¨¨¨¨¨¨«=§§                                          §§=«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-«\=@@§§¶                                          ¶§§@@=\«-¨
¨-«\=@§¶##                                          ##¶§@=\«-¨
¨-«\=@§¶##                                          ##¶§@=\«-¨
¨-«\\\=@§¶                                          ¶§@=\\\«-¨
¨¨¨¨--\\@¶ ¨¨¨---\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\---¨¨¨ ¶@\\--¨¨¨¨
¨-«\=@§¶## ¨-\            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.....            -«¨ ##¶§@=\«-¨
¨-«\=@@§¶¶ ¨¨¨---\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\---¨¨¨ ¶¶§@@=\«-¨
¨-«\=@§¶##                                          ##¶§@=\«-¨
¨-«\=@@§§¶                                          ¶§§@@=\«-¨
¨-«\=@§¶##                                          ##¶§@=\«-¨
¨¨¨¨--«==§                                          §==«--¨¨¨¨
¨-«\=@§¶##                                          ##¶§@=\«-¨