###@%*;~,, ,,~;*%@###
¤*~~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~~*¤
@¤%;;,,,,, ,,,,,;;%¤@
¤*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*¤
@@¤¤%*;~,, ,,~;*%¤¤@@
##@¤%*;~,, ,,,,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,,,, ,,~;*%¤@##
@%%;;;~~,, ,,; 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..... ,~, ,,,,,~~;%¤
@@%;;~,,,, ,,,,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,,,, ,,,,~;;%@@
##@¤%*;~,, ,,~;*%¤@##
###@¤%*;~, ,~;*%¤@###
###¤%*;~,, ,,~;*%¤###
##@¤%*;~,, ,,~;*%¤@##
@%%;;~~~,, ,,~~~;;%%@