It figured that this man would know how to use the gun. Damn, he should have grabbed it. But he hadn't wanted to blow his hand off or reveal his position again.

"I took a vow to stay my blade from innocents, but you are well on your way to becoming guilty!" he snapped, ignoring his question. Then he realized that he actually had time to be angry. This person didn't kill him immediately. He did not let go of the rope, not when he was so close to undoing it that he could stall for time.

"...Because you have not killed me yet. You stopped to talk, instead of finishing me when you had the chance. Either you wish to gloat, or you truly are searching for a reason not to murder someone you know nothing about. There are plenty of other dangers besides me that put your friends' lives at risk."

He chose this moment to slip the knot off and spring away from the sapling. He hit the ground running, remembering to run in zigzags as if from an archer, fully expecting to have his limbs blown off. He was aiming for bushes behind a large trunk regardless. One of those fundamentals training taught him, to break the pursuer's line of sight before hiding. They often ran right past.