>>5363878>>5364027>>5364117>>5364613Try as you might to work out a way of retarding the creature's advance, it is to no avail. Now at the verge of death, it is his unremitting thirst for your blood that impels him to keep pace with you. Evading the onslaught commands a full commitment of your attention. Grasping at any prospect of altering the battle's course, you plant your feet firmly and cut a wide crescent toward his torso, becoming vulnerable as the edge drifts wide of its mark.
A single step backward almost begets your demise when your leg halfway up to the knee is submerged in a stretch of mire. Seizing the chance, the werebear lurches forward - by blind luck, you minimize your figure to avoid being bitten just in time. His jaws slam shut around around a tuft of your hair, which you deftly remove with a stroke of your sword.
The Huntlord is a clever opponent. Capitalizing on happenstance, he suspends his pursuit and disengages from you, positioning himself several paces back in the moments you spend working to free yourself. Further shapeshifting to emphasize his animal physiology, he bares his fangs and bursts into a sprint, steering himself into a collision course with you.
It would be an understatement to say that you do not want the the Huntlord to collide with you. However, it may be an inevitability, and perhaps it would be wise to prepare accordingly.
>[Strength] I need to get myself out of this mud and get out of the way before it's too late!>[Agility, Attack] I am holding my ground and going for the kill. Just die already, you damned crazy monster!>Now is not the time to take risks. I will brace myself to mitigate the damage to my body.