%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ they built the final nightclub on top ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ of an undocumented research site. each ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ floor closer to the collapsed warp ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ prototype. did they know at the start? ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
#@@¤%%^-~¨ classified maps had gone missing some ¨~-^%%¤@@#
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ years before. ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ the deeper you descend, the stranger ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ the environment - first more ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ enthralling and intrusive, then seedy ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ and predatory, but pierce deeper and ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ there will be more peculiar effects. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ your sense of space will seem to ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ distort (it's actually the spacetime ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ itself that is becoming fluid), then ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ your body, and finally your sense of ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ self. ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
#@@¤%%^-~¨ # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### ### ¨~-^%%¤@@#
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##### ### ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ ### ### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ #### #### #### #### #### #### #### #### ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ###### ###### ######## ######## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ######## ######## ######## ######## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ######## ######## ######## ######## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ######## ######## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
#@@¤%%^-~¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨~-^%%¤@@#
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~¨ ~¨ ~¨ ~¨ ~¨ ~¨ ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ ~¨ ~¨ ~¨ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ~~ ~~ ~- ~- ~- ~- ~- ~- ~- ~- ~^ ~^ ~^ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~^ ~% ~% ~% ~¤ ~@ ~@ ~# -¨ -~ -- -^ -% ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ -% -¤ -@ -@ -# ^¨ ^~ ^- ^^ ^% ^% ^¤ ^@ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^@ ^# %¨ %~ %- %^ %% %% %¤ %@ %@ %# %¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ %~ %- %^ %% %% %¤ %@ %@ %# ¤¨ ¤~ ¤- ¤^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¤% ¤% ¤¤ ¤@ ¤@ ¤# @¨ @~ @- @^ @% @% @¤ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ @@ @@ @# @¨ @~ @- @^ @% @% @¤ @@ @@ @# ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ #¨ #~ #- #^ #% #% #¤ #@ ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ the ceiling is covered in actual stars. ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ eyes above ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
#@@¤%%^-~¨ fading into silver flakes as they fall ¨~-^%%¤@@#
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ bubbles in drinks ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ drinks with a secret ingredient, that ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ makes you see the stars even when you ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ close your eyes. ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ at these deeper levels it can be hard ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ to remember who and where you are ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ (were). normal staff is as transformed ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ as guests. instead, care and protection ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ are offered by (overly flirty) ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ pool toys and other such automatons. ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
#@@¤%%^-~¨ if you stay above absolute madness, ¨~-^%%¤@@#
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ there is some sort of control to be ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ had. you could slip into your ideal dog ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ body there, explore that. you could ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ drink poisonous ambrosia and not be ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ burned away. you could explore ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ territories just as mapless as those ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ closer to the core, but with a chance ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ of finding your way back. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨# ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ ~~ the honey is a trap and there's a ~~ ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ -- sting, a sting, a sting. -- ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ ^¨ it's in your eyes and it's in your ¨^ ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
#@@¤%%^-~¨ %~ mouth and your hands, their hands ~% ¨~-^%%¤@@#
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ %- it's in your heart and in your -% ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ ¤^ mind and the minds of those around ^¤ ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ @% you, their hearts, their bodies. %@ ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ @% @% @% @% @% @% @% @% @% @% @% ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ and if you're lucky, you'll never get ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ out. don't bite the other guests. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ (or do) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ the deeper the floor goes, the more ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ expensive the drinks. this is not ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ coincidental. the more expensive the ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ drinks, the more likely it is that ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ someone will buy them for you. ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
#@@¤%%^-~¨ this is also not coincidental. if ¨~-^%%¤@@#
@@¤%%^-~¨¨ someone buys you a drink, they are very ¨¨~-^%%¤@@
@¤%%^-~¨¨¨ likely to take care of your needs in ¨¨¨~-^%%¤@
¤%%^-~¨¨¨¨ other ways as well. ¨¨¨¨~-^%%¤
%%^-~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~-^%%
%^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^%
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^
-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-
^-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-^