..,-\$%@@# #@@%$\-,..
.,-\$%@@## ##@@%$\-,.
..,-\$%@@# #@@%$\-,..
...,-\$%@@ @@%$\-,...
....,-\$%@ @%$\-,....
...,-\$%@@ ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... @@%$\-,...
..,-\$%@@# .,\ 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..... ,-. #@@%$\-,..
...,-\$%@@ ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... @@%$\-,...
....,-\$%@ @%$\-,....
...,-\$%@@ @@%$\-,...
..,-\$%@@# #@@%$\-,..
.,-\$%@@## ##@@%$\-,.
..,-\$%@@# #@@%$\-,..