##@§$**=^. .^=**$§@##
@@@§$**=^. .^=**$§@@@
§$$$**==^. .^==**$$$§
@@@§$**=^. .^=**$§@@@
@$**==.... ....==**$@
@§$$$**=^. ...^^^****************************^^^... .^=**$$$§@
§**^...... .^* 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 ^*= ..^===**§@
@@$**^.... .^= CARS..... ^=. ....^**$@@
§$*^^..... ...^^^****************************^^^... .....^^*$§
@@@§$**=^. .^=**$§@@@
@@§§$**=^. .^=**$§§@@
@@@§$**=^. .^=**$§@@@
@§***===^. .^===***§@
§$**^..... .....^**$§