##¶¤&*^«^¨ ¨^«^*&¤¶##
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##¶¤&*^«^¨ ¨^«^*&¤¶##
##¶¤&*^«^¨ ¨¨¨^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^¨¨¨ ¨^«^*&¤¶##
¶¤*««¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^^ 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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