He should not die in a couple of hits. Even when you first get to the village, I think tibars should be more of an annoyance than a threat, unless there are a lot of them.
Did you try exiting out of the conversation with the chieftain right away, and leaving the hut? You can return after that to talk to him.
Do you have any recent saves before the tibars turned hostile?
Do you have time to pause the game when the conversation ends, and maybe enter the battlefields to teleport the DK to safety?
If you have your DK drink the largest strength/agility/survival/speed potions you have just before exiting the prison, does that help any?
