&&¨¨&¨¨¨¨& &¨¨&¨&&&¨&
¨&¨&&¨¨¨&& &¨&&&¨¨&&¨
&&&¨&¨¨&¨& &&¨¨&¨&¨&¨
¨¨&&&¨&&&& ¨&¨&&&&&&&
¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨& &&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&&¨&¨&¨¨&& ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ ¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨&&
¨&&&&&¨&¨& ¨:† 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..... :~¨ &&¨&¨&¨¨&¨
¨¨¨&&¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ ¨&&&&&¨&&¨
¨¨&¨&¨¨¨¨& &¨¨¨¨&&¨&¨
¨&&&&¨¨¨&& &¨¨¨&¨&&&¨
&¨¨¨&¨¨&¨& &¨¨&&&¨¨&¨
&¨¨&&¨&&&¨ &¨&¨¨&¨&&&
&¨&¨&&¨¨&¨ &&&¨&&&¨¨¨