Karas felt his senses return to him. He pushed aside what happened to him so he could put more distance between his pursuers and him. The jostling stimulation began again with his movement but he controlled his breathing keeping himself in the moment. Stealth overrode the need for speed. If they couldn't figure the direction he went in Karas would be home free.
Time became Karas's ally as frustration and the lack of tracking abilities of the guards continued their lack of success. The denseness of the forest also aided his escape. As the minutes became hours Benthos called the pursuit. Irritated by the loss but not wanting to compound it by remaining vulnerable without his guards close to his slaves.
Karas figured the chase had stopped with the setting of the sun. He took time to take in his surroundings as the light faded. He foraged for food and built himself some shelter to rest in. He began to think over his options. He could double back assuming that Benthos went to sell the rest of the slaves. He remembered rumors of an old abandoned temple in the forest somewhere that he might be able to find some supplies. He could also hold up there for some time. The sharpened sticks he had would only get him so far. And having clothing on before getting to civilization would be nice. He had a pretty good idea of how to get to a small farm town from here.
