#¤*\~^,,,, ,,,,^~\*¤#
@#¤*\~^,,, ,,,^~\*¤#@
#@#¤*\~^,, ,,^~\*¤#@#
##@#¤*\~^, ,^~\*¤#@##
#@#¤*\~^,, ,,^~\*¤#@#
@#¤*\~^,,, ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, ,,,^~\*¤#@
#¤*\~^,,,, ,^\ 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..... ^~, ,,,,^~\*¤#
¤*\~^,,,,, ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, ,,,,,^~\*¤
*\~^,,,,,, ,,,,,,^~\*
¤*\~^,,,,, ,,,,,^~\*¤
#¤*\~^,,,, ,,,,^~\*¤#
@#¤*\~^,,, ,,,^~\*¤#@
#@#¤*\~^,, ,,^~\*¤#@#