......:=*= =*=:......
.......:=* *=:.......
........:= =:........
.........: :.........
.......... ..........
.......... ...:::****************************:::... ..........
.......... .:* 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..... :=. ..........
.........: ...:::****************************:::... :.........
........:= =:........
.......:=* *=:.......
......:=*= =*=:......
.....:=*=% %=*=:.....
....:=*=%# #%=*=:....