¤¤¤¤.....¤ ¤¤.....¤..
.¤¤..¤¤¤.. ...¤¤¤....
......¤... ¤¤..¤..¤¤¤
.¤¤¤¤...¤¤ ........¤.
..¤¤..¤..¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤...
¤......... ...^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^... ¤¤¤¤¤¤..¤¤
..¤¤¤¤¤¤¤. .^: 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..... ^«. ¤¤¤..¤¤¤¤.
........¤¤ ...^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^... .¤....¤¤..
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤... ...¤¤....¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤..¤¤ ¤¤....¤¤..
.¤¤¤¤....¤ ¤..¤¤.....
..¤¤..¤¤.. ......¤¤¤¤
.......... .¤¤¤¤..¤¤.