§¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨ §§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨§¨¨§§¨§§§
§§§§§§¨§¨§ §§¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§§¨ ¨§§§§¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§ §¨¨¨§§§¨§§
¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨§ ¨¨¨~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~¨¨¨ §¨¨§¨¨§§¨§
¨¨§¨§¨§§§§ ¨~; 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..... ~»¨ ¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
§§¨§¨¨§§§¨ ¨¨¨~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~¨¨¨ §¨§¨¨§§¨¨§
¨§§§¨§¨¨§§ §§§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨§§§¨§¨§ ¨¨§§§§§§§¨
§¨§¨¨§§§§§ ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨ §§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§ ¨§¨¨¨¨§§¨§