¨:~:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨::$@@@£ £@@@$::¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨~:::@¤ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¤@:::~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~:@@¤ ¨:: 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 ~:: #¤@::::¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@£### :~: FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ::~ ###£@$:~:¨
¨¨:::~$@£# ::~ ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE ::~ #£@$~:::¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ::~ INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:::$@¤# ~:: OVERLOOKED. :~: #¤@$:::~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~::~ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$@£ ::~ SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE ::~ £@$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~~$¤ ::~ FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND ~:: ¤$~~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤££# ~:: PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. :~: #££¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ::~ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨~$@@££ ::~ DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST ::~ ££@@$~¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ::~ SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: YEARS TO COME. ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:::@@@£ ~::~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~: £@@@:::~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ::~ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤££# ::~ AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL ::~ #££¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$¤£### ::~ LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE :~: ###£¤$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~:: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ¨~: INVITATIONS. ::¨ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:::@£ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ £@:::¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ¨:: IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤### ~:: TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. ::~ ###¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~$¤£ :~: AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ::~ £¤$~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~$¤¤ ::~ CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A :~: ¤¤$~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£££ ::~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~:: £££¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$$$@¤£ :~: US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~:: £¤@$$$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$$$@@£ ~::~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~::~ £@@$$$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨~:$¤¤ :~: BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ::~ ¤¤$:~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ::~ NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@@@@£ ::~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~:: £@@@@$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨:~~:$¤ :~: MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO ~:: ¤$:~~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~:$¤ ~:: DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. :~: ¤$:~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@£### ~:: FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF ::~ ###£@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ::~ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨:~~~$¤¤ ::~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A :~: ¤¤$~~~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$$¤ ::~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~:: ¤$$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:::@@£ :~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:: £@@:::¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :~: ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## ~:: SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES ::~ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£## :~: IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ::~ ##£¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨:~$$@¤£ ¨:~ CARS..... :~¨ £¤@$$~:¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¨::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::¨¨¨ ¤¤¤¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~:$¤ ¤$:~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~:$@¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@£### ###£@$:~:¨
¨:~:$@¤£££ £££¤@$:~:¨
¨¨¨:~~:$@¤ ¤@$:~~:¨¨¨