.¤¤¤.¤¤¤.. ¤...¤..¤¤¤
¤¤..¤¤..¤. .¤..¤¤.¤..
¤.¤.¤.¤.¤¤ ¤¤¤.¤.¤¤¤.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤. ...¤¤¤¤..¤
.........¤ ...¤...¤.¤
¤........¤ ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ¤..¤¤..¤¤¤
.¤.......¤ .~^ 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..... ~=. ....¤.¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤.¤¤.¤ ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ....¤¤¤...
¤....¤¤.¤¤ ¤...¤..¤..
¤¤...¤.¤¤. ¤¤..¤¤.¤¤.
¤.¤..¤¤¤.¤ ..¤.¤.¤¤.¤
.¤¤¤.¤..¤¤ ..¤¤¤¤¤.¤¤
¤¤..¤¤¤.¤. ¤.¤....¤¤.