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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. ~^¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨~^ 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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