Mid-Match — The Sky Falls: Blobie Strikes
A distant roar tears through the hedges. The air changes. For the second — or third — time this tournament, Blobie bursts from the tree line, eyes glowing Awakened-red, half-man, half-static-energy.
He picks up — with a strength that makes physics weep — an entire train car left from some island art installation and hurls it like a javelin straight toward the BIG SHOTS’ corridor.
Peter freezes, half-speaking: “Is that a — is that a train? That’s a big —”
The train hurtles toward Spamton, who’s mid-scam-speech, glasses reflecting panic in a thousand tiny squares. Everyone watches in horror.
Spamton (shrieking in obfuscated caps):
“[[BIG—DEAL—IMPA—CT]]—NO NO NO—CLICK—HELP—”
Just as the train is about to crush Spamton into the labyrinth floorboards — the world shifts.
A new figure strides out of the trees with the calm of someone who always knew this day would come.
KAIBI — smile soft, shirt unwrinkled, eyes steady. He steps, raises one finger, and the train stops mid-air less than an inch from Spamton’s forehead. The air hums like a plucked string.
Kaibi (quiet, warm):
“Hold. It doesn’t have to end like this.”
He presses the tip of his finger against the air. The train eases backward, lowers gently to the ground, like a pet coaxed to sit.
Blobie — enraged by this demonstration — rears up and prepares to strike. Kaibi doesn’t flinch. He stares through the rifted night and makes Blobie feel seen.
Kaibi (very softly):
“You don’t have to hurt them.”
Blobie, thrown off by not being feared but being looked at calmly, hesitates. For the first time in a long while his Awakened rage meets something it cannot swallow: someone who will not scream. Blobie retreats into the forest with a howl that fractures leaves.
Spamton collapses to his knees, hyperventilating, awash with a clarity that lasts for a heartbeat. He stammers words that make actual sense before slipping back into his spammy cadence.
Spamton (breathless, clear for a second):
“—th-thanks. Don’t… buy anything. Just… not today.”
Kaibi turns, offers Spamton a small, friendly nod, then looks to the teams.
Kaibi (smiling):
“Are you ok? I can help if you need me.”
Before anyone can answer fully, Kaibi steps back, breathes in the maze-scent, and walks over to where the Ritual Rulers are regrouping.
Kaibi: “I’ll stay with them. They need someone steady.”
And with that, Kaibi joins Team Ritual Rulers — not because he wants glory, but because he chooses to
