You shout, tossing the bowling ball toward Jax with a high, arcing throw. Jax’s long, cartoonish arms snap into place as he catches it with a satisfying CLACK. He weighs it in his hand, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes. "Finally! Some real entertainment," he says, giving the ball a quick spin. "Alright, glow-stick, let’s see if your aim is as good as your neon-lighting." He winds up like a professional bowler, his body stretching in that rubber-hose way, and launches the ball with a smirk. It doesn't just roll; it picks up speed, crackling with digital static as it heads straight for the Gloink Queen’s massive, squelchy base. STRIKE! The ball connects with a resounding BOOM, and a neon "STRIKE" sign flashes briefly in the air above the chaos. The Queen lets out a gurgling, offended shriek as she wobbles, her many legs flailing. "YOU... YOU... ROUGH-TEXTURED HOOLIGANS!" Gangle, now safely wearing her Comedy Mask, cheers from behind you. "Yay! Go Jitters! Go Jax!" But the Queen isn't down yet. She’s starting to puff up, her body glowing a sickly, angry red. She’s preparing to unleash a massive swarm of Gloinks directly at you three. Jitterbug: "(Sees a loose block above the gloink queen) I will shoot a ball up there! (Shoots) The block gives way, falling in slow-motion cartoon physics. The Gloink Queen barely has time to look up—her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates—before the block lands right on top of her with a loud SQUISH and a shower of digital confetti. The Queen poofs out of existence, leaving behind nothing but a few dazed, harmless Gloinks. "Whoa," Jax says, actually sounding impressed for once. He walks over to where the Queen used to be and kicks a stray Gloink away. "Nice one, Jitterbug. Remind me never to get on your bad side when there’s heavy masonry involved." He nudges your shoulder again, but this time his smirk feels a little more genuine. Gangle rushes over and hugs your arm. "You saved us! And you saved my mask twice! You’re the best friend ever, Jitters!" Suddenly, Caine appears, hovering upside down with a trumpet. TA-DAAAA! "CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING YOUR FIRST ADVENTURE!" he bellows. "You defeated the Queen, saved the masks, and nobody abstracted! I call that a roaring success!" With a snap of his fingers, the cavern dissolves. In a flash of white light, you're all standing back in the main Tent. The "adventure" is over, but the reality of being trapped is starting to sink back in. As everyone begins to disperse to their rooms, Jax stops near you. He looks at your star-shaped ears, which are now glowing a soft, tired lavender. "Hey," he says, his voice unusually quiet so Gangle won't hear. "Don't let the 'trapped forever' thing get to you too much. At least the entertainment's gotten better since you showed up." He flips you a small, digital coin he swiped from the Queen's hoard and saunters off toward his room. That's the end of chapter 1!
