.-~;$$¤@## ##@¤$$;~-.
.-~;$$¤@## ##@¤$$;~-.
.....~$$¤# #¤$$~.....
.-~;$$¤@## ##@¤$$;~-.
...---;$$¤ ¤$$;---...
.-~;$$¤@@@ ...---;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;---... @@@¤$$;~-.
.-~;$$¤¤¤¤ .-; THE SPIRE ~;. ¤¤¤¤$$;~-.
.-~;$$$$@# ~;-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~;~- #@$$$$;~-.
.-~;$$¤@## ;~- 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..... -~. ##@¤$$;~-.
....--;$¤@ ...---;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;---... @¤$;--....
.-~;$$¤@## ##@¤$$;~-.
.-~;$$@### ###@$$;~-.
..-~~~;$@@ @@$;~~~-..
.-~;$$$$¤# #¤$$$$;~-.
...-~;;$$¤ ¤$$;;~-...