......~-\^ ^\-~......
.......~-\ \-~.......
........~- -~........
.......~-\ \-~.......
......~-\^ ^\-~......
.....~-\^¤ ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... ¤^\-~.....
....~-\^¤£ .~\ 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..... ~-. -~........
.......~-\ ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... \-~.......
......~-\^ ^\-~......
.....~-\^¤ ¤^\-~.....
....~-\^¤£ £¤^\-~....
...~-\^¤£# #£¤^\-~...
..~-\^¤£## ##£¤^\-~..