-------------------------------3rd Person POV----------------------------------------

An open plain was spread open in front of the village. The grounds were littered with large boulders as continuous rain of arrows showered the oncoming bandits.

The ground was broken here and there like the pockmarked surface of the moon.

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

The clanging of metal rang throughout the battlefield as arrows rained down on the attacking bandits.

"We are almost there!"
"Charge forward!! Don't block those behind you!!"
"Raise up your shields!! Ignore everything else and keep on moving forward!!"

Shouts are heard here and there from bandits that assume command for different teams of bandits. Each and every one encourages the others to move forward.

The defence of the town is getting fiercer and fiercer as the bandits come closer and closer to the village. Slowly but surely the bandits are gaining ground to reach the village walls.

"We are almost there!!!"
"Just a bit more!!!"
"Remember the riches you will receive!! Remember the dreams you only see when asleep! We will achieve it all the moment those walls crumble!!"
"Aaaggghhh!!!"

At the enticement of riches, the bandits found a burst of power, and used it to cover tens of metres forward. They are now a metre away from the moat near the wall of the village.

"We made it!!"
"Don't celebrate yet! Everyone that still has solid shields moves to the front! Everyone else dig!! Dig like your life depends on it! The only way to survive is down!!"

All the bandits simultaneously dug around them like a dog who found a bone.

"Ready!"
"Here too!"
"Everything is alright here!"
"Everything is set here!"
"Good, everyone set up the supports and brace as hard as you can! Remember that if one of you buckles then everyone here receives harm!"

At those words, the leaders of every group of bandits suddenly raised their arms as they fired balls of fire towards the stone walls of the village.

The bandit camp exploded with life at the same time they witnessed the fireballs of the bandit group near the village's walls.

"There it is! They finally reached it! Everyone to your stations!"
"Remember to throw the bait before opening the cages! Also! Don't open the cage unless you hear the signal!!"
"Everyone clear the area and fortify the defence! Don't get distracted! Close up as soon as the gatekeepers come back!!"

A few bandits started organising the surrounding crowd the moment they saw the signal.

In turn, the surrounding bandits hurried to their positions.

Some dashed to a certain distance away from the camp. They hold candles and light it up around their perimeter.

The others dismantled some of the tents and rushed to the candle holders. They stabbed wooden beams in the ground and assembled a simple platform for people to stand on. They fortified the assembled platform and held it in place while bracing themselves.

The moment they finished, some of the candle holders moved up the platform, and assembled in the same layout as those candle holders that stayed below.

A large portion of the bandits grabbed heavy shields. They moved to the platform and formed a shield wall around the platform. They formed a solid wall protecting those within.

After the wall was completed, the remaining bandits went to a row of cages facing towards the village. The cages were all as tall as they were and four times wider than they were. The cages were fully enclosed other than a few finger sized holes near the front of the cage.

*Rattle* *Clang* *Rattle* *Clang*

The rows of cages were rattling from time to time, as the monsters inside were trying to vent their anger on the metal cage ready to destroy everything they saw to release their hatred of being captured and confined.

The remaining bandits tied a chain on the release mechanism located on top of the cages and positioned themselves behind the cages as far as the chains could distance them. There are a lot of cages but the number of bandits is even more. The bandits not holding on chains are carrying heavy shields and positioned themselves in front of those holding the chains.

A shield on one hand and a bloody piece of meat on the other. They set their sites in front of the row of cages, preparing themselves for the horrors that are about to burst from within.

"Everyone ready!!!"

One of the bandit leaders stood on top of the makeshift platform that the bandits set up. He raised when he saw that everyone was in place and ready.

Everyone tensed the moment the leader spoke, as they anxiously stare at the cages forming a small wall far in front.

"Bait!!"

[Wind] [Wind] [Wind] [Wind] [Wind]

The bandits holding the shields threw the bloody piece of meat they held as far forward as they could. Some of them even used wind magic to push forward the meat farther and farther.

"Release!!"

As those words resounded throughout the surroundings, the bandits holding the pulls on the chains like their life depended on it.

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

The moment the gates of the cages opened, the bandits holding the chains and those holding the shield dashed back as fast as they could. They rushed back to rejoin the others near the makeshift platform.

As more and more bandits rushed back to the group, the shields surrounding the platform grew more and more until the small fortification became a dome of shields. The shields formed a sugar apple shape, every surface was covered by shields.

The shields were shut tight as if those inside wanted to prevent even water from slipping inside, like scales of a fish. However, smoke is released in between small gaps of the shield.

*Growl!!!* *Roaaar!!* *Raaaaghhhh!*

Monsters busted out of the cages one after another. They looked left and right with eyes glowing red like burning magma.

Rage and wrath dripped in their faces, they looked for prey, they looked for food, they looked for carnage, they looked for things they could sink their fangs with.

The first thing that greeted them was an open battlefield, the dark cage where they were trapped and other monsters raging beside them. They immediately started fighting among themselves.

*Sniff* *Sniff* *Whimper* *Whimper*

Amidst their infighting and chaos, they smelled the candles lit by the bandits. They winced and whined at the repulsive smell. They sneezed and slowly moved away from the smell.

*Sniff* *Sniff* *Raggh!! *Bite* *Chomp* *Slash*

As they moved away from the range of the candle fumes, they found the bloody meat that the bandits set up as bait. They fought over it, they bled over it, and they put forth their rage to attain it.

Locked up inside those cages fed with only the bare minimum. Their anger built up more and more, their hunger only fueled their anger more. As they finally tasted freedom, the next thing they 'see' is food.

They quickly finished those pieces of bait but their hunger wasn't satied at all. Those few pieces of meat weren't enough to satisfy them. It instead teased them of the taste of freedom, which angered them more.

Behind them was the disgusting smell that hurt their nose but they found food in front of them. Their direction has now been decided, and the sounds of battle and smell of blood far in front particularly tickled their nose. It was calling to them, taunting them, teasing them, and welcoming them.

They rushed out twice as fast as the bandits retreated before. They crossed the battlefield and started biting and eating the corpse left behind by the bandits during their siege.

*Bang* *Bang* *Tick* *Tick* *Tack* *Tack*

As the wave of monsters entered the field and the bandits close to the village entrenched themselves close to the moat, the villagers started targeting the monsters.

Rains of rock and arrows are pelting the monsters as they rush towards the battlefield. The monsters who were trying to eat were annoyed and started to dash towards the walls.

Unlike the bandits, as the monsters get more and more wounded, they get more and more aggressive. They won't back down or hide if an arrow hits them. They won't stop if a rock crushed their leg. They won't be slowed down by fear as they rage all the way to the walls.

*Bang* *Bang* *Claw* *Claw* *Crack* *Crack*

The monsters, with no care for their fellow monster or their safety, quickly reached the walls. They madly attack the wall as they try to scale it towards the people attacking them.

Along with the increased retaliation of the villagers against the monsters, the monsters kept on attacking the walls, and it eventually bore fruit. One crack, one crevice, one rupture, until all of those small damages piled up and connected to each other.

A part of the wall was damaged enough that the crack crept up towards the top of the walls and collapsed the floor of the walls.

The newbie defenders panics as their footholds crumble, despite the best efforts of the veterans.

"AgggghhhhhhhhH!!!!!"

As the veteran village dependers try to regain control, a loud and numerous shout echoed behind their backs.

The ambushers finally arrived.