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¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨:* 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. :«¨ §§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨¨¨:::****************************:::¨¨¨ §§§¨¨§¨§§¨
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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. :*¨ §§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§ ¨¨¨:::****************************:::¨¨¨ ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨
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¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨:* 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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