Chapter 3: Battle of the Red Cliffs: Part I
Chi Bi, evening. Central Barge, Wei Flagship
Galatea stood beside Cao Cao as he issued concluding orders to his naval officers. "Let our numbers overwhelm them," thundered his daunting voice. "Our target is Sun Quan, and their allied main camp. Forward!" He waved his hand outward as another division of maritime sailors on a nearby galleon prepared the arbalests for an artillery assault. The soldiers around him roared in support, victory already in their hearts.
"You're looking forward to this, aren't you?" smirked God-Eye observantly, gazing outwards at the dark river.
"Indeed, my tigress," replied Cao Cao, sneering at nothing. "Tonight is the night when the old ways are swept away and carried downstream this river, never to return." He glanced at her. "I will show you that I am not like the other powers of the age. I will show you the future that I have planned for the people. I would like to show you the future that I have planned for you, too."
His passionate words caught her off-guard. Me too?
Ah, yes… he had already told me then…
*
"What do you think?" he had asked, only a week earlier. "These armies of mine." He gave an almost self-satisfied smile as Galatea peered down from the palace pavilion into the royal square, and bore witness to phalanx after phalanx of elite Men-At-Arms. They were heavily armoured and bore the banners of the Wei Kingdom. They numbered in the tens of thousands, eager to overwhelm his enemies.
"An impressive bid for power, Master," she murmured, placing a hand on the wooden balcony. She suspected he had been saving this as a surprise. Some of them could not resist glancing up at her, at her strange, pale face and light-coloured hair, and at her unfamiliar armour. Her lips pursed in contemplation. "Nevertheless, the threat of the invading Yoma lurks in the back of my mind, and I daresay that no human army, not even yours, can stand up to them. Yet your men don't seem to be as concerned as I am. In fact, I don't believe they take me seriously at all," she added, her tone slightly reproachful.
Ever since her arrival at the Wei Court, it seemed as if he was the only one who listened to her with a sincere heart. The other officers generally shunned her as the "new, foreign bodyguard." And while she was no attention-seeker, it really was becoming tiresome. Surely she deserved better treatment than this. "Well?" She turned to look at him when he did not reply, only to see his smirking face. "What?" she challenged, somewhat irritated.
"Make no mistake," he said. "You are right when you insinuate that many here distrust you. My soldiers have confessed to me that they find it difficult obeying your orders. And my own ministers remain suspicious, perhaps because of your silver eyes, or your original ties to the Organization.
"But know this. I trust you, and my authority overrides any other. Remember what I told you of my vision. I care not of your origin. I care only for talent and mettle that matches mine. I am faithful that you are both. We are in a pivotal moment in history, and I want you to play a significant part in this era." His eyes that were usually so stern and unforgiving now sparkled. "Galatea, Tigress Guard. Yes, that has a nice ring to it. Centuries after we're gone, historians shall record you as China's cherished heroine. Posterity will remember you as the lady who helped to bring about our nation's glorious future."
"Those are the extravagant dreams of an extravagant dreamer." Despite her disrespectful words, she could not suppress the gentle crimson that had begun to spread slowly across her cheeks. Mortified and annoyed, she turned away, unable to meet his eyes. "Then, we'll be departing for the south very soon, won't we?" she murmured, touching her usually pallid face, stroking away its rare blush.
She was relieved that Cao Cao could not hear her accelerating heartbeat. He walked up beside her and raised his hand, prompting a roar of reverent recognition from the troops below. "Yes. We now depart, and inaugurate my conquest to the entire world!"
*
"Galatea?" came his voice.
She broke out of her reverie and returned his smile, but she felt the stirrings of uneasiness within her. As much as she wanted to see him triumph, something about this seemed too effortless. As a warrior of the Organization, she had never fought anywhere except on land, but although her current experience of riverine warfare was next to none, her intuition screamed at her to stand closer to Cao Cao, for something about the movements of the Wu fleet in the distance warned of something… out of the ordinary tonight.
Just what was the Kingdom of Wu planning?
"This is bizarre," muttered Cao Cao, looking up at the evening heavens. "There is a southeast wind blowing. In this season, the wind should be blowing from the north." He smirked. "So Wu have resorted to using magic, have they? There must be someone in this immediate vicinity that is casting the spell. Find him!"
The voice of a panicked soldier interrupted him. "My Lord! Master Pang Tong has chained our ships together and fled!" The messenger kneeled before him, breathless. "He's nowhere to be found! We've tried to reach him, but – "
"He ordered that our ships be linked with iron? And yet this southern wind, impossible without magic, is blowing?" Cao Cao's grimace deepened. "This stinks of a plot. Could it be that he was conspiring with the Wu forces? Well, it matters not," he growled. "We have more important matters to worry about. What of Huang Gai's surrender? The Wu general should be arriving soon. With his pacified fleet, we'll pre-empt their defence and defeat them before they can capitalize on any more tricks."
"My Lord," replied the soldier nervously. "It is not in my place to say this, but… a lone ship has been detected on the Wu side of the river. But it reeks of oil, and the fog is obscuring the passage of our scouts somewhat."
Cao Cao nodded, although he began to feel uneasy. Oil? "It must be Huang Gai's grain supplies and ammunition," he said, striding to the side of the ship and looking at the approaching roofed boats of rations and armaments.
Galatea felt her concern soaring as she studied the boats. She may not have fought on water before, but her preternatural sight allowed her to see more clearly into the night than a normal human being. She placed a hand on Cao Cao's shoulder. "Master, this is a trick," she warned, trepidation rising in her. "Don't let that convoy come any closer."
"My tigress?" asked Cao Cao, bewildered.
"If they were so heavy with supplies, they'd be rooted to the spot, not floating so easily as if… as if they were empty."
"You're right," he muttered wildly. He turned to shout his orders to the messenger. "Huang Gai is intent on betraying me too? Turn back this vessel immediately! These boats are a decoy!"
But it was too late. The Central Barge had begun to tremble, and it jerked awkwardly, as if the very land had overturned. Cao Cao almost tumbled over the ship's railings, but Galatea dashed forward and caught him in her arms. His eyes were alarmed as orange flames shot into the sky around them. A horrible smell of burning wood permeated the air. A terrified cry could be heard above all others.
"The ships! Our ships are on fire!!"
Galatea and Cao Cao looked outwards, their expressions betraying their utter shock. "Impossible," he whispered, flames dancing before him, greeting him from beneath the hull. The wood and steel of his ships yielded almost instantly to the power of the ramming barges that had been lined with hay, oil and torches. His flagship was not the only liner that was on fire. A conflagration was spreading across every hull in his entire armada. The blaze was being fanned by the southeast wind, devouring the chained fleet in an all-consuming inferno. The glow of the flames danced up into the night sky, licking the heavens in a hungry, lustful ferocity.
A conjured southeast wind, chained ships, and a feigned surrender…
So those scoundrels from Wu had planned this fire attack?
The Imperial Chancellor of China closed his eyes in realization. "I have been duped," he muttered in disbelief, as bloodcurdling shrieks could be heard all around him, the shrieks of his loyal men. It was too late to retaliate now, for the cold quiet of the night had given way to the inferno that illuminated the waters of the Yangtze. The anticipation of final victory had transformed into the horrid prospect of a rout. The damage to the ships was critical. Many were already sinking, plummeting into oblivion along with the soldiers who desperately tried to keep their barges afloat. But an even sorrier sight was that of his burning and drowning men, his loyal, seasoned men. Their precious lives had all been wasted in one moment of his folly.
Galatea shifted closer to him. The fire was devastating, true, and the sight of so much human death was… disgusting, to say the least. Never in her entire life had she witnessed so many thousands of young men reduced to ashes in the span of several heartbeats. But there was something she was more worried about.
Her Yoki sense was stirring.
Were they here? Now? They must have been hiding along the banks of the tributaries, in the nearby forests and on the cliffs that towered over the watercourses. Had the flames attracted them, prompting them to emerge from their new lairs? Was the scent of destruction and roasting flesh that attractive to them?
Cao Cao whipped around. Screams could be heard from the back of the Central Barge… and otherworldly bellowing too. They choked the air more so than the crackling of burning wood. The words of a dying soldier were barely discernable: "Monsters! What are these things?! MONSTERS!"
"Another attack… so close to here?" growled Cao Cao. "Assassins… or not?"
"No," said Galatea, who had suddenly drawn her Claymore. Her eyes were alight in concentration as shadows emerged all around them. Could it be… that they had finally arrived?
Cao Cao looked uneasily at her. "Galatea, what – "
"Get back!" she demanded, shoving him away as a shadowy, humanoid hulk landed before them. "These…" she slashed upwards, swiftly cleaving the intruder in half. But even as he backed away, eyes wide, four more beastly shapes landed onto the deck, surrounding the couple. The remaining Wei troops on the ship scattered, and dived into the river, consigning themselves to the mercy of the waters. For the first time, Galatea felt genuine concern for Cao Cao's life. "These are Yoma!"
The illumination of the flames revealed them: they were everywhere. The brilliant glow of Wu's fire attack really had attracted them to the Yangtze, from the nearby mountains and forests. And now they flooded the fleet, drawn to the light, drawn to the roasting aroma of human flesh. The remaining Wei soldiers that did not abandon their galleons were swallowed up – by the scorching flames, or by the jaws of Yoma. It didn't matter either way. They still died. Across the river, hundreds upon thousands of young men threw their lives to the river, lest they remain with those brave enough to be devoured by this horde.
And now, the Central Barge itself was under attack. "Stay back, my Lord," cautioned Galatea evenly, holding her sword in the classical defensive stance of silver-eyed warriors, glaring at the gathering throng that surrounded them. "As I warned, they're dangerous… and rather ugly, too."
The Imperial Chancellor managed to recover himself slightly. "So, these are the monsters you spoke of," he sighed. "Could this night get any worse?" He closed his eyes, gave a resigned smile, and slowly drew his own weapon from its scabbard – a Taijijian, a one-handed longsword. It was a beautiful sword: the centre of its golden guard was engraved with an ivory and ebony symbol of the Supreme Ultimate.
Yin and Yang.
"Sword of Heaven!" His eyes shooting open, Cao Cao roared the name of his weapon with a snarl more animal than human. He launched himself, spinning into the air, and landed before his shocked assailants, neatly decapitating one of them. He clenched his teeth as he shifted into a guarding stance. His blade spilled blue chi, and as he cut through another three Yoma, ice surged forth from it, swallowing up the shrieking creatures in hoarfrost. He slashed angrily at a lunging monster and hewed it into several pieces. Lacerating another attacker, he disdainfully sidestepped the spray of purple blood that splattered across the ship's deck, flicking blood off his blade.
On her part, Galatea gaped at him in astonishment. He had slain six Yoma so efficiently, so relentlessly? He was not simply able to defend himself – he was an excellent fighter. She quickly dived away as the wooden deck splintered from a seventh beast's claws. But why were they so organized? As if they knew that she was protecting him? Something was amiss.
She could not worry about that now. Cao Cao's sword had lodged in the skull of another Yoma, and he was unprepared for its comrade that leaped down from the masts above. She narrowed her eyes in brief concentration, manipulating the Yoma's Yoki flow and forcing it to tumble in mid-air, crashing away. Visibly impressed, Cao Cao rolled back and slashed at the shocked beast. A blast of ice froze it in place, and Galatea's swinging Claymore shattered it, sending chunks of immobile meat flying into the river. As one, they swung their swords around, cleaving off the arms of a hulking Yoma looming behind them. It screamed in agony, and together, they lunged and thrust their blades into its body, delivering the deathblow. It moaned and collapsed as they stepped back and stared at one another.
Their teamwork was quite spectacular. "Impressive," admitted Galatea.
"Well met," commended Cao Cao, smiling. "Let me see what else you're capable of." He backed away, and she surged forward, cutting down two more attackers, and bashing another one across the face with the flat of her sword, crushing its skull into nothingness. She slipped past an angry punch and cut to her side, severing the human-devouring animal at the waist. She breathed quietly, calmly, regulating the power that flowed through her. Purple gore seeped through the wooden planks of the flagship, and the stink of Yoma flesh saturated the air along with the smoke of the firestorm. There was bedlam across the Yangtze as screams of terror and despair rang into the late night. The ships turned at their helms, only to sink into oblivion alongside the remnant ships of Cao Cao's armada.
She turned around, her breath still calm and cool. Only one last Yoma stood on the barge. She launched a kick at it and sent the surprised beast flying into a burning mast pole, igniting it and putting it to a fiery, screeching death. For now, they were safe. But the same could not be said of the remaining sea force, which was in flames and slowly sinking.
"It's too dangerous to stay here any longer," declared Cao Cao, his dark cape billowing in the wind. "Abandon the fleet. Pull back to the shores, and regroup!" He raised the Sword of Heaven, pointing it upwards, and it emitted a shrill shriek, frost swirling around it and shooting into the night sky. The icestorm exploded across the empyrean, tinting the burning ships with an ethereal blue light. While it was not powerful enough to put out the inferno that had engulfed his entire navy, it would be enough to signal a retreat. He hoped that at least some of his soldiers had survived to glimpse his directive, shining brilliantly in the starry firmament.
For a while, a temporary quietude settled on the corpse-littered Wei flagship.
He glanced at her, and his stern face was ashamed. "My vision… I promised that you would see it tonight. That I would show you," he muttered, lowering his sword dejectedly, like a child that had been deprived of a hard-earned prize. "And now I am one step further away from it."
Were it not Cao Cao, surely any other man would have wept at such a catastrophe.
She shook her head. She almost preferred his arrogance to his disappointment. "I'll chastise you for your blunders later. But for now, your physical safety exceeds all other priorities." She drew closer, and reached out her hand, offering it to him. "Come," she whispered.
He looked at her, and his eyes shone again, just like that night when she had kneeled before him. He stepped towards her and clasped her palm. "I'm your Tigress Guard," she affirmed. "Your enemies will harm you only after they have stepped over my cold corpse."