Ross immediately struck the tip of his titanic blade two feet into the ground at Bruce's feet, grinding it against the breadth of his opponent's blade and releasing the handle as it dug deep below. Shards of rock kept it in place, and Ross pivoted his body to face the incoming mace. With his bare hands, he clutched the mace, and stopped it mid-swing, allowing the force to shoot down his legs and push him slightly, but as the momentum stopped, one of his hands darted towards the handle of the mace, and grasped it firmly, while his opposite, the left, pressed against the length of his sword. The earth below Bruce's right foot shifted upwards quickly, and Ross's blade disappeared, at which point, he pulled Bruce's mace away from him, and heaved his left arm towards the man's neck, open-palm, fully prepared to take his sword strike to the gut if he chose to follow through after Ross' sword disappeared. Ross was never one for fancy gimmicks, or clear cut strategy. But he was no idiot. If he was leaving his guard open, then a single strike wasn't going to do much. The question was, how much punishment could Bruce deal and receive? When would it be worth striking him if he could exchange blows at close range with his overbearing stature?