There is a saying that has existed through pop culture for an uncountable number of years. Nobody knows the exact origin, and many have worded it differently yet always interpreted it in the same way; “The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.” Phrased in many ways, in many forms. That the tension was as a physical thing, so tense and so real that it could figuratively be cut.
And never would that be more evident than where family was involved.
Las Vegas - The Go Gym -
Last week
To say that the tension was felt throughout the GO Gym between the brothers Baltasarsson would be a vast understatement. Even the current session going on inside of the ring between Odette and the newest class of young students had briefly come to a brief halt at the sound of the strained contention between Fenris and Aron; one being known for his ill-famed temper, and the other? Not so much. But when Aron showed temper, when he acted as hurt or angry as he seemed to be at this given moment, then one knew it was time to steer clear.
Gabriel, as was his custom, quickly took charge and stepped up to where Fenris stood closely to Aron who had walked right up to him without a care. The patriarch of the Gym placed a hand on both men’s shoulders and directed them across the floor with a, “Guys? Can we not do this with an audience?” And his words were fashioned in a tone that said that this was most definitely, not a request. It was a demand and one in which he expected to be obeyed.
Despayre was in his usual spot alongside Angel at the reception desk, so that left one spot to let the brothers vent whatever frustrations they had building up inside; the gym’s office. Synn was not present working on potential contracts for the students, so it was the prime and logical choice. Once he had escorted both into the office and suit the door behind the three of them (Gabriel was not going to simply turn away when there was a possible crisis; Fenris had already involved him), the floodgate had been opened.
“What are you DOING here!?” Fenris initiated the confrontation, slipping back into the brothers’ native Icelandic tongue, one of which made Gabriel grateful he had studied at length so as to better understand. “This is between Gabriel and me!”
“Really?” Aron answered back the challenge. “Is that why you snuck away while I took Kyssa out for her walk?”
“I didn’t sneak away!” Fenris shot back, then he narrowed his eyes in accusation. And how did you know where I went?”
Aron scoffed, “That wasn’t hard to figure out. You don’t go anywhere else!” But the younger of the two siblings wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot. He folded his arms over his slimmer chest and Gabriel could easily see a lot of his brother’s demeanor in the relatively calmer of the two. Aron said, “Now how about you answering me? What the hell is up with you treating me like a child who needs a babysitter!? Sneaking away to get Gabriel and Odette to distract me on Sunday…?”
“Which I was not planning to agree to anyway.” Gabriel cut in, causing both brothers to turn their heads to him; one with a grateful nod and one earning a frown from a request being denied. But he then offered his charge a platitude by stating, “At least not without a reason.”
“I thought the reason was obvious.” Fenris stated matter-of-factly, turning his head now to Aron. “It’s. Too. Dangerous!”
“What are you…?” Aron started to protest but Fenris talked right over him, cutting him off effectively. “This fight has too much risk! Not just for me, but for you! Especially you! Mercer will do everything he fucking can to throw me off before we get inside that cage, and it’s always by attacking you!”
“K…” Aron started to speak, using the affectionate nickname he had coined for his brother since their early childhood together, but Fenris was not having it. He had built up a full head of steam and once he got going, it was damn near impossible for anyone to stop him.
“Two times, Aron!” Fenris shouted, holding up two fingers with his right hand for emphasis. “Two times that sick bastard has hurt you! The last time was even right in front of me! Do you seriously think he won’t go for a third!?”
“Man makes sense.” Gabriel spoke up in favor of Fenris’s train of thought and the desire to protect his family.
“That’s a risk I’ll gladly take, K.” Aron smiled, showing a touch of his gentler self. “If just to be able to stand there and watch you beat his ass into the ground.”
Fenris stared at his brother, and Gabriel could all but see the swell of pride in his eyes in Aron’s undying belief that Fenris would win and avenge what had happened between them. But the moment was short-lived and Fenris shook his head, “No. It’s not something that I’m willing to risk.”
“Why not…?” Aron started to speak up but was again cut off, but this time Fenris’s words were a touch more heated - and personal. “Because you’re not the one on the end of Mom’s hysterics and accusations! She lit into me that first time you were taken into the hospital! Blamed me for EVERYTHING! And then the next time when it happened right in front of me…!”
Little more needed to be said. A mother’s love and protective nature was beyond comprehension, as was their fierce nature when a child was threatened. It was that way in all walks of nature and having met Eva a number of times, Gabriel cringed at the thought of what Kristjan had been forced to sit through when she was unleashed. Privately, Gabriel believed that much of who Fenris was came from that lovely, but strong-willed woman.
“I… didn’t know, K.” Aron reasoned, his arms now hanging loosely at his sides. “You never said anything…”
“And neither did she.” Fenris reasoned, his face now flushed with emotion. “Because she didn’t want you to worry. And .. she was right.” He shrugged helplessly as this admission caused Gabriel to stare hard at his student in wonder. “Without even knowing it, I’ve put you in harm’s way … ever since I first got into this sport. Every single time I got in someone’s face. Every time I beat someone down. All they had to do to get even with me was target you.” He looked absolutely helpless and miserable as he admitted, “Mercer was just the first to have the balls to do it.”
“K, I'll be fine.” Aron mustered as much reassurance behind his words as he was able. “I'm your manager. Nothing is stopping me from being there for you, at your side.”
Fenris stared hard at his baby brother, and again Gabriel could sense a swell of pride in his angry Icelandic superstar. Admittedly, he felt a touch of it himself. To see such a display of unwavering love and loyalty was a rare thing indeed. But as quickly as it was there it was gone and replaced by something else.
Fenris -- Kristjan, shook his head sadly and said “You're fired.”
“What…?” Aron started to ask, not able to process or imagine that he did hear what he thought he had just heard.
“Go back to Iceland.” Fenris stated without hesitation, but a great deal of pain in his eyes and voice. “You have college degrees. Use them to make something of yourself instead of being stuck with me. Just … go.”
Fenris then turned and walked out of the office, leaving a stunned Aron behind, and Gabriel himself looked completely caught off guard by what his student just did.
Las Vegas - The Go Gym -
Now
It hadn’t been spoken of since, the firing of Aron by his own brother. To say that Gabriel (and Odette as well) were vastly disappointed in the actions taken by Fenris would be quite the understatement. Although, to play the role of Devil’s Advocate, they did understand the motivations behind why he did so. They just believed that there had to have been a more reasonable solution.
Fenris did not answer any questions now concerning Aron, as it was painfully obvious he was suffering for what he did, and quite possibly regretting it. But it had been a week, and Fenris’s pride was his own worst enemy. Even if he had wanted to change his mind, it was too late. By now Aron had to have been back in Iceland, feeling the sting of betrayal.
Gabriel stood waiting, and finally Fenris emerged from the men’s locker room, sporting more reserved workout attire rather than his wrestling gear. A loose, open sleeved tank top and loose martial arts style pants (both in his favored white color), Fenris remained barefoot as he walked from across the gym and approached Gabriel who remained stoic. Truth be told, Fenris was surprised Gabriel still allowed this to happen given what he had done the previous week, but the Stevens patriarch was and always had been a man of his word. He gave his consent for this special training session, and it would happen.
Besides, he was curious in meeting this woman personally, Kalei Hale, one of the trainers that helped to mold “the White Wolf” into the man he was today.
“Thank you.” Was all Fenris said, and he had been saying it all week, as if seeking reassurance.
“Stop thanking me.” Gabriel said. “It’s getting old. I may be upset - but I’m not going to…” But whatever he was going to say to finish his train of thought was interrupted by the buzzer of the lobby going off, and the gym door swung open, and in she walked; an older woman of Hawaiin and Chinese ancestry. Gabriel felt her influence almost immediately. The way she walked, the way she carried herself. Her sheer presence commanded the attention of the room she was in, and the respect of those standing within that very same room.
And Fenris, Gabriel noted, stood almost to attention as if he were a soldier in the presence in his commanding officer. Not even his MMA coach Maksym Petrov garnered such a reaction.
Gabriel stood up himself from where he was seated on the edge of the ring, and as she approached, he showed the good manners and respect by offering his hand to her, a gesture she gladly accepted with a smile and nod.
“Kalei Hale.” Gabriel smiled. “It is a pleasure to have you here in our Gym. Fenris has told us a lot about you.”
“All good, I should expect.” Her voice was husky, with an edge to it. Like warm honey dripped over the edge of a razor blade. And she said ‘expect,’ not ‘hope’ like most would. The confidence as such she commanded respect in her students was evident. And she looked past Gabriel to Fenris who gave her that respect, bowing slightly at the waist with a nod of the head. She, in kind, returned the gesture.
Fenris said merely, “Of course.”
Gabriel tilted his head toward Fenris but his eyes and words were for Kalei alone, “I hear you’ve known this one for quite some time.”
“Yes, indeed.” She said, resting one hand in the bend of her elbow and resting her chin on the curled fingers of her free hand. “And might I say, he was quite the handful when I first met him. Not nearly as respectful as he is now. I had to see fit to teach him manners.”
“Oh?” Gabriel turned to look at Fenris who was, unbelievably, coloring at the ears and avoiding his gaze, much like a scolded child.
Iceland - Many years ago
“I do not need this, Maksym!” The younger Kristjan Baltasarsson stated hotly as he stood inside of the Dragonav training facility where much of the magic had happened, where former multi-time MMA Champion and Hall of Famer, Maksym Petrov, had fashioned this angry young man from an amateur MMA fighter into a professional champion.
Kristjan continued, saying, “Why should I do this? You have trained me since the start! I do not need…!”
“Enough!” Maksym shot back, and his tone was powerful enough of a command as to silence Kristjan's protests. “Are you so arrogant as to believe that you know it all? Or so delusional as to believe that I can teach everything there is to know about anything? I am good, Kristjan, but not that good. Just meet with her…”
“Her?” Kristjan reiterated, having not been aware that this new trainer was female and his natural ego was finding this fact a touch difficult to swallow. But Maksym continued as if he had said nothing, “She is a Grand Master in the art of Hapkido. You said you were interested in joint manipulation. She is the one to teach.”
Kristjan scoffed at the thought when the door to the training facility opened, and in walked a regal looking woman in her early forties perhaps, and barely standing 5’2” - if that. Maksym nudged his trainee in the arm and said between pursed lips, “She is a friend, and is doing this as a favor to me.”
Kalei Hale walked up to the pair of men, and Maksym smiled, offering the woman his hand to which she accepted. He then spoke in perfect English for her benefit, “Kalei, thank you for doing this.”
“I have not agreed to do anything, Maksym.” She responded, but with a knowing smile playing on her lips. “I do not take on students lightly. I am here to meet him, and assess his worthiness myself.” She then looked up into the blue eyes of the young Kristjan and after holding his gaze for a mere moment, Kristjan rolled his eyes and turned to Maksym and said, “No.” he held up both hands and shook his head.
“Kristjan…” Maksym said in a warning tone, but you know the youth of the world. Thinking themselves invincible, without a worry. Kristjan ignored the warning and he said, “This is wasting my time, and yours!” Note he said nothing of hers. “You said it was my choice in the end!”
“Kristjan, a pleasure to meet you.” Kalei said, offering her hand to the brash upstart, and Kristjan was so engrossed in rejecting the prospective lead, he hadn’t even taken notice she spoke perfect Icelandic. On instinct alone, he accepted her handshake - and immediately wished that he had not.
She bent his fingers back at a painful angle, causing him to cry out sharply and curse, but before he could respond, she turned into her own hold, pivoting her body and applying pressure from her fingertips into the bend of his elbow. This move alone forced Kristjan down to one knee, practically immobilizing his arm and preventing him from breaking her grip, even though he had her outmatched in size and strength.
“Do you feel that pressure?” She hissed into his ear, and when he did not answer fast enough for her liking, she bent his wrist back further, causing him to curse audibly and he nodded, “Yes!”
“It is not just the fingers I could dislocate with this one move, but your wrist. Your elbow.” She added in a dangerous whisper, and Maksym did nothing to intervene. The young one needed this serving of humble pie.
Kalei said, “I am not accustomed to being spoken to in such a manner, especially not by a prospective student! The only reason I am even here is because of how highly this man has spoken of you. I see now it was more for your skill set and less for your attitude!”
A pull of the wrist and elbow, and she forced Kristjan to look into her face.
“You lack respect. This will be addressed, and rectified.” She said without a hint of doubt. “Do you understand?”
His pride kept him from answering at first, but he finally relented when he was forced to admit he simply could not move. He yielded with a nod. “Yes!”
“Yes - what?”
He looked up into her eyes and steel met ice in that moment.
“Yes, sensei.”
Las Vegas - The Go Gym -
Now
Kalei looked at Fenris and a smile of pride showed on her face. “Yes, he was brash … arrogant. Temperamental. He has changed much since I saw him last.”
“Him?” Gabriel joked in question, jetting as thumb back in Fenris’s direction.
“Mind games.”
Fenris sat alone in an empty folding chair in an otherwise empty ballroom inside of the Golden Ring Casino, the location of this weekend’s Blaze of Glory IX Supercard event. Clad in his street clothes, Fenris’s stare was hard and vacant. He nodded as his eyes shifted away from the camera.
“Is that what you want to call it? Everything that you did, you did to get inside of my head. To fuck with me, get me angry. Goad me into this whole mess that you’ve now found yourself in. My question is - why? To what purpose? Part of me thinks you’re full of shit, Austin. This whole mess started because I kept you from doing worse when you got your panties in a bunch and attacked Caleb Storms, all because J2H lived up to his promise and handed him the Internet title. The fact that deserved or not, Caleb was a champion, and you were not. Not very often that you could say something like that, and it just ate you alive. You had to go and prove some kind of point where Storms was concerned. And when you didn’t get to vent your frustrations to your satisfaction, thanks to me, you decided to…”
He brought up his hands for an air quote.
“... Send a message. By attacking my brother, the one person in SCW who couldn’t have deserved it less! You can keep trying to twist my words or defending your actions, but you didn’t have to do this to send me a message. I’m not hard to find at all, I never was. If you wanted a fight, all you had to do was walk right up, get in my face and swing! But no, you went a different route. You took the coward’s way. Nothing you say can alter history, Austin. Everyone saw you do it, everyone knows why you did it. But now you have my attention, and bitch!... You could not be less ready for what this has earned you!”
“I admit that some of what you said rang true, misguided as your interpretation was. I was frustrated with my path in SCW. I was lost. I guess this is the right way to describe it. While you had direction, I had none. You knew what you wanted and you had goals. I knew nothing of the kind, and I did not know where I wanted to go from here. But, I did not ‘tuck my tail between my legs’ as you so put it. I did not run away. I went back to Iceland for a reason, and any who knows me is aware. My sister had been diagnosed with Covid, and even though she recovered, all I could think is what if I had been gone and she not been so lucky? As a family man, I would at least hope that you might understand. Not twist my words and actions around to suit your delusional fantasy that I ran away, because I. Do. Not. Run! Not from a challenge. Not from adversity. And sure as shit not from you! I just did the best thing that I could have done. I left. I got my head back on straight. I recharged. I returned!”
“I admit, I am lost as to what you hoped to accomplish. Did you think that by getting into my head, by pissing me off, that somehow, in some way, it would give you some sort of advantage? Have you even MET me!? Have you paid attention to me at all over the last three years!? Okay, fine! I admit it! I am a perpetually angry bastard! I always have been, and always will be! But…”
He held up a finger to stall for emphasis.
“I have had some of the best trainers… in MMA, Hapkido and yes … professional wrestling. None of them wanted me to not be angry. They simply wanted me to harness it. To use it to where it might do me the most good, while being the most unfortunate end for whatever poor fuck I stepped into a fight with. This time, that just so happens to be you, Austin. You have upset me. You’ve fucking PISSED ME OFF! But it doesn’t do you a DAMN bit of good! But me, it means all the world. Because I learned from the best in how to channel that simple but burning human emotion and turn it against the target who thought to use it against me. And you, Austin You’ve gone beyond driving me into simple anger. Anyone can experience that. I get angry just driving to the arenas, dealing with idiot drivers and fucked up traffic! Still, you… there are words to describe what you’ve driven me to. Hatred. Fury.”
A close up of his lips as he uttered the one word…
“Rage. If just making me angry drives me to do to men what I have done in the past, then just try for one moment to imagine what this will make me do to you. You act as if this was all part of your plan, but no.”
He smirked and shook his head.
“It wasn’t. It couldn’t have been. Because as much as I hate you, I have to respect you. And you are a great many things but stupid is not one of them. You weren’t expecting for me to come this close to breaking your fingers. Or dislocating your elbow. Or choking you out in front of everyone. And we all saw it, Austin. You weren’t - you aren’t, ready for the Lion’s Den. In this world, there are only two ways out.”
He counted off of two fingers.
“Submission, or TKO. That is my world, Austin. And I am just spoiled for choices in which path I want to send you toward the most! For everything you’ve done, for everything that you’ve made me do… Austin? You’ve driven me to the point of crazy that you were never warned about, because you never knew it existed.”
“Once you step inside of that cage with me, and once that door shuts and locks behind you, reality is going to set in and you’re going to realize just how fucked you are. Because this is not a wrestling match. This is not even in a wrestling ring. You have stepped out of your element, and into my world! Ask Caleb Storms. Ask Jake Raab. I do not make any pretense that this will be easy, or that you will roll over and show belly. I would actually be vastly disappointed if either were to occur. I want you to fight. I want you to make me hurt! Because the worse you do to me, the harder I will fight to put an end to you! I want to wipe that pathetic smirk off of your face! I want to make you look back at everything you’ve done and regret every moment! I want to look into your eyes and see that one moment when you realize you’ve lost, and that can send you home a broken man. Make you explain to your wife and child what daddy did to deserve all of that! For me, this is the Lion’s Den. For you…?”
He stood up.
“It is the end of the world.”
