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#@%;;^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^;;%@#
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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. ;»^ ¨^»;^%@@##
@@^;;^¨¨¨¨ ;»^»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»;^» ¨¨¨¨^;;^@@
@@@@%^;»^¨ ;^» 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..... ^»¨ ¨^»;^@@###
@@@^^^;»^¨ ¨¨¨^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^¨¨¨ ¨^»;^^^@@@
@%%%%^;»^¨ ¨^»;^%%%%@
@@%^^;^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^;^^%@@
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