==-....... .......-==
=-........ ........-=
-......... .........-
=-........ ........-=
==-....... .......-==
†==-...... they built the final nightclub on top ......-==†
$†==-..... of an undocumented research site. each .....-==†$
#$†==-.... floor closer to the collapsed warp ....-==†$#
£#$†==-... prototype. did they know at the start? ...-==†$#£
@£#$†==-.. classified maps had gone missing some ..-==†$#£@
#@£#$†==-. years before. .-==†$#£@#
@£#$†==-.. ..-==†$#£@
£#$†==-... the deeper you descend, the stranger ...-==†$#£
#$†==-.... the environment - first more ....-==†$#
$†==-..... enthralling and intrusive, then seedy .....-==†$
†==-...... and predatory, but pierce deeper and ......-==†
==-....... there will be more peculiar effects. .......-==
=-........ your sense of space will seem to ........-=
-......... distort (it's actually the spacetime .........-
=-........ itself that is becoming fluid), then ........-=
==-....... your body, and finally your sense of .......-==
†==-...... self. ......-==†
$†==-..... .....-==†$
#$†==-.... # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ##### ### ....-==†$#
£#$†==-... ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##### ### ...-==†$#£
@£#$†==-.. ### ### ##### ##### ##### ##### ##### ..-==†$#£@
#@£#$†==-. #### #### #### #### #### #### #### #### .-==†$#£@#
@£#$†==-.. ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ..-==†$#£@
£#$†==-... ###### ###### ###### ###### ###### ...-==†$#£
#$†==-.... ###### ###### ######## ######## ....-==†$#
$†==-..... ######## ######## ######## ######## .....-==†$
†==-...... ######## ######## ######## ######## ......-==†
==-....... ######## ######## ------------------ .......-==
=-........ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ........-=
-......... ---- ---- ---- ...... ...... ...... .........-
=-........ ...... ...... ...... ..... ..... ..... ........-=
==-....... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ....... .......-==
†==-...... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ......-==†
$†==-..... ....... ...... ...... ...... ...... .....-==†$
#$†==-.... ...... ...... ...... -. -. -. -. -. -. ....-==†$#
£#$†==-... -. -. -. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ...-==†$#£
@£#$†==-.. -- -- -= -= -= -= -= -= -= -= -= -= -= ..-==†$#£@
#@£#$†==-. -= -† -† -$ -# -£ -@ -# =. =- == == =† .-==†$#£@#
@£#$†==-.. =$ =# =£ =@ =# =. =- == == =† =$ =# =£ ..-==†$#£@
£#$†==-... =@ =# †. †- †= †= †† †$ †# †£ †@ †# $. ...-==†$#£
#$†==-.... $- $= $= $† $$ $# $£ $@ $# #. #- #= #= ....-==†$#
$†==-..... #† #$ ## #£ #@ ## £. £- £= £= £† £$ £# .....-==†$
†==-...... ££ £@ £# @. @- @= @= @† @$ @# @£ @@ @# ......-==†
==-....... #. #- #= #= #† #$ ## #£ .......-==
=-........ the ceiling is covered in actual stars. ........-=
-......... eyes above .........-
=-........ fading into silver flakes as they fall ........-=
==-....... bubbles in drinks .......-==
†==-...... ......-==†
$†==-..... drinks with a secret ingredient, that .....-==†$
#$†==-.... makes you see the stars even when you ....-==†$#
£#$†==-... close your eyes. ...-==†$#£
@£#$†==-.. ..-==†$#£@
#@£#$†==-. at these deeper levels it can be hard .-==†$#£@#
@£#$†==-.. to remember who and where you are ..-==†$#£@
£#$†==-... (were). normal staff is as transformed ...-==†$#£
#$†==-.... as guests. instead, care and protection ....-==†$#
$†==-..... are offered by (overly flirty) .....-==†$
†==-...... pool toys and other such automatons. ......-==†
==-....... .......-==
=-........ if you stay above absolute madness, ........-=
-......... there is some sort of control to be .........-
=-........ had. you could slip into your ideal dog ........-=
==-....... body there, explore that. you could .......-==
†==-...... drink poisonous ambrosia and not be ......-==†
$†==-..... burned away. you could explore .....-==†$
#$†==-.... territories just as mapless as those ....-==†$#
£#$†==-... closer to the core, but with a chance ...-==†$#£
@£#$†==-.. of finding your way back. ..-==†$#£@
#@£#$†==-. .-==†$#£@#
@£#$†==-.. .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# .# ..-==†$#£@
£#$†==-... -- the honey is a trap and there's a -- ...-==†$#£
#$†==-.... == sting, a sting, a sting. == ....-==†$#
$†==-..... =. it's in your eyes and it's in your .= .....-==†$
†==-...... †- mouth and your hands, their hands -† ......-==†
==-....... $= it's in your heart and in your =$ .......-==
=-........ #= mind and the minds of those around =# ........-=
-......... £† you, their hearts, their bodies. †£ .........-
=-........ @$ @$ @$ @$ @$ @$ @$ @$ @$ @$ @$ ........-=
==-....... and if you're lucky, you'll never get .......-==
†==-...... out. don't bite the other guests. ......-==†
$†==-..... (or do) .....-==†$
#$†==-.... ....-==†$#
£#$†==-... the deeper the floor goes, the more ...-==†$#£
@£#$†==-.. expensive the drinks. this is not ..-==†$#£@
#@£#$†==-. coincidental. the more expensive the .-==†$#£@#
@£#$†==-.. drinks, the more likely it is that ..-==†$#£@
£#$†==-... someone will buy them for you. ...-==†$#£
#$†==-.... this is also not coincidental. if ....-==†$#
$†==-..... someone buys you a drink, they are very .....-==†$
†==-...... likely to take care of your needs in ......-==†
==-....... other ways as well. .......-==
=-........ ........-=
-......... .........-
=-........ ........-=
==-....... .......-==
†==-...... ......-==†