They looked significantly stronger than the common Brutenecks, that was as obvious as the Martian sky being pale rather than blue. These Serpent-Tail variants were clearly operating on an entirely different level of danger.
Tatehan mentally ran through the hierarchy of Bruteneck species he'd encountered over the months. The common ones were baseline, dangerous to unprepared humans, but manageable with proper weapons and tactics. The Carapace variants were tougher, with their heavy armor plating making them harder to kill (that was until you found the neck).
The Dwarf Brutenecks were smaller but vicious, attacking in larger packs to compensate for their size. The Lunatic variants were aggressive berserkers, attacking with reckless abandon and frightening speed.
But the Knight Brutenecks, those were something special. He'd only encountered them once and that single encounter led to him getting the kinetic absorption armor and him going with: THE KNIGHT as his nickname.
