§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§§
¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨ §§¨§¨¨§¨¨§
§¨§¨§¨¨§§¨ §¨§§§¨§§¨§
¨§§§§§¨§¨§ §§§¨¨§§¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨§§§§ ¨¨¨,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§¨§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨,; 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..... ,~¨ §§§§§¨¨§§§
¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨§ ¨¨¨,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨§¨§¨¨
¨¨§§¨§§§§§ §¨¨¨¨§§§§¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨ ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§
§¨§§§¨§¨¨¨ ¨§§¨¨§§¨¨§
¨§§¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§§¨§¨§¨¨§¨ ¨§§§§§§§§§