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¨^«\\$££## \«^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    \^« ##££$\\«^¨
¨^«\$£¤### \^« BENEVOLENT SPIRE,  TOWERING WELL ^\« ###¤£$\«^¨
¨^«\\\£££¤ ^\« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT  WAS ^«\ ¤£££\\\«^¨
¨¨¨¨«\$$¤# ^«\ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «^\ #¤$$\«¨¨¨¨
¨^«\$£¤### «^\       LIKED  A   MUSHROOM.       «\^ ###¤£$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«\$¤ «\^      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      \«^ ¤$\«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«\£¤¤¤ \«^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««\^« ¤¤¤£\«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«$£¤## \^« IT PREDATED US  BY  MANY  YEARS, ^\« ##¤£$«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^\£¤# ^\« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ^«\ #¤£\^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«\££¤¤ ^«\  BUILDERS.  THEY HAD  USED  ITS  «^\ ¤¤££\«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨«\$££# «^\ HOLLOW  BODY  FOR  MANY  STRANGE «\^ #££$\«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^««$£¤ «\^  PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF  \«^ ¤£$««^^¨¨¨
¨^«\$££¤¤# \«^ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF  STRAGE  \^« #¤¤££$\«^¨
¨^«\$£¤### \^« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ^\« ###¤£$\«^¨
¨^«\$£¤### ^\«    ARCANE   DEITY.               ^«\ ###¤£$\«^¨
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¨¨¨¨^^«$£¤ «\^  PRESENCE, AND  HONORED IT  THE  \«^ ¤£$«^^¨¨¨¨
¨^«\$£¤### \«^  ONLY   WAY  WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY  \^« ###¤£$\«^¨
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¨^«\$£¤### \^« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, \«^ ###¤£$\«^¨
¨^«\\\\$¤# \«^  ROADS  BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING  «\^ #¤$\\\\«^¨
¨^\$£¤#### «\^ DRAINS.  AND  SOME  PLACES, LIKE «^\ ####¤£$\^¨
¨¨¨¨^^\\£# «^\ THE  SPIRE, NOBODY  HAD ACCESSED ^«\ #£\\^^¨¨¨¨
¨^«\$£¤### ^«\ FOR MANY YEARS.  ONCE ITS  WALLS ^\« ###¤£$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨^\£££¤ ^\«  ARE  JUST  TOO  HIGH, AND  THE  \^« ¤£££\^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^\\£¤## \^« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, \«^ ##¤£\\^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨««\$£¤ \«^  A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY  «\^ ¤£$\««¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^«$£## «\^           OVERLOOKED.            ^«\ ##£$«^^¨¨¨
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¨^«\$£¤### ^\« SO, BASICALLY, THAT  SUMMER THE  \^« ###¤£$\«^¨
¨^«\$£¤### \^« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «^\ ###¤£$\«^¨
¨^«\$££¤## \«^ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «\^ ##¤££$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^\£# «\^ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «^\ #£\^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^«\$$¤ «^\  PLAY MUSIC  ON OUR HANDHELDS.   ^«\ ¤$$\«^^¨¨¨
¨^«\$£¤### ^«\ 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.        «^\ #¤££$\«^¨¨
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¨^«\$£¤### ^«\  A CENTRAL  SPINE,  A  STAIRCASE ^\« ###¤£$\«^¨
¨^«\$££¤¤# ^\«  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.           ^\¨ #££$«««^^¨
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¨^«\$£¤### «\^  TOPPLED  AND EATEN BY MACHINES. \^« ###¤£$\«^¨
¨^«\$£¤### \«^ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING  NEW IS ^\« ###¤£$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨«\$¤¤# \^«  CONJURED IN ITS  PLACE. IT'S  A ^«\ #¤¤$\«¨¨¨¨
¨^«\$£¤¤¤# ^\« TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER  THAN «^\ #¤¤¤£$\«^¨
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¨¨¨¨«\$£¤# \^« NEW TOWER  EATS US.  OTHERS ARE  ^«\ #¤£$\«¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««$¤ ^\« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «^\ ¤$««¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«\$£¤¤## ^«\ MANIFESTED  OVERNIGHT,  ONLY  TO «\^ ##¤¤£$\«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«$¤## «^\ DISAPPEAR IN  THE EVENING  FOG.  \«^ ##¤$«¨¨¨¨¨
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¨^«\$£#### \«^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^\« ####£$\«^¨
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