........~^ ^~........
.......~^§ §^~.......
......~^§§ §§^~......
.....~^§§£ £§§^~.....
....~^§§£¶ ¶£§§^~....
...~^§§£¶# 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. ##¶£§§^~..
.~^§§£¶### ###¶£§§^~.
..~^§§£¶## ##¶£§§^~..
...~^§§£¶# #¶£§§^~...
....~^§§£¶ ¶£§§^~....
.....~^§§£ £§§^~.....