Zarths escape part 5

Zarth awoke to a pounding headache. A sea of pain behind his eyes, his temples thudding. Slowly opening is eyes, the lids flickering against the bright light of a fire close by Zarth looked around, and everything was upside down. He could feel the rope tightly wrapped around his ankles, and he could just see the moonlight shinning through the leaves of the tree he was hanging below. The small poisoned dart was still in his thigh, the area around it numb and his fingers were tingling. He could feel the Dragon Stone flooding power into his body, but the poison from the dart was powerful and it kept his body too weak to reach up and remove the dart. What to do he thought, looking around he could see two huntarians at the fire, one was kneeling in close, heating a small dagger until it was glowing red.

Panicking now, Zarth channelled all the energy in his body, to the point where the dart was, the muscles swelled and pulsated, the dart got slowly pushed out by the force of the growing muscle. His body sweating freely now, the dart feel away. With the source of poison gone, his body was able to remove the substance and the numbness went away. The huntarian with the red hot knife approached him, ready to plunge it somewhere in his body. Now able to move his arms easily, Zarth quickly reached up and grabbed hold of the Dragon stone. Using the power of the stone he held out his hand, the hot knife slid from the huntarians grip, not before slicing three clawed finger from its hand. It continued through the air and sliced through the rope around his ankles, then zarth threw it blade first into the forest floor.

Feeling himself fall through the air, Zarth used his body energy, enhanced by the stone to draw the thousands of leaves on the forest floor to gather beneath him, they rushed out everywhere, fighting with each other to find a spot below his body. Falling softly onto the leafs, Zarth jumped up and saw that the huntarians had gone, three fingers lay on the ground next to the now dying fire. Using the stones power to enhance his speed and reflexes, and also his sight and hearing, he went and picked up the knife blade stuck in the soil, cleaned it, and then placed it on the palm of his hand.

Closing his eyes Zarth forced energy into the knife, the blade shined and started to grow, twisting and reshaping itself, becoming more longer. The light dimmed and where there had been a knife, Zarths hand now held a leaf shaped short sword, beautifully designed. Walking across to a tree and pulling a piece of bark from it, Zarth did the same to the bark, but this time instead of turning into a sword, the soft bark swelled and hardened into a leather scabbard for the sword, it was decorated with a slim dark dragon that twisted itself up the leather and at the top the dragons mouth was open, its long tongue stretched out to just touch the top. He then put the sword in the scabbard.

Zarth felt light on his feet, he could move quicker, his reflexes sharpened, picking up a twig he dropped it and before it had even dropped an inched he had caught it. Closing his eyes he scanned the area with magic, the huntarians were just out of sight watching him, waiting. Drawing his sword he walked forwards, he saw the dart before he heard it. Zarth moved with lightning speed, bringing the sword up and knocking the dart out the air, another two darts zoomed towards him; swinging the sword he knocked them both easily out the air in one quick sweeping move. He saw one of the beasts, out the corner of his eye; it was peering out from behind a huge oak tree. Zarth darted towards one of the poisoned darts; he kicked it up with his foot and swung his sword while sending a jolt of power down the blade. The energy sped out the end of the blade and hit the dart just as the sword swept past it; the dart propelled though the air and landed in the back of the huntarian which yelped in pain.

Zarth heard the beast slump to the ground as the poison numbed its body. He heard a movement to his right hand side and just managed to bring his sword up to block knife blade aiming for his neck, he would have been dead if it was not for the reflexes enchantment. The speed of the huntarian was even greater than the vanquished dargulth; Zarth desperately blocked and parried each knife thrust. He was not the most accomplished swordsman and by sword play he should easily be able to overcome a knife wielder, but it was nigh impossible when fighting a huntarian as the speed and its skill with a knife was unbelievable, he still never believed it when the beast went down, the sword blade deep in its chest, blood pumping out from the wound. Zarth stepped back in disbelief, he had slipped on moss covered leafs and the blade had accidentally stabbed the huntarian. Pulling the sword clear of the dead beast. Zarth walked up to the limp figure of the second huntarian and cut the head from its shoulders with one hard cut, wiping the blood from his sword on the beasts fur he returned it to its scabbard.

Once again Zarth continued his escape, but unknown to him the wizards had made a big mistake and they were about to pay for it.