Ravenna El Amariss's Story

She had heard about the attack, but she did not know the hard facts. With all the chaotic scrambling she couldn't get a lot of solid information. Besides, by the time a tale made it's way through the grapevine it's credibility was definitely worth questioning. It was best to hear from the King or those who directly witnessed the event. Thankfully the King had called upon the elite group. Yui smoothed out her school uniform and made her way to the designated area.

"I see that everyone is doing well. As you all might know, judging from the recent news article. A certain someone decided to commence an attack. Luckily, The black king was at least cautious enough to keep the power usage to a minimum. Thanks to one of the pawns, I can confirm this isn't an attack on the company itself. This is an attack on the white side. How interesting that the black side decides to go first when we are usually given the first move"

"As much as I hate it, if they're going to attack, we have no choice but to respond with even greater hostilities. I believe we should let them believe we're not going to retaliate... " Yui responded, biting the inside of her cheek. These discussions always weighed heavy on her morals, but she knew that the Black side needed to be stopped. There would always be violence until the White King prevailed over his brothers. Yui despised the Black King above all else.

Considering the Black king's occupation, she had no respect for him whatsoever. That kind of life was dirty and despicable. She ran her hand through her ebony hair, contemplating for a moment. She was an offensive player in this game, so she had to think wisely. Any planned attack would have to be thought out carefully. Yui could only maintain invisibility for a few minutes at a time, and she would have to wait five minutes before using the skill again. If she wasted a single second their entire plan could be unraveled. She had a general knowledge of everyone's abilities. The White King's elite lineup was a rather potent group, although she hated working with Rabbit. (Zeda's alias in case someone missed that everyone besides the King is supposed to use that at first..)

She absolutely hated the Rabbit's attitude. As much as Yui was dedicated to serving the White King, she did not forsake herself. She still enjoyed life, and did not wish to die. In fact, she is optimistic that she will be able to protect her King and live a fulfilling life, "Instead of doing something flamboyant, the best course of action would be to operate with discretion. We should strike quick, and strike them hard." She stated in a serious tone. Once she spoke her thoughts, her teal eyes shifted to each of the others. Her words resounded in her head and immediately Yui's body stiffened as if she'd seen a ghost. She just realized how assertive she had been, a sheepish expression enveloping her features. She knew that she was allowed to openly share her thoughts on the subject, but she had gotten a bit too into it. It normally wouldn't have been an issue, but she aimed to come across a bit more modest, at least in front of the King, "Uhm.... at least that's my opinion."

She looked to the others again, curious to see how they would respond to the news. She personally was enraged that they would dare attack anything belonging to Zhou. She owed her king a great deal, so any attack towards him or his belongings. The company was an extension of the King. She didn't even notice her fists clenching, or the fact that she was biting her cheek again, but the more she thought about the attack, the harder she bit down. If possible, she wished to obliterate the entire Black side, soon. She wanted this madness to end, it wasn't that she wasn't honored to serve her king fighting in his service, but she honestly wanted to see a day where he was no longer in danger. She desperately wished for a day when his brothers would be wiped from existence... Though she did wonder, what would happen to the surviving team's pieces and pawns when the power struggle was over? She had never asked before. Despite her curiosity, she found that ignorance was bliss. Will we be cast away or continue life this way...? I don't want to leave... I like it here.. It was as her thoughts saddened that she finally grew conscious of her fists, slowly releasing the built up tension in her fists. She hoped that no one else would have noticed, but she decided to not bank on it, given she that even she was unsure how long she had been doing it.

For quite some time, Ravenna listened attentively to the discussion, never bringing anything to the table yet. Not at least until someone could present a suitable opening which she could take.

The attack was rather brazen, based from what she was able to derive from the reports. And judging from the situation, it seems the enemy didn't hold back on the pleasantries either. It was a bold attack, utilizing each and every attacker's best aspect. Powers seemingly out of the page of some fantasy novel.

"As much as I hate it, if they're going to attack, we have no choice but to respond with even greater hostilities. I believe we should let them believe we're not going to retaliate... "

Their young Knight was the first to speak up. She had expected someone to suggest retaliation so Ravenna was quite pleased her intuition is on mark. Although there was a contradiction within that earlier statement, she decided to let it slide for now, waiting to see if she has anything to add.

"Instead of doing something flamboyant, the best course of action would be to operate with discretion. We should strike quick, and strike them hard. Uhm.... at least that's my opinion."

"A brazen attack taken with initiative...surely, you'll have to give them credit. The enemy has the gall to strike first and get away with it. I can imagine the boost in morale the enemy's allies would've acquired. Do you all know why that is?" Slowly and calmly, Ravenna started to speak up. Her small stature does not make much of an impression as a Queen so she rose from her seat and proceeded to walk towards the window where she can see the bustling lights of the city below.

"Because it is a proof of possibility. The fact that a coordinated attack was executed is proof that a fight against this faction is possible. The fact that they managed to get away with it on the other hand, proves that victory is possible. This is enough incentive for the enemy's allies to act. You could say that they now have the upper hand, in terms of morale that is." Ravenna then turns to their Knight, locking her eyes with hers. "So, say we choose to strike immediately. You will pit your own forces, still reeling from the psychological blow of this defeat against a force whose will is rather high to the point where they feel that they can wage a war against the world. I suppose I don't need to say what the outcome of that would be? Respond with hostility at the earliest opportunity and you risk splintering this force."

Finishing up that argument, Ravenna turns to the King to present her counter-proposal. "I propose we move our center of gravity somewhere closer to the heart of the city, somewhere that garners quite the amount of public attention. As this war is fought in secret, it will make it much more difficult for the opponent to make any rash actions against us. I believe with the company's current standing, this move in headquarters should be possible. If the enemy's taking an offensive approach, then it is best to start by reinforcing our defensive position."

"Once safety's assured, intelligence is next. Send out watchers to monitor where this enemy's getting their supplies. If we manage to find out, then we'll expose this secret and exploit this opportunity. Take away their ability to wage war and you inflict quite a blow on their psyche. Once the enemy's exhausted their capability, then comes the perfect chance to overwhelm them while retaining your fragrant image to the public eye." Ravenna takes a seat after presenting what she has to offer. Yet she wasn't quite finished yet.

"Or you can force them in a position that endangers the other side. By that, I'm talking about the Reds. You go for a bait and bleed; wait until these two exhaust themselves fighting each other and then you conquer them both. Two birds with one stone. It's your call." With that, Ravenna finished, waiting for any one of them to respond. Either an agreement or rebuttal. Mostly rebuttals but, it is this back and forth of words which keeps these otherwise dull meetings engaging for the vanity of the White Queen.

Phase end.

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The surrounding chaos around them could only prove how intense this war is going on. Indeed, under the eyes of the normal people, everything still went on a seemingly monotonous and peaceful rotation. Little do they know that in the dark, a battle for power and survival is going on, bloodier than ever. The three factions raising their claws towards each other, with only one goal: absolute power. Sooner or later, their hands will be stained with each other's blood. A magnificent scene to be unfold, indeed.

When the King decided to summon the pieces, Shigeru knows right away that it is time for them to act. Standing with his back leaned against the wall in the director's office - their usual negotiation place, he was indulging himself in a book, as usual. But he still pay attention to what his King and his colleagues got to say. He can be certain that only the White faction is worthy enough of his service, because he got to work with people who can actually think, not some idiots who can only raise their swords and bark.

It seemed that the Black side has decided to make the first move and apparently, the target was their side. And true to the King's word, it was interesting that a bunch of misfits like the Black side could be brave enough to make the first move, though whether they're foolhardy to target their side or not is debatable. The young Knight, Yui, spoke first and suggested that they should strike back, to show that they aren't afraid and they won't just turn their tails and run. And Shigeru couldn't help letting out a slight chuckle. He acknowledges the strength and courage of Yui as a knight, but she's still young, so it isn't wrong to say that her thinking is still a bit naive.

And following up was their Queen, Ravenna. He has always had high opinion of her, thanks to her sharp thinking and analytical skills. She always give out good tactics and this time was no exception. It is crystal clear that the two ladies had had opposing ideas of how they should react to the situation. While Yui thinks that it is important that they should strike back, Ravenna believes that a good defense is what they needed to focus on first, and when safety is assured, they can deal a crushing blow.

This is why he Shigeru enjoys moments when they can plan tactics and decided their moves like this. Opposing ideas can be raised and all will have to agree on a best solution. But given to how calm and collected they all are, arguments almost never existed. They might have different traits, but it's imperative that they focus in what they have in common, so that they can respect each other - at least on the outside, and ensure that victory is certain. It's the way the White faction works.

"Know yourself, know your enemies. A thousand battles, a thousand victories." Shigeru closed his book and spoke up, "A famous tactician once said so. And it seemed that the gears had begun to swing on an opposing direction. We all need to be conscientious of how things will take a turn from now on. Our battles are getting more intense by the minute and we can never tell how would things turn out."

He turned his gaze to both the Queen and the Knight, "From a reliable source of information that I have within that side, I know how they would work. The Black side doesn't have many brains that can actually think like us, but their numbers made up for it. While tactics and strategies aren't what they're good at, some of their main fighters can actually pack quite a punch even if it is a rash attack. And like you said, Ravenna-san, their morale is their main driven force. Once they have banded together, I wouldn't say that it will be wise to carry out a direct attack on them. Unnecessary casualties are what we should reduce to the lowest rate."

"But I wouldn't say that we will just turn our tails and run away from them either. We are an intelligent side. We fight with grace and we can use our wits to outmatch our opponents. The moment we took a step back, only a fool wouldn't take a chance to take two steps forward." He said as he straightened himself up, "What I'm suggesting is while we focus a parts of our strength to defend against whichever moves that were made on us from other sides, we can also make our own moves. Waiting for the right moment, we can deal a blow against them with our own abilities. The best way to win a war is to know when to fight, when to retreat and when to do both."

Then, he turned to his King and began to induce his plans, "For now, we should continue to observe their movements. I myself will also keep contact with my source of information. Moving our center to a place where our enemies can't rashly took their actions is a good idea. Along with it, we can send our human force to slowly and steadily wreaking havoc their operation place, and retreat before they could know, so that we can demoralize them. Sometimes fighting in the style of a guerrilla can bring more success than a direct hit strategy. And as usual..." A twisted smirk appeared on his face, "...you can always rely on me if you don't want to stain your hands."

He gave Zhou a slight bow to show his respect, "The decision is yours to make, Your Majesty."

Move completed.