¨¨¨¨¨,,:%@ @%:,,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~^%%££ ££%%^~,¨¨¨
¨,~:^%£@## ##@£%^:~,¨
¨¨¨,,:%%%@ @%%%:,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,,,:%@ @%:,,,,¨¨¨
¨,~:^%%%%@ ¨¨¨,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,¨¨¨ @%%%%^:~,¨
¨¨,,,~::%£ ¨,: 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..... ,~¨ ##@£%^:~,¨
¨,~:^%£@@# ¨¨¨,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,¨¨¨ #@@£%^:~,¨
¨,~:^%£@## ##@£%^:~,¨
¨,~:^%@### ###@%^:~,¨
¨,~:^^^^£# #£^^^^:~,¨
¨,~:^%£@## ##@£%^:~,¨
¨,~:^%£@## ##@£%^:~,¨