¨~~^$£&@## ##@&£$^~~¨
¨¨¨~~^££&& &&££^~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~^$& &$^~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~$£&@# #@&£$~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^£@@ @@£^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~^$£&&&& gray skies, swirling with soot. stony &&&&£$^~~¨
¨~~~^$$£&@ ground with no hints of vegetation. @&£$$^~~~¨
¨~~^$£&@## ##@&£$^~~¨
¨~~^$£@### below the surface are the mines, ###@£$^~~¨
¨¨¨¨~^^$$& spiraling down into the crust. small &$$^^~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$$&@ compared to the caverns they eventually @&$$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~^$£&@## reach and join with. the temperature is ##@&£$^~~¨
¨~~^$£&@## higher down here, and the view is not ##@&£$^~~¨
¨¨¨¨~^^£@@ 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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