#¤@%^~.... ....~^%@¤#
¤@%^~..... .....~^%@¤
@%^~...... ......~^%@
¤@%^~..... .....~^%@¤
#¤@%^~.... ....~^%@¤#
##¤@%^~... ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ...~^%@¤##
###¤@%^~.. ..^ 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..... .~. ..~^%@¤###
##¤@%^~... ......^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...... ...~^%@¤##
#¤@%^~.... ....~^%@¤#
¤@%^~..... .....~^%@¤
@%^~...... ......~^%@
¤@%^~..... .....~^%@¤
#¤@%^~.... ....~^%@¤#