##@¤£§\=~. .~=\§£¤@##
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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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