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¨~«/*£¤### /«~ 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. /«~ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
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¨¨~«/*£¤## /~« 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. ~«/ ###¤£*/«~¨
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¨~«/*£¤### «~/ WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS «/~ ###¤£*/«~¨
¨¨~«/*£¤## «/~ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE /«~ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
¨~«/*£¤### /«~ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY /~« ###¤£*/«~¨
¨¨~«/*£¤## ¨~« BREAKING IN. ~«¨ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
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¨~«/*£¤### ¨«/ 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. ~«/ ###¤£*/«~¨
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¨~«/*£¤### ~/« 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. «~/ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
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¨¨~«/*£¤## ~«/ 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. ~/¨ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
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¨¨~«/*£¤## ¨~/ 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. /«~ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
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¨¨~«/*£¤## /«~ 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. «~/ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
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¨¨~«/*£¤## «~/ IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY /«~ ##¤£*/«~¨¨
¨~«/*£¤### «/~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /~« ###¤£*/«~¨
¨¨~«/*£¤## /«~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~/« ##¤£*/«~¨¨
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