The Art of Intrigue (Please Vote with Your Monthly and Recommended Tickets)

Inside the Battlefield Instance, the first clash had ended. The attacking party had been wiped out, while the members of the Defending Party were now clearing the battlefield in an orderly fashion.

"Heh heh." Ron stood atop the hill at the No. 2 Stronghold, grinning with pride. "Those guys are nothing special. We routed them in a single clash. I'd say the Defending Party has a huge advantage in this instance. We start with every stronghold, which supplies Merit Points and serves as a Respawn Point, and we can deploy our people ahead of time."

"I'd advise you not to be so optimistic." Draco, who was also on the Defending Party, came over to him. "At least judging by the outcome of this battle, we didn't gain much of an advantage."

"Are you out of your mind? We wiped them all out. How is that not an advantage?" Ron shot Draco an irritated look.

"No, Draco is right." Hermione shook her head gravely. "You have to understand that dying in this instance doesn't cost much. What we need most is time. The best outcome of that ambush would have been to keep them pinned down, but the battle ended in less than five minutes."

"But what does that prove?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"It proves the commander on the other side isn't a fool."

Wood, the Defending Party's commander, had somehow made his way to the front line. Picking up the conversation, he said, "Looks like Percy has also seen through the nature of the Battle of Hastings. This is really a game of trading lives. What matters is who can trade lives more efficiently."

Wood then turned to Hermione. "How did the battle go? Did we take many casualties?"

"The entire battle lasted less than five