@@#§§~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~§§#@@
#@@#§§\~^¨ ¨^~\§§#@@#
##@#§§\~^¨ ¨^~\§§#@##
@@§§\\~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~\\§§@@
###@#§§~^¨ ¨^~§§#@###
@§\\^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^\\§@
#§§§~~^¨¨¨ ¨^\ 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..... ^~¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~§§#
##@#§§\~^¨ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ ¨^~\§§#@##
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