Honestly? I was half expecting the orb to zap me or something the moment I placed my fingertips on it. But it didn’t.

It was, however, cold, unexpectedly so, and its texture was odd—like gel or something spongy. For a moment, nothing happened, and I looked at Myri, about to ask what the deal was. But before I could speak, the orb shattered like glass in my hand, the pieces dissolving into nothingness as they fell.

I stared at my empty hands, bewildered, then back at Myri. "What the hell was—"

Before I could finish, the side of the tower began to ripple and shimmer like the surface of a pond disturbed by a thrown stone. I blinked, unsure if my eyes were playing tricks on me—I mean, I felt like I’d lost a lot of blood, so…possible. But then, gradually, the stone of the tower seemed to soften, morphing as if it were made of pliable clay rather than ancient, unyielding rock.

“The hell…?” I muttered, watching as shapes began to form within this fluid mass of stone—a rectangle here, an outline there—slowly coalescing into the distinct form of a doorway. It was as if an invisible sculptor was at work, carving out the entrance from the very essence of the tower. The edges of the doorway became sharper, more defined, and then the stone in the center started to fade, growing translucent before vanishing altogether, leaving behind an empty space.

This transformation was accompanied by a subtle hum, a vibration that I could feel in the soles of my feet and in the tips of my fingers. Tingles.

Before, if I’d felt something like that, I would have assumed it was the early symptoms of a heart attack or something—but this whole place had sort of changed my perspective. Had there not been a magical portal wiggling about right in front of my eyes, I might’ve still had that reaction, but as it were…I was more baffled than panicked.

The air around the doorway seemed to shimmer and warp, and for a moment, I felt as though I was looking through a window to another world.

As the last of the stone disappeared, revealing the room beyond, I took a cautious step back, examining the mystical handiwork I’d been witness to. The doorway was perfectly formed, its edges smooth and precise, as though it had always been part of the tower's design. The transition from the solid stone of the tower's exterior to the open threshold of the doorway was seamless, and I knew I’d have to touch it to really appreciate it—if it was real.

So, I reached out tentatively, half-expecting my hand to pass through an illusion, but my fingers met the cool, solid surface of the portcullis-like border. Then, carefully, I ducked my head in a bit to take a gander at the interior.

The room inside was bathed in a soft, ambient light that seemed to have no discernible source, casting gentle shadows across the sparse furnishings. Damn. Now, magic was one thing, but this was like watching…I dunno, some kind of real-life fairytale at work.

I turned back to the waiting diamond, still floating placidly behind me.

“Myri…” I breathed. “What is this?”

"You have unlocked the barracks of Riddara, Leo," the entity intoned, its glow steady.

I hesitated at the threshold, peering into the room. "Barracks? You mean this is where folks…what? Sleep? During the Trial?"

"Yes," Myri replied. "A place of rest and reflection for those who participate in the Trials.”

"Where did this tower come from, though? It wasn't here last time I was in the ruins."

Myri's light seemed to pulse gently as it explained. "The tower is an extension of the Trials themselves. It responds to the successful completion of challenges. As certain benchmarks are passed, it changes, grows. It is reflective of the progress within the Trial."

"So, this tower... grows?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around the concept.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Myri said. "Not in the way you may be thinking, but it is responsive and dynamic. By the end of the Trial, it will likely resemble more closely what it once was—assuming you make it that far."

"Assuming I make it that far, huh?" I muttered to myself. It was a sobering thought. “Kind of interesting, I suppose, that it reacts that way to little ol’ me. Tower like this, might make a fella feel a bit bigger than he is.”

“It is, unfortunately, at its smallest—which assumes four individuals.” Myri said, immediately deflating any potential issues with my ego.

“Four? Are others coming, or something?”

“No! Nothing like that,” Myri said. “It is only that four participants is the smallest number the Trials were ever designed to engage.”

“Really, now?”I wondered, turning back to the hole in the tower. “So it’s less competitive than I was originally envisioning.”

“Less competitive? Erm, no,” Myri clarified. “But there was a camaraderie in combating the Trials as a group—even if there would only be one victor. Sharing arrangements and accommodations such as these fostered a sense of companionship. Many a friend was made in previous iterations of the Trial—lifelong bonds that assisted the eventual Marsh Knight in their endeavors.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Oh…” I said, with the realization that I would be going at all the coming events alone and suddenly feeling very much isolated once more. “But…well, you said four was the smallest, right? Just how big would this thing get?”

“Well, Leo,” Myri began. “In ages past, there have been as many as twenty individuals ready to take up the torch…”

Myri paused.

“Times have changed, though…as you can see.”

“So, what you’re telling me is…the tower would have been a whole lot bigger if there were more people?” I asked, still trying to grapple with how this all worked.

“Yes!” Myri exclaimed, as if recalling a fond memory. “Oh, Leo! For you to have seen it! The barracks in those days were glorious! I miss it so!”

The little rhombus must’ve seen my expression, because it suddenly dimmed its glow.

“Apologies, Leo…” it said. “I have allowed myself to become far too…”

The entity paused again, apparently trying to find the right word.

“Excited?” I offered.

“Yes!” Myri continued. “I should not become wistful, pining for a time before. That is not a proper way to conduct one’s self as a Steward of the Bog.”

“Hey, that’s a-okay with me, Myri,” I said. “Actually, you have my permission to be as lively about this sort of thing as you want. I’d much prefer to have you gushing over elements of this bizarre situation and showing some real personality—makes this a bit easier to bear if I don’t feel like I’m interacting with some…emotionless servant.”

“I am a servant,” Myri clarified. “But I am far from emotionless! But…I appreciate your candor, Leo. It is good to feel as though I do not need to act restrained. Thank you.”

“Don’t you worry over that none,” I said, flashing a grin. “I’m fairly easy going…”

I thought about my many, many instances of panic in my life—especially around my health. I’d been downright nasty to health professionals and the like during those instances. So I cleared my throat.

“...uh, most of the time.”

“Well!” Myri said, brightening quite a bit. “Do not wait, Leo! Please! Explore, explore! This is where you shall rest during the interim of your challenges, and you should become familiar with it.”

I snickered.

“Easy, now,” I said. “I’m fixing to do just that—just getting my bearings is all. Before I forget…”

I looked down at the mud and stone thirty feet below and then back up at Myri.

“How do I get up and down this thing?” I asked. “I mean…if I’m going to be hangin’ my hat here for the time being, I’m wondering how inconvenient it’s going to be. Do I have to use the, uh, boxes, every time?”

Myri flashed.

“No, Leo!” it said, turning in place as if to indicate a particularly robust sense of joy at my question. “Now that you have accessed it, you will find that you may enter from the first level at your leisure.”

“Oh,” I said, shrugging. “Okay, then. Good to know. Alright, well, I’m gonna pop in here and check out the digs, then.”

Stepping inside, I found myself in a spartan room, the walls bare and the air still. Four simple bunks stacked atop one another in pairs, two tables, and a four chairs were the only furnishings—all, assumedly, to facilitate four competitors. But I guess I had it all to myself. Unless I made some friends, I supposed, but…that seemed unlikely given I was the last surviving member of the clan. Though…as I examined the chamber, I couldn’t help but think that even if there were other people to invite over, it might be a pretty dull affair. It was functional, nothing more. In fact, I was reminded very much of the Children’s Services facility I’d spent time at growing up—typically in-between fosters. They’d usually stack us into rooms like this—well, not exactly like this, I suppose—but, close enough, only for the time that we were designated to be there before being shuffled out and around Louisville—and sometimes farther out.

Choosing one, I sat down on the edge of a bed, the mattress firmer than it looked. The room was quiet, the only sound the distant croaks and whispers of the swamp outside. Yeah, I guess this will work… I thought to myself.

I turned back to Myri, still floating outside. “Hey, Myri?”

“Yes, Leo?”

“Where’s the, uh, exit?” I wondered, looking around at the barren walls that had no indication of any type of egress save for the one I’d just entered.

“You need merely to step outside of this door, and the path will become clear,” Myri said mysteriously.

“Alright…” I said, standing. I wish this ‘Steward of the Bog’ was a bit more loose lipped about the information here, but I supposed I’d learn one way or another eventually, so there was little reason to get frustrated. Instead, I walked right back over across the threshold and out onto the landing.

“So, I’m here,” I began, looking around, “so where…”

But I stopped, because now that I was out here, I could see another orb. This one wasn’t black, though, it was a shimmering, glowing blue. It was floating, just like the other, but it was doing so just at the edge of this outcropping.

“Is that it?” I wondered, approaching the new feature cautiously. “The way down?”

“Yes!” Myri exclaimed. “Please! Test it out!”

“...okay, then,” I said, casting a wary glance at the entity. “If you say so…”

So, I did just that. I sidled on over and examined the new orb, and rather than ask any questions, I decided to just take matters into my own hands—literally. I placed my fingertips on this one, just like I’d done with the black orb and—

Suddenly, I was facing out toward the ruins, my feet on the solid ground and my hands still grazing the blue orb. I’d just moved thirty feet down in a spectacular fashion. It was like the world’s quickest elevator ride, or…

“Woah! Teleportation?!” I exclaimed. I’d obviously realized that was a thing here—I mean, I’d been transported to the arena earlier, but…well, hell, this sure was something. Only waiting to catch my metaphorical breath for a moment, I eventually put my hands back on the orb and—

I was back to the top. I let out a laugh. That was…well, it was kinda fun, wasn’t it? So, because I am, above all things, something of a scientist…I set out to experiment.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

I teleported myself probably ten or twelve times before I stopped, arriving on the outcropping thirty feet up and turning back to Myri.

“Boy-howdy, you never told me—”

But I stopped.

Oh, no…

Before I could finish my sentence, I suddenly doubled over and heaved, vomiting an obscene amount for having an empty stomach. I stood up, wiping my mouth.

“Well, that was—”

Jesus!

I bent forward at the waist again—because apparently, I wasn’t done just yet. I purged some more, feeling my eyes well up with tears and snot coming streaming out of my nose. It was quite a sight, I’d be willing to bet. I stayed in that position for a few more moments, willing myself not to puke again before finally standing upright and wiping my face again. Then, sheepishly, I looked at Myri.

“That…was…fun,” I finally managed to say, my voice ragged.

Myri let out a sound that was very much a sigh.

“No matter how many millennia this Trial extends,” it began. “This happens every. Single. Time. In fact—oh! Leo! You’re bleeding!”

I looked down at myself, and saw that in my apparent haste to evict the contents of my belly, I’d apparently reopened whatever healing I’d been doing to the wound on my side. Blood was seeping through the tear in the clothes. I tried to plaster on my best smirk.

“Oh, this ain’t…noth…” I suddenly felt very woozy, the world beginning to gray, with a hint of red growing in the center of it. Marshlore seemed active, because I knew that this was a symptom of my Vitality being low.

“We must get you to the pool!” Myri announced.

“Oh…yeah…” I said woozily, looking around and feeling like I was fading quick. “Healing…should probably get me some o’ that…huh?”

“Well...yes,” Myri began. “But, also…you need to…clean yourself up.”

“...right,” I said, realizing. “...puke.”

Myri sighed again.

“Follow me, Leo.”

“Aye-aye…captain.”