Hey, if you like this story, don't forget to follow for updates and leave a comment!

  You can also support me and get bonus content through donations here: https://krishnamohany.gumroad.com/coffee. Thanks for reading!

  Max had learned one thing over the past few days: Giggloria was a land of extremes. One minute, he was fighting a sad slime, and the next, he was standing in front of a giant, elaborately decorated building that looked like it was made out of nothing but whoopee cushions, rubber chickens, and confetti cannons.

  "That's... a lot of color," Max muttered to himself, taking in the sight of the Guild of Gags. The building was so loud, it might've been screaming at him, but in a funny way. The whole thing was a giant circus tent with towers that looked like inflatable balloon animals.

  "Welcome to the Guild of Gags!" a voice boomed from above.

  Max looked up. A clown on a unicycle—because of course there was a clown on a unicycle—was floating down toward him. The clown had a rainbow-colored wig and a nose that seemed too big to be real. And he was grinning so widely, Max almost wondered if it was physically possible to smile like that without the jaw snapping in half.

  "Uh, hey," Max said, adjusting the jester mask on his face. "I'm Max. The, uh, 'Chosen Fool' or whatever. I'm here for the initiation thing?"

  The clown landed gracefully, somehow not crashing, which Max considered impressive given that his shoes looked about ten sizes too big. "Oh yes! The Chosen Fool! We've been expecting you. I'm Tickler McGiggles, Guildmaster of Gags." He bowed dramatically. "And welcome to the greatest comedy institution in all of Giggloria!"

  Max blinked. "I mean, it's definitely... colorful."

  "It's supposed to be!" Tickler McGiggles said, puffing out his chest. "We're the Guild of Gags! We train the best jokers, the funniest fools, the punniest pranksters in the entire kingdom! If you want to get serious about humor, you came to the right place!"

  Max was starting to get a little overwhelmed. This place looked like it might have been designed by a committee of caffeinated squirrels. "Okay, okay, let's do this. What do I have to do to join? Do I need to tell a joke? Do a funny dance? Is there a secret handshake involving pie?"

  Tickler McGiggles laughed so loudly it almost echoed off the colorful walls. "Oh, no! Nothing that simple, my friend! To be initiated into the Guild of Gags, you must survive the Trial of Hilarity!"

  Max's eyes narrowed. "The Trial of Hilarity? That sounds... like a lot of pressure."

  "It's only as hard as you make it!" Tickler said, clapping Max on the back. "It's a series of challenges designed to test your ability to make people laugh, even in the most dire of situations. Fail, and you get stuck in the Gag Hall of Shame forever. But succeed... and you become an official Guild member. With a certificate!"

  Max raised an eyebrow. "A certificate for being funny? That's kind of... anticlimactic."

  "Oh, it's not just any certificate," Tickler said, his voice dropping dramatically. "It's a special certificate. A gold-embossed one. They've even got sparkles."

  Max, who had mostly been in it for the magic and the jokes, suddenly found himself intrigued. "Sparkles, huh?"

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Tickler McGiggles nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! Now, are you ready for the trial? Or are you going to back out and let the next jester have all the glory?"

  Max hesitated for a second. He was not about to back down from a challenge involving a shiny, sparkly certificate. He puffed out his chest. "Bring it on. I'm ready."

  "Excellent!" Tickler McGiggles said, suddenly very serious. "The Trial of Hilarity begins now."

  With a dramatic gesture, he pointed toward the massive door of the Guild, which creaked open as though it had been waiting for this moment. Max followed him inside, trying not to trip over the oversized juggling pins that seemed to litter the floor.

  The first thing that hit Max as he stepped into the Guild's main hall was the overwhelming amount of laughter in the air. It was like being hit by a wave of sound, the kind of laughter that filled every inch of the room. And it wasn't just any laughter—it was loud, contagious, and somehow... magical.

  "Welcome to the Laughter Chamber," Tickler McGiggles announced. "The first challenge is simple: make the entire room laugh. You can use anything you want—jokes, slapstick, physical comedy. But there's a catch."

  Max tilted his head. "What's the catch?"

  "You have to get every single person in the room to laugh. Including the stone-faced statues in the back corner." Tickler's eyes gleamed. "They're not actual people, but they count. Because I said so."

  Max blinked. "Wait, stone-faced statues? You can't be serious."

  "I'm always serious about comedy, my friend," Tickler replied with a wicked grin.

  Max glanced around the room. It was filled with... a lot of people. And some statues. The people were all wearing the same overly-excited expressions, like they had just been told their favorite comedian was in the room. But the statues? They were a different story. Their faces were frozen in expressions so neutral, they made Max's grandmother's poker face look animated.

  "How am I supposed to make them laugh?" Max muttered.

  "Well," Tickler said, rubbing his hands together, "you've got two minutes. Go ahead, impress us!"

  Max took a deep breath. Two minutes? That was practically no time at all! But it wasn't like he hadn't faced tough crowds before. He was the Chosen Fool, after all. This was his moment.

  He grabbed a rubber chicken from the nearby prop table and held it high, like it was a sword. "Alright, ladies and gents!" he called out. "I'm here all week. And by all week, I mean the next two minutes. Let's make this count!"

  The crowd responded with a few chuckles. But that wasn't enough. He needed to really nail it.

  Max thought for a second and then began waddling around the room in an exaggerated fashion, flapping the rubber chicken in front of him like it was a medieval weapon. "Why did the chicken cross the road?" he asked loudly, looking dramatically at the statues in the back corner.

  No one answered, of course. But they were watching. That was good.

  "To get to the other side!" Max yelled, then paused for effect. When no one laughed, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, guys. Don't make me explain it. It's a classic!"

  A few giggles rippled through the room. Max smirked. "Ah, I've got you now."

  He waddled over to a table of pies and grabbed one. Without warning, he shoved it into his own face, sending splatters of whipped cream flying everywhere. The audience laughed.

  But the statues were still stone-faced.

  Max grinned. Time for the final move.

  He held up his rubber chicken again and in a slow, dramatic voice, said, "What do you call a chicken who tells jokes?"

  The room fell silent. The statues stared, unblinking.

  "A comed-hen!" Max shouted, pointing at the statues.

  It was like a switch had been flipped. A wave of laughter swept through the room, louder and more boisterous than before. Even the stone-faced statues seemed to crack a smile. For just a moment, Max thought he saw one of them wink at him. Or maybe it was just the magic in the air messing with his eyes. Either way, victory was his.

  Tickler McGiggles clapped loudly, his face glowing with pride. "Well done, Max! You've passed the first challenge with flying colors—and pies!"

  Max took a bow, wiping whipped cream off his face. "That wasn't so bad. What's next?"

  Tickler grinned. "Oh, we've only just begun. There are many more challenges to face, my friend. But first—let's get you your official Guild of Gags certificate!"

  Max's heart leapt. Maybe this whole "Chosen Fool" thing wasn't so bad after all.

  Enjoying the story? Follow me for updates on new chapters.

  If you'd like to support my work, check out my donation page here: https://krishnamohany.gumroad.com/coffee.

  Your support means the world! Thanks!