Grimmwald

@rosso: @ashley_knightfall:

All warmth - all peace - vanished, stepping out the seams of reality as Rosso's eyes found Kellan's with a rage that burned hotter than the whitest flame. She smoldered, unraveled a lifetime's worth of hurt as the pain climbed out her throat with the mangled beat of a ruined heart. Every word was a gust of hail, and her stare a black cloud that tore into his own with a storm's fury. Had Gothic City ever seen such rain, heard such thunder?

Kellan certainly hadn't.

But as Rosso's voice hollowed out, and her touch sought to welcome Ashley's gaze into the pits of her wretched soul, the Shadow King - as Rosso had before - scoffed.

"You don't get it", he almost growled, relinquishing every chain that had once shackled him to the ruins of his composure, "You think she doesn't know what I've done to you? You think I've never confessed the depth of my sins to her? You think she doesn't know how funked up I am?! You think I don't!?".

"Of all the crimes, of all the horrible things I've done, I never sold her soul. But you did, you tried to, you bargained with it, offered it to a monster that neither of you - soul stone or not - would've been able to stop", there was a brutal rasp to his words, a parting of the sea to the chasm of emotions that flowed so deep in his core, "But I did. I was there, and the things I suffered in my time as that monster's prisoner don't even compare to the things you've suffered at my hands. I'd offer the same, a look into my soul, but it's gone! I gave it up to an eldritch funking monstrosity so that Ashley's soul - the soul that you offered like she's some sort of poker piece - would be left alone".

"So that even your soul would be left alone. And were it not for Ashley, I would've let that thing come for you. That's how much I love her, enough to help even you", the disgust flowed from his tongue. Flicking his eyes towards Ashley, the Shadow King felt his heart heave, "Ashley, I know you. I know your mind. Your body, your soul. I've heard your heartbeat, tasted your lips and felt your body. I'm not going to fight her for you, because I already have fought for you. I fought for you when I killed the Strigidae Secret Masters so they wouldn't pursue us. I fought for you when I saved your soul from the Strix monster".

"All this time gone, I was fighting for you".

Dragging his eyes back to Rosso, Kellan shook his head, and as the wrinkles of revulsion eased out his face, a sliver of composure reclaimed his heart, "I know what I've done. To you, to Ashley, to this city. But the difference between you and I is that I own up to it, I've confessed my sins to her. But you? You hide behind a mask, pretending to be a harmless, curious little girl because you know that the real you, if there even is such a thing, doesn't deserve Ashley. Hell, I don't either!".

"But you're even worse, because to the world, you show your true face, Rosso the Crimson, the assassin, the profiteer of human lives", he nearly hissed, "But to Ashley... you're this June charade. You need a magic stone to bear your soul to her, whereas I do it without even having a soul! You can't even tell her your real name, she doesn't even know who you really are. As a matter of fact", he almost laughed, "Do even you? Who are you, really? June? Rosso? Someone else? Because while I might not have a soul, you're not even a real funking person".

"So go ahead, bear your soul to her, because of the two of us, there's only one person who'd set their hatred aside out of love for Ashley, and I already have. And I'm willing to do it again if she chooses to keep you around. Whatever comes of this, I've made my peace, I hope you have as well".

@ashley_knightfall: @rosso:

Never had the air known a silence more deafening than the one that lingered over the seconds ticking between Rosso's words and the answer that awaited her. And from afar, Kellan held her in his sights, her trembled words now echoing in his mind as a memory. Wrapping her in the scarlet folds of his gaze, his eyes were neither soulless nor cold. Instead, they were smoldering rubies, aglow with a flame that crackled and strained to scorch the assassin who dared sell his soulmate's very essence to the Strix. The sound of the air rising in his lungs filled his ears, and a black cloud of memories loomed over his mind to remind him of the Black Hallows.

Of the year he'd spent with the Strix monster, of the tears that had soaked his open palms when Ezra walked these very halls in pursuit of a soul unsullied and pristine. Of the blisters that arose from how desperately he'd clung to any sliver of hope that no harm would come to Ashley. Of how his only comfort, his only light in a place so dark and wretched, had been his memories of the Knightfall Saint. Of Ashley whose soul Ezra had spared only in exchange for the murder of Kellan's. Of Ashley whose smile warmed into the empty pit where his soul once bloomed, and healed all the wounds he never knew that she could save him from.

He loved her. He felt it in his bones, in his heartbeat, in everything.

So as he eyed Rosso the Crimson, the Shadow King drew his eyes shut, reached into the bottomless well of that love with the deepest breath, and said nothing to her - for Ashley.

His eyes opened, calmer than before, and the folder he once held so snug in his grasp was soon abandoned to a chair by Ashley's desk. It no longer mattered. This did. Strolling forward, Kellan paused by Ashley's side, pulled her hand into his grasp, and stroked her fingers with his thumb, long and slow as he found her gaze with the warmth of a feeling that would forever lie beyond the limits of description - love in its truest, deepest form.

Sorry, his eyes softened.

"But you're my soulmate", his voice echoed.

Releasing her hand, the Shadow King watched Ashley take her forward steps and confess to Rosso what had always been true. She loved him, and oh how he loved her. She was his soulmate, and he was hers. They'd witnessed the depth of each other's flaws, and it never mattered. So as Ashley voiced her desire for Rosso to remain a fixture in her life - a friend - Kellan silenced every protest brewing in his chest, tightened his jaw, trusted the Knightfall Saint with his heart, but never dulled his readiness to defend her from harm.

@ashley_knightfall: @rosso

“Kellan, I can’t ignore her. She’s been there for me and assisted me when I needed her, when you weren’t here."

That moment - those words - lanced through his mind, storming past the gates that once guarded his soul. The disapproval brewed on his brow, a subtle scowl writ into existence as Kellan held Ashley's gaze with deepening concern. Shutting his eyes, Kellan reached into the depths of his core, finding whatever remained of his composure the moment Ashley voiced her intentions to welcome Rosso the Crimson into her office.

An assassin. An opportunist to whom every life had dollars as its worth. And it was Ashley's that she had once sold to the devil himself.

The thought stirred in his mind and sat in his heart.

"If I wasn't here, it was only because I was doing everything I could to save your soul from that monster. The soul that she sold", he growled, the outrage heating into his face. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the Shadow King drew his eyes shut a second time, and a sigh escaped his lips.

"Ashley... you always see the best in people. It's part of why I love you. But don't let it blind you from the truth. She and I may have both taken lives, but only one of us has ever offered your soul to the devil. I love you... she just wants to own you. Be careful".

As Ashley turned at the heel to stroll out her office, no moment flowed slower through time than her fateful stride out that door. Watching her, the Shadow King pulled the air into his lungs, breathing deeply as he turned away. The air swirled in his core, easing into his qi before flowing through his limbs. Calmness rolled over him in a tide, and as the light from above rode along the contours of his Achillean muscle, Kellan swept his eyes towards his shirt and coat. His clothes were scattered across Ashley's office, and the scent of sex hung thick in the air.

It was a mess, and he hardly noticed it as a thought crossed his mind.

The files!

Darting towards Ashley's desk, Kellan plucked the folder into his grasp before rushing to retrieve his clothes. But as his dermal senses sprung into alarm, catching the melody of heartbeats near and familiar, the Shadow King turned round as the door creaked open, and he met eyes with the assassin who'd once bargained with Ashley's soul.

"Goddamnit..", he cursed, yet as the seconds ticked away and her actions surfaced to the forefront of his mind, a fire-seed smoldered from within.

Funk it.

"You know what, I'm not fleeing the scene like you asked, Ashley. I've been on the run for long enough. I won't hide what we have. She would've learned about us eventually, if not today, then tomorrow or next week or next month and so on, it doesn't funking matter. I'm not hiding this anymore, and I'm not apologizing for it. You told me you didn't want to lose me again, so I'm not leaving you".

@ashley_knightfall:

Love and lust swept through the air in waves, carrying Kellan and Ashley from the alabaster walls of her office to a land where pleasure and intimacy are kings. A tug on his shirt, a scorching kiss on his neck, Ashley teased and demanded - and the Shadow King answered her desire in kind. Stroking the side of her neck with a heated finger, Kellan captured Ashley's lips with a smoldering kiss. Passions soared and his lips hungered against hers with a want - a need - forceful and demanding.

"I'm all yours, Dr. Knightfall", he teased, mumbling between the kiss, his hands tearing off her white coat. Groaning into her mouth, Kellan held her till every inch of her femininity surrendered to the burning heat of his touch. Sweeping her into his arms and carrying her to a table, the Shadow King cleared it with nary a grain of regret and the two united in body and soul.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moments afterwards, as Kellan buttoned his shirt, a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes, a thought crossing into his mind, "It just occurred to me, that after all these years together, we still haven't even been on a date. Unless that ceremony in Valor City counts", he joked, his smile riding a curve of subtle charm, his scarlet eyes flicking to Ashley's cobalt gaze, "We need to rectify that. But also", Kellan paused, inching closer to the woman for whom his every fiber thrummed, drawing her hands into the summer warmth of his, "Our lives have been really shitty for the past couple of years".

"You lost your entire world, an entire life before we even met. I was dealing with the Strigidae, the Secret Masters, everything else. Then that monster came for us all", he sighed, "No more of that. You lost me before but I'm here now. And I want us to close the chapter on shitty years and look forward to something better", his smile returned, the words escaping his lips piercing into her heart as he held her gaze with eternal certainty, "I'm back in Gothic, for good. The city needs help, so I'm here. I've taken over some local organized crime syndicates and I'm using their resources for something good".

"Building schools, distributing free food and water in the places most affected by the recent attacks. Gothic needs all the help it can get. But I also need you. I want you to move in with me".

@ashley_knightfall:

How strong Ashley must have been to fight the tears silvering her eyes and itching the skin of her heart. A river of emotions flooded the air, rushing into his soul where her words formed a riverbed. Love, fear, hope, anger, then love and fear once more. Kellan caught their pitch in Ashley's voice, and a tide of guilt rose over him, drowning him in waters that dared carry him far away from her, to a land of loss and defeat. But as their hearts thrummed together and his soul wrapped hers in its warmth, the Shadow King held the eyes of the Knightfall Saint and shook his head as his thoughts flicked to her fear of losing him again.

No more.

"Stop it, Ashley", he paused, swallowing the lump that had settled in his throat, clearing it as his eyes glimmered with moisture and years of Strigidae and Keijijo training eroded in the moment - thepassion - storming between a scarlet killer and his golden saint. Taking her hands into his calloused grasp, Kellan drew her into the comforting heat of his arms, where she'd find home and hearth, where his chest would warm against hers and his heart would give to her every inch of who he was - body, mind and soul.

"I hate myself for the mistakes I've made", he confessed, his eyes watering, the dark bass of his voice billowing from his chest to hers, wrapping her heart in the storm of sincerity brewing within him, "And no one hates me more than I hate myself. Not even her", Kellan paused, breaking away from their embrace to caress Ashley's face in his hands, his thumb a silken brush as it stroked her cheek soft and slow, his gaze meeting hers as if it were the only thing on heaven and Earth worth sighting.

"I hate what I've done. The mistakes I've made, and I don't think I ever won't. But I don't hate myself more than I love you. I don't want to just be friends any more than I want to catch the Sapien Flu", he smiled, glancing at her lips for a fleeting second, "I've lost myself before.. and you aren't sure that I won't again. But I am. Because when I saved your soul from the Strix monster, I saved hers too, because it wanted her soul as well. And she means nothing to me, less than nothing. But... it was the right thing to do, even after learning that it was she who originally promised that monster your soul". And for all his faults, Kellan knew - that even at his worst - he had never done that.

"You won't lose me again, Ashley. You have me".

Fingertips heating against her face, the Shadow King crushed her lips with a simmering need, his molten tongue seeking hers with a promise - that he would leave her no more, and remain the man with whom she fell in love. Kissing her in a breathless rush, one arm tucking around her waist while his other hand gripped the nape of her neck like a rake, Kellan drew her into him until his lungs burned for air.

"Do you want me to stop?", he asked, breaking an inch away, his breath smoldering against her lips as he found her eyes, "The Secret Masters won't come for us. The Strix monster will no longer bother us. I love you, Ashley. And not even an army will take me from you".

@ashley_knightfall:

The air was silenced as a tide of emotions beyond description swept through Ashley's office. Try as he might to freeze the ice melting in his veins, Kellan could do little else but surrender acres of his heart to the warmest soul he'd ever known. Her voice echoed, and the sway its pitch held over his heart drew a sigh from the Shadow King. She was right. How could he return after so long and regard her as a mere colleague instead of what she truly was? As he strode forward, he thought of how long she had waited for him to return, asking the fates for him until her heart sank when he vanished.

Easing into the chair she'd offered him, Kellan mirrored her as he too plucked the glasses from his face. For the first time in so long, his eyes met hers bare, wrapping her gaze in the scarlet shade of a red sunset.

"I loved you, Ashley. I still do", he confessed, the sheet of ice over his face cracking as his lips rode a curve of longing, matching her smile with his own, "I didn't disappear only to hunt down the Secret Masters. You were in danger from that.. that thing, that monster that wanted your soul. And if hurting you by disappearing and going radio silent meant you'd be safe, it was a risk I was willing to take. So, I spent nearly a year tracking that monster down. It was difficult but I managed to. And in place of your soul, I gave it the soul of the Beast of Brass, one of the Secret Masters I defeated".

"As for how I am, that doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're okay, messy bun and coffee-scented just as you should be", he smiled, teasing her as he often did, strolling into her eyes with his own and laying bare every inch of a soul fated to match hers, "Ashley I know I really hurt you by vanishing the way I did. But I care enough about you that I did what I had to to keep you safe from that thing, even if it meant facing the devil itself, and running the risk of losing you. There was...", he almost laughed, shaking his head and chastising himself for the words that next escaped him, "I had this idea that when I'd return, I was going to ask you to marry me".

"I had even bought a ring. But the longer it took to forge a deal with that monster, the longer the time I spent away from you. I took so long that by the end of it, I didn't even know if you'd want to have anything to do with me. So, I came up with a partial excuse to come see you and gauge your potential hatred for me", he paused, a soft smile crossing his face, "I do have some breakthroughs that I want you to take a look at, but really I came here to see you. I missed you, and I've never stopped thinking about you. I never will. You're the love of my life. The woman I'd fight heaven and hell for, and after going to the Black Hallows, only heaven's left", his smile warmed.

"You make me want to be a better man, but more than that, you make me want to be with you. We're finally at a point where all the threats are done with. The Strix monster and the Secret Masters are gone, and you've cured the Sapien Flu".

"But", Kellan sighed, lamenting the possibility that she was well and truly done with him, "I understand if you don't want anything to do with me, if I'm too late".

@wild_cat: They should honestly hand over the site to someone who cares enough to introduce useful features, LOL.

Oh he was definitely explosive and quick, but much of what appeared to be his speed and explosiveness was his ability to dictate the fight by operating from a long range that caused his opponents to do much of the work for him. But even with the additional time and space that he had to make reads and prepare counters for telegraphed shots, he still had to be fairly fast as most good counter-strikers tend to be. One has to be on a hair-trigger to land sharp counters, so he was definitely fast.

I think a change in strategy can make Weidman more successful but a title run would be really difficult in the MW division. I think LHW is more realistic. He seemed to have no answer for Dominick Reyes' strength and physicality, although Reyes could probably fight at HW if he wanted to. But LHW is such a wasteland that barring physical specimens like Reyes (Jon Jones couldn't even wrestle him), I think Weidman has a decent run in him at LHW. If Anthony Smith can make a run off of some favorable match-ups, I think Weidman could crack the top 5.

I think with martial arts as a whole, it's a case where one performs as one has been trained to. Which is partly why the boxing (and other martial arts) in MMA doesn't look as good as proper boxing, because if you could slam your shin into Canelo's lead calf when he's coming forward, his traditional boxing wouldn't look great either, because boxing doesn't train boxers to deal with things like low kicks. But in MMA, low kicks and a whole host of other threats are very present. So with MMA in particular, we see elements of many different martial arts but not the martial arts themselves as a whole because the ruleset is different.

In a ruleset that permits grappling, wrestling, kicking, knees etc. one can't apply boxing or any other martial art as is. One has to apply elements from boxing that will work optimally without being a defensive liability. Because really, in boxing you're only concerned about your opponent's punching ability, and occasionally their clinching ability. You're also only allowed to target the front of the upper-body, so that's what traditional boxing ingrains into boxers. Even an all-time great defensive boxer like Mayweather would immediately change his style into a worse looking one after only a couple of MMA fights. Because how he boxes in boxing wouldn't work very well in MMA. He keeps his lead foot turned in and he stands almost sideways to limit the exposed area of his upper-body.

If you do that in MMA, you're begging to have your lead leg torn apart by low kicks or snatched up for an easy single-leg takedown or get kicked out of your stance entirely. So it's about choosing which elements of a particular martial art will work well in an MMA ruleset without putting you at risk. For example, in PRIDE, you could kick and knee the head of a downed opponent, which made shooting for takedowns more dangerous because depending on how your takedown is defended, you're now at risk of being punted in the head when you're on the ground with someone standing over you. Which is why there was a lot more guard-pulling in PRIDE. So it's all about how certain things will work under certain rulesets.

However, with all that being said, the boxing in MMA is still pretty shit, LOL. Regardless of the difference in rulesets, the boxing in MMA can be still be significantly improved. For example, not many fighters commit to working their opponent's body. They'll absolutely throw knees and kicks to the body, but few fighters consistently work the body with punches. Head movement is still a problem because many fighters will move their head a lot before throwing any strikes but their head will be stationary when they're throwing strikes. A lot of the Winkeljohn fighters for example, don't even step as they punch. I mean, we can go on and on with this, LOL.

In it! But you already knew that.

@wild_cat: Machida actually wasn't that fast or explosive. He was surely quick, but nowhere near as advertised. Firstly, he benefitted from being smaller than his opposition during his LHW run, so he looked faster by virtue of the size difference. Secondly, much of Machida's apparent speed and explosiveness (which really just means one's ability to generate maximum force under minimum time) was owed to his distance management and manipulation of range. When you operate from a long range, your opponent has to take an additional step to connect with any strikes, which telegraphs the strikes themselves.

So not only did Machida have more time to get reads on his opponents because he usually maintains a range that made committing to strikes without overextending nearly impossible for his opponents, it also meant his opponents would telegraph far more often. The result was the illusion that Machida was supernaturally fast because he was able to get more reads (because the opponent is farther away) and most of the strikes coming his way were telegraphed, so they were much easier to counter. Secondly, Machida often used his karate blitz to intercept his opponent the moment they take that additional step or lung forward. When you're lunging forward, your opponent doesn't have to counter you with power shots to hurt you because you're carrying a lot of momentum.

Machida created the illusion of being more explosive than he actually was by mastering the art of luring his opponents into these timed collisions by playing around with his range and disturbing their rhythm. But he got away with a lot of it because MMA doesn't have many good cage-cutters. Being more athletic wouldn't have changed the fact that Machida is allergic to a good pressure game that cuts off his angles of escape because he's still going to be on the retreat attempting to reestablish his preferred distance any time the pressuring opponent comes forward and cuts off his angles every time he tries to move laterally. The strategy behind Machida's counters doesn't work well against opponents who don't chase him.

And Weidman didn't chase him. He pressured him back and cut off his angles every time he tried to circle away. Machida's difficulties against Weidman weren't primarily due to him being older, it was because Weidman was the first good cage-cutter he fought. Weidman didn't chase him or allow Machida to create that collision by running into his counters. Furthermore, Machida was and is a poor boxer. He doesn't keep his hands up, doesn't move his head and doesn't have much beyond that left straight. His game is incredibly minimalistic and it worked at the time because the generation of MMA fighters he fought were far less skilled and smaller than the likes of Weidman, Rockhold and so on.

That's why Jon Jones doesn't look as dominant as he used to, the newer generation of MMA fighters are larger, more athletic and far more skilled than say Rampage or Rashad Evans. It's simply the nature of the game. Everything Machida did that was unheard of during his years of success became standard techniques etc. that coaches studied and prepared for by the time Weidman and co. were on the rise. I don't think him being younger would've made a difference against someone whose entire game is built around the denial of what made Machida's own game strategically viable, because he'll still be facing someone who isn't running into his counters and allowing him to fight from his preferred range or angle out of the pocket Weidman boxed him in.

Weidman also immediately preyed on the vulnerabilities of Machida's karate stance. The karate stance is great as a distance management tool but it's also vulnerable to both leg and body kicks, which is why Machida was often resetting his stance when Weidman landed most of his kicks because the karate stance isn't very stable or secure, it doesn't absorb the momentum of body and low kicks as well so it's easier to move karate fighters into different directions with kicks. Weidman also cleverly countered Lyoto's counter by using feints and fakes. He'd feint a strike or fake an additional step to lure Machida into blitzing forward before intercepting Machida, which is how Jon Jones dropped Machida when they fought.

Machida didn't lose to Weidman because he was old, he lost to Weidman because it was a bad stylistic match-up. Had he been younger, I think he would've just lost better.

If you're asking me if I think TRT Vitor would've won, to that I say maybe! TRT Vitor was a monstrous force of science. The way he was beating people wasn't down to technique, it was because his body has a superb genetic response to PED usage and he was almost superhuman in the cage.

@fallenprophet: I'll take that over the legions of McGregor fans who think Khabib is scared to rematch an opponent he thoroughly dominated, or the legions of Diaz fans who say everyone who ever beat either Nick or Nate was juicing, cheated or won off an early stoppage or robbery, LOl.