§§§§¨¨§§¨§ §§§¨¨§§§§¨
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§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§ ¨¨¨^^^============================^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨§¨¨
§§¨§§¨§§¨§ ¨^= 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..... ^-¨ ¨§¨¨§§¨§§§
§¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨^^^============================^^^¨¨¨ ¨§§¨§¨§§¨¨
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