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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. -†¨ #¶@&$†=-¨¨
¨¨¨-=†$&@¶ ¨¨¨---††††††††††††††††††††††††††††---¨¨¨ ¶@&$†=-¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨¨-=†$& ¨¨¨---††††††††††††††††††††††††††††---¨¨¨ &$†=-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-=†$ ¨-† 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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