663Please respect copyright.PENANAR0hMnIV0k5
663Please respect copyright.PENANAqidS42laJ1
"Mummy, look!" 663Please respect copyright.PENANAGUehTat8UM
Tap, tap. 663Please respect copyright.PENANAIzMHZ3UM6L
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 663Please respect copyright.PENANA9wx1aRpPtO
Tap, tap.663Please respect copyright.PENANA3O477Jtppn
"Mummy, save me."663Please respect copyright.PENANAQbz80tR7c8
Tap, tap.663Please respect copyright.PENANAr5m60ZruZJ
"Alright you better shut663Please respect copyright.PENANAy6Y8w43tOC
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 663Please respect copyright.PENANASIz7OegfaV
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 663Please respect copyright.PENANA2TYh8745gx
David was about to 663Please respect copyright.PENANAjcpRfML5Jf
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the663Please respect copyright.PENANAaBEg9JHVSh
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 663Please respect copyright.PENANAH9r4PzeXo1
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 663Please respect copyright.PENANAIsIQ7i0zj9
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 663Please respect copyright.PENANA1m7lSlCSr9
eerily lifelike.663Please respect copyright.PENANAZCE4cCb9bq
Then it clicked, the 663Please respect copyright.PENANAPO7ajZqwAy
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 663Please respect copyright.PENANAwaJefURbLM
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 663Please respect copyright.PENANAUONzBcVWTm
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he663Please respect copyright.PENANAIrO6qaqkoN
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 663Please respect copyright.PENANALqI4dYkuFT
back? Was he dead after all? 663Please respect copyright.PENANATiiM4OiLDm
All of those thoughts, 663Please respect copyright.PENANAbOwxmbXoHC
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 663Please respect copyright.PENANAb21JbgeyoX
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.663Please respect copyright.PENANAFRv53UB0QJ
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.663Please respect copyright.PENANAXEfp5xeg0s
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 663Please respect copyright.PENANAG6XxmmEjRm
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"663Please respect copyright.PENANAn1esN9TwGJ
"There, there. Get it 663Please respect copyright.PENANAMH1byNvb7k
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 663Please respect copyright.PENANAN5VxkssGjI
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 663Please respect copyright.PENANALH2HId4qV3
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 663Please respect copyright.PENANAiCiBN5vv0K
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 663Please respect copyright.PENANAEv1Jh4D5Pk
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 663Please respect copyright.PENANAh4yjWaP8J7
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.663Please respect copyright.PENANAsZgSqHw2OU
It was quite disconcerting. 663Please respect copyright.PENANA3bnovdcuxd
"All done now?" The 663Please respect copyright.PENANAADshOXBNBU
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 663Please respect copyright.PENANAPSpjqU3Kz4
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 663Please respect copyright.PENANAgBxlV0t3xD
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 663Please respect copyright.PENANAI6uIPNjdvY
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 663Please respect copyright.PENANAYfCjQYJb0G
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.663Please respect copyright.PENANA7bECaZKL3u
Its clothes were quite 663Please respect copyright.PENANA1Y65cxr8nc
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person663Please respect copyright.PENANAcUHjaJEMkM
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 663Please respect copyright.PENANAwxoyrovNmX
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 663Please respect copyright.PENANA9q7LLYYC7a
changed both color and shape.663Please respect copyright.PENANAbJMKZViJoZ
The figure tilted its 663Please respect copyright.PENANA6vv6uakeuz
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 663Please respect copyright.PENANA9Ws7EBx9Ni
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 663Please respect copyright.PENANA2yJj9M5KF3
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?663Please respect copyright.PENANAIgBWbeVKFg
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.663Please respect copyright.PENANAszlF1KvqkR
"Indeed" 663Please respect copyright.PENANA6ukkBOB9g0
Tap, tap, tap.663Please respect copyright.PENANAqXmde3DCPN
David flinched at the 663Please respect copyright.PENANA67Wl58NDcG
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 663Please respect copyright.PENANAECghDAE0LJ
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,663Please respect copyright.PENANAzmW5C1mDKa
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 663Please respect copyright.PENANA9rXp8F5ugE
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 663Please respect copyright.PENANA2Uen4fjtMN
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 663Please respect copyright.PENANAl5MOPJ1rcZ
into piracy)663Please respect copyright.PENANAC9hhHElRCU
Leaders and followers 663Please respect copyright.PENANAEH2u412S99
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 663Please respect copyright.PENANAKXDCQ652Xj
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 663Please respect copyright.PENANA9H3J92exVN
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then663Please respect copyright.PENANAR0trJZnI5a
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 663Please respect copyright.PENANAvAQdxnGAx9
yourself to someone else.663Please respect copyright.PENANAMH2MONzdBh
This was not so 663Please respect copyright.PENANASZaxuWxAku
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the663Please respect copyright.PENANA69qdltTLd3
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 663Please respect copyright.PENANATZCwZfM8y7
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 663Please respect copyright.PENANAgGxrhG26WS
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 663Please respect copyright.PENANAjhuCBegRDP
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.663Please respect copyright.PENANA0IOznMKkZE
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.663Please respect copyright.PENANAHXqLLz3A1y
The figure gave a 663Please respect copyright.PENANA8go7i1WTZu
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up663Please respect copyright.PENANAmgQXFXnm9f
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 663Please respect copyright.PENANAbEt3KDwd5B
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 663Please respect copyright.PENANAyw7WiW2GCw
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 663Please respect copyright.PENANAVmk8kXqo9s
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 663Please respect copyright.PENANAotFTJJD6hQ
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 663Please respect copyright.PENANAeMAEBKIpnm
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 663Please respect copyright.PENANAOZRYXNsaCs
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.663Please respect copyright.PENANAsm6I0FqLnu
David looked at him 663Please respect copyright.PENANAXueVZAtX5b
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly663Please respect copyright.PENANA2ZAAoFY1c0
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 663Please respect copyright.PENANAVYdmWRwu0a
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was663Please respect copyright.PENANANbS8VaY3EE
interrupted by a raised hand.663Please respect copyright.PENANAV3qniO2F22
"Yes, yes you're a slow 663Please respect copyright.PENANA7Jluxcb2NI
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 663Please respect copyright.PENANAceu1FyY6Ec
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 663Please respect copyright.PENANAnN9VPhc0zm
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 663Please respect copyright.PENANA75NCQkYDrm
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 663Please respect copyright.PENANAKwF9tnRFsa
that, you should feel dead honored"663Please respect copyright.PENANAgOTrwnKpp4
David was having trouble663Please respect copyright.PENANAx9NbmGxcnA
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 663Please respect copyright.PENANAGMr5stWpsS
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."663Please respect copyright.PENANAC6FQ5HxzKA
But David didn't get to 663Please respect copyright.PENANAI1ZW7hAz8r
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 663Please respect copyright.PENANAlTWcbAx4h1
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 663Please respect copyright.PENANAn4kJOTVY0w
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"663Please respect copyright.PENANA4JDBIr5PQM
A pause, David was 663Please respect copyright.PENANAOQ7sSO4TUO
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 663Please respect copyright.PENANAmOV9UeHtQh
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 663Please respect copyright.PENANAaojIgdoi08
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 663Please respect copyright.PENANAGBnMvHBVEp
Jester made a clock 663Please respect copyright.PENANASA63ER2Xq4
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 663Please respect copyright.PENANAVMEeRxIFCL
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 663Please respect copyright.PENANA65MH9FBPL6
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 663Please respect copyright.PENANAIQN7beJFIq
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."663Please respect copyright.PENANAEgggoZyfTt
David was about to ask 663Please respect copyright.PENANAy86QpPnTqq
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 663Please respect copyright.PENANAgmkiZivO66
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 663Please respect copyright.PENANAsJ8dum1hl6
convince David at all.663Please respect copyright.PENANA6wnmFf8zZn
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 663Please respect copyright.PENANA67XfieyhX1
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.663Please respect copyright.PENANArW5GZWKEWK
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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