400Please respect copyright.PENANA3PesZiKhOR
400Please respect copyright.PENANAdyEWYNIL2Q
"Mummy, look!" 400Please respect copyright.PENANAge70P5SR0X
Tap, tap. 400Please respect copyright.PENANAPhds2BTpRp
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 400Please respect copyright.PENANAATFPFwKufO
Tap, tap.400Please respect copyright.PENANAx5UTQdNsO2
"Mummy, save me."400Please respect copyright.PENANAXM0mEyRx84
Tap, tap.400Please respect copyright.PENANAHD879mp6tc
"Alright you better shut400Please respect copyright.PENANABv4ayD2gxU
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 400Please respect copyright.PENANApgKWzIp7zU
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 400Please respect copyright.PENANA8Z2eQo6Drm
David was about to 400Please respect copyright.PENANAJLWtNKGHJd
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the400Please respect copyright.PENANAPktF7GuH6k
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 400Please respect copyright.PENANA9rnSVRrBSG
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 400Please respect copyright.PENANACtvYYAB1dl
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 400Please respect copyright.PENANALQdLlvDiC8
eerily lifelike.400Please respect copyright.PENANAikkBEcCovX
Then it clicked, the 400Please respect copyright.PENANAawxUpLzrXW
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 400Please respect copyright.PENANACaozn2zGQ9
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 400Please respect copyright.PENANAMI4T4F47U0
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he400Please respect copyright.PENANABR89MscbWI
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 400Please respect copyright.PENANAvPrASfx6oy
back? Was he dead after all? 400Please respect copyright.PENANAc3fRCIgZMz
All of those thoughts, 400Please respect copyright.PENANAdDQDBdnYga
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 400Please respect copyright.PENANA8OdCpOja6m
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.400Please respect copyright.PENANAIGkqr0K9Yg
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.400Please respect copyright.PENANARngdqGXpcU
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 400Please respect copyright.PENANA9t3Q4vz9DS
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"400Please respect copyright.PENANA2NIecwzDnB
"There, there. Get it 400Please respect copyright.PENANAvCR8tQ2Wmq
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 400Please respect copyright.PENANA068MMoiAGF
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 400Please respect copyright.PENANACAnmAk4gg4
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 400Please respect copyright.PENANAHAIl3Luu4g
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 400Please respect copyright.PENANA5WCklxW3yd
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 400Please respect copyright.PENANAuYxEEHs4X5
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.400Please respect copyright.PENANAVBTh6NOmfA
It was quite disconcerting. 400Please respect copyright.PENANAfibKm1xeHM
"All done now?" The 400Please respect copyright.PENANA3M6pZHglbx
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 400Please respect copyright.PENANAbuXKekRtjQ
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 400Please respect copyright.PENANAD8DXXQGCUr
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 400Please respect copyright.PENANALttFG4169x
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 400Please respect copyright.PENANAVdBLkSn8vg
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.400Please respect copyright.PENANANLhhekvJes
Its clothes were quite 400Please respect copyright.PENANAYSOWyOg8Nz
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person400Please respect copyright.PENANAsLCTY8sbSA
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 400Please respect copyright.PENANAWjQ9XN90iE
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 400Please respect copyright.PENANAw1N3PNPSPL
changed both color and shape.400Please respect copyright.PENANAABxMVlSS2z
The figure tilted its 400Please respect copyright.PENANAt2krETgOcd
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 400Please respect copyright.PENANAqiaAiNeiWh
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 400Please respect copyright.PENANAzmjWdB6926
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?400Please respect copyright.PENANAeaabJ6HGpd
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.400Please respect copyright.PENANAxGt9VhFLZ3
"Indeed" 400Please respect copyright.PENANAW8qlKNBoOO
Tap, tap, tap.400Please respect copyright.PENANAtb5xlZP4Z7
David flinched at the 400Please respect copyright.PENANAu7vQzmx5QR
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 400Please respect copyright.PENANAa01QOri7w9
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,400Please respect copyright.PENANAgLTWpHfqSN
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 400Please respect copyright.PENANA4nCDP8Op8K
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 400Please respect copyright.PENANA1pFCoAMcys
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 400Please respect copyright.PENANA0AvEbUjSug
into piracy)400Please respect copyright.PENANAELcxRrNEKy
Leaders and followers 400Please respect copyright.PENANAcdpc85gy1i
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 400Please respect copyright.PENANA9c8eQX1tCh
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 400Please respect copyright.PENANA68k3BN8D8n
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then400Please respect copyright.PENANAuV1QdjAOWl
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 400Please respect copyright.PENANAoAqZqKN4Cy
yourself to someone else.400Please respect copyright.PENANAktPS1kPmD1
This was not so 400Please respect copyright.PENANAfU5iq12FJq
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the400Please respect copyright.PENANAaeBKeydSQA
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 400Please respect copyright.PENANAtywhSFFaKl
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 400Please respect copyright.PENANAxwHhH4YsRz
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 400Please respect copyright.PENANAyUFhPrnWbe
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.400Please respect copyright.PENANAQWaiWrafm1
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.400Please respect copyright.PENANASIGbGwDz9m
The figure gave a 400Please respect copyright.PENANAnQgESwNhpr
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up400Please respect copyright.PENANAKmoqDkbh2C
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 400Please respect copyright.PENANA8ymG1RSaVU
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 400Please respect copyright.PENANAdAzNl5zPku
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 400Please respect copyright.PENANAf5QLCaaw7n
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 400Please respect copyright.PENANAMPN9tHqPvw
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 400Please respect copyright.PENANARsxMIpr8Lu
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 400Please respect copyright.PENANAHsoinXr3l3
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.400Please respect copyright.PENANAirFl7ylvD0
David looked at him 400Please respect copyright.PENANAdMriGskUri
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly400Please respect copyright.PENANAtcONu8U5F6
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 400Please respect copyright.PENANASkk9PnSMuo
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was400Please respect copyright.PENANAZ9RaSmH22y
interrupted by a raised hand.400Please respect copyright.PENANANcb5yLter2
"Yes, yes you're a slow 400Please respect copyright.PENANAo6E7xlAsza
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 400Please respect copyright.PENANA1BXSLIyDnG
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 400Please respect copyright.PENANA0QZeCAFJNd
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 400Please respect copyright.PENANAirNetCTj9l
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 400Please respect copyright.PENANAMPRAKdSC4Q
that, you should feel dead honored"400Please respect copyright.PENANAtFsXaJEJq5
David was having trouble400Please respect copyright.PENANAVJy0ZA9Xy8
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 400Please respect copyright.PENANAO48tVAsNlT
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."400Please respect copyright.PENANASexy71Pdqv
But David didn't get to 400Please respect copyright.PENANA81Z0ZOD9MS
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 400Please respect copyright.PENANApIZlImSlBg
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 400Please respect copyright.PENANAXMEI2EzB44
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"400Please respect copyright.PENANAhRNFxILuCo
A pause, David was 400Please respect copyright.PENANAN664S9nGmi
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 400Please respect copyright.PENANAiRG5M1A3cb
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 400Please respect copyright.PENANA5CjtIF3OPF
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 400Please respect copyright.PENANAfTyP8PJMki
Jester made a clock 400Please respect copyright.PENANAgMgVuQliPL
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 400Please respect copyright.PENANA7gqF6GnlHR
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 400Please respect copyright.PENANA8Iu3A0zqLS
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 400Please respect copyright.PENANAvi9hQNhtBR
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."400Please respect copyright.PENANAEFskHDULN2
David was about to ask 400Please respect copyright.PENANAN7PjWB3vNX
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 400Please respect copyright.PENANAqYNvLQkq0X
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 400Please respect copyright.PENANAe5vyNpgV3V
convince David at all.400Please respect copyright.PENANAPoFrWepVmh
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 400Please respect copyright.PENANALhZvcAndtb
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.400Please respect copyright.PENANAMsOivQOWiK
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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