&¨¨&¨¨&¨¨& ¨&&¨&&&¨&¨
¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨¨ ¨&&¨&¨&¨¨¨
¨¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨
¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨& ¨&&&¨¨¨¨&¨
¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨ ¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨&
&¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨
¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨& ¨:† 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..... :~¨ ¨&¨&&¨¨¨&&
&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨& ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨&&&¨¨&¨
&&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨
&¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨
¨¨&&&¨¨¨¨& ¨¨¨¨¨&¨&&¨
¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&&&
&¨¨¨&&&¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨&