¨¨¨¨¨¨~=## ##=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~\=$#### ####$=\~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,\\$# #$\\,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,\$# #$\,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~=$## ##$=~,¨¨¨¨
¨,~\=$#### ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ ####$=\~,¨
¨,~\=$$$## ¨,\ THE SPIRE ~\¨ ##$$$=\~,¨
¨,~~~~==$# ~\,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\~, #$==~~~~,¨
¨,~\=$#### \~, ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A \,~ ####$=\~,¨
¨¨¨¨,\\=## \,~ 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 ,\~ ####$=\~,¨
¨,~\====## ¨,~ CARS..... ,~¨ ##====\~,¨
¨,~\=$#### ¨¨¨,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,¨¨¨ ####$=\~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~==## ##==~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~\=$#### ####$=\~,¨
¨,~\=$#### ####$=\~,¨
¨¨¨,,,\=## ##=\,,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,,\$$# #$$\,,,¨¨¨