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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. ~~, ,,,,,,~~\%
\~~,,,,,,, ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, ,,,,,,,~~\
~~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~~
\~~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~~\
%\~~,,,,,, ,,,~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~,,, ,,,,,,~~\%
¤%\~~,,,,, ,~\ 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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¤%\~~,,,,, ,,,,,~~\%¤
@¤%\~~,,,, ,,,,~~\%¤@
#@¤%\~~,,, ,,,~~\%¤@#
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