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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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