@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨-= THE SPIRE ~=¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ~=-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=~- ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ =~- ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A =-~ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ =-~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL -=~ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ -=~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS -~= ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ -~= CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~-= ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ~-= LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~=- ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ~=- WE LOVED IT DEARLY. =~- ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ =~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=-~ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ =-~ IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, -=~ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ -=~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL -~= ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ -~= BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS ~-= ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ ~-= HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE ~=- ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ~=- PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF =~- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ =~- GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE =-~ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ =-~ FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF -=~ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ -=~ ARCANE DEITY. -~= ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ -~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-= ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ~-= WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS ~=- ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ~=- PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE =~- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ =~- ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY =-~ ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ¨-~ BREAKING IN. -~¨ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ¨~= THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: -=~ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ -=~ WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH =-~ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ =-~ COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, =~- ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ =~- ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING ~=- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ~=- DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE ~-= ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ~-= THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED -~= ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ -~= FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS -=~ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ -=~ ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE =-~ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ =-~ INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, =~- ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ =~- A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY ~=- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ ~=- OVERLOOKED. -~= ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ -~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-=~ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ -=~ SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE =-~ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ =-~ FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND ~-= ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ =~- CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR ~=- ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ~=- A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~-= ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ~-= PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. -~= ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ -~= INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS -=~ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ -=~ DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST =-~ ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ =-~ SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO =~- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ =~- MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR ~=- ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ~=- YEARS TO COME. ~-= ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ ~-=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-~= ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ -~= A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE -=~ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ -=~ AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL =-~ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ =-~ LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE =~- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ =~- CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~=- ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ~=- FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~-= ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ~-= FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS -~= ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ¨~= INVITATIONS. -=¨ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ¨-= IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS =~- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ ~=- TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. =-~ ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ =~- AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS -=~ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ =-~ CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A -~= ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ -=~ TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN ~-= ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ -~= US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~=- ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ~-= JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. =~- ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ~=-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=-~ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ =~- BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE -=~ ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ =-~ NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE -~= ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ -=~ SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE ~-= ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ -~= MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO ~=- ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ~-= DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. =~- ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ ~=- FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF =-~ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ =~- TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED -=~ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ =-~ OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A -~= ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
@@&$§=~-¨¨ -=~ FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. ~-= ¨¨-~=§$&@@
#@@&$§=~-¨ -~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=- ¨-~=§$&@@#
@@&$§=~-¨¨ ~-= IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY =~- ¨¨-~=§$&@@
@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ~=- SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES =-~ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ =~- IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT -=~ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
$§=~-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨-~ CARS..... -~¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-~=§$
&$§=~-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨---============================---¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-~=§$&
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@&$§=~-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-~=§$&@