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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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