##*;.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.;*##
###*~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~*###
####¤*;~.¨ ¨.~;*¤####
##*;~~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~~;*##
##¤**;~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~;**¤##
####¤*;~.¨ ¨¨¨...;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...¨¨¨ ¨.~;*¤####
##*;;~.¨¨¨ ¨.; 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..... .~¨ ¨.~;*¤####
####¤*;~.¨ ¨¨¨...;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...¨¨¨ ¨.~;*¤####
####¤*;~.¨ ¨.~;*¤####
####¤*;~.¨ ¨.~;*¤####
####¤*;~.¨ ¨.~;*¤####
#¤*;~~~~.¨ ¨.~~~~;*¤#
####¤*;~.¨ ¨.~;*¤####