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##¶£§=;~,, gray skies, swirling with soot. stony ,,~;=§£¶##
¶££=~,,,,, ground with no hints of vegetation. ,,,,,~=££¶
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##¶£§=;~,, 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. ,,~;=§£¶##
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##¶£§=;~,, 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. ,,~;=§£¶¶¶
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££§==~,,,, and elves came as miners, and the ,,,,~==§££
££=~,,,,,, sludge was bottled. ,,,,,,~=££
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##¶£§=;~,, ¶ # # 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. ,,,,~~===£
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