¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=
†=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=†
$†=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=†$
¤$†=^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^=†$¤
#¤$†=^¨¨¨¨ ¨^† THE SPIRE =†¨ ¨¨¨¨^=†$¤#
##¤$†=^¨¨¨ =†^==================================†=^ ¨¨¨^=†$¤##
###¤$†=^¨¨ †=^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A †^= ¨¨^=†$¤###
####¤$†=^¨ †^= BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ^†= ¨^=†$¤####
###¤$†=^¨¨ ^†= ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ^=† ¨¨^=†$¤###
##¤$†=^¨¨¨ ^=† CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED =^† ¨¨¨^=†$¤##
#¤$†=^¨¨¨¨ =^† LIKED A MUSHROOM. =†^ ¨¨¨¨^=†$¤#
¤$†=^¨¨¨¨¨ =†^ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. †=^ ¨¨¨¨¨^=†$¤
$†=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ †=^==================================†^= ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=†$
†=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †^= 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 =^† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=†
$†=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^=† MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO =†^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=†$
¤$†=^¨¨¨¨¨ =^† DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. †=^ ¨¨¨¨¨^=†$¤
#¤$†=^¨¨¨¨ =†^ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF †^= ¨¨¨¨^=†$¤#
##¤$†=^¨¨¨ †=^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^†= ¨¨¨^=†$¤##
###¤$†=^¨¨ †^= OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ^=† ¨¨^=†$¤###
####¤$†=^¨ ^†= FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. =^† ¨^=†$¤####
###¤$†=^¨¨ ^=†===================================†^ ¨¨^=†$¤###
##¤$†=^¨¨¨ =^† IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY †=^ ¨¨¨^=†$¤##
#¤$†=^¨¨¨¨ =†^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES †^= ¨¨¨¨^=†$¤#
¤$†=^¨¨¨¨¨ †=^ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^†= ¨¨¨¨¨^=†$¤
$†=^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^= CARS..... ^=¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^=†$
†=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^††††††††††††††††††††††††††††^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=†
=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨