Bagless

*Thud* [echo]

Maverick stumbled forward as his vision spun. Vertigo immediately set in ready to churn the contents of the nothing in his stomach as he had skipped breakfast in his rush to meet Bernie. Blinking did nothing as he staggered to a feeble standing position.

"Bernie, I think Som-" Maverick started to speak as his internal gyroscope performed gymnastical summer-salts behind his eyebrows. The effort causing him to stick his hand out to what should have been the entrance to the foyer just before the front doors of Bernie’s Marvelous Marbles. Cold hard stone met palm as his hand braced Maverick. In an effort to calm the storm in his mind Maverick placed his head against the surface settling the vertigo.

"BERNIE.. BErnie.. bernie.." - the words he spoke echoed.

Moments passed and Maverick lifted his head away from what he found to be a stone pillar. He was standing in a bleak room with very little for features.

Turning around to take in his surroundings created more questions than answers.

"Where am I? Bernie are you here?" [Echo]

The words spoken repeated beyond what you would expect from a mountain range. It felt as if someone with his voice was reproducing the words over and over, not only in different volumes but pitches as well.

Silence awaited him. with a hand to the stone wall he looked to his left and right to try and get something to go off of. To one side he had a grey wall with the opposing wall not existing. It was darker than dark. An abyss awaited all directions other than the pillar he was touching. Having noticed that the wall had curvature to it but no details as to which path was better, Maverick choose to start walking to the right as his left hand was already on the wall, fear kept him from letting go of the only foundation within grasp.

The sounds of his footsteps echoed off the wall. His steps and breathing the only things existing beyond The dull throbbing in his mind. As he walked, his fingers slid against the wall. Over time he noticed that the smooth surface of the wall had started to gain a discernible amount of texture as the faint light that emitted from the pillar further defined the stark contrast between the boundlessness of the room and the permanence of the tower. Glancing up a faint light silhouetted The grandeur of the towers height.

Shifting his eyes downward towards his feet, the ground appeared to be a pastel green with faint markings. It resembled fresh concrete before it becomes weathered or worn down by shuffled appendages.

While examining the tile work Maverick let out a small cry of surprise.

*Ah..* [echo]

-Eyes wide, Maverick was startled when his hand had went from feeling the details of the wall to flicking off the edge of stone grasping just air. The repeating stone wall gave way to cascading ledges. Solid steps wrapped around ending at floor level. Like the winding steps leading up a light house, he found he was approaching the starting point from the opposing direction. Like walking past a staircase from high to low.

Making his way to the first step Maverick halted. A symbol on the wall providing the first bit of information since visiting this space.

'The Journey.'

Maverick thought about the words Bernie stated just before he found himself here. Adjusting for the change of direction Maverick switched from his left hand to his right, touching the symbol on the wall and taking his first step on his journey.

Each step set off a whimsical chime that echoed off into the distance. What appeared to be a tune started to play as the fading echos built with every step taken. Higher and higher Maverick walked, the chimes climbing in both scale and reverence. A strange feeling crept into Mavericks neck as the darkness that was once only out now also applied to down as well. Looking up he could see a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel leading up in what seamed like a never ending staircase.

The sound grew with every step. Making it harder to focus as the noise drowned out all senses and started reverberating through the walls making the simple act of lifting his feet to the next step was sorely becoming a task to large to complete. The noise reached a crescendo as he collapsed to his knees. Looking up Maverick found that he somehow reached the top of the tower.

Now that he was at the top he could see just how wide the structure was. Gauging the distance from the end of the staircase to the opposite edge of the platform that he now stood on was roughly 20 feet across. Looking across he could see that two objects stood across from him.

Center of the pillar was a waist high plinth with small objects littered over its surface. behind it stood a pedestal with a single small item visible in the center. A green shine emitted from the stone. The thought of ones and zeros flashed in Maverick's mind as he stared at the spectacle.

catching himself in a daze his concentration broke as the barren grows of his stomach set in. Maverick thought about how he was somehow in a large endless room. A void depicted every direction that opposed the tower. Having reacted thus far to both the spinning chaos that suddenly found him as he left the shop to now Maverick paused to take in his predicament.

"I am hungry." [echo]

"I am thirsty." [echo]

"Where am I?" [echo]

"You are on top of the Tower of Beginnings." [no echo]

Maverick froze. Not expecting a response the hairs on his arms rose. The sound came from the center of the tower. It originated from one of the two features that stood roughly 10 feet away from him.

the sound was not loud. it was not excited or rushed or impatient. It simply replied with a direct response and spoke no further.

"Hello?" said Maverick

silence followed as the sound did not respond. He tried talking only to hear himself echo into the distance. For a few more moments Maverick attempted to solicit another response. Finding that nothing seemed to work and standing in once place brought such an abundance of information our soon to be journeymen walked counter clockwise around the tower. Afraid to step towards the voices epicenter.

The rumbling of his stomach was the only time keeper found within this place. As magical as it was to find himself in this room and atop a pillar Maverick found that each step was purposeful.

1.His head spinning, lead him to the wall.

2.The darkness glued him to its surface.

3.His observation lead him to check out the other side of this pillar.

and last, Bernie's words matched the one on the sign.

Now he's beyond hungry and worried that thirst would set in full. His strength had not diminished yet. Paranoia a devil creeping in the corners of his vision. A bad sign that even though this place did not seem dangerous, it did not mean he was safe. Could he find that he is stuck? What if there was nothing but himself, the flashing green light and darkness.

Pacing around and around the tower Maverick had to try something different. He had to bare it and make the 90 degree difference and walk to the center. Clenching his teethe Maverick stomped his feet and took a step towards the center stage.

"I can do this!"

Maverick fought through his fear as he approached the plinth. As he neared another announcement was bellowed from what he could now access was the pedestal. As the sound emitted the green light fluttered in a pattern signaling that it was in fact the speaker.

"A contestant has arrived. State your name." - Unknown

Walking close enough to see both the single gleaming ball on the pedestal and what he could now define as a multitude of marbles on the plinth Maverick found his situation untenable. "I am Maverick Ante."

"Visitor number 700 has entered the realm." [pause]

"Initiating the first trial... Begin." - Unknown

The light coming from the single marble dimmed. The focus moving to the plinth. A circular grove wore into the surface. divots and pocks marked the finish within the grove. From all appearances something small had struck the stone over and over. He could see leading marks in all directions. Examining the marbles within the circle he could make out gaps where other marbles should have been. It would appear that Maverick was stuck in a room with a talking sphere and a game of marbles.

"Am I here to play; what is this trial?" -Maverick

"You must select your blessings. Please make your move contestant number 700, Maverick.." -Unknown