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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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