¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§ ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨§§¨¨§§¨§§ ¨¨§§§¨§¨¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨§ ¨§¨¨§§§¨¨¨
§§§§§§¨§§¨ §§¨§¨¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨ ¨§§§¨§§¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§§§ ¨¨¨~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~¨¨¨ §¨¨§§¨§§§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨§ ¨~^ 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..... ~»¨ ¨§§¨§§¨§¨¨
¨¨§§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~¨¨¨ §¨§§¨§§§¨§
¨§¨§§¨§¨¨¨ §§¨§§¨¨§§§
§§§¨§§§¨¨§ ¨§§¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨§§¨¨§¨§§ §¨§§§§§¨§¨
¨§¨§¨§§§¨¨ §§¨¨¨¨§§§¨
§§§§§¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨