¨¨¨¨¨~::§# #§::~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~§## ##§~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~:§§#@## ##@#§§:~,¨
¨,~:§§#@## ##@#§§:~,¨
¨,~:§§#@## ##@#§§:~,¨
¨¨¨,~:§§@# ¨¨¨,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,¨¨¨ #@§§:~,¨¨¨
¨,~:§§#@## ¨,: 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..... ,~¨ ###@#§§:~¨
¨¨¨,:§§#@# ¨¨¨,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,¨¨¨ #@#§§:,¨¨¨
¨,~:§§#@## ##@#§§:~,¨
¨¨¨¨,~§#@# #@#§~,¨¨¨¨
¨,~:§§###@ @###§§:~,¨
¨,~:§§#@## ##@#§§:~,¨
¨,~:§§#@## ##@#§§:~,¨