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¤†~^...... .^: THE SPIRE ~:. ......^~†¤
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@¤£†:::~^. :~^ 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. ^~. .^~:†£¤¶¶@
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@¤††:^.... ....^:††¤@
#@¶¤£†:~^. ...^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^... .^~:†£¤¶@#
@¶¤†~^.... .~: 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. ~^: ....^~~~†¤
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##@¤£†:~^. ~^: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :~^ .^~:†£¤@##
¶£:^...... ~:^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :^~ ......^:£¶
@¶¤¤£†:~^. :~^ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^:~ .^~:†£¤¤¶@
¤†††:~^... .^~ CARS..... ^~. ...^~:†††¤
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