Chapter 2: Armada
Two weeks later. Kingdom of Wu
On the southern banks of the Yangtze River, by the Red Cliffs, floated a fleet of ships numbering several thousand, bathed in warmth by the setting sun. It had been a quiet day. There were several skirmishes with a number of Wei naval scouts that had attempted to come closer than was necessary during this calm before the storm. But certainly, no galleon of Cao Cao's had attempted to strike at them yet, and for good reason. The Wu army's specialty was, in fact, riverine warfare. It was for that reason that they had maintained their foothold in southern China, holding out tenaciously against the feared Central Army of Wei. Their barges were versatile, powerful, well built, and manned by disciplined, hardened soldiers. Even a ship that could carry a hundred horses was considered to be small. Traditionally, Wu's seafaring technology had been defensive in nature, but tonight, in order to break through the invaders' lines of sturdily built ships, there would be a change in strategy.
They would use fireships to obliterate the enemy.
At the mast of one of the central vessels stood a towering man, encased in black armour lined with red. Draping down from his ebony shoulderplates was a tattered cape of crisp ebony. The scar of a deep cut remained on his right eye, but it had been inflicted on him many years ago, and he had learned to wear it with pride. At his side was a thick, intimidating dao, a Chinese broadsword, engraved with red patterns at the blade's side. Its grip and guard were black, as black as the damaged armour that he wore. He had been raised as the child of a pirate's family, but had risen astonishingly quickly up Wu's ranks, becoming Lord Sun Quan's most trusted general. He was the General of Valour, and his name was Zhou Tai.
He was about to breathe in the fresh, salty air that he always loved as a child when he sensed a human presence, and obligingly turned around. A broad-chested, virile man, tastelessly adorned with bells and a smaller feather cape, was seeking his attention. His hair was sprayed with white, as if he had spent too much time out in the seas and the sun. Clearly, he was of pirate origin as well. A man of few words, Zhou Tai nodded. "General Gan Ning. Report."
"Youping1, you gotta hear me out. I just met the weirdest woman!" cried the brash youth eagerly. "She'll be here anytime!"
"You were skirmishing with the enemy?" asked Zhou Tai suddenly, glancing at the blood on his hands and daggers.
"Well, sort of," said Gan Ning, scratching his head sheepishly. "I'd returned and was scaling the masts of Airborne Serpent and Fiery Cloud when I saw her. She almost looked like she had lost her way. But one thing's for certain – " he winked. "Master Zhou Yu was definitely guiding her here. I saw it myself."
"The Supreme Commander?" Zhou Tai paused, his scarred face thoughtful. What might be her business with us at this crucial juncture?
A long plank suddenly plonked itself between its mother galleon and Zhou Tai's craft. He paused, turning his head. Was someone coming aboard? He approached the neighbouring ship. He was about to enquire the newcomer's identity when he paused, holding back his breath back in amazement as he finally glimpsed the soldier who was crossing over.
It was the woman Gan Ning spoke of.
There could be no mistaking her, for she was not even of the Wu Kingdom. She was unlike anything he had seen before. Her armour was most peculiar, almost impractical for all he cared. Behind her he could notice a long handle of an even longer sword, strapped to her back underneath her mantle. Her tight uniform, accentuating her generous curves and breasts, was a dull grey, totally contrasting against Gan Ning's flamboyant, bright crimson breastplate and spaulders. But most striking was her face, her pale, fair skin. The golden, light hair that was tied into two strange tails that draped down her front, giving her the air of a youthful, almost immature, young lady. Her eyes – silver eyes! – were wide, large and full of life. Her expression was amiable, almost disconcertingly friendly, as she boarded his ship, her greaves lightly touching the wooden deck as she jumped off the plank.
"Hello, Master Zhou Tai," she offered, in thickly accented Chinese. Her articulation was still surprisingly good. Furthermore, she seemed to have a rough idea of protocol as she gave a prolonged bow by bending at the waist. "My name is Cynthia – Cynthia of Pieta. I came from Fatima Harbour on one of my Organization's galleons – "
"Sin – tee – ar," repeated Zhou Tai, his lips pursing in futile concentration. "Pee – iey – tar – "
How frustrating. Where under Heaven had she learned to speak his tongue? And he could barely pronounce her name!
"It's alright," interrupted the silver-eyed lady, laughing nervously, raising her head and waving her hands as if to ward away his embarrassment. "Please, converse with me through your own dialect." Zhou Tai nodded and complied, with some relief.
"I'm here on behalf of my Organization's final orders," continued the lively beauty. "We're aware of the advancing Wei forces from the North, and I've come to aid you in tonight's final preparations. But I must warn you that you face a greater threat beyond any mere human force, beyond even the forces of Wei. I really hope you'll take me more seriously than Master Zhou Yu has."
Zhou Tai blinked in uncertainty. "Wei is our only enemy."
The fair woman shook her head, her smile fading somewhat. "If this conflict were only between Wu and Wei, my kind would not have to intervene in what is merely civil war. You face a threat that is regrettably from our own land. They are called Yoma."
"Yoma?"
"Yes. They are sentient monsters that feed on human organs. They tear even the most seasoned of human warriors like wet tissue. And due to a catastrophic mistake by our Organization, of which they will not divulge the details…" her face turned dark, almost bitter. "…There are many worlds now overrun with these creatures from the Isles of Man."
Gan Ning roared with laughter, and Cynthia's face fell further. "Lady! That's either an awesome joke, or pure claptrap! Isles of Man? Yoma? Then I'm the princess of All Under Heaven!"2
As much as he wanted to chastise Gan Ning for his discourtesy, Zhou Tai found it difficult to believe her too. "I… am not sure if this is plausible, Lady Cynthia," he muttered.
To his surprise, she gave a relieved sigh. "Well, that's a much friendlier reply than the ones I've already received," she admitted. "Master Zhou Yu didn't even want to hear me out – he sent me straight here. His frown told me more about his apprehension than his acknowledgement of my warning. I've already approached Master Cheng Pu, Master Han Dang, and Master Zhang Zhao. They would have none of it. And they refuse to let me see your King, too."
She lowered her head, her eyes clouding over. "No one believes me."
Zhou Tai looked down at her, unsure of what to say. "Gan Ning," he suggested quietly. "Return to patrol. I'll deal with this."
"Sure thing, Youping. See you tonight, when the fleet of Wei is ablaze!" And with that, he leaped off the barge and onto the ship next to it, his powerful legs giving him the spring and strength he needed to swing back up onto its masts.
"When the fleet of Wei is ablaze?" mumbled Cynthia, as soon as Gan Ning was out of earshot. "You have a special strategy planned tonight?"
"The southeast wind has been blowing only very recently, thanks to the mystical powers of our ally Zhuge Liang," said Zhou Tai quietly, returning his attention to the strange foreigner. "We shall act very soon. We will defeat Cao Cao's superior numbers with a decisive scheme."
"What is that?" asked Cynthia.
A ghost of a smile flittered across Zhou Tai's face. "Fire." But his shadowy grin was quickly replaced with his usual sombre expression. "Lady Cynthia. You have seen so many of our officers and advisors, yet you do not give up? Then these Yoma – "
"Of course they exist!" she cried indignantly. "And I can't simply give up. Your Kingdom is in grave danger, and I have a solemn duty and commission to protect the people of this nation… even if I have my own misgivings about why we've been sent here by our Organization."
He nodded, observing her wide, gentle but firm eyes. The way she carried herself – with grace and humility, but with conviction of her story's truth as well. "These Yoma… they are from your land?" he clarified. "And from your uniform… you are soldiers sent to stop them?" he deduced.
She looked up at him, surprised. "You… will listen to me?" she asked, anxiety mixed with urgency in her voice.
He found himself nodding. "You must tell me everything if we are truly in danger from this threat. As a general, I cannot simply ignore warnings." He gave her an encouraging smile. "No matter how incredulous it seems to others."
She brightened noticeably. "Come with me, Master Zhou Tai," she pleaded, taking his gauntleted hand. "Since you trust me, I'll tell you everything I know so far."
He almost reproached her for such… directness. What happened to her protocol? But her grip was surprisingly strong, and he was powerless to pull away. She was moving him?
And I thought I'd seen all this world has to offer…
*
The sunset was beautiful.
A young man with long black hair stood by the banks of the Yangtze, observing the destruction of several Wei boats that had ventured too far into Wu waters. His robes were white and green, bedecked with various magical symbols, and an emerald sash draped down his left shoulder. But his most distinguishing feature was the feather fan that he held. He exuded the grace of a demi-god, smiling mildly as the Wu sailors rammed their armoured hulls against the hapless northern scouts. He heard a panicked call to retreat, and the Wei soldiers on the riverbanks abandoned their crafts, throwing themselves into the waters and leaving themselves to the Wu sailors' mercy.
Zhuge Liang smiled. Everything was going according to plan.
His Lord, Liu Bei, was admirable and worth serving, but he was currently a landless wanderer with no kingdom to call his own. He had managed to station at Moling, but he could not stay indefinitely. The first step in ensuring his survival had been to form an expedient alliance with Wu. Wei threatened the continued existence of both Liu Bei and Sun Quan and gave common cause for a military pact. Through his prayer and incantation to the gods, Zhuge Liang had summoned a wind from the southeast, a completely unnatural phenomenon during the winter solstice. This southeast wind was to aid Wu's fireships in setting alight Cao Cao's fleet, and if the gods smiled upon them tonight, the Wei navy would be utterly decimated. Wu would be saved, and those who opposed Cao Cao would live to fight another day.
He turned to the pale woman beside him, one of the silver-eyed foreigners that arrived in Jiangdong alongside the mysterious ships that looked nothing like their Wu counterparts. And this particular lady was apparently the squad leader of these so-called "Claymores." She certainly looked like a commander, despite the universality of their grim uniforms. Her pointed hair was long, spilling past her pauldrons and mantle, and her eyes were sharp and piercing despite her soft, gentle face.
"We have repulsed the Wei fighters for today, and my prayer has stirred the land to favour our cause tonight. With our attack of burning boats, this wind will carry us to victory against the Wei forces." He smiled. "You have never witnessed such a vast fleet in your homeland, have you? Miria."
The longhaired Claymore nodded, her cape fluttering lightly in the supernatural southeastern breeze. "No, I haven't. And this is indeed an elaborate plan that befits you, Zhuge Liang. Or should I be calling you the Sleeping Dragon?"
"That is merely my epithet. I have no need of it. Besides, do you not have more important things to worry about?"
She turned away. "Rest assured. My squad has already arrived in Moling to protect Liu Bei. And given the rapid expansion of our Continent's monsters across your nation, I won't take the risk in spreading out Helen, Clare, or Deneve here at Chi Bi." She glanced at him. "We'll standby there, until your fight here has reached a conclusion."
"Yes," he nodded, "leave this confrontation to our comrades in Wu. I do not wish for you to participate, regardless of our Lord's protection. I will require your strength for the subjugation of western China against your Continent's yellow-eyed monsters. And once we have driven those invaders out, we will establish the Kingdom of Shu in Sichuan, with Lord Liu Bei as our King."
He closed his eyes, his smile fading. The immediate area faded into darkness, and he trembled slightly. For that pair of yellow eyes was staring out at him yet again, from the abyss. What were these yellow eyes that leered at him mercilessly, these yellow eyes that were large, bestial, and hungry for human innards? For a moment, he felt his heart surge with fear. "They are not of the natural world. They are not of the Great Way. These Yoma… should their arrival imminent here at Chi Bi too, it will certainly impose new complications on our plans."
The realm is ready, and the time is right. Our land's greatest trial and deliverance begins… now.
The darkness turned itself away from the abyss of the netherworld, and settled into the tranquil shade of nightfall. The Sleeping Dragon opened his eyes, and they were shining in clarity. "Miria," he said, "Cao Cao's forces approach now, in the form of a mighty armada intent on absolute conquest. I shall make final preparations for the evening battle. Hurry to Lord Liu Bei. We will rendezvous after we have annihilated the navy of Wei."
"Very well," nodded Miria, turning away. "Then I'm returning to Moling. Good luck, Kongming."3
"Thank you for your help, Number Six," smiled Zhuge Liang. "Tonight, our future shall be decided along this river, this cradle of civilization."
1 Zhou Tai's courtesy name.
2 The original Chinese equivalent is "Tian Xia." :P
3 Zhuge Liang's courtesy name.