....---%$& &$%---....
.~-*%$&¶## ##¶&$%*-~.
...~~*$$¶¶ ¶¶$$*~~...
.~---%%$ #&$%%---~.
.....-*%&¶ ¶&%*-.....
.~-*%$¶### ...~~~****************************~~~... ###¶$%*-~.
....--%& .~* The Spire -*. #&&%--....
.~-*%$## -*~----------------------------------*-~ ###&$%*-~.
.~-*%$&¶## *-~ 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..... ~-. ###¶$%*-~.
.~-*%$&¶¶¶ ...~~~****************************~~~... ¶¶¶&$%*-~.
.~-*%$&¶¶¶ ¶¶¶&$%*-~.
.~-*%$&¶## ##¶&$%*-~.
....-***%& &%***-....
..~-**%&¶# #¶&%**-~..
.~-*%$&¶¶# #¶¶&$%*-~.