&=-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-=&
##@@&=:-^¨ ¨^-:=&@@##
&=-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-=&
##@&%=:-^¨ ¨^-:=%&@##
#@@&%=:-^¨ ¨^-:=%&@@#
#@@&%=:-^¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨^-:=%&@@#
#@@&%=:-^¨ ¨^: 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..... ^-¨ ¨^-:::==&@
#@@&%=:-^¨ ¨¨¨^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^¨¨¨ ¨^-:=%&@@#
@%===::-^¨ ¨^-::===%@
&%:^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^:%&
@@&=--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--=&@@
@@@&%=:-^¨ ¨^-:=%&@@@
@@&%=:^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^:=%&@@