¨^~:%&&###                                          ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&###                                          ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨^~~%&##                                          ##&%~~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨^:::%&#                                          #&%:::^¨¨¨
^~:%&&####                                          ####&&%:~^
¨^~:%&&### ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ¨^:            THE  SPIRE            ~:¨ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%&## ~:^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~^ ##&%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### :~^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    :^~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^:%%& :^~ BENEVOLENT  SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ^:~ &%%:^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ^:~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS  ^~: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ^~: CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^:       LIKED  A   MUSHROOM.       ~:^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&&## ~:^      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      :~^ ##&&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### :~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:^~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### :^~ IT PREDATED  US  BY MANY YEARS,  ^:~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:&&#### ^:~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ^~: ####&&:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ^~:  BUILDERS.  THEY  HAD  USED ITS  ~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^:  HOLLOW  BODY  FOR MANY  STRANGE ~:^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~:^ PURPOSES - A  WOMBLIKE  PLACE OF :~^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### :~^ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF  STRAGE  :^~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~:%&# :^~ FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ^:~ #&%:~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ^:~    ARCANE   DEITY.               ^~: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ^~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^:   WE  WERE  GRATEFUL  FOR   ITS  ~:^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨^~:::%&# ~:^  PRESENCE,  AND HONORED IT  THE  :~^ #&%:::~^¨¨
¨^~:%&&&## :~^  ONLY  WAY   WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY  :^~ ##&&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨^^~:&&# ¨^~        BREAKING       IN.        ^~¨ #&&:~^^¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&&&# ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ #&&&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&###                                          ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&###                                          ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨^~%&&&# ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ #&&&%~^¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&&## ¨~: THIS PLACE WE CALLED  OUR CITY:  ^:~ ##&&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^:&&## ^:~  WAVY  AND  FRACTURED, WITH EACH :^~ ##&&:^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### :^~ COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, :~^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### :~^ ROADS  BECOMING  ROOFS BECOMING  ~:^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~:^ DRAINS.  AND SOME PLACES,  LIKE  ~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^: THE  SPIRE, NOBODY HAD  ACCESSED ^~: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ^~: FOR MANY  YEARS.  ONCE ITS WALLS ^:~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~::%& ^:~  ARE  JUST  TOO HIGH,  AND  THE  :^~ &%::~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~%&&& :^~ INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, :~^ &&&%~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~~~%&& :~^ A  PLACE AMONG  OTHERS IS EASILY ~:^ &&%~~~^¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ~:^           OVERLOOKED.            ^~: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ^~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^:~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ^:~  SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE  :^~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### :^~ FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND ~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^:%&& :~^ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR ~:^ &&%:^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~:&& ~:^ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~^: &&:~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^: PLAY  MUSIC  ON  OUR HANDHELDS.  ^~: ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨~::&## ^~:  INSTEAD WE  FOUND  VAST  LUNGS  ^:~ ##&::~¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ^:~  DRAINED   OF   THEIR  CATALYST  :^~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&#### :^~ SLUDGE, AND A  BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO :~^ ####&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### :~^ MAKE  SENSE OF OUR  ROAMINGS FOR ~:^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~:^         YEARS  TO   COME.        ~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨~::&&# ~^:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^~: #&&::~¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ^~: A  CENTRAL  SPINE,  A  STAIRCASE ^:~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%&&# ^:~  AROUND  IT, THE  SEVEN TOROIDAL :^~ #&&%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^:&&&# :^~ LUNGS  STACKED OUTSIDE,  AND THE :~^ #&&&:^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### :~^ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~:^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^::&&# ~:^ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~^: #&&::^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^:  FOR  RADIATING   CONSCIOUSNESS  ^~: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&&&& ¨~:           INVITATIONS.           ^:¨ &&&&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^:&&&#                                          #&&&:^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~%&&#### ¨^: IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS :~^ ####&&%~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~:^  TOPPLED  AND EATEN BY MACHINES. :^~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### :~^ AFTER A  WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ^:~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%& :^~ CONJURED IN ITS  PLACE.  IT'S  A ^~: &%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ^:~  TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ^~:  US,  AND  WE LET  IT  BE.  OUR  ~:^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨^~%%%&# ~^: JOURNEYS STILL END  AT ITS FEET. :~^ #&%%%~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~~%%%& ~:^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:^~ &%%%~~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~%&& :~^ BUT  THEN WE ARE  BETRAYED.  THE ^:~ &&%~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^:&& :^~ NEW  TOWER  EATS US. OTHERS ARE  ^~: &&:^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ^:~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~^: ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&&&& ^~: MANIFESTED  OVERNIGHT,  ONLY  TO ~:^ &&&&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^: DISAPPEAR  IN  THE EVENING FOG.  :~^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~%&# ~:^ FOR A WHILE  ITS  SOME  KIND OF  :^~ #&%~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:&&#### :~^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^:~ ####&&:~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%& :^~ OUTSIDE, AND WE  GET BEATEN UP A ^~: &%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%%&&&# ^:~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~^: #&&&%%:~^¨
¨^~:::%&## ^~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:^ ##&%:::~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~^:  IIRC  IT'S  CURRENTLY OWNED BY  :~^ ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&### ~:^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :^~ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨^:&&&# :~^  IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^:~ #&&&:^¨¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&### ¨^~            CARS.....             ^~¨ ###&&%:~^¨
¨¨¨¨~::%&& ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ &&%::~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~:%&#                                          #&%:~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^::&&&#                                          #&&&::^¨¨¨
¨^~:%&&###                                          ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&###                                          ###&&%:~^¨
¨^~:%&&###                                          ###&&%:~^¨