¨^-%@¤@### ###@¤@%-^¨
¨^-:%@¤@@@ @@@¤@%:-^¨
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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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¨^-:%@¤@## ##@¤@%:-^¨
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