Jitterbug: "uhh i dont think thats entertainment... probably to you though, i dont judge.(I pat Gangle on the back) It's ok. I will get it back, i promise!" Gangle sniffles, her ribbon-like body shaking as she looks up at you with her tragedy mask. "Y-you really mean it? Nobody ever promises to help with my masks... they usually just step on them." Your yellow markings pulse a warm, comforting honey-gold as you pat her back, making Gangle feel a tiny bit safer in this weird digital void. Jax rolls his eyes so hard you can practically hear them clicking. "Ugh, gag me with a digital spoon. You're too nice, Jitters. It's a circus, not a therapy session." Despite his words, he doesn't leave. He watches you comfort Gangle, his ears twitching. "Alright, 'Hero,' the hole is that way," he says, pointing a thumb toward a dark, swirling pit in the middle of the floor. "The Gloinks already took the mask down to their Queen. If you’re gonna be a 'promise-keeper,' you better start sliding." You lead the way to the edge. With a deep breath—and a final reassuring squeeze of Gangle's ribbon-arm—you sit on the edge of the slide. WHIZZZZZ! You're flying down a neon-colored tube! Your rainbow slug tail acts like a rudder, clicking and sliding against the smooth walls. Behind you, you hear Gangle’s high-pitched "Waaaaaaah!" and Jax’s chaotic "Woooo-hoooo!" You land with a soft THUD in a cavern made of geometric shapes and piles of "junk." Everywhere you look, small, round, angry-looking shapes—Gloinks—are rolling around, carrying off anything that isn't nailed down. "Look!" Gangle points. A group of Gloinks is rolling away with her Comedy Mask, heading straight toward a giant, pulsing mass in the distance. Jitterbug: "(I look at the gloink that Jax has in hand) May I borrow that?? (I snatch it out of his hands and throw it at the gloink with the mask, the mask goes flying, I go to catch it) GOT IT! (I give it to Gangle)" Jax's hands are empty before he can even blink. He stands there, fingers still curled in a throwing position, looking genuinely stunned. "Hey! That was my—" He stops mid-sentence, watching as your throw connects with perfect precision. The Gloink holding the mask lets out a squeaky "GLOINK!" as it's knocked sideways, and the Comedy Mask spins through the air. You leap, your flexible frame stretching just enough to snag it right out of the sky. "GOT IT!" You hand the mask back to Gangle. She carefully presses it onto her face, and with a magical pop, her ribbons stop shaking and her expression shifts from tragedy to a wide, porcelain grin. "Oh, Jitters! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Gangle cheers, bouncing up and down. "You’re like a superhero! A glowing, star-eared superhero!" Jax recovers from his shock and crosses his arms, a small, lopsided smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Not bad, glow-stick. A bit aggressive with the snatching, though. I think I’m rubbing off on you already." He walks over, nudging your shoulder with his elbow—a bit harder than a friendly nudge, but softer than his usual bullying. "But don't get cocky. That was just one mask. We've still got a whole Queen to deal with, and she doesn't like it when people mess with her 'collections'." As if on cue, the ground begins to shake. A massive, multi-legged shape rises from the piles of junk ahead. It's the Gloink Queen, and she looks absolutely livid that you took her prize back. "WHO DARES DISTURB THE RADIANCE OF MY REALM?!" she bellows, her voice echoing through the cavern. Your yellow markings start to flicker rapidly in a sharp, neon lime green—the color of pure adrenaline. Jitterbug: "(I notice a bowling ball) Jax! Catch!" Part 3:
