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¶¤¤%%*:~^¨ IN THE ENDLESS WINTER DAY, ON THE ¨^~:*%%¤¤¶
¶¤¤***:~^¨ CRYSTAL WHITE PLAINS... WE TRUDGE ALONG ¨^~:***¤¤¶
##¶¤%*:~^¨ THE TRAIN TRACKS... THEMSELVES SLOWLY ¨^~:*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*:~^¨ SNOWED OVER, IN THE STILL HOURS SINCE ¨^~:*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*:~^¨ THE LAST SUPPLY TRAIN. ¨^~:*%¤¶##
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##¶¤%*:~^¨ BELL-LIKE SOUNDS OF THE BLINDING ¨^~:*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*:~^¨ GROUND. RIFLES ATTACHED TO OUR WRIST, ¨^~:*%¤¶##
¶¤¤¤%*:~^¨ SHARING IN OUR BLOODSTREAM. MY HUSKY, ¨^~:*%¤¤¤¶
¤¤*:~~^^¨¨ MY WARM-COFFEE-IN-COLD-SNOW... ¨¨^^~~:*¤¤
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##¶¤%*:~^¨ THE FIRST FIVE SHOTS YOU CAN SPEND ¨^~:*%¤¶##
¤¤¤*:~¨¨¨¨ INDISCRIMINATELY, THEY HURT BUT DEAL NO ¨¨¨¨~:*¤¤¤
¤%%:~^¨¨¨¨ LONG TIME DAMAGE TO THE SHOOTER. THE ¨¨¨¨^~:%%¤
¤%*~~^¨¨¨¨ NEXT FIVE YOU MUST SPEND WISELY, THEY ¨¨¨¨^~~*%¤
##¶¤%*:~^¨ WILL TAKE DAYS TO HEAL. THE FINAL FIVE ¨^~:*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*:~^¨ YOU MUST NOT SPEND AT ALL. ¨^~:*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*:~^¨ ¨^~:*%¤¶##
¶%:::^¨¨¨¨ WEEKS EARLIER, IN THE WEAK AUTUMN DAWN, ¨¨¨¨^:::%¶
##¶¤%*:~^¨ IN THE BLUE-GRAY FOG... SOMETHING IS ¨^~:*%¤¶##
¤%*:~¨¨¨¨¨ BURNING WITH A DEEP CRIMSON FLAME, ¨¨¨¨¨~:*%¤
¶¶%%*:^¨¨¨ UNTAMEABLE BY WATER OR WIND. ¨¨¨^:*%%¶¶
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