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#¶@%=^~:¨¨ ¨¨¨:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::¨¨¨ ¨¨:~^=%@¶#
##¶@%=^~:¨ ¨:^ 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. :~¨ ¨¨:~^=%@¶#
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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. ~:^ ¨¨:~^=%@¶#
##¶@%=^~:¨ :~^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~^: ¨:~^=%@¶##
#¶@%=^~:¨¨ ~:^ IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY ^~: ¨¨:~^=%@¶#
##¶@%=^~:¨ ~^: SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES ^:~ ¨:~^=%@¶##
#¶@%=^~:¨¨ ^~: IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT :^~ ¨¨:~^=%@¶#
##¶@%=^~:¨ ¨:~ CARS..... :~¨ ¨:~^=%@¶##
#¶@%=^~:¨¨ ¨¨¨:::^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:::¨¨¨ ¨¨:~^=%@¶#
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