@§$%:«-...                                          ...-«:%$§@
#@§$%:«-..                                          ..-«:%$§@#
##@§$%:«-.                                          .-«:%$§@##
#@§$%:«-..                                          ..-«:%$§@#
@§$%:«-...                                          ...-«:%$§@
§$%:«-.... ...---::::::::::::::::::::::::::::---... ....-«:%$§
$%:«-..... .-:            The  Spire            «:. .....-«:%$
%:«-...... «:-««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:«- ......-«:%
:«-....... :«- 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.  «-: ......-«:%
$%:«-..... -«:«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:- .....-«:%$
§$%:«-.... «-:  Iirc  It'S  Currently Owned  By :«- ....-«:%$§
@§$%:«-... «:- Some Energy drink Baron Who Uses :-« ...-«:%$§@
#@§$%:«-.. :«- It To  Hold All His Fourty Eight -:« ..-«:%$§@#
##@§$%:«-. .-«            Cars.....             -«. .-«:%$§@##
#@§$%:«-.. ...---::::::::::::::::::::::::::::---... ..-«:%$§@#
@§$%:«-...                                          ...-«:%$§@
§$%:«-....                                          ....-«:%$§
$%:«-.....                                          .....-«:%$
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:«-.......                                          .......-«: