##@@$§=~,¨ ¨,~=§$@@##
@@@§=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=§@@@
#@§§§==~,¨ ¨,~==§§§@#
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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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