¨¨¨§§¨§§¨§ §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§¨§§¨¨ §§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§¨§§§¨ ¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨§¨§§ ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨¨§§ ¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨---::::::::::::::::::::::::::::---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨-: 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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