§§§¨¨¨¨¨§§ ¨¨¨§§§§¨¨§
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§
§¨¨§§¨¨¨§§ ¨¨¨§§¨¨§§§
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨
¨§§§§§§¨§§ ¨¨¨§§§§§§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨^: THE SPIRE «:¨ ¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§ «:^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:«^ §¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨ :«^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A :^« ¨§¨§§§§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨ :^« BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ^:« §§§§¨¨¨§¨§
§§§§§§§§¨§ ^:« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ^«: §¨¨¨§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ ^«: CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «^: ¨§¨¨§§¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨ «^: LIKED A MUSHROOM. «:^ ¨§§¨§¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ «:^ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. :«^ ¨§¨§§§§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨ :«^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:^« ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ :^« IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ^:« §§¨¨§¨¨§§§
§§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨ ^:« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ^«: §¨§¨§§¨§¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§ ^«: BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS «^: ¨§§§§¨§§§¨
§§¨§§¨¨¨§¨ «^: HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE «:^ §§¨¨¨§§¨¨§
¨¨§§¨§¨¨§§ «:^ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF :«^ §¨§¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§§§¨§¨ :«^ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE :^« §§§§¨§§§§§
¨§§§§¨¨§§§ :^« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ^:« ¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨ ^:« ARCANE DEITY. ^«: ¨¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨
¨§§¨¨§§§§¨ ^«:«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^: §¨¨¨§§§§¨¨
¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨§ «^: WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS «:^ §§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨§§§§§§¨¨§ «:^ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE :«^ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ :«^ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY :^« ¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨^« BREAKING IN. ^«¨ ¨¨§¨¨§§§§§
¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ §¨§§¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨§§¨ §§§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§§¨§§¨§¨§ §¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨§§§§ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ §§¨§¨§¨§§¨
¨§§§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨«: THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: ^:« §¨§§§§§§¨§
§§¨¨§§¨§¨¨ ^:« WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH :^« ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨¨§¨§¨§§§¨ :^« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, :«^ ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨§§§§§¨¨§ :«^ ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING «:^ §§§§§¨¨¨§§
§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§ «:^ DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE «^: ¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
§§§§¨¨¨§§§ «^: THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED ^«: §¨¨¨¨§§¨§§
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ ^«: FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ^:« §§¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨§§¨§§¨ ^:« ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE :^« §¨§¨¨§§§¨§
§¨¨¨§¨§§¨§ :^« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, :«^ ¨§§§¨§¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§§§¨§§ :«^ A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY «:^ §§¨¨§§§¨§¨
¨§§¨§¨¨§§¨ «:^ OVERLOOKED. ^«: §¨§¨§¨¨§§§
§§¨§§§¨§¨§ ^«:««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^:« §§§§§§¨§¨¨
§¨§§¨¨§§§§ ^:« SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE :^« ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
§§§¨§¨§¨¨¨ :^« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «^: ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨§§§§§¨¨ :«^ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «:^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ «:^ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «^: ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§
¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§ «^: PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. ^«: ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨§§§¨§¨¨§¨ ^«: INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ^:« ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
§§¨¨§§§¨§§ ^:« DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST :^« ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§
¨¨§¨§¨¨§§¨ :^« SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO :«^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨§§§§¨§¨§ :«^ MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR «:^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
§§§¨¨¨§§§§ «:^ YEARS TO COME. «^: §¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨ «^:««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^«: §§¨¨¨¨§§¨§
§¨¨§§¨§§¨¨ ^«: A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ^:« §¨§¨¨¨§¨§§
¨§¨§¨§§¨§¨ ^:« AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL :^« ¨§§§¨¨§§§¨
¨§§§§§¨§§§ :^« LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE :«^ ¨§¨¨§¨§¨¨§
§§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨ :«^ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS «:^ §§§¨§§§§¨§
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨ «:^ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES «^: §¨¨§§¨¨¨§§
§¨§§¨¨§§§§ «^: FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS ^«: §§¨§¨§¨¨§¨
§§§¨§¨§¨¨¨ ¨«: INVITATIONS. ^:¨ §¨§§§§§¨§§
¨¨¨§§§§§¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ §§§¨¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§
§¨¨§§¨¨¨§§ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§§¨¨§§§
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨^: IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS :«^ ¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨
¨§§§§§§¨§§ «:^ TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. :^« ¨¨¨§§§§§§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨ :«^ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ^:« ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨§ :^« CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ^«: ¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§ ^:« TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN «^: §¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨ ^«: US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR «:^ ¨§¨§§§§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨ «^: JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. :«^ §§§§¨¨¨§¨§
§§§§§§§§¨§ «:^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:^« §¨¨¨§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ :«^ BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ^:« ¨§¨¨§§¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨ :^« NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ^«: ¨§§¨§¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ ^:« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «^: ¨§¨§§§§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨ ^«: MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO «:^ ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ «^: DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. :«^ §§¨¨§¨¨§§§
§§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨ «:^ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF :^« §¨§¨§§¨§¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§ :«^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^:« ¨§§§§¨§§§¨
§§¨§§¨¨¨§¨ :^« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ^«: §§¨¨¨§§¨¨§
¨¨§§¨§¨¨§§ ^:« FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. «^: §¨§¨¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§§§¨§¨ ^«:«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:^ §§§§¨§§§§§
¨§§§§¨¨§§§ «^: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :«^ ¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨ «:^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :^« ¨¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨
¨§§¨¨§§§§¨ :«^ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^:« §¨¨¨§§§§¨¨
¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨§ ¨^« CARS..... ^«¨ §§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨§§§§§§¨¨§ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨¨§¨¨§§§§§
¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨ §¨§§¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨§§¨ §§§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§§¨§§¨§¨§ §¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨