.....-^†@¶ ¶@†^-.....
......-^†@ @†^-......
.......-^† †^-.......
........-^ ^-........
.........- -.........
.......... ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ..........
.......... ..^ 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..... .-. #@¶@†^-...
..-^†@¶@## ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ##@¶@†^-..
...-^†@¶@# #@¶@†^-...
....-^†@¶@ @¶@†^-....
.....-^†@¶ ¶@†^-.....
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