¨¨¨¨¨¨:\^§ §^\:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~\^@§### ###§@^\~:¨
¨:~\^@§### ###§@^\~:¨
¨:~\^@§### ###§@^\~:¨
¨:~\^@§### ###§@^\~:¨
¨:~\^@§### ¨¨¨:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::¨¨¨ ###§@^\~:¨
¨:~~~~^@## ¨:\ 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..... :~¨ §@^\:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~\^@§### ¨¨¨:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::¨¨¨ ###§@^\~:¨
¨¨¨¨:~\^^§ §^^\~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:\^^§§# #§§^^\:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:\@# #@\:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨::\\@@§# #§@@\\::¨¨
¨¨¨:~\\@## ##@\\~:¨¨¨