.¤...¤¤..¤ ...¤¤..¤¤¤
..¤..¤¤¤.¤ ¤..¤¤¤.¤.¤
¤..¤.¤.¤.¤ .¤.¤.¤....
.¤........ ......¤...
..¤....... .......¤..
...¤...... ...---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---... ........¤.
....¤..... .-^ 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..... --. ¤¤......¤.
......¤... ...---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---... .¤¤......¤
¤......¤.. .¤¤¤......
.¤......¤. .¤.¤¤.....
..¤......¤ ...¤¤¤....
...¤...... ...¤.¤¤...
....¤..... .....¤¤¤..