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##@¤£=*-.¨ ¨.* the spire -*¨ ¨.-*=£¤@##
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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. *-. ¨.-*=£¤@##
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@@£*-¨¨¨¨¨ *.- 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. .-* ¨¨¨¨.-*£¤¤
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##@¤£=*-.¨ .*- 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. -.* ¨.-*=£¤@##
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@@£*..¨¨¨¨ .-* 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. *-. ¨¨..-**==¤
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¤££*--..¨¨ *-. 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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