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¨^=:%¤@#@# ¨^: 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. ^=¨ @¤¤%%%:=^¨
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¨^=:%¤@### ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ###@¤%:=^¨
¨^=:%¤@#@@ ¨=: 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..... ^=¨ @¤¤:====^¨
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