Fingers lifted from string and the terrible strain contained within the surprisingly durable and tensile wood was finally given a chance to release itself. The crack of the bows arms straightening was louder and more powerful than any gun of the old world, the arrow wobbling in the air as it almost seemed to swim like a fish, before it's flight stabilised as it flew.

it would be wrong to say that the flight of the arrow was silent, for it was making noise as it cut through the air and raced across the vast distance between the groups. It was simply that it was moving so fast, that even it's own sound was having an impossible time keeping up with it.

By the time the echoing snap of the bows arms reached the Lightbringers party, the telekinetic was already sprawling backwards with an arrow shaft sprouting from the small slit in his helmet.

The box he had been levitating hit the moist ground with a wet splurt and slid down the short hill after the telekinetic, as he tumbled head over heels like a rag-doll.

The mud around the group churned and began to rise, five mounds either side of them forming and quickly sprouting into pillars. The pillars rose, lifting a patch of mud alongside them, as two hands of pure mud manifested themselves from the earth and clamped around the group, the fingers tightening and clenching in the air.

One of the Lightbringers group, the Leader of this band, had clapped his hands at the last moment, responded on instinct to the rapidly degrading situation and quickly erected force field to block the crushing hands grip.

The fingers curled, scraping down the circumference of the spherical force field as they squeezed and clawed at it trying to break the shield.

Another member crouched down, pressing his hands against the earth beneath his feet, while a third strangely dismissed his helmet to reveal a handsome face with a strong, chiselled jawline.

Cold, condensated air gathered around the hands of the crouching member. Rain battered against the shields surface, as did the mud hands, as frost rapidly began to congregate on the man's hands before, with one pulse of energy, it expanded outwards rapidly.

The earth beneath their feet, and in a ten metre radius around the ground, rapidly hardened and became covered in a thick layer of frost as it was frozen solid in a flash. Just outside of the radius, the earth collapsed inwards as it formed a tunnel from which the attacking group leapt and landed on the frozen earth.

Brad was the last to leave the tunnel, as it collapsed close behind him and immediately rose upwards, like a tidal wave of mud behind him.

Another arrow streaked down from the sky like a meteor, shattering the frozen mud hands and striking against the surface of the force-field, which shattered just as easily as the freshly made ice sculptures.

As soon as the shield dropped, both forces burst forwards without a word, or a need for a command from their superiors. Three from the Lightbringers group, and the half dozen Unkindly Guards, met in the middle in a chaotic clash of metal.

Although the Unkindly had numbers on their side, two to each man, the Lightbringers group had more of their mystical powers, those they believed to be blessings from their gods.

Hands shape-shifted into weapons, acid spewed from special glands in ones mouth and one burst into flames in a dazzling display of immolation, his fiery body hissing underneath the rain as he clashed with the Unkindly Guards.

The individual who had removed his helmet, and had yet to act, finally made his move. He inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest, before letting loose a ear-piercing and inhuman screech that vibrated the air as it crashed into a pair of Unkindly Guards like a freight train of sound.

A kilometre away, Ophelia heard the soft echoes of that banshee-like screech as she watched the battle from afar, controlling her [Warrior Within] and sending it towards the leader of the group.

However, quickly following the distant, echoing screech, there came a terrible scream from beside her. Troy let go of the arrow he had been aiming, sending it careening off to the side, where it would land harmlessly in the dirt far from the battle.

He collapsed to his knees, clutching his ears as he let out his own agonised screams.

Pulling away his hands, Ophelia cursed under her breath at the sight of a crimson river of blood pouring from his ears as he writhed in pain. The most she could do was hand him a vial of their golden grass healing solution and hope that it would be enough to stop permanent damage to his ears.

He downed the solution before picking up his bow and tossing it to Ophelia, who caught it with a nervous look on her face. He took a handful of arrows from his quiver, wobbling as he rose to his knees and stabbed the arrows into the soft earth next to her.

"You need to shoot. I'll be your eyes."

Troy kept his hands clamped tight over his ears, wincing every time another banshee screech echoed across the field. Biting her lip, Ophelia plucked an arrow from the ground and nocked it in the bow, which was actually made easier with the fact it didn't have a string as there was nothing to struggle with.

When she wrapped her fingers around the spectral string that appeared and started to draw it back, she could feel the bow actively draining her mana to power itself. Her arms strained, biceps trembling as she did her best to draw it.

"Not your arms. Use your back muscles. Pull your shoulders back and feel it with your back."

Nodding softly, Ophelia listened to Troy's advice and drew back the bow like he told her, but even though it was easier than her initial attempt, it still took a massive amount of physical and spiritual energy to draw it back.

She adjusted her aim to Troy's instructions, before finally letting it loose and letting out a strained sigh as the arrow thundered through the air, shattering the sound barrier as easily as glass.

The arrow wobbled and spun as it shot through the air at super sonic speeds, flying far and true until it hit with a wet spurt... in the dirt a few metres away from one of the Lightbringers men.

Thankfully, Ophelia was unable to see the discouraging shot. Only Troy could, and he didn't comment on it, only immediately used the information to adjust Ophelia's aim as she struggled to draw another arrow.

Across the field, in the middle of the storm and skirmish, the Lightbringers Holy Knight glanced towards the arrow stuck in the mud with eyes overflowing with derision before turning his condescending gaze towards Brad.

"Looks like your archer isn't as good as you hoped. That first one must have been a lucky shot. But we don't need luck, we have the power of God on our side."

He held his hands out to the side, chilled air pouring from the gaps in his armour. The heavy raindrops descended from the heavens immediately froze solid.

Surrounding the Holy Knight were dozens of perfect teardrop icicles, round and bulbous on one end and coming to a wicked, needle thin point at the other. And their numbers were only growing with every droplet of rain that fell from above.

Waving his hand through the air, the Holy Knight snatched one of the flash frozen raindrops out of the air. Then, with a flick of his wrists, the Holy Knight sent the icicle flying through the air towards Brad, repeating the movements over and over, his hands blurring as he sent out his own hailstorm of death.

Brad threw his hands upwards, a wall of mud rising like a tidal wave to intercept the projectiles. The viscous mud shield dampened their momentum and swallowed one after the other.

Solidifying the ground beneath his feet, so that he had firm footing, Brad pulled back his arms before thrusting his palms into the back of his mud shield, sending it pouring forwards like a true tidal wave.

The Holy Knight held up his hand in response, a gust of chilling hair roared from the gaps of his gauntlet and battered against the mud wave, causing frost to rapidly build up along its surface until it finally frozen solid.

As soon as it lost its viscous nature and became a glorified Popsicle, Brad's control was completely severed, causing the wall to stop dead and fall flat from its own momentum.

The two warriors stood silently amongst the storm and chaos of battle, staring each other down as they waited to see what the others next move. They stayed like that for a few moments, before an arrow stuck itself in the ground between them.

The arrow seemed to snap them from their stupor, as they moved at the same time. Frozen air poured from the Holy Knight's greaves, freezing the ground beneath his feet as he immediately began to skate away. In response, the mud beneath Brad's feet churned and surged forward, a wave of mud thrusting him forwards like a surfer atop a wave as he gave pursuit.