..~%@£@###                                          ###@£@%~..
...~%@£@##                                          ##@£@%~...
....~%@£@#                                          #@£@%~....
...~%@£@##                                          ##@£@%~...
..~%@£@###                                          ###@£@%~..
...~%@£@## ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ##@£@%~...
....~%@£@# ..^            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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