...::\\%@@ @@%\\::...
.:~~~\\\%@ @%\\\~~~:.
.:~~~%%@@# #@@%%~~~:.
.:~\%%@@## ##@@%%\~:.
.:~\%@@### ###@@%\~:.
.....:~%%@ ...:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::... @%%~:.....
....~\%%@# .:\ 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..... :~. @%%%%~~...
.:~\%%%@@# ...:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::... #@@%%%\~:.
.:~\%%%%%@ @%%%%%\~:.
...:\\\%%@ @%%\\\:...
....~~\%@@ @@%\~~....
.:~\%%@### ###@%%\~:.
.:~\%%@@@# #@@@%%\~:.