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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. ~,/ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/†
/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ,~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/
†/~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~,/ IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY /~, ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~/†
*†/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ~/, SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /,~ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/†*
£*†/~,¨¨¨¨ /~, IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ,/~ ¨¨¨¨,~/†*£
#£*†/~,¨¨¨ ¨,~ CARS..... ,~¨ ¨¨¨,~/†*£#
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