§¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§§¨§¨§¨¨ §§¨¨§§§§¨§
§§¨§§§§§¨¨ ¨§¨§¨¨¨§§¨
¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨ §§§§¨¨§¨§§
§¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨ ¨¨¨§¨§§§¨§
§§§¨¨§¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§§§§¨§ ¨^^ 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..... ^~¨ §§§¨§¨¨§§¨
¨§§¨§§§¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨§¨¨§§§§§¨
§§¨§¨§§¨¨§ §§¨§¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§§§¨§¨§§ ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨§§§§¨§ §¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨ §¨§§¨§¨§¨§