^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ GRAY SKIES, SWIRLING WITH SOOT. STONY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ GROUND WITH NO HINTS OF VEGETATION. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/
%/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/%
%%/~^¨¨¨¨¨ BELOW THE SURFACE ARE THE MINES, ¨¨¨¨¨^~/%%
¤%%/~^¨¨¨¨ SPIRALING DOWN INTO THE CRUST. SMALL ¨¨¨¨^~/%%¤
£¤%%/~^¨¨¨ COMPARED TO THE CAVERNS THEY EVENTUALLY ¨¨¨^~/%%¤£
@£¤%%/~^¨¨ REACH AND JOIN WITH. THE TEMPERATURE IS ¨¨^~/%%¤£@
#@£¤%%/~^¨ HIGHER DOWN HERE, AND THE VIEW IS NOT ¨^~/%%¤£@#
@£¤%%/~^¨¨ AS MONOCHROME: A GREEN LIGHT BECKONS ¨¨^~/%%¤£@
£¤%%/~^¨¨¨ FROM BELOW. ¨¨¨^~/%%¤£
¤%%/~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~/%%¤
%%/~^¨¨¨¨¨ LONG AGO, THERE WAS A LIFEFORM HERE. IN ¨¨¨¨¨^~/%%
%/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE CENTER OF THE PLANETOID, SOMETHING ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/%
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DORMANT, WAITING FOR A COLLISION WITH ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ANOTHER BODY. BUT NO PLANET WAS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ REACHED, AND OVER TIME, THE SEEDLING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BECAME A SLUDGE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND ELVES CAME AS MINERS, AND THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SLUDGE WAS BOTTLED. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ######################################## ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/
%/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ # # ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/%
%%/~^¨¨¨¨¨ # #@#@@@¤@¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤@¤@@@#@# # ¨¨¨¨¨^~/%%
¤%%/~^¨¨¨¨ # @ @ # ¨¨¨¨^~/%%¤
£¤%%/~^¨¨¨ @ @ @££¤%¤%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%¤%¤££@ @ @ ¨¨¨^~/%%¤£
@£¤%%/~^¨¨ £ @ @ @ @ £ ¨¨^~/%%¤£@
#@£¤%%/~^¨ £ @ @ THE CARGO SHIP IS FILLED, @ @ £ ¨^~/%%¤£@#
@£¤%%/~^¨¨ % @ £ PREPARED FOR LAUNCH, £ @ % ¨¨^~/%%¤£@
£¤%%/~^¨¨¨ % £ £ IGNITION SEQUENCE STARTED £ £ % ¨¨¨^~/%%¤£
¤%%/~^¨¨¨¨ / ¤ £ HOURS AGO. ELVES IN THE £ ¤ / ¨¨¨¨^~/%%¤
%%/~^¨¨¨¨¨ / % ¤ PASSENGER CABIN, NOT YET ¤ % / ¨¨¨¨¨^~/%%
%/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ / ¤ SEATED. BUT SOMETHING IS ¤ / ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/%
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ % WRONG. THERE IS SOMETHING % ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ % GREEN AROUND THEIR MOUTHS. % ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ / THE SLUDGE HAS BEEN SAMPLED, / ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ ~ ENTERTAINED, AND THEN ~ ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ ^ ^ FINALLY BINGED ON. ^ ^ ^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ THE ENGINES ARE BURNING HOT, ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND THE SHIP ACCELERATES ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AWAY. THE ELVES HAVE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/
%/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ STRAPPED THEMSELVES IN, AND ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/%
%%/~^¨¨¨¨¨ ARE LYING COMPLETELY STILL, ¨¨¨¨¨^~/%%
¤%%/~^¨¨¨¨ LIKE CORPSES. ¨¨¨¨^~/%%¤
£¤%%/~^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^~/%%¤£
@£¤%%/~^¨¨ ¨¨^~/%%¤£@
#@£¤%%/~^¨ ¨^~/%%¤£@#
@£¤%%/~^¨¨ ¨¨^~/%%¤£@
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