§§¨§§§§¨§¨ ¨§§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨§§¨¨¨§§§§ §¨¨§¨¨§¨§§
§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§ §¨§§¨§§§¨§
§§§¨§§¨¨§§ §§¨§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§§¨§¨§¨§ ¨§§¨§¨§¨§§
¨§¨§§§§§§¨ ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ §¨§§§§§§¨§
§§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨:† 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..... :»¨ ¨§§¨§§§¨¨§
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ §¨§§¨¨§¨§§
§§¨§¨§§¨¨§ §§¨§¨§§§¨¨
¨§§§§¨§¨§§ ¨§§§§¨¨§¨§
§¨¨¨§§§§¨§ §¨¨¨§¨§§§§
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