~^........ ........^~
^......... .........^
.......... ..........
^......... .........^
~^........ ........^~
^~^....... 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. ......^~^§
¤§^~^..... .....^~^§¤
£¤§^~^.... ....^~^§¤£
#£¤§^~^... ...^~^§¤£#
##£¤§^~^.. ..^~^§¤£##
###£¤§^~^. .^~^§¤£###