392Please respect copyright.PENANALAr3o5zRzo
392Please respect copyright.PENANA131MLs0coC
"Mummy, look!" 392Please respect copyright.PENANA9XS9SJ4WGz
Tap, tap. 392Please respect copyright.PENANAjZvgJe6hL8
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 392Please respect copyright.PENANAooCtuekFqE
Tap, tap.392Please respect copyright.PENANAE6yH5fwj7X
"Mummy, save me."392Please respect copyright.PENANAaP6ghjjeIt
Tap, tap.392Please respect copyright.PENANAQt3aY3DFCF
"Alright you better shut392Please respect copyright.PENANAGP35qh8fsh
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 392Please respect copyright.PENANAk6xQr8MJwS
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 392Please respect copyright.PENANAIILZCBPal9
David was about to 392Please respect copyright.PENANAwve2XGXEqK
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the392Please respect copyright.PENANAjslHiP9c6S
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 392Please respect copyright.PENANAUiGlBWCy81
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 392Please respect copyright.PENANAIAahDxb6tz
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 392Please respect copyright.PENANASEDhtKdlwf
eerily lifelike.392Please respect copyright.PENANAHD3lUkZpQy
Then it clicked, the 392Please respect copyright.PENANAHeI11Udyd9
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 392Please respect copyright.PENANAfjuSoAtnlS
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 392Please respect copyright.PENANA1ZgpRvna56
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he392Please respect copyright.PENANA5t0qloEs91
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 392Please respect copyright.PENANAy9er9UvWMw
back? Was he dead after all? 392Please respect copyright.PENANA7P0QkhHFly
All of those thoughts, 392Please respect copyright.PENANABhE6AhihV4
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 392Please respect copyright.PENANAG9CV4dz08e
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.392Please respect copyright.PENANAOtZwbUgaYq
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.392Please respect copyright.PENANAT8NlWe63Cs
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 392Please respect copyright.PENANAzOnmyBdxDU
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"392Please respect copyright.PENANAcnsuZKzHrO
"There, there. Get it 392Please respect copyright.PENANAz3zzZTwljl
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 392Please respect copyright.PENANARVtjVn2Jyl
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 392Please respect copyright.PENANAZbRPxjU024
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 392Please respect copyright.PENANAOMcq20xjOt
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 392Please respect copyright.PENANAy44YKaFtRF
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 392Please respect copyright.PENANAYUm6agaBJQ
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.392Please respect copyright.PENANAGiQOxvpfEh
It was quite disconcerting. 392Please respect copyright.PENANAgOhh8Gxg57
"All done now?" The 392Please respect copyright.PENANAV2JgOCY0r1
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 392Please respect copyright.PENANApdgCFDwhJU
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 392Please respect copyright.PENANAipLnfvFgs2
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 392Please respect copyright.PENANAnGb1sh3bSe
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 392Please respect copyright.PENANAl46kxBtTwr
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.392Please respect copyright.PENANAmyi8tEuwtf
Its clothes were quite 392Please respect copyright.PENANAFs5bGPGxem
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person392Please respect copyright.PENANA9dC93wT14d
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 392Please respect copyright.PENANAYNayWANwP7
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 392Please respect copyright.PENANAZ46yHntCPS
changed both color and shape.392Please respect copyright.PENANA4Q9LQ9ugeq
The figure tilted its 392Please respect copyright.PENANA425cQLD0ML
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 392Please respect copyright.PENANAo6bTe1xHp8
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 392Please respect copyright.PENANAND38ABShla
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?392Please respect copyright.PENANAgPor1IBCpR
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.392Please respect copyright.PENANAPwQM2H5K9A
"Indeed" 392Please respect copyright.PENANAkRPFWuJhbK
Tap, tap, tap.392Please respect copyright.PENANAD3nivVxl8A
David flinched at the 392Please respect copyright.PENANAQK60dNNM0S
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 392Please respect copyright.PENANA6CANX5cNaJ
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,392Please respect copyright.PENANA5i3upCWzGE
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 392Please respect copyright.PENANAFLjooJDYp9
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 392Please respect copyright.PENANAb5p9Zp4Uo8
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 392Please respect copyright.PENANAYIM5dD9liL
into piracy)392Please respect copyright.PENANA6T1afL4OPZ
Leaders and followers 392Please respect copyright.PENANAuPnp9ljMxZ
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 392Please respect copyright.PENANAav14OpKUc6
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 392Please respect copyright.PENANAppBXWUNtzV
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then392Please respect copyright.PENANAfpilhSaEVs
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 392Please respect copyright.PENANADzyf9fcH1R
yourself to someone else.392Please respect copyright.PENANAFsx2eyEHXT
This was not so 392Please respect copyright.PENANAkVwm2jij2n
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the392Please respect copyright.PENANACtsihWOmTp
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 392Please respect copyright.PENANAI2ejN6b0HC
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 392Please respect copyright.PENANA0PcbtMYnXy
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 392Please respect copyright.PENANAyrE6x3CFdA
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.392Please respect copyright.PENANA4XyjA9EpzQ
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.392Please respect copyright.PENANAqKegoXr2zx
The figure gave a 392Please respect copyright.PENANAuJe1NrP2pK
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up392Please respect copyright.PENANAy0V7DLRFL4
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 392Please respect copyright.PENANA3FWRKGV3XX
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 392Please respect copyright.PENANAEEDUUY7PiY
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 392Please respect copyright.PENANAuEvA41YhnR
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 392Please respect copyright.PENANAIqzk3GssNI
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 392Please respect copyright.PENANAoDBaxIeYGs
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 392Please respect copyright.PENANAyWOd6U5ZEz
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.392Please respect copyright.PENANAqMs25vwZ2X
David looked at him 392Please respect copyright.PENANAnkEzE6dLK9
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly392Please respect copyright.PENANAp9Y1Dwf0Xp
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 392Please respect copyright.PENANA0KqURekT3t
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was392Please respect copyright.PENANAM15vXed4TV
interrupted by a raised hand.392Please respect copyright.PENANArvb2WXSzlX
"Yes, yes you're a slow 392Please respect copyright.PENANAdxllsGMx9V
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 392Please respect copyright.PENANAA0KupwQpWo
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 392Please respect copyright.PENANAO8pMtGtVQF
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 392Please respect copyright.PENANAmQmDfwzX3f
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 392Please respect copyright.PENANAYEJ4BCdMIv
that, you should feel dead honored"392Please respect copyright.PENANAwnVNP7dIrL
David was having trouble392Please respect copyright.PENANA9S6eOdJNCB
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 392Please respect copyright.PENANAnx0EN1pIwJ
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."392Please respect copyright.PENANAw5EVsiUImT
But David didn't get to 392Please respect copyright.PENANAWdfukCICQn
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 392Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3LHGMCWyg
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 392Please respect copyright.PENANA0CED5Kj9h0
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"392Please respect copyright.PENANAkzxj0Hxn8K
A pause, David was 392Please respect copyright.PENANArOZUBgoOQc
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 392Please respect copyright.PENANAiSCAEazkWR
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 392Please respect copyright.PENANAdf0w3jPf72
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 392Please respect copyright.PENANA0UdQV5FT09
Jester made a clock 392Please respect copyright.PENANAvhzdyAjgVd
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 392Please respect copyright.PENANAaXiUin50BU
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 392Please respect copyright.PENANA0ebayNqeXf
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 392Please respect copyright.PENANAGhlS5NFdLO
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."392Please respect copyright.PENANAfVP6XhTfrF
David was about to ask 392Please respect copyright.PENANASofNE0vmtg
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 392Please respect copyright.PENANA4BhhuqJ7dK
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 392Please respect copyright.PENANAzdHyj0juFI
convince David at all.392Please respect copyright.PENANAZK2mnwQ7k7
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 392Please respect copyright.PENANA9nyTUi0zVr
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.392Please respect copyright.PENANACCl8IP1IWU
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
ns 172.70.100.80da2