Sam’s idea remained with me. It hung in my mind for several days. In the same period I got the news that three of the farm guards had been able to flee the players.

The players had also apparently left the farm untouched. The monsters snuck to the farm and harvested the matured crops in the dead of the night. It was a risky affair, as the players might still be observing the location, and I did not exactly permit it, but the operation went smoothly without any trouble. I resolved not to ask my followers to set up another farm, before I had tackled the problem of player attacks.

Twice I had escaped death by a hair, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be so lucky the third time. I asked the Skhites and the Hornies to just live off the Evilese already in store for the time being. I projected the reserve would last at least a few months.

Meanwhile I tried to hypothesize all the possible scenarios Sam’s idea might culminate in.

“The players have a king?” I asked Sam. The town of the players had to have some kind of authority, right?

“An Elf rules over the town,” Sam replied. “He is the main caretaker of all the inhabitants there.”

“I was thinking if we could get a message to the Elf king that we want to end the conflicts with the players, and seek a peaceful discussion. How would that be?”

“You will have to send a messenger.”

“But it would be risky for me or a monster to go to the town,” I said.

Sam squinted at me and grimaced.

“What?” I asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“You just want me to take the message to the Elf king, don’t you?”

It suddenly dawned on me. Why, Sam was a player! He would be the perfect messenger.

Sam noticed the sudden widening of my eyes and he grimaced harder.

“We monsters will be indebted to you,” I grinned.

“Do you realize how hard it is to get any message to the Elf king?” Sam said. “Once a player I knew tried to send a message to the Elf king seeking permission to set up a brothel in Dharti. It took him two weeks to receive a reply, and he had to wait in front of the king’s palace the entire time.”

“Well, did he get his permission?”

“Of course not,” Sam said. “Brothels are strictly owned by Elves. Players can only be the customers, not owners.”

“But I think it’s worth a try to take a message to the Elf king,” I urged Sam.

“And how will I explain that my brother is an Evilun, and rules over two clans of monsters?”

I bit my lips. Staring at Sam, I was aware he was just trying to come with an excuse so he needn’t visit the elf king.

“C’mon, you are good with words. You’ll find a way. Just say a realistic lie if nothing else works.”

Sam sighed in surrender.

“I will do it,” he promised. “But it is only because you are my brother. If you were some random chap I would never do it. But suppose the Elf king agrees to the discussion. How are you going to make sure that he does not set any trap?”

That was definitely a valid point.

“I’ll manage that,” I told him, while my mind toyed with the possibility of befriending more clans of eviluns.

Three days later, Sam left for the town. He said that he might take a while to get to the Elf king, and that I should be patient. It could be a week or even a month or two. But he assured me that he would deliver my message by all means.

I shared my new plan with Kiara. She voiced the same concerns as Sam.

“I am not naive,” I said to her. “I know the players can't be trusted, unless after they sign a truce perhaps. I will go prepared.”

If I went to the discussion with an army of eviluns, the players would unnecessarily become suspicious. But they should be okay with a few bodyguards. As such I required monsters that were immensely powerful, more so than the Skhites or the Hornies.

It had to win the trust of a new clan, no way around it.

I called my ministers and sought their opinions. They didn’t look very happy.

“Vicky,” they said, “we monsters live as separate clans. We generally don’t kill each other but at the same time we are not friends. Is it not enough that the Skhites and the Hornies have joined hands? Must we share you with a third clan?”

So far, from past experience, I had learned that disagreement from my ministers was a positive sign that I was making the right choice. The farms were a success despite the initial opposition. So was the union of Skhites and Hornies.

“I need monsters that are physically more powerful than the Skhites or the Hornies,” I said. “I do not mean to say that the Skhites and the Hornies are weak. Our strength however lies more in our unity than in our physical prowess. As far as befriending more monster clans is concerned, why are you afraid of making allies in the first place? Hasn’t the friendship between the Skhites and the Hornies worked out so well? It might take a while to adjust but the final result will be worthwhile.”

“In that case,” one of the Hornie ministers said. “We are going to need monsters that are at least ten times stronger than a single Skhite or Hornie.”

“But I doubt such monsters even live in clans,” another Hornie commented, “They would have little requirement of a community or a clan to thrive.”

“They are probably loners,” a Skhite added in agreement. “Loners are hard to come across.”

“The stone giants fit the criteria,” another of the Skhites said.

I had seen Stone Giants when I had gone to explore the forests with Sam. The minister was right. They were perfect for my needs.

Several of the other ministers too concurred.

I made the final decision.

“Then tomorrow we will set out to meet the stone giants, and see what comes of it.”

***