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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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#¶£$**/~-. ¶ # # the cargo ship is filled, # # ¶ .-~/**$£¶#
##¶£$*/~-. $ # ¶ 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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