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¤,,,,¤,,¤¤ ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ,¤¤,¤,,¤¤,
¤,,,¤¤,¤,, ,,\ 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..... ,=, ,,,¤,¤,¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤,,,¤, ,,,,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,,,, ,,¤¤¤¤¤,,,
,,,,¤,,¤¤, ,¤,,,,¤,,¤
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,,¤,¤¤¤¤,, ,¤,,¤,¤¤,¤
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