¨^-**%£### ###£%**-^¨
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¨¨¨¨^---*£ £*---^¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£££# #£££%**-^¨
¨¨¨-***%## ##%***-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-***%# gray skies, swirling with soot. stony #%***-¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### ground with no hints of vegetation. ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨-**%# #%**-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-*£# below the surface are the mines, #£*-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-**£#### spiraling down into the crust. small ####£**-^¨
¨¨¨--***££ compared to the caverns they eventually ££***--¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^--*£ reach and join with. the temperature is £*--^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### higher down here, and the view is not ###£%**-^¨
¨^---*%££# as monochrome: a green light beckons #££%*---^¨
¨¨¨¨^***%£ from below. £%***^¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨^***%£# long ago, there was a lifeform here. in #£%***^¨¨¨
¨^-*****£# the center of the planetoid, something #£*****-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^*%## dormant, waiting for a collision with ##%*^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### another body. but no planet was ###£%**-^¨
¨^--***%## reached, and over time, the seedling ##%***--^¨
¨^-**%£### became a sludge. ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^**££ ££**^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^**%£#### and elves came as miners, and the ####£%**^¨
¨^-**%££## sludge was bottled. ##££%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨^**%£# #£%**^¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### ######################################## ###£%**-^¨
¨^-*%£#### # # ####£%*-^¨
¨^-**%£### # ######£#££££££££££££££££££££#£###### # ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨--**££ # # # # ££**--¨¨¨¨
¨^-****%## # # ###£*£********************£*£### # # ##%****-^¨
¨^^^^^-*££ # # # # # # ££*-^^^^^¨
¨¨¨^-*%£## # # # the cargo ship is filled, # # # ##£%*-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^--*%£ % # # prepared for launch, # # % £%*--^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^***%# * # # ignition sequence started # # * #%***^^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-*%£ * £ # hours ago. elves in the # £ * £%*-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%#### * * £ passenger cabin, not yet £ * * ####%**-^¨
¨^-**%£### - * £ seated. but something is £ * - ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨^**%££ - - % wrong. there is something % - - ££%**^¨¨¨¨
¨¨^^---*%£ ^ ^ * green around their mouths. * ^ ^ £%*---^^¨¨
¨^-**%£### ^ ^ * the sludge has been sampled, * ^ ^ ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨^-**£## ^ ^ - entertained, and then - ^ ^ ##£**-^¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### ^ ^ ^ finally binged on. ^ ^ ^ ###£%**-^¨
¨^-*****£# ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #£*****-^¨
¨^-**%£### ¨ ¨ ¨ the engines are burning hot, ¨ ¨ ¨ ###£%**-^¨
¨^-**%£### and the ship accelerates ###£%**-^¨
¨^-**%%%££ away. the elves have ££%%%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^**£# strapped themselves in, and #£**^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### are lying completely still, ###£%**-^¨
¨^-**%£### like corpses. ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨^**%%# #%%**^¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### ###£%**-^¨
¨¨¨¨^-**%£ £%**-^¨¨¨¨
¨^-**%£### ###£%**-^¨
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