##@§^*~.¨¨ ¨¨.~*^§@##
###@§^*~.¨ ¨.~*^§@###
##@§^*~.¨¨ ¨¨.~*^§@##
#@§^*~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~*^§@#
@§^*~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~*^§@
#@§^*~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...****************************...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~*^§@#
##@§^*~.¨¨ ¨.* 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..... .~¨ ¨¨.~*^§@##
#@§^*~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...****************************...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~*^§@#
@§^*~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~*^§@
#@§^*~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~*^§@#
##@§^*~.¨¨ ¨¨.~*^§@##
###@§^*~.¨ ¨.~*^§@###
##@§^*~.¨¨ ¨¨.~*^§@##