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¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~; ;^~ 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.               ^~; #@£%%;~^¨¨
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¨¨^~;%%£@# ~^;   WE  WERE  GRATEFUL  FOR  ITS   ~;^ #@£%%;~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~;%%£@ ~;^  PRESENCE, AND  HONORED  IT  THE ;~^ @£%%;~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~;%%£ ;~^  ONLY  WAY  WE  KNEW  HOW:   BY  ;^~ £%%;~^¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;                                          ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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, ;~^ £%%;~^¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨^~;%%£@ ;^~ 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 ~^; %%;~^¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨^~;%%£@ ¨~;           INVITATIONS.           ^;¨ @£%%;~^¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨^~;%%£ ~;^ 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.  ;~^ ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨¨^~;%% ;~^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^;~ %%;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~;%%£ ;^~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN  UP A ^~; £%%;~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~;%%£@ ^;~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~^; @£%%;~^¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;%                                          %;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;                                          ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^                                          ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨