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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 /~- ##@¶¤§/~-¨
¨-~/§$¤¶@# /~- ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY /-~ #@¶¤$§/~-¨
¨-~/§$¤¶@# ¨-~ BREAKING IN. -~¨ #@¶¤$§/~-¨
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¨--~~/§¤¶¶ ¨~/ 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 ~-/ ¤¤¤§/~~¨¨¨
¨-~/§$¤¶@# ~-/ FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS -~/ #@¶¤$§/~-¨
¨-~/§$¤¶@# ¨~/ INVITATIONS. -/¨ #@¶¤$§/~-¨
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¨-~~~/$$¤¶ ¨-/ IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS /~- ¶¤$$/~~~-¨
¨-~/§$¤¶## ~/- TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. /-~ ##¶¤$§/~-¨
¨-~/§$¤¶@# /~- AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS -/~ #@¶¤$§/~-¨
¨-~~//$¤¤¶ /-~ CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A -~/ ¶¤¤$//~~-¨
¨¨¨-~/§$¤¶ -/~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~-/ ¶¤$§/~-¨¨¨
¨-~/§$¤¤¤¤ -~/ US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~/- ¤¤¤¤$§/~-¨
¨-~/§$¤¶## ~-/ JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. /~- ##¶¤$§/~-¨
¨-~/§$¤¶@# ~/-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/-~ #@¶¤$§/~-¨
¨-~///§§¤¤ /~- 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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