###£%*\--. .--\*%£###
###£%*\--. .--\*%£###
#£%\----.. ..----\%£#
#%\---.... ....---\%#
##@#£%\--. .--\%£#@##
££%\-..... gray skies, swirling with soot. stony .....-\%££
#@#£%*\--. ground with no hints of vegetation. .--\*%£#@#
#@#£%*\--. .--\*%£#@#
£%\-...... below the surface are the mines, ......-\%£
#@#£%*\--. spiraling down into the crust. small .--\*%£#@#
#£*--..... compared to the caverns they eventually .....--*£#
#£**--.... reach and join with. the temperature is ....--**£#
#%%*\-.... higher down here, and the view is not ....-\*%%#
£*---..... as monochrome: a green light beckons .....---*£
#@#£%*\--. from below. .--\*%£#@#
#%%%%*\--. .--\*%%%%#
#@#£%*\--. long ago, there was a lifeform here. in .--\*%£#@#
#@#£%*\--. the center of the planetoid, something .--\*%£#@#
#%*---.... dormant, waiting for a collision with ....---*%#
#@#£%*\--. another body. but no planet was .--\*%£#@#
##@#£*\--. reached, and over time, the seedling .--\*£#@##
#£*\--.... became a sludge. ....--\*£#
£££**\-... ...-\**£££
@#££%*\--. and elves came as miners, and the .--\*%££#@
@#%*\--... sludge was bottled. ...--\*%#@
#@#£%*\--. .--\*%£#@#
#@#£%*\--. ######################################## .--\*%£#@#
###£%*\--. # # .--\*%£###
#%%*-----. # #@#@@@£@££££££££££££££££££££@£@@@#@# # .-----*%%#
#@#£%*\--. # @ @ # .--\*%£#@#
#@#£%*\--. @ @ @##£*£********************£*£##@ @ @ .--\*%£#@#
@@#£%*\--. # @ @ @ @ # .--\*%£#@@
@£*\\--... # @ @ the cargo ship is filled, @ @ # ...--\\*£@
£££*--.... % @ # prepared for launch, # @ % ....--*£££
#@#£%*\--. * # # ignition sequence started # # * .--\*%£#@#
#£*\\----. \ £ # hours ago. elves in the # £ \ .----\\*£#
#@#£%*\--. \ * £ passenger cabin, not yet £ * \ .--\*%£#@#
#@#£%*\--. - \ £ seated. but something is £ \ - .--\*%£#@#
#£**--.... - - % wrong. there is something % - - ....--**£#
##@£%*\--. - - * green around their mouths. * - - .--\*%£@##
##@£%*\--. - - \ the sludge has been sampled, \ - - .--\*%£@##
##@#£%*\-- - - - entertained, and then - - - --\*%£#@##
###£%*\--. - - - finally binged on. - - - .--\*%£###
@£%%%*\--. . . . . . . .--\*%%%£@
#£%*\\\--. . . . the engines are burning hot, . . . .--\\\*%£#
##%\---... and the ship accelerates ...---\%##
#£%\\\\--. away. the elves have .--\\\\%£#
##@#£%*\-. strapped themselves in, and .-\*%£#@##
£%%%*--... are lying completely still, ...--*%%%£
#@#£%*\--. like corpses. .--\*%£#@#
££*-...... ......-*££
#%\--..... .....--\%#
#%**-..... .....-**%#
#@#£%*\--. .--\*%£#@#
##@#£%*\-- --\*%£#@##