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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. :-~ ¨¨¨~~~:†§§
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#$$$†--¨¨¨ :~- IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ~:- ¨¨¨--†$$$#
##@#§$†:~¨ ~:- AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ~-: ¨~:†$§#@##
§$$:-~¨¨¨¨ ~-: BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS -~: ¨¨¨¨~-:$$§
§†:-¨¨¨¨¨¨ -~: 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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@§$$††:-~¨ -~: WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS -:~ ¨~-:††$$§@
###§$†:-~¨ -:~ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE :-~ ¨~-:†$§###
##@#§$†:-~ :-~ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY :~- ~-:†$§#@##
§$:~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨~- BREAKING IN. ~-¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~:$§
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#@#§$†:-~¨ ~:- WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH :~- ¨~-:†$§#@#
#§$:::~~¨¨ :~- COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, :-~ ¨¨~~:::$§#
§†:~¨¨¨¨¨¨ :-~ 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. ~-: ¨¨¨¨~~-†§@
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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 ~:- ¨¨¨¨¨-†§§@
#@#§$†:-~¨ :~- CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ~-: ¨~-:†$§#@#
@@#§$†:-~¨ ~:- TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN -~: ¨~-:†$§#@@
#$:~~¨¨¨¨¨ ~-: US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR -:~ ¨¨¨¨¨~~:$#
#@#§$†:-~¨ -~: JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. :-~ ¨~-:†$§#@#
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§§§$†-¨¨¨¨ :-~ BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ~:- ¨¨¨¨-†$§§§
#@#§$†:-~¨ :~- NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ~-: ¨~-:†$§#@#
###§$†:-~¨ ~:- SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE -~: ¨~-:†$§###
#$:~~~~~~¨ ~-: MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO -:~ ¨~~~~~~:$#
#@#§$†:-~¨ -~: DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. :-~ ¨~-:†$§#@#
###§$†:-~¨ -:~ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF :~- ¨~-:†$§###
#$:~~~~¨¨¨ :-~ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ~:- ¨¨¨~~~~:$#
§$††::~¨¨¨ :~- OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ~-: ¨¨¨~::††$§
#@#§$†:-~¨ ~:- FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. -~: ¨~-:†$§#@#
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@@#§$†:-~¨ -~: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :-~ ¨~-:†$§#@@
#@#§$†:-~¨ -:~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :~- ¨~-:†$§#@#
##@#$†:-~¨ :-~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~:- ¨~-:†$#@##
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