¨¨§§¨¨§¨§§ §§¨§¨§¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§¨§§§¨ ¨¨§§§§§§¨§
§¨§§§§§¨¨§ §¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨§§§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨§¨§¨¨¨§§§ §§¨¨§¨¨¨§§
§§§§§¨¨§¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨
§¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨ ¨,= 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..... ,~¨ ¨§¨§§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§§¨§§ ¨¨¨,,,============================,,,¨¨¨ ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨§§¨ §§¨¨§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨§ ¨¨§¨§§¨§¨§
§¨§§¨§§§§§ ¨¨§§§¨§§§§
¨§§¨§§¨¨¨¨ §¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨§¨¨¨ §§§§¨§¨§¨¨