The morning sun was barely visible behind thick clouds, casting a dull gray light over the forest. The air was heavy, thick with anticipation. Kayl stood atop the guard tower, eyes trained on the horizon where shadows moved between the trees. His breath was slow and steady, his grip tight on the wooden railing. The scouts had reported the bandits were almost at the gates. Any moment now.
Below him, the camp was silent, save for the soft rustling of armor and the occasional creak of wood as the Militia adjusted their positions. The spike barricades lined the perimeter, and the traps were set just beyond the palisade, hidden from view. The palisade walls stood strong, but Kayl knew this fight would be decided not by the strength of their defenses alone, but by how well they used the terrain and the traps.
Kayl looked down at the gate, where Duran stood with a handful of Militia, ready to defend the entrance. Tessa was stationed on the opposite side of the camp, overseeing the watchtower archers. Rael patrolled the interior, ensuring the fallback positions were ready.
And then, the silence was shattered.
A distant horn blew from the treeline, followed by the sound of boots pounding against the forest floor. From the darkness of the woods, the bandits emerged, dozens of them, rushing toward the settlement in chaotic waves. They wore ragged armor, their faces twisted with savage hunger for loot and blood. At their head was the scarred bandit leader, the same man who had threatened Kayl days before.
The bandits let out wild battle cries, axes and swords gleaming in the morning light as they charged toward the palisade. Kayl's heart raced, but his mind remained sharp. This was the moment he had been preparing for.
"Hold steady!" Kayl shouted down to the camp. "Wait for them to get closer!"
Duran gave a sharp nod, his sword held ready as the Militia braced themselves.
The bandits reached the first line of traps. As they surged forward, the ground beneath them collapsed, revealing the pitfall traps hidden under branches and dirt. Several of the raiders fell, their screams filling the air as they plummeted into the pits lined with sharpened stakes.
But more kept coming.
The bandits split into two groups—one rushing toward the main gate, the other attempting to flank the camp on the north side, where the palisade was thinnest. Kayl had anticipated this. He grabbed a bow from the guard tower's supply and began firing arrows down into the crowd, aiming for the bandits trying to breach the gate.
"Archers!" Tessa called from her watchtower. "Fire!"
Arrows rained down from both towers, cutting down several bandits as they struggled to reach the walls. But it wasn't enough to stop the sheer mass of them.
Kayl watched as the second group of bandits reached the north side of the palisade, slamming into the wooden walls with crude hammers and axes. The walls groaned under the pressure, but held—for now.
The Gates Under Siege
At the main gate, the bandits pressed forward, smashing their weapons against the wooden barriers. Duran and the Militia stood ready behind the gate, waiting for the right moment to counterattack.
"Get ready!" Duran shouted, raising his sword. "If they break through, we push them back!"
The sound of wood splintering filled the air as the bandits hacked away at the gates. Kayl could feel the tension rising—the gates wouldn't hold forever.
Kayl climbed down from the tower, his mind racing. The gates will give way soon. We need to make our move.
He rushed to Duran's side, gripping his axe tightly. "When the gates fall, we'll need to funnel them into the traps inside. Keep them focused on the gate—if they spread out, we'll be overwhelmed."
Duran nodded, his jaw tight. "Understood."
With a loud crash, the gates buckled, splitting open as the bandits surged forward. The first wave of raiders flooded into the camp, weapons raised, their wild eyes gleaming with victory.
"Now!" Kayl shouted.
The Militia moved swiftly, forming a tight shield wall just behind the broken gates. The bandits, sensing blood, rushed toward them, eager to break through. But as they charged, they fell right into Kayl's trap.
The ground beneath the bandits collapsed once more, revealing spike pits hidden just beyond the gate. Several bandits fell, skewered by the sharpened wooden stakes. The rest hesitated, their charge faltering as they realized they had walked into a trap.
"Push them back!" Kayl ordered.
The Militia surged forward, shields up and swords flashing. They struck at the disoriented bandits, driving them back toward the broken gate. The initial assault had been blunted, but more bandits were pouring in from the forest. The pressure wasn't letting up.
The Northern Wall
Meanwhile, at the northern palisade, the second group of bandits had broken through. They tore down part of the wall, creating a gap in the defenses. Tessa and her archers fired down on them, but the bandits were moving fast, trying to breach the camp's inner defenses.
Kayl cursed under his breath. I knew they'd hit the north side hard.
He needed to think fast. If they got through the northern side, the entire camp would be exposed.
"Tessa!" Kayl shouted as he ran toward the breach. "Fall back to the inner circle! We'll make our stand there!"
Tessa nodded, barking orders to the archers as they moved to higher ground. The bandits, emboldened by the breach, surged into the camp. But as they entered, they hit another line of spike barricades, slowing their advance.
Kayl and a group of Militia rushed to reinforce the northern side, meeting the bandits head-on. The fight was brutal, swords clashing against shields as the bandits pushed forward, trying to overwhelm the defenders.
"Hold the line!" Kayl shouted, his voice hoarse from the strain. "Don't let them through!"
But the bandits were relentless, and their numbers seemed endless. Despite the traps and the barricades, the sheer weight of their attack was taking its toll. Kayl's arms ached as he swung his axe, cutting down bandit after bandit, but the enemy kept coming.
For every bandit they felled, two more seemed to take their place.
A Desperate Stand
As the battle raged on, Kayl felt the tide beginning to turn against them. The bandits had broken through the outer defenses, and now they were swarming the camp from both the north and the gate. The Militia fought valiantly, but they were being pushed back, step by step.
Kayl's mind raced. We need to fall back—regroup, or we'll be overwhelmed.
"Duran!" Kayl called, his voice barely carrying over the chaos of battle. "Pull the Militia back to the inner defenses! We need to regroup!"
Duran nodded, calling out the order to fall back. The Militia began a controlled retreat, moving toward the inner circle of the camp where the Wooden Barracks stood. It would be their last line of defense.
But even as they fell back, the bandits were hot on their heels. The palisade had been breached, and the camp was crawling with raiders.
Kayl gritted his teeth, his mind spinning as he tried to find a way to turn the tide. This isn't over. Not yet.