##....#..# .......###
#..##..... ######..##
......###. .####....#
.####..#.. ..##..##..
..##...... #........#
.....##### ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ..######..
####..#### .,\ 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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