§§§§¨§¨¨¨¨ §¨¨§§§§§§§
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨ §¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨ §§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§§¨§§¨¨¨§ ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§¨§§§¨§§§ ¨¨¨,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,¨¨¨ §¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨§§¨¨¨ ¨,; 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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¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨ §§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨§¨¨§§§§§§ ¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§ §§¨§§¨§§¨¨
¨§§§¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨§§¨§§¨§¨§
§¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨ §¨§§¨§§§§§