Match or Death?

[[Marcellus]]

"Because he is the Lord." 

That hit me like a bombshell. I did expect her to be related to someone of higher status within the tribe… cue to her jewelry. But I never expected her to be the daughter of the Lord. 

I hit the jackpot!

"Are you certain that he won't put my head in a spearhead?" She giggled.

"He might throw you out but he won't kill you. You did save my life after all." I can face them as they are not mutants… unless there are some proto-mutants hiding amongst them, which I highly doubt.

"Alright then. We will leave after you freshen up." She nodded.

…

…

"So you have a pet?" She shook her head.

"She is my friend, not a pet. Her name is Lola."

Apparently, she has a sabertooth. And she named it Lola. Heh.

"So, do you have someone similar?" She asked which made me think of the little fella that is living with my mother.

"I do actually. His name is Shade." Playing, eating, or sleeping. He must be doing one of those… or probably all of them. 

"Shade? Is he also a sabertooth?" They have many extinct species but rarely any species of the current time could be found here.

"No. He is a panther." She looked confused. "He is similar to a sabertooth but black and quite a bit smaller." 

She was curious and a bit excited when I said that. "I have never seen a black sabertooth."

I chuckled. "He is not a sabe-"

*Swoosh!*

I jumped out of the way as an arrow zoomed past me. 

"GET AWAY FROM THE PRINCESS!"

Of course. I was waiting for this.

A black-haired burly man with a massive bow, that I have never seen before… screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Stop it, Zoro!" The girl shouts… Wait! I never got her name, did I?

The man who was at least seven and a half foot tall looked down to find an angry Savage princess staring at him. 

"He is my savior, do not harm him." She was angry while he looked confused. 

"But princess, he is an outsider!" The man didn't like my presence. They hate outsiders so it was to be expected. 

"Hush! He saved my life. He should be rewarded, not punished." The man was not pleased at all. "I will bring him to our father." 

"To the Lord? But he is an outsider!" This got him a death glare from the princess, so he had to begrudgingly accept. "I will not be held responsible for anything he does." 

"You don't have to worry about that. I will take care of everything." This made him sigh.

Well, as long as I don't lose my head… I am fine with staying quiet. 

…

…

[Inside the tribe campus]

The place was exactly what you would expect. A place with old structures and houses… mostly huts. But on the plus side, the air was pure, the water was clean, and the surrounding was filled with greenery. 

"Keep following." The gorilla-sized man said. "You would have been killed if not for princess Zala vouching for you." 

So, her name is Zala.

We kept walking for a few more minutes before ending up in front of a massive treehouse. Considering that it was the biggest house within the tribe compound and seeing Zala smile after looking at it… confirmed that it was the Lord's house.

"We are here." The man said, making me nod. I started walking towards the treehouse but he stopped me. "You wait here, I will let the Lord know about your visit." 

I cannot complain. After all, I am the outsider. 

"Don't worry, we will be back in a bit." Zala said with a smile. "You are our guest, they won't harm you."

"Aha…" I nodded but judging by the looks of the tribesmen, I doubt that. The only reason that they won't hurt me was because I came here with the princess. 

…

…

"You may enter." After ten minutes a different man walks out of the room and calls me in. 

I nod and enter the treehouse. 

The phrase 'Never judge a book by its cover' can best describe this place. It was nothing like I expected. It was far better designed than most of the modern houses. 

The furnishing was done by a type of wood that I most certainly haven't seen before. 

But what drew my attention was the man sitting on a throne made of bones. Bones of multiple prehistoric creatures that no human can fight on their own. 

He most probably collected them from the dead bodies. 

The man himself looked impressive. He was over seven feet in height with an impressive build despite his post-prime age. He was old but still looked scary enough to make many pro wrestlers pee themselves. 

I got on my knees. I might be able to take them down, but I know better than to dishonor a king of the savage lands. 

"Greetings, Lord." 

The man nodded. "I heard that you saved my daughter?" He asked and I nodded. "But tell me, outsider. How were you able to defeat a Ettutu with no weapons?" 

He didn't ask this because I didn't have any weapons with me. The reason he asked was because I was differently built than them. I was not an eight-foot-tall, monstrosity of a man. I might be stronger than most humans but appearance-wise, I looked like a martial artist and definitely not a pro-wrestler.

"That I did, my lord." He raised a curious eyebrow. 

"Under normal circumstances, you would have been killed." I nodded. "But since you saved my daughter, you are welcomed here."

The burly man… Zoro, didn't seem very happy.

"My lord. May I speak?" He asked the Lord with a bowed head. 

"You may."

"We do not know if this man truly saved the princess." Zala was about to argue but Zoro continued. "No offense, my lady but he might have lied to you. You said that you lost consciousness even before you could see them fight." I see where this is going… and I don't like it. "For all we know, the Ettutu might have left for some other reason. We know that despite the Ettutu being a top predator, he gets bored easily and sometimes leaves his prey."

Which idiotic predator does that?!?! 

"He might have gotten lucky." He pointed at me. "And the Ettutu might have left him on its own."

First of all, I never knew there existed such a shitty predator. And secondly, I hate this guy.

"Then how do you explain my daughter seeing him with bloody hands and a bleeding Ettutu?" I should have taken the carcass with me. Or at least showed it to the princess before throwing it away.

"Ettutu's poison can cause hallucinations. The probability of that happening is less than ten percent but it does happen sometimes. That's what might have happened with the princess."

Some people try so hard to antagonize people… which I find extremely hilarious. 

The king looked at me "Do you have any proof that you killed the Ettutu?" Now, I don't even need to waste this much time. Even if I don't have any proof about killing the pterodactyl, I still saved the princess from its poison. That should be enough for them to leave me alone.

"I don't, my lord." This made Zoro crack a smile. 

"Father! Even if he cannot prove about killing the Ettutu, he still saved my life. That should be enough to let him leave this place safely." Indeed. But I didn't come here to go home without the anti-metal. 

"Zala." He looked at her. "You know that we have two rules that we must follow." Zala nodded. "Never lie and never betray. If you break even one of them, you will be sentenced to death. And if he cannot prove that he killed the Ettutu, he won't be excluded from that rule either." 

Now I know what this guy was planning. Smart move.

"So, how can I prove my statement, my lord?" Even before the king could answer, Zoro chimed in. 

"If you can fight and defeat our best warrior. We can accept that you are capable enough to defeat the Ettutu." 

He is trying his best to prove me wrong. But oh well, too bad for him.

"Are you sure that letting him fight is a good ide-"

"I accept!"

No point in wasting time.