Reeve and Mrak left the Southern Earth tribe in the afternoon, accompanied by a few warriors. They first started by going to the Southern Flame tribe, which was closer than the other ones. The Southern Flame tribe was located near an active volcano. Their grand priest believed that they needed to be close to a source of fire, in order for their magic to be more effective. Of course, breathing sulphur didn't help anyone's magic.
When the entourage arrived at the Flame tribe, it was late in the afternoon. They were greeted by a fat middle-aged man, with a pot belly. This man was the current chief of the Southern Flame tribe. He was wearing a red robe, and the robe had designs of flames. One would wonder how the person who made it, managed to accomplish something like that.
"Mrak, long time no see", said the chief of the Flame tribe, greeting Mrak.
"It has been a long time. Have you been well, Arkad?", responded Mrak.
"As you can see, I am very healthy", replied Arkad, as he beckoned them to follow him.
Reeve could see that Arkad looked proud, and such people were difficult to negotiate with. Nevertheless, he followed along. This was probably going to be an interesting negotiation, if he ignored the fact that Arkad looked proud.
They went into a small hut located in the middle of the tribe. Compared to Mrak's Southern Earth tribe, the Flame tribe seemed much smaller and more organized.
"So, what brings you to my domain?" asked Arkad, as he sat on a small chair which looked like a throne.
"We have an issue, but before we discuss that, I would like you to meet our tribe's protector, Sir Reeve", answered Mrak, as he turned to Reeve.
Arkad turned to look at Reeve, before frowning a bit. He suddenly burst out into laughter, before saying, "Oh how the mighty have fallen! What really happened for your tribe to make such a person into a tribe protector?"
Mrak wanted to answer, but Reeve spoke first, "What is it about me that says I can't be the protector of the Southern Earth tribe?"
Arkad froze in mid-laughter. He looked at Reeve, and then noticed that Reeve was serious. "Oh, you're serious?" he asked.
"We don't have time for this! The real reason that we're here, is because we want to form a coalition", said Reeve.
"A what?" asked Arkad, getting serious. Actually, he was confused. He had never heard the word before, so he didn't know what it meant.
"We want to form an alliance. Your tribe and our tribe will unite in the fight against the Southern Water tribe!"
Arkad laughed again. This annoyed Reeve who was getting worried about whether the co-operation would actually be fruitful, if Arkad agreed.
"I don't know what you've been eating, Mrak, but you can't seriously believe you can go against the Southern Water tribe! That's absurd!"
"Look, you're right. If we go against it alone, the chances of winning are non-existent. However, what do you think will happen if all the surrounding tribes join us and rebel against the Southern Water tribe?" asked Mrak.
Arkad's face turned serious. This issue was really serious. If what Mrak and this funny looking man said was true, then there was a chance to break free from the clutches of the Southern Water tribe. Arkad really hated to part with his gold, especially when he was paying tribute to the Southern Water tribe. Of course, he paid taxes to the government, but that was a different matter. The problem was that the government ignored him when he complained about the Southern Water tribe.
"So, how are we supposed to do this?" asked Arkad, after thinking about it for some time.
"That's easy. If you agree, then we'll come up with an agreement of how we're going to proceed from here, in terms of splitting resources", answered Reeve.
"That's it?"
"Of course. What were you expecting?" asked Mrak.
"Fine. I'll agree, but on the condition that my tribe gets first preference when sharing those resources!" demanded Arkad.
Reeve and Mrak exchanged a glance, before Mrak agreed to the condition. So, just like that, the negotiations ended. The entourage left, headed towards the Ruari tribe. This tribe was closer to the Southern Flame tribe, and its chief was an old man whose name was Knaris Silverbeard. It was similar in size and organization to the Southern Earth tribe. Unlike the Southern Flame tribe, however, the negotiations went South this time! The old man was very unreasonable. He refused to sacrifice his tribe. He thought the risk wasn't worth with the gain.
Without waiting, the entourage proceeded to the Varnan tribe. By the time they reached the tribe, evening had fallen, and everyone was tired. As they arrived at the Varnan tribe, they were greeted by an old man with red hair. This old man was very courteous towards the entourage. The Varnan tribe was, like the Ruari tribe, similar in size to the Southern Earth tribe. Since they were too tired to state the aim of their journey, they slept there that night.
The tribespeople were very respectful and showed great hospitality, which surprised Reeve. When the sun rose up, Mrak and Reeve then proposed the alliance idea to the red-haired old man, whose name was Gathar. The red-haired old man said he would think about it, and after waiting for half the day, he ended up agreeing to the alliance.
With renewed vigour, the entourage proceeded to the other branches of the Southern Earth tribe. Instead of proposing a temporary alliance, they proposed for the Southern Earth tribe to unite under one banner. Out of the three remaining branches, two refused. It was only one which agreed to join in unity. This branch was smaller than Mrak's branch, and it was headed by his cousin, Myris Balduk.
After travelling for two days, Reeve and Mrak returned, feeling joyous. They were very happy that everything had gone fairly well. When they arrived back home, however, they realized that something terrible had happened just after they had left!