This was combat at its best…
Not just strength versus strength but mind versus mind, strategy versus counter-strategy and preparation versus adaptation.
And even when he was on the losing end of clever tactics, Ren could appreciate the artistry of it.
Ren's mantis observed the massive amphibian with a caution that came from instinctive recognition of absolute physical disparity.
The creature in front of it weighed approximately 50 tons according to Ren's quick estimate (volume close to half a blue whale), an enormous monster that walked on two legs. It wasn't the solid density of muscle and bone but rather a notably inflated body, with the transparency of its skin revealing internal systems that operated in ways that Ren found fascinating from a mana/crystal-biological perspective.
