&%†«~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~«†%&
%†«~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«†%
†«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«†
«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~††††††††††††††††††††††††††††~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨~† 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..... ~«¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~††††††††††††††††††††††††††††~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«
†«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«†
%†«~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~«†%
&%†«~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~«†%&