Murim Recurve

"Fire!" Re'Rak shouted. A soldier stationed at the bottom of the tower blew into a trumpet. The trumpet had been designed specifically to relay instructions over long distances. It had vents at numerous places, designated based on the trenches dug within the ground within which the soldiers hid.

It was muffled at the area of reception to ensure the sound wouldn't leak out of their hiding spot. Moreover, the words used were different from those used in day-to-day conversations. They had unique, non-repeating pronunciations to ensure the receptor wouldn't misunderstand the message.

The moment the soldier trumpeted the signal to open fire, the soldiers hiding within all the trenches aimed with their crossbows. Crossbows consumed less space, as they didn't need the draw length during the time of firing. So, it made the perfect weapon to use in their current situation where they were huddled close to each other.

A soldier was positioned at every interval that cranked a long rod. Attached to the rod were a row of cylinders, with each aligning positions of the soldiers. Upon hearing the signal, the soldiers holding the rod pushed it upward.

The cylinders peaked out of the water at the top—the vessel filled with rainwater they had used to cover their trenches. The soldiers pulled the rod sideways, opening the lid of the cylinder, causing them to be able to see the outside through them.

The other soldiers—carrying the crossbows—aimed into the cylinders and fired. They had their eyes closed and noses blocked by a mask. The moment they had fired, the soldiers handling the rod moved it sideways, closing the cylinder cap. They then pulled the rod down, causing the cylinders to retreat into the water.

A hail of arrows flew from their encampment. As it was situated over a hill, they gained an advantage due to the height. The arrows, numbering five thousand arched in the air, losing their vertical momentum after reaching a certain height as they curved downward, heading towards the Kalhas.

As they fell, they accelerated, gaining power as they emitted a whistling sound. The arrows headed towards the cloud below, slamming into it as the momentum behind them caused the sharp arrows to penetrate through the cloud.

Blood dripped through the cloud like rain as tens of Kalhas skewered by each arrow slammed on the ground. The force of the impact caused them to splatter. If any being was in this place, they would instantly become delirious thanks to the scent wafting from the blood and smashed Kalhas.

The Punous resisting the Kalhas, the animals whose bodies were steadily slipping away from their control, and the other beasts prowling about, everyone instantly became delirious. But, the Kalhas forming the cloud above couldn't move in to control their bodies yet, for another hail of arrows slammed into them.

The walls of Burkurel City were filled with soldiers blindly shooting arrows from atop. Their eyes were closed, their ears sealed to a considerable extent while they wore filters over their nose. It was to prevent them from being affected by the Kalhas as much as possible.

After all, they couldn't just hide the moment the Kalhas took to the air. For, that would leave their city defenceless. The strength of the walls mattered naught as the beasts controlled by the Kalhas could simply spam breath attacks and destroy it within a couple of breaths.

To prevent that, they took some measures. It was them just brute-forcing their way through. Soldiers stood at various stations, with each shooting arrows at a designated angle. This way, they covered considerable range and height, preventing the Kalhas from getting nearby.

Though, it wasn't foolproof, for the Kalhas could simply fly over from a higher altitude. But, they had only attempted that the first few times and had given up after that. After all, the moment it began to rain again, they had to go into hiding.

And, soldiers were prowling about in the city just to hunt them. They used the same method the scouts had used against the house Re'Kha had taken refuge within. The common populace had long since sealed their houses from all directions, preventing any Kalha from getting in.

So, eradicating the hiding Kalhas was easy. The soldiers only had to scoop water collected on the roads using a bucket and splash it over the houses. The spaces to hide were limited to the extended roofs in the houses and their balconies. It made targeting them easy.

Thanks to that, the Kalhas suffered heavy losses. Once they realised it, they refrained from invading the city directly and planned to breach the walls first. This way, they could bring in all the beasts and animals under their control, and wouldn't be eradicated easily.

The hail of arrows continued to rain over the eye cluster cloud formed by the Kalhas, killing them in large droves. The Kalhas separated a large portion to head towards the hill from which the arrows were being shot.

But without any beasts to control, they were mostly helpless. They couldn't breach the defences on the hill on their own. Only the strength of the beasts could do that. But, scaling the hill took time, time they didn't have since it rained after every short interval. Even though closing its eyes—shielding the Kalha controlling it—was all it needed for the beast to remain alive, it was killed soon after by the soldiers that could freely target it.

"We endured!" Re'Rak bellowed, raising his hands in joy as it started to rain once again. Based on the forecast of the Re Clan, this rain was supposed to continue for an entire day without stopping. So, it meant they had a day to prepare.

Re'Rak exited the tower and barged into a sealed shed, taking out his trusty horse. He was accompanied by five water-attributed Harmonisers, three scouts from the Burkurel Mu Clan, one messenger from the Burkurel In Clan, and a team of 20 soldiers.

Without wasting any moment, they headed towards the Burkurel Ju Clan's western settlement. Re'Rak focused on the path ahead, speeding forth at the maximum pace his horse could traverse upon.