@@#%%~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~%%#@@
##@#%%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%%#@##
##@#%%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%%#@##
###@#%%/:¨                                          ¨:/%%#@###
##@#%%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%%#@##
##@#%%/~:¨ ¨¨¨:::////////////////////////////:::¨¨¨ ¨:~/%%#@##
##@#%%/~:¨ ¨:/            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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