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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.        ,«. #@@@£*\«,.
.,«\*£@@@@ ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... @@@@£*\«,.
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.....,\*£@ ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... @£*\,.....
..,,,\££@@ .«\  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.           ,\. @@£££*\«,.
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.,«\*£@@## ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ##@@£*\«,.
......,\£@ .,\ 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.  «,\ #@@@£*\«,.
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.,«\*£@@@# «,\  IIRC IT'S  CURRENTLY  OWNED BY  \«, #@@@£*\«,.
...,««\*@@ «\, SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES \,« @@*\««,...
.,«\*£@@## \«, IT TO HOLD ALL HIS  FOURTY EIGHT ,\« ##@@£*\«,.
....,«\**@ .,«            CARS.....             ,«. @**\«,....
.,«\*£@@@# ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... #@@@£*\«,.
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