412Please respect copyright.PENANANSUzw1wntL
412Please respect copyright.PENANAQffW7iGvk2
"Mummy, look!" 412Please respect copyright.PENANAMwSPowTfrM
Tap, tap. 412Please respect copyright.PENANAJWn18Pyi2e
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 412Please respect copyright.PENANA69SkiNLP7c
Tap, tap.412Please respect copyright.PENANAeoSYin66dh
"Mummy, save me."412Please respect copyright.PENANApNn7SJKp9H
Tap, tap.412Please respect copyright.PENANAaUfk4IpKcv
"Alright you better shut412Please respect copyright.PENANAJsGyd5O7e2
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 412Please respect copyright.PENANAi4nEJVKdsZ
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 412Please respect copyright.PENANAfauKcnkPPe
David was about to 412Please respect copyright.PENANAx9CoJqPKPe
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the412Please respect copyright.PENANAyzRAN2B8si
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 412Please respect copyright.PENANA0E627fn4iO
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 412Please respect copyright.PENANAbsAPIbq4xH
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 412Please respect copyright.PENANAJVzDdX0tqc
eerily lifelike.412Please respect copyright.PENANA3HY09MdCWl
Then it clicked, the 412Please respect copyright.PENANATsgAovvK8E
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 412Please respect copyright.PENANAfiOvwt8epU
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 412Please respect copyright.PENANAAn6YMM9EOJ
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he412Please respect copyright.PENANAPSIYf1z98r
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 412Please respect copyright.PENANAHq9nscP27R
back? Was he dead after all? 412Please respect copyright.PENANAetngvD0oao
All of those thoughts, 412Please respect copyright.PENANALfKoHpwdTf
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 412Please respect copyright.PENANApizm7mV8E9
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.412Please respect copyright.PENANAjF8pr0SrAH
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.412Please respect copyright.PENANAsRIAWW3iMf
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 412Please respect copyright.PENANAqB4wyki69k
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"412Please respect copyright.PENANA73twL1pk2e
"There, there. Get it 412Please respect copyright.PENANAWnPWwB5tZC
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 412Please respect copyright.PENANApQmqvh6BBz
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 412Please respect copyright.PENANAlGc0NgMHQI
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 412Please respect copyright.PENANATdk4Cx9AEn
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 412Please respect copyright.PENANAUTvaR7s43r
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 412Please respect copyright.PENANAXtKGJlx2IE
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.412Please respect copyright.PENANAGlrYZXtPUa
It was quite disconcerting. 412Please respect copyright.PENANAsTfSym4Ad5
"All done now?" The 412Please respect copyright.PENANA19bDevxJym
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 412Please respect copyright.PENANA7ltFRHT8bj
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 412Please respect copyright.PENANANl9QDs7eeU
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 412Please respect copyright.PENANAe54FNsPobL
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 412Please respect copyright.PENANAFPa1UKCIbC
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.412Please respect copyright.PENANAlmBbIQzflS
Its clothes were quite 412Please respect copyright.PENANAauAdGDqkRd
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person412Please respect copyright.PENANA5mmlq9RYMN
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 412Please respect copyright.PENANAU0exfdV7i5
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 412Please respect copyright.PENANA1swUA92Y3J
changed both color and shape.412Please respect copyright.PENANAlo98ycuH0m
The figure tilted its 412Please respect copyright.PENANAp4m6jBLo3Y
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 412Please respect copyright.PENANAhQeIJ2jt4L
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 412Please respect copyright.PENANA99ZLFp8H8z
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?412Please respect copyright.PENANAvkdMXLbxce
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.412Please respect copyright.PENANAS0HpyONDBY
"Indeed" 412Please respect copyright.PENANAThgUdkHwML
Tap, tap, tap.412Please respect copyright.PENANAx7BoN5adlB
David flinched at the 412Please respect copyright.PENANAo4vN2otBjd
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 412Please respect copyright.PENANAktTQDXRV55
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,412Please respect copyright.PENANA62kKGQwM9N
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 412Please respect copyright.PENANAofeYzdrT6i
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 412Please respect copyright.PENANAjjJNBBy828
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 412Please respect copyright.PENANAdLEsiUxSsE
into piracy)412Please respect copyright.PENANAmSXXaPVjg1
Leaders and followers 412Please respect copyright.PENANA1RiZsxdlTu
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 412Please respect copyright.PENANAdJ6PpsDCly
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 412Please respect copyright.PENANAGk4aNRgS8N
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then412Please respect copyright.PENANAElx0TTQ3w4
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 412Please respect copyright.PENANAGHvS5kA4b1
yourself to someone else.412Please respect copyright.PENANAHkmFzbU82k
This was not so 412Please respect copyright.PENANAZfamYHYakN
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the412Please respect copyright.PENANAxNwTUyObeg
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 412Please respect copyright.PENANAHqpGQ4EUrJ
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 412Please respect copyright.PENANAbcSYJ80nDf
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 412Please respect copyright.PENANAhlVyzmWALP
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.412Please respect copyright.PENANA8Ao09m9OLN
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.412Please respect copyright.PENANAXLzHJZPUSZ
The figure gave a 412Please respect copyright.PENANALtvKJsyOjI
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up412Please respect copyright.PENANAYEkd2mFZsy
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 412Please respect copyright.PENANAgYg37qyYeo
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 412Please respect copyright.PENANAzH5GdoBVr6
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 412Please respect copyright.PENANAgDW8l41pfr
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 412Please respect copyright.PENANAom34xf1N9R
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 412Please respect copyright.PENANAfYUbbleEC1
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 412Please respect copyright.PENANAIqwKTc3kwU
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.412Please respect copyright.PENANAB3uup6nMX6
David looked at him 412Please respect copyright.PENANA3re0nikiZm
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly412Please respect copyright.PENANAS3Rk7Uebfn
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 412Please respect copyright.PENANAYzyxQUuato
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was412Please respect copyright.PENANAP13T43f3ix
interrupted by a raised hand.412Please respect copyright.PENANA6i5Yu4K6IN
"Yes, yes you're a slow 412Please respect copyright.PENANAsRfgJJi50i
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 412Please respect copyright.PENANAZYIgF27veD
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 412Please respect copyright.PENANAQWhOctQKU4
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 412Please respect copyright.PENANA6NgkcVCH8V
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 412Please respect copyright.PENANAJLmeY106aR
that, you should feel dead honored"412Please respect copyright.PENANAfI6TvLJZ3Z
David was having trouble412Please respect copyright.PENANAZ45xpwGkeD
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 412Please respect copyright.PENANA7UXPmsgOyB
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."412Please respect copyright.PENANAptG0xOwcAy
But David didn't get to 412Please respect copyright.PENANA3EmC7pOnlm
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 412Please respect copyright.PENANAedcCykNSyh
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 412Please respect copyright.PENANAN9BJLBtwwm
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"412Please respect copyright.PENANAX2jeT6wc9J
A pause, David was 412Please respect copyright.PENANAlG9f2U54t0
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 412Please respect copyright.PENANAjch4nmylYa
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 412Please respect copyright.PENANAgo85VINLHZ
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 412Please respect copyright.PENANAOSUdK0CdHf
Jester made a clock 412Please respect copyright.PENANAq5FDRmnJbr
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 412Please respect copyright.PENANA7OqOk2lEOD
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 412Please respect copyright.PENANAHlzGQY7kiA
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 412Please respect copyright.PENANAd6h9yXUv6p
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."412Please respect copyright.PENANA2sTn0ShkaY
David was about to ask 412Please respect copyright.PENANAeesmm8BrQp
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 412Please respect copyright.PENANA08iCzIkDUC
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 412Please respect copyright.PENANAONW8iZzQZQ
convince David at all.412Please respect copyright.PENANAA39rSMHbb7
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 412Please respect copyright.PENANAH4pYq3e4Ba
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.412Please respect copyright.PENANAgC46Mw1dhs
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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