Although there were many paths and alleyways throughout Redwood Town's western quarter, all of them eventually fed into just 6 roads that led towards the Town Square.
Of these 6 roads, there was only 1 main thoroughfare which was wide enough for two carriages and pedestrians to pass side-by-side on.
As such, after hurriedly evacuating the citizens who lived in the western part of town, the first thing Charles set about doing was securing these 6 routes, creating choke-points with a single command centre being located on the main road.
Choosing specific intersections that were surrounded by particularly tall or sturdy buildings, the Town Guard and other volunteers began erecting makeshift barricades composed of literally whatever they could find.
Carts, construction materials, furniture, street stalls, anything that could be scrounged up from nearby was piled onto the road.
Farah, together with a few others who had military experience, suggested that instead of trying to build a high barricade which was unstable, a large pile of debris 5 to 10 metres in length and just tall enough to not obstruct a grown adult's vision would be best.
Other measures discussed included having those who were confident with a bow take up positions on the rooftops of nearby homes, digging pits in front the barricades, and laying snares and other types of traps further out.
Charles, who despite being the Town Lord, had no formal strategic training or experience, was more than happy to lean on these veterans, especially Farah, who had more experience in setting up military camps and enduring sieges.
The first hour or so was filled with confusion and chaos as getting all the townsfolk in the western quarter to evacuate had not been easy.
On Sasha's orders, half of the Town Guard had quickly been organized and sent to assist Charles, along with any volunteers who were at least in the Seventh Step Body Tempering Realm. Anyone weaker than that would have just gotten in the way, so they were given other tasks instead.
With over 100 people going door to door, the western quarter was quickly being cleared out and sent to the Central Square where they would receive further directions.
Naturally, there were many issues and even arguments that came up, ranging from people scrambling about in panic, to others refusing to leave their homes despite the approaching danger. However, with a few persuasive words and a bit of strong-arming, most of the civilians had packed up what they could carry and were gone by the time the sun began to dip below the tops of the trees.
Just as the last stragglers in the western quarter were being evacuated past the slowly growing barricades, the lookouts that Charles had posted on Farah's recommendation made the first large-scale sighting of Wild Beasts escaping out of the Great Western Forest.
Up until now, while there had been some beasts fleeing the forest, it wasn't anything too concerning; a boar here, a deer there, nothing which was a threat to the armed defenders who were now guarding the barricades.
Anyone on the front lines either had some combat training or was an experienced hunter, so these lone beasts posed no threat to them and were either scared off or taken down with minimal effort.
Understanding that this could be a long struggle, though, Charles had specifically ordered everyone to avoid fighting whenever possible.
In short, as long as the beasts didn't try to get into town, they were to be ignored unless they were a known, dangerous species which would target humans if left alone.
Luck seemed to be on Redwood Town's side as another hour or so passed with only a few arrows being shot here and there to drive off some of the more reckless Wild Beasts.
Charles was even beginning to breath a little easier as most of the barricades had now basically taken shape and a significant defence force had been assembled.
50 Town Guard alongside some 250 volunteer fighters had been distributed to the various checkpoints and were now just waiting for the battle to begin.
When he found a moment where he wasn't coordinating the various efforts, Charles looked out from his position at the main road and couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic.
He had participated in a few large-scale hunts and expeditions during his adventuring days, so seeing the 80 or so people gathered here, busily checking their weapons, munching on dried rations, setting up traps, or enhancing the barricades all brought back some of his youthful memories.
Still, there was no doubt that this defence force wasn't much more than a hastily put-together mob.
Less than one-third of the Town Guard had any formal training as soldiers, and less than half of that third were permanently employed by the Newton Baron Family with paid salaries.
The rest of the Town Guard were basically part-time volunteers who had other jobs like farming or blacksmithing.
All of the Town Guard wore the same crest on chests, but their armour and weapons were by no means standardized. Some of them had proper leather armour and wielded sharp spears, while others had simple metal chest plates and swords.
Some of the adventurers and hunters had high-quality gear, better than even the Town Guard, but they were the exceptions rather than the norm.
For the most part, the militia was equipped with whatever could be found.
Given the dire circumstances, Charles had opened up the Manor's 'armory', which was really just a storage shed for weapons and armour that wasn't good enough to use but not bad enough to scrap, and had even raided the local stores and smithies for any usable weapons and armour, but it was slim pickings.
While some swords, spears, and shields were indeed scrounged up, there were very few such items and most were either dull or damaged.
Still, it was better than nothing, so everything was brought out.
In the end, a small majority of these volunteers were equipped with some kind of real armour and a proper weapon, but many were still had to make do with a few heavy cloth jackets and wooden clubs.
As for how well this hastily assembled fighting force would perform when faced with a real challenge, Charles didn't dare to speculate.
Just as Charles was about to end his short break and get back to work, a hunter's horn sounded to the west of his position, instantly grabbing his attention.
When the lookouts were initially sent out, it was agreed that anyone who spotted a threat approaching the town's perimeter would let out a specific number of blasts from their horn.
If it was just a minor threat, 1 blast would sound, if it was a major threat, 2 blasts, dire threat, 3 blasts, and so on and so for.
It was a simple early warning system that everyone could easily understand; the most blasts, the greater the danger.
So far, single blasts had been heard at least a dozen times from various different directions, but none of the Wild Beasts had yet tried to run the blockades, so while the Town Guard and volunteer defenders were a bit restless, they still retained a sense of calm.
However, this time, the lookout's horn sounded twice, which meant real trouble was finally approaching.
Each of the lookouts was an experienced hunter in the Vein Opening Realm who was familiar with the Wild Beasts that lived nearby, so their ability to spot threats and assess their level of danger was unquestionable.
Understanding this, the defenders all froze up, becoming a bit dazed and confused as to what they were supposed to do next. Even the Town Guard, who had received some basic group combat training, weren't able to respond immediately.
Charles was also dumbstruck for a moment. Even though he knew this moment was inevitable, when it finally arrived, it was still a bit overwhelming for him.
Fortunately, this daze didn't last long. As the local Baron and Lord of Redwood Town, charged with protecting it and its people from any and all threats, Charles managed to pull himself together, grabbed his heavy looking longsword, and shouted, "Take your positions!"
The loud shout from the Town Lord startled the other defenders out of their stupor and they all began running about. The ones in armour and holding large shields scrambled to the front, getting into a basic line formation behind the barricades, adding yet another barrier to whatever Wild Beasts might try to break through.
Next up, those with spears and other polearm weapons took up position behind the shield wall, planning to stab out at the beasts which were blocked by the first line of defenders.
Those with shorter melee weapons, like swords, axes, hammers, and daggers, gathered in small groups close behind the first two lines, leaving enough room for themselves to move around in case any beasts managed to get past the wall of shields and spears.
Finally, the archers took up positions behind the melee defenders, as well as on nearby roofs, trying to get the best angles they could to shoot down their foes before they got too close.
As dusk settled over Redwood Town, everyone realized that the first real battle of the night was upon them, whether they were ready for it or not.