661Please respect copyright.PENANAOIqWOb8CMM
661Please respect copyright.PENANAIKx8pyzokM
"Mummy, look!" 661Please respect copyright.PENANALFFHMrFsqg
Tap, tap. 661Please respect copyright.PENANANPcxUuynHB
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 661Please respect copyright.PENANA37MJWh4sV6
Tap, tap.661Please respect copyright.PENANAORCyblIFYm
"Mummy, save me."661Please respect copyright.PENANAE4sCJ5BM6X
Tap, tap.661Please respect copyright.PENANA8Z5cejQcqr
"Alright you better shut661Please respect copyright.PENANAhgZcBaqIxj
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 661Please respect copyright.PENANA3Hlhxfx0go
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 661Please respect copyright.PENANApjn2p5ObsY
David was about to 661Please respect copyright.PENANAkMPGFzurth
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the661Please respect copyright.PENANA5RymUdcpVS
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 661Please respect copyright.PENANAZGvyjIFED4
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 661Please respect copyright.PENANALiG0FTQMpL
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 661Please respect copyright.PENANA57ZW2yKpHy
eerily lifelike.661Please respect copyright.PENANAx7aW1aZaN7
Then it clicked, the 661Please respect copyright.PENANA8QxL5k8NgO
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 661Please respect copyright.PENANANpqU5MYCLe
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 661Please respect copyright.PENANAAZtMLd9I6J
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he661Please respect copyright.PENANAw3wEENNXOZ
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 661Please respect copyright.PENANAjTypGkSBvk
back? Was he dead after all? 661Please respect copyright.PENANAr5f8sXvTXu
All of those thoughts, 661Please respect copyright.PENANA4irtcMIRxO
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 661Please respect copyright.PENANAJqWC1Igock
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.661Please respect copyright.PENANAm14tzVI4xr
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.661Please respect copyright.PENANAy1xgmtyESV
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 661Please respect copyright.PENANA6CbhdbHyjU
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"661Please respect copyright.PENANAoZWeWkMWJW
"There, there. Get it 661Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3MZxGrq7Y
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 661Please respect copyright.PENANAWiKQ3PQbB2
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 661Please respect copyright.PENANAoC8PFunhZp
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 661Please respect copyright.PENANAub8R27RNs8
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 661Please respect copyright.PENANAUmhqTZ0g8J
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 661Please respect copyright.PENANAZySS0JcAIT
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.661Please respect copyright.PENANAr6PWWpd89x
It was quite disconcerting. 661Please respect copyright.PENANA16zt54uHdu
"All done now?" The 661Please respect copyright.PENANAqQkzDK55Ub
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 661Please respect copyright.PENANA3hIRPyQNel
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 661Please respect copyright.PENANACq8ErzrSZo
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 661Please respect copyright.PENANA46TWdT6bPm
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 661Please respect copyright.PENANANJcxlB18ud
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.661Please respect copyright.PENANAd8aR79TcjF
Its clothes were quite 661Please respect copyright.PENANA4OahsM1pBL
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person661Please respect copyright.PENANApObazXzg68
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 661Please respect copyright.PENANA3LibwhmMtH
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 661Please respect copyright.PENANADbMBdZeq8v
changed both color and shape.661Please respect copyright.PENANAyGVazOP26m
The figure tilted its 661Please respect copyright.PENANAOCQHpst2bf
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 661Please respect copyright.PENANA8RbB2dGZeZ
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 661Please respect copyright.PENANAC5xkoa4DIc
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?661Please respect copyright.PENANACwtppm4pvz
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.661Please respect copyright.PENANAtaKAJY6xt8
"Indeed" 661Please respect copyright.PENANAMyG4y3eK2j
Tap, tap, tap.661Please respect copyright.PENANAMa5sZfo4Zs
David flinched at the 661Please respect copyright.PENANAOQPDQ379l6
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 661Please respect copyright.PENANAYrGFPMdWXN
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,661Please respect copyright.PENANABj7MQPQrPj
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 661Please respect copyright.PENANATP3YiBgrTN
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 661Please respect copyright.PENANANnPRKv1l7V
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 661Please respect copyright.PENANAQDLb525icw
into piracy)661Please respect copyright.PENANARr6WWT1wUZ
Leaders and followers 661Please respect copyright.PENANAgCopNWM5iF
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 661Please respect copyright.PENANAnR4s3ynfHB
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 661Please respect copyright.PENANAjcIGMXJuZ1
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then661Please respect copyright.PENANA760D9BwKiJ
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 661Please respect copyright.PENANAwffgsxNWML
yourself to someone else.661Please respect copyright.PENANAB5mQD3wC67
This was not so 661Please respect copyright.PENANAnVzIhKj62r
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the661Please respect copyright.PENANAnqhLqWy80w
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 661Please respect copyright.PENANAszd04lPZxC
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 661Please respect copyright.PENANAlSF0RZU2Ps
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 661Please respect copyright.PENANA2d1PlcWh9S
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.661Please respect copyright.PENANAbgGAvi8Lti
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.661Please respect copyright.PENANAaFklvu969B
The figure gave a 661Please respect copyright.PENANA4GeaPgCKjz
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up661Please respect copyright.PENANAW5fVL2g2ip
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 661Please respect copyright.PENANAjabuzgzzIO
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 661Please respect copyright.PENANA4CUKa92yd4
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 661Please respect copyright.PENANAevmRe6EBBH
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 661Please respect copyright.PENANAUqkx2lbJzH
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 661Please respect copyright.PENANACZ463Q7zTI
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 661Please respect copyright.PENANA5MNj5DffT7
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.661Please respect copyright.PENANA8h5MIj8eqm
David looked at him 661Please respect copyright.PENANAgLmg1YpAUV
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly661Please respect copyright.PENANAxSt1Gom1Jy
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 661Please respect copyright.PENANA7BrFR41TJc
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was661Please respect copyright.PENANAIxJGaRPRz5
interrupted by a raised hand.661Please respect copyright.PENANAbC4E22h7Sp
"Yes, yes you're a slow 661Please respect copyright.PENANAQ6IEZtjOW5
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 661Please respect copyright.PENANAQt0KAJqcvo
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 661Please respect copyright.PENANAUTmvvmjZKH
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 661Please respect copyright.PENANATYfNXbFWxj
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 661Please respect copyright.PENANA7RxmJBS4zo
that, you should feel dead honored"661Please respect copyright.PENANALfqX41REfD
David was having trouble661Please respect copyright.PENANAHu13HYlMsr
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 661Please respect copyright.PENANAkWMOn7deDi
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."661Please respect copyright.PENANAaEimVUHSii
But David didn't get to 661Please respect copyright.PENANAjFL35wJl4u
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 661Please respect copyright.PENANA1RSpMdGNs8
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 661Please respect copyright.PENANAXWuprJick5
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"661Please respect copyright.PENANAAIHqJAMWhJ
A pause, David was 661Please respect copyright.PENANA5NuVMnGLZY
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 661Please respect copyright.PENANA4dRzDwRJrj
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 661Please respect copyright.PENANATdkoi26Xgv
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 661Please respect copyright.PENANAtKxDemhC55
Jester made a clock 661Please respect copyright.PENANAe799eqkXuP
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 661Please respect copyright.PENANAoM0TdAYp24
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 661Please respect copyright.PENANAbICCFQGHeX
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 661Please respect copyright.PENANAV8dlkOp9oE
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."661Please respect copyright.PENANAcUh6a8qavV
David was about to ask 661Please respect copyright.PENANA7BZHwnbaLQ
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 661Please respect copyright.PENANA3DLIOUinAA
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 661Please respect copyright.PENANAl0btpQ9kkA
convince David at all.661Please respect copyright.PENANAN6Hc3eYsN0
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 661Please respect copyright.PENANA3ml8RJ1ppW
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.661Please respect copyright.PENANAGQgWOKM0nq
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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