.......~=^ ^=~.......
......~=^§ §^=~......
.....~=^§@ @§^=~.....
....~=^§@@ @@§^=~....
...~=^§@@@ @@@§^=~...
..~=^§@@@# ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... #@@@§^=~..
.~=^§@@@## .~^ 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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