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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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