^==$£&#### ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### FROM BELOW. ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### BECAME A SLUDGE. ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ######################################## ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### # # ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### # ######&#&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&#&###### # ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### # # # # ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### # # ###&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&$&### # # ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### # # # # # # ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### # # # THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, # # # ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### £ # # PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, # # £ ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### $ # # IGNITION SEQUENCE STARTED # # $ ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### = & # HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE # & = ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### = $ & PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET & $ = ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### = = & SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS & = = ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### = = £ WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING £ = = ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ^ ^ $ GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. $ ^ ^ ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ^ ^ = THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, = ^ ^ ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ^ ^ = ENTERTAINED, AND THEN = ^ ^ ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ^ ^ ^ FINALLY BINGED ON. ^ ^ ^ ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### , , , , , , ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### , , , THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, , , , ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### LIKE CORPSES. ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ####&£$==^
,^==$£&### ###&£$==^,
^==$£&#### ####&£$==^
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^==$£&#### ####&£$==^