Savage

Astounded, Alex and the others went on guard, preparing for what was coming.

Alex shouted, "On guard!" and quickly all his subordinates assumed their positions.

Scar also remained vigilant alongside his subordinates.

Scar warned Alex about how the savages tended to act, "They don't reason, so be prepared to face animals who only want to kill you."

Alex cautioned his subordinates not to lose focus, "Stay alert; they could attack at any moment."

Then suddenly, silence fell.

"Where are they?" This was everyone's question, until...

"Roar!!!" One leaped from a tall tree and attacked from above, then several more emerged, whether from the treetops or the ground, they came from all directions.

Alex quickly commanded them to defend themselves, "Defend and attack when you have the opportunity."

Alex shouted to Scar, "You didn't say they were so many and so strong!"

Scar quickly replied, "They weren't; their strength comes from madness, and their numbers are much smaller than they used to be. Before, there were over 80 in a wave; now, they must have around 200 members, including males, females, and young and old."

Alex was astonished, "200 members? How is that possible, and why didn't you mention this earlier!?"

Scar could barely respond because of the attacks, and if it weren't for the shields, they would have already been forced to flee. "Because I didn't expect such a large wave; I thought at most there would be around 30, not double."

Alex could only curse his luck, "Damn it!"

Quickly using their stone spears, they managed to hold off for a while, but it was 20 against 12 on Scar's side against over 60 males with strength greater than that of a common australopithecus.

Seeing that the situation was highly unfavorable for them, Alex issued the order to retreat, "Retreat, let's pull back now!"

With the order given, they all began to retreat. Even as they retreated, the savages didn't give up easily; they continued the pursuit for a while, but after about half an hour of pursuit, they soon gave up.

After the savages stopped, they moved a little further away before stopping to rest.

"What the hell was that, Scar?! My subordinates and I almost died!"

"I know, I'm sorry, it was my fault, my carelessness almost killed us all." Even with Scar apologizing, it wasn't enough to calm Alex.

"Sorry? Do you think an apology will be enough?"

"Hey, you, the chief already apologized; don't overstep your bounds!" With one of Scar's subordinates stepping in between the two chiefs, a separation between the two tribes occurred.

Seeing Scar's subordinate speaking to Alex like that, Martins entered the discussion.

"You! Know your place, who do you think you are to speak to our chief like that? First of all, you were the ones who asked for our help. Our chief was too kind to you by offering assistance, in return your chief didn't give us all the information, which resulted in the deaths of almost all of us. We may have come out with only injuries, but it could have been worse if not for our shields, so your lives were saved by us, so shut your mouth!"

After Martins, the other members of the explorers joined in against Scar's tribe members. "That's right, our shields saved your lives; you should be thanking us."

Unable to remain silent, a heated argument quickly ensued between the two tribes.

"Enough! Shut up, all of you. Alex, can we talk alone?"

Considering Scar's proposal, Alex agreed. "Fine, leave us alone, and I don't want any of you starting a fight with them. Martins, I hope you and the others keep it together."

Even though they didn't like it, all the members of the explorers could only nod to Alex. "Yes, sir, we'll leave you alone, but if you need us, just call, and we'll come in an instant."

"I ask the same of you; leave us and just stand guard, and don't try to fight. What they said is just a fact; I made a mistake, and because of them, we're alive."

Sighing, Scar's group also moved away.

Turning to Scar, now alone, Alex asked what they wanted.

"I know I was careless, and all I can do is apologize and thank you for saving us."

Alex, irritated, said, "You've already said that. I want to know why I should get involved with these savages, risking the lives of my men for you. What do I have to gain from this?"

Scar sighed. Since the beginning, Alex had tried to help only because they had a similar origin. From the start, Alex had nothing to gain from it.

"If you help my tribe, it will become your tribe, and I will be loyal to you forever, so..."

Kneeling to Alex, "I beg you, please help us."

Alex was stunned, although not showing it. "You would serve me? And give me your entire tribe, just because of these savages? Couldn't you just move your tribe elsewhere, why fight them if you can just move?"

Scar immediately responded, "The reason for this is because you're better than me. I may be stronger, but you have more knowledge than I do. You see, I grew up with them; I've lived longer in this life than in the other. Although I miss my old life, this life is the one I've lived longer in."

"Before, I just lived watching anime or reading novels and manga or playing video games; I had never truly lived like I have here. So if I have to choose someone to lead them better than me, I will choose you, and you are that person. I really don't know how to lead; knowing them and my physical form help, but I'm not a true leader. But from what I've seen, you are."