¶§&†*~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~*†&§¶
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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. ¨¨¨^~*†&§¶
@¶§&†*~^¨¨ ¨¨^~*†&§¶@
#@¶§&†*~^¨ ######################################## ¨^~*†&§¶@#
@¶§&†*~^¨¨ # # ¨¨^~*†&§¶@
¶§&†*~^¨¨¨ # #@#@@@§@§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§@§@@@#@# # ¨¨¨^~*†&§¶
§&†*~^¨¨¨¨ # @ @ # ¨¨¨¨^~*†&§
&†*~^¨¨¨¨¨ @ @ @¶¶§†§††††††††††††††††††††§†§¶¶@ @ @ ¨¨¨¨¨^~*†&
†*~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¶ @ @ @ @ ¶ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~*†
*~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¶ @ @ 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. ¨¨^~*†&§¶@
#@¶§&†*~^¨ ¨^~*†&§¶@#
@¶§&†*~^¨¨ ¨¨^~*†&§¶@
¶§&†*~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~*†&§¶
§&†*~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~*†&§
&†*~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~*†&