###@¤$*~:. .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ...:::****************************:::... ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. .:* THE SPIRE ~*. .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~*:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *~: ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *:~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :*~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :~* CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~:* LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~*: WE LOVED IT DEARLY. *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *:~ IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :*~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :~* BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~:* HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~*: PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *~: GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *:~ FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :*~ ARCANE DEITY. :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~:* WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~*: PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *~: ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. .:~ BREAKING IN. :~. ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ...:::****************************:::... .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ...:::****************************:::... ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. .~* THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: :*~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :*~ WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH *:~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *:~ COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, *~: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *~: ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING ~*: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~*: DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE ~:* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~:* THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED :~* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :~* FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS :*~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :*~ ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE *:~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *:~ INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, *~: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *~: A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY ~*: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~*: OVERLOOKED. :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :*~ SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *:~ FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *~: CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~*: A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~:* PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :~* INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :*~ DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *:~ SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *~: MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~*: YEARS TO COME. ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~:*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :~* A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :*~ AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *:~ LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *~: CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~*: FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~:* FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. .~* INVITATIONS. :*. ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ...:::****************************:::... .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ...:::****************************:::... .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. .:* IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~*: TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *~: AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *:~ CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :*~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :~* US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~:* JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~*:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *~: BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *:~ NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :*~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :~* MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO ~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~:* DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~*: FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *~: TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. *:~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A :~* .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. :*~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~:* ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. :~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*: .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ~:* IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY *~: ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. ~*: SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES *:~ .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. *~: IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT :*~ ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. .:~ CARS..... :~. .:~*$¤@###
##@¤$*~:.. ...:::****************************:::... ..:~*$¤@##
###@¤$*~:. .:~*$¤@###
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