¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§§¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§§¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨ §¨¨§§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨§¨§§§¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨.^ 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..... .-¨ §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨§¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨...^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...¨¨¨ ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨¨§ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§