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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. ###¶£§=†~-
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.-~†=§£¶## ######################################## ##¶£§=†~-.
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.-~†=§£¶## ¶ # # 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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