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#^:~,,,,,, gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ,,,,,,~:^#
£££#¤^:-~, ground with no hints of vegetation. ,~-:^¤#£££
@£#^^:~~,, ,,~~:^^#£@
££¤:~~,,,, below the surface are the mines, ,,,,~~:¤££
@#^::-,,,, spiraling down into the crust. small ,,,,-::^#@
@£#^:--,,, compared to the caverns they eventually ,,,--:^#£@
####¤^:-~, reach and join with. the temperature is ,~-:^¤####
#^^^--~,,, higher down here, and the view is not ,,,~--^^^#
£££#¤^:-~, as monochrome: a green light beckons ,~-:^¤#£££
#¤^^::~~,, from below. ,,~~::^^¤#
£¤¤^:-~,,, ,,,~-:^¤¤£
#¤:-~~,,,, long ago, there was a lifeform here. in ,,,,~~-:¤#
£¤¤¤^-~~,, the center of the planetoid, something ,,~~-^¤¤¤£
#¤^--,,,,, dormant, waiting for a collision with ,,,,,--^¤#
@#^-,,,,,, another body. but no planet was ,,,,,,-^#@
£#^--,,,,, reached, and over time, the seedling ,,,,,--^#£
##£#¤^:-~, became a sludge. ,~-:^¤#£##
£#^--,,,,, ,,,,,--^#£
#^--,,,,,, and elves came as miners, and the ,,,,,,--^#
#@£#¤^:-~, sludge was bottled. ,~-:^¤#£@#
###¤¤^:-~, ,~-:^¤¤###
££#^^^:-~, ######################################## ,~-:^^^#££
@@£#¤^:-~, # # ,~-:^¤#£@@
##¤:~~,,,, # #@#@@@#@####################@#@@@#@# # ,,,,~~:¤##
#@£#¤^:-~, # @ @ # ,~-:^¤#£@#
££##¤^:-~, @ @ @££#^#^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^#^#££@ @ @ ,~-:^¤##££
#¤¤^^:~~~, £ @ @ @ @ £ ,~~~:^^¤¤#
£¤^-~~~,,, £ @ @ the cargo ship is filled, @ @ £ ,,,~~~-^¤£
@£¤¤::~,,, ¤ @ £ prepared for launch, £ @ ¤ ,,,~::¤¤£@
#@£#¤^:-~, ^ £ £ ignition sequence started £ £ ^ ,~-:^¤#£@#
#^^^:::-~, : # £ hours ago. elves in the £ # : ,~-:::^^^#
#@£#¤^:-~, : ^ # passenger cabin, not yet # ^ : ,~-:^¤#£@#
£¤¤^-~,,,, - : # seated. but something is # : - ,,,,~-^¤¤£
#@£#¤^:-~, - - ¤ wrong. there is something ¤ - - ,~-:^¤#£@#
£#¤:---,,, ~ ~ ^ green around their mouths. ^ ~ ~ ,,,---:¤#£
#@£#¤^:-~, ~ ~ : the sludge has been sampled, : ~ ~ ,~-:^¤#£@#
£¤:::-,,,, ~ ~ - entertained, and then - ~ ~ ,,,,-:::¤£
#@£#¤^:-~, ~ ~ ~ finally binged on. ~ ~ ~ ,~-:^¤#£@#
#@£#¤^:-~, , , , , , , ,~-:^¤#£@#
#@£#¤^:-~, , , , the engines are burning hot, , , , ,~-:^¤#£@#
@£¤¤^^:-~, and the ship accelerates ,~-:^^¤¤£@
##£#¤^:-~, away. the elves have ,~-:^¤#£##
#@£#¤^:-~, strapped themselves in, and ,~-:^¤#£@#
#^^^-~,,,, are lying completely still, ,,,,~-^^^#
£¤^:--~,,, like corpses. ,,,~--:^¤£
#^-,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,-^#
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