¨,-\^$@¶¶¶ ¶¶¶@$^\-,¨
¨,-\^$@¶@# #@¶@$^\-,¨
¨,-\^$@¶@# #@¶@$^\-,¨
¨,-\^$@¶## ##¶@$^\-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-\$¶ ¶$\-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-\\$@@ ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ @@$\\-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,\\\^@ ¨,\ THE SPIRE -\¨ @^\\\,¨¨¨¨
¨,-\^^^@@@ -\,----------------------------------\-, @@@^^^\-,¨
¨,-\^$@¶@# \-, 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..... ,-¨ #@¶@$^\-,¨
¨¨¨¨,\^$@¶ ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ ¶@$^\,¨¨¨¨
¨,-\^$@¶@# #@¶@$^\-,¨
¨¨¨,,,\\$@ @$\\,,,¨¨¨
¨,-\^$@¶@# #@¶@$^\-,¨
¨,-\^$@¶@# #@¶@$^\-,¨
¨¨¨,-^^$@@ @@$^^-,¨¨¨