¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ §§§§¨§¨¨§§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨§§§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨¨§§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨,= 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..... ,~¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§