard, and it was different from any they had heard so far.
They looked up and saw a small dragon, it was certainly the size of a small civilian helicopter, but what also caught their attention was the fact that there was a person on top of that thing, a man in armor. "What the hell..." before Gabriel could finish the sentence, the dragon swooped down close to the ground and spewed a column of fire, just like a flamethrower. The Guarani didn't have time to react as the beast had already increased its altitude quickly, but making a turn, preparing for the next attack against the soldiers' positions. A soldier was unlucky enough to be caught by the monster's first direct attack; he screamed as he fell to the ground while other cadets tried to help him by putting out the fire, it seemed he would survive.
"Didn't they just say they had wiped out their air attack force?" Gabriel shouted as he fired bursts at the creature, but due to its altitude, most shots missed. The Guarani tried to fire, but that thing was taking cover between the buildings.
"They said they had destroyed 'almost' everything," Pedro grabs his anti-tank weapon.
Gabriel looks at him confused and asks, "You're not thinking of using that against that thing, are you?"
Pedro doesn't answer; seeing it getting closer to the ground for another burst, he quickly takes cover behind an LMV-BR and aims at the creature. As the creature releases another column of fire, he fires, hitting the monster's belly. After a strong explosion, that thing falls onto a civilian vehicle. The knight who was mounted survived by jumping off the creature when he realized what had happened. Before he could get up and grab his sword, he was surrounded by at least 10 soldiers ready to fire. "Cease fire!" said an officer. "Let's take him."
The soldiers quickly immobilize him after spraying pepper spray on the enemy soldier; he is handcuffed and taken inside an LMV-BR. All the soldiers present there look at Pedro and start clapping in gratitude, which leaves Pedro feeling awkward and a little embarrassed with so much recognition.
Gabriel, for a moment, looked at the face of that man and noticed a look of fear and confusion. He thought that under different circumstances, he would love to have a lively conversation with someone capable of taming a dragon, the kind of thing he only saw in movies and games. He looks at Pedro and says, "Well, let's get another anti-tank weapon for you." Pedro smiles and nods in agreement.
---
Pedro hears the sound of tracks moving, he looks back and sees a Brazilian Army MBT Panther approaching. As it arrives at the parking lot, the hatch opens, and Commander Antônio shows up, saying with a smile, "Looks like my 130mm cannon arrived a little late for the party." Everyone around laughed.
After the brief moment of camaraderie, an officer says to Antônio, "We have orders to advance after clearing this hospital." Both look at the hospital where gunfire can be heard coming from inside the building. "Be ready for a big fight."
"It seems they're having fun in there," Antônio says after lighting a cigarette.
"By the way, on the way here, I saw some horrific scenes," the officer looks at him with curiosity and asks, "Like what?"
Antônio looks serious and replies, "Women who were apparently raped by those green things, and I also saw several civilians, including women and children, hanging on poles. It seemed like some kind of crucifixion."
The officer looks perplexed, but before saying anything, he was interrupted by Antônio, who finished by saying, "I obviously informed my superiors, and they sent several groups of Military Police to remove the bodies. But all this made me see how these men who came from I don't know where are barbarians and much worse than those monsters that came with them."
Pedro was nearby and managed to hear their entire conversation. He feels sick and primarily filled with anger and a quest for answers to everything that is happening.