Chapter 69 Torrential

The battle started without any sense of ceremony.

The sound of horns and military drums echoed along both banks of the Panto River, as the Terdun Cavalry charged into the shallows, heading towards the Iron Peak County militia on the north bank.

Bard took a deep breath, pulled out a flat-headed arrow, and nocked it onto his bow.

He sank his shoulders, extended his left arm, half-turned his elbow, shifted his weight onto his left leg while reaching forward with his upper body, and pulled the bowstring back to his ear in a slightly awkward posture.

To master his 140-pound longbow, Bard's arms, back, and abdominal muscles were all exerting force.

His back muscles bulged, his waist and abdomen tightened, the veins in his arms swelled, and his left hand, which was holding the bow, had turned a painful red.

The process of shooting an arrow was both long and fleeting: the bowstring and the bow made a delicate sound from the tension, and Bard's body trembled slightly.