@%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%@
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@¤¤¤%~::¨¨ ¨¨::~%¤¤¤@
#@@@¤%\~:¨ IN THE ENDLESS WINTER DAY, ON THE ¨:~\%¤@@@#
@@%~:¨¨¨¨¨ CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE TRUDGE ALONG ¨¨¨¨¨:~%@@
@@¤%%~:::¨ THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY ¨:::~%%¤@@
@%\\\~:::¨ SNOWED OVER, IN THE STILL HOURS SINCE ¨:::~\\\%@
@¤%~¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE LAST SUPPLY TRAIN. ¨¨¨¨¨¨~%¤@
@@@@¤%\~:¨ ¨:~\%¤@@@@
@@¤¤¤%\~:¨ BELL-LIKE SOUNDS OF THE BLINDING ¨:~\%¤¤¤@@
@@@¤¤%\~:¨ GROUND. RIFLES ATTACHED TO OUR WRIST, ¨:~\%¤¤@@@
@@@¤¤%\~:¨ SHARING IN OUR BLOODSTREAM. MY HUSKY, ¨:~\%¤¤@@@
@¤%\~~:¨¨¨ MY WARM-COFFEE-IN-COLD-SNOW... ¨¨¨:~~\%¤@
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@@¤¤%%\~:¨ THE FIRST FIVE SHOTS YOU CAN SPEND ¨:~\%%¤¤@@
@@@¤¤%\~:¨ INDISCRIMINATELY, THEY HURT BUT DEAL NO ¨:~\%¤¤@@@
@@%%%\\~:¨ LONG TIME DAMAGE TO THE SHOOTER. THE ¨:~\\%%%@@
@@@@¤%\~:¨ NEXT FIVE YOU MUST SPEND WISELY, THEY ¨:~\%¤@@@@
##@@¤%\~:¨ WILL TAKE DAYS TO HEAL. THE FINAL FIVE ¨:~\%¤@@##
#@@@¤%\~:¨ YOU MUST NOT SPEND AT ALL. ¨:~\%¤@@@#
@@@%~~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~~%@@@
#@@@¤%\~:¨ WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE WEAK AUTUMN DAWN, ¨:~\%¤@@@#
@@@%~:¨¨¨¨ IN THE BLUE-GRAY FOG... SOMETHING IS ¨¨¨¨:~%@@@
@@@@¤%\~:¨ BURNING WITH A DEEP CRIMSON FLAME, ¨:~\%¤@@@@
#@@@¤%\~:¨ UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND. ¨:~\%¤@@@#
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