¤*%^~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~^%*¤
*%^~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~^%*
%^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^%
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨:~^%*
%^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^%
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~