####@*\»~¨ ¨~»\*@####
@@*»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»*@@
#$\~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~\$#
#$$$$*\»~¨ ¨~»\*$$$$#
##$\»~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~»\$##
#@**»»~¨¨¨ IN THE ENDLESS WINTER DAY, ON THE ¨¨¨~»»**@#
###@$*\»~¨ CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE TRUDGE ALONG ¨~»\*$@###
###@$*\»~¨ THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY ¨~»\*$@###
###@$*\»~¨ SNOWED OVER, IN THE STILL HOURS SINCE ¨~»\*$@###
#@$$$*\»~¨ THE LAST SUPPLY TRAIN. ¨~»\*$$$@#
###@$*\»~¨ ¨~»\*$@###
@$\\»»~¨¨¨ BELL-LIKE SOUNDS OF THE BLINDING ¨¨¨~»»\\$@
#@$\\»~~~¨ GROUND. RIFLES ATTACHED TO OUR WRIST, ¨~~~»\\$@#
###@$*\»~¨ SHARING IN OUR BLOODSTREAM. MY HUSKY, ¨~»\*$@###
###@$*\»~¨ MY WARM-COFFEE-IN-COLD-SNOW... ¨~»\*$@###
###@$*\»~¨ ¨~»\*$@###
###@$*\»~¨ THE FIRST FIVE SHOTS YOU CAN SPEND ¨~»\*$@###
###@$*\»~¨ INDISCRIMINATELY, THEY HURT BUT DEAL NO ¨~»\*$@###
@@*\\\»¨¨¨ LONG TIME DAMAGE TO THE SHOOTER. THE ¨¨¨»\\\*@@
@@$\~~~¨¨¨ NEXT FIVE YOU MUST SPEND WISELY, THEY ¨¨¨~~~\$@@
@*»~~¨¨¨¨¨ WILL TAKE DAYS TO HEAL. THE FINAL FIVE ¨¨¨¨¨~~»*@
###@$*\»~¨ YOU MUST NOT SPEND AT ALL. ¨~»\*$@###
###@$*\»~¨ ¨~»\*$@###
#@@@$*\»~¨ WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE WEAK AUTUMN DAWN, ¨~»\*$@@@#
###@$*\»~¨ IN THE BLUE-GRAY FOG... SOMETHING IS ¨~»\*$@###
@$*\\\~¨¨¨ BURNING WITH A DEEP CRIMSON FLAME, ¨¨¨~\\\*$@
@*\»»~~¨¨¨ UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND. ¨¨¨~~»»\*@
###@$*\»~¨ ¨~»\*$@###
@@*»~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~»*@@
##$$$*\»~¨ ¨~»\*$$$##
#$$\»»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»»\$$#
###@$*\»~¨ ¨~»\*$@###