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¨¨---~=%£@ =~- 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. -~¨ @¤%~~¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨~%%¤¤¤ ¨~= 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. -=¨ ¤%===---¨¨
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¨-~=%%¤@## ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ##@¤%%=~-¨
¨-~=%%£@## ¨-= 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. ~-= #@£¤%%=~-¨
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¨¨¨¨~%%%££ ~-= IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY =~- ££%%%~¨¨¨¨
¨-~=%%¤£@# ~=- SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES =-~ #@£¤%%=~-¨
¨-~=%%%%¤@ =~- IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT -=~ @¤%%%%=~-¨
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