416Please respect copyright.PENANAoRI0iQ8ksL
416Please respect copyright.PENANAlkv8NZtrqL
"Mummy, look!" 416Please respect copyright.PENANAgJEApLvYqd
Tap, tap. 416Please respect copyright.PENANAbxrUT0dWXG
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 416Please respect copyright.PENANA6B31vErAmE
Tap, tap.416Please respect copyright.PENANAB5Rylcljvr
"Mummy, save me."416Please respect copyright.PENANAdlg5X1EtA6
Tap, tap.416Please respect copyright.PENANA15mrhEww7C
"Alright you better shut416Please respect copyright.PENANABIKLGNq2jS
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 416Please respect copyright.PENANAjpiZYokOKr
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 416Please respect copyright.PENANAows359oZWE
David was about to 416Please respect copyright.PENANAcDecoGS6dQ
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the416Please respect copyright.PENANAdGOmxOX8D4
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 416Please respect copyright.PENANAemf2rQaNXc
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 416Please respect copyright.PENANAswNn8Eh3Yv
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 416Please respect copyright.PENANAW0fxynDKpC
eerily lifelike.416Please respect copyright.PENANA1oQjUWynxq
Then it clicked, the 416Please respect copyright.PENANALWxSObHid2
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 416Please respect copyright.PENANAwHg6u2VrML
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 416Please respect copyright.PENANAMQu0eC6ZzV
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he416Please respect copyright.PENANAKxAo64IAGa
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 416Please respect copyright.PENANAobgNtZlQn3
back? Was he dead after all? 416Please respect copyright.PENANAdbs289DXa4
All of those thoughts, 416Please respect copyright.PENANAV8nMUbXL6a
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 416Please respect copyright.PENANAiGzFW180Yx
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.416Please respect copyright.PENANAZFbA4iWxb8
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.416Please respect copyright.PENANAJED7Van8wh
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 416Please respect copyright.PENANAM4iNERv5ON
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"416Please respect copyright.PENANAxSo7DToAmO
"There, there. Get it 416Please respect copyright.PENANALt13V0LPBO
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 416Please respect copyright.PENANALj6H9TfPPZ
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 416Please respect copyright.PENANAYkTLocCx3G
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 416Please respect copyright.PENANAuMVPjRYpGQ
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 416Please respect copyright.PENANATHrrsOkZug
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 416Please respect copyright.PENANA1u89bdAsxm
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.416Please respect copyright.PENANA0ktxzM9Gyt
It was quite disconcerting. 416Please respect copyright.PENANAwOKGXKwvew
"All done now?" The 416Please respect copyright.PENANA2BvIpC4Mqz
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 416Please respect copyright.PENANACFDIBv7mcR
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 416Please respect copyright.PENANAkp2S0m7l4U
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 416Please respect copyright.PENANAbnQMVbNF8L
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 416Please respect copyright.PENANAKcFRpFNwsU
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.416Please respect copyright.PENANAq6H43dnw6O
Its clothes were quite 416Please respect copyright.PENANAeqbgIfJvZT
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person416Please respect copyright.PENANAONZE26KyoX
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 416Please respect copyright.PENANACM0MhdOGFw
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 416Please respect copyright.PENANAJFE9xleXcG
changed both color and shape.416Please respect copyright.PENANAYNtMbtRMPq
The figure tilted its 416Please respect copyright.PENANAUpmIuHQUbz
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 416Please respect copyright.PENANAF04zYgPl2E
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 416Please respect copyright.PENANAlrI6CTdVat
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?416Please respect copyright.PENANAxxemfSM0NC
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.416Please respect copyright.PENANAlZUlFqtNMF
"Indeed" 416Please respect copyright.PENANAVVOGpvTAHH
Tap, tap, tap.416Please respect copyright.PENANABRgCXSf7Mi
David flinched at the 416Please respect copyright.PENANAgwTuqptBUo
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 416Please respect copyright.PENANAqC5UoEZq5m
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,416Please respect copyright.PENANAPv3iwThrza
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 416Please respect copyright.PENANAZvXYjhqXWE
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 416Please respect copyright.PENANAfmNeqF6obS
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 416Please respect copyright.PENANAerdcxEkkJq
into piracy)416Please respect copyright.PENANAVXR8LXLPIi
Leaders and followers 416Please respect copyright.PENANAASPkWRonPv
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 416Please respect copyright.PENANAn0bwJDQ6bf
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 416Please respect copyright.PENANAxHzirwA2LP
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then416Please respect copyright.PENANAaIpzQ73v2A
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 416Please respect copyright.PENANA6b6xIWcqlo
yourself to someone else.416Please respect copyright.PENANAIs2gjvWn9E
This was not so 416Please respect copyright.PENANAeEqbn0m7Fc
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the416Please respect copyright.PENANAIzuxQtjzi6
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 416Please respect copyright.PENANAv3PtFL21QO
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 416Please respect copyright.PENANAXkrtBdKq6C
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 416Please respect copyright.PENANAgTWh35ROwr
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.416Please respect copyright.PENANAF80uNe5GDk
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.416Please respect copyright.PENANAJX5tnTnYio
The figure gave a 416Please respect copyright.PENANAisgGprGDzk
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up416Please respect copyright.PENANAe784kjqeZX
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 416Please respect copyright.PENANAFu4tJUsZd2
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 416Please respect copyright.PENANAvDsfv6u3SU
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 416Please respect copyright.PENANAD0SKmlCq2j
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 416Please respect copyright.PENANACz7AqDC4Lr
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 416Please respect copyright.PENANA9nTA4vE6Pe
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 416Please respect copyright.PENANAFZDGJ5Wadu
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.416Please respect copyright.PENANAnay2qnyLkv
David looked at him 416Please respect copyright.PENANAIpzP7qWrwj
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly416Please respect copyright.PENANAH5mkXb7q1j
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 416Please respect copyright.PENANAFjbroBucVN
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was416Please respect copyright.PENANAxspfUtc7H4
interrupted by a raised hand.416Please respect copyright.PENANADJKBNqiu5M
"Yes, yes you're a slow 416Please respect copyright.PENANABDSmJftdiM
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 416Please respect copyright.PENANAOAj4kjfC3p
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 416Please respect copyright.PENANAKoya2y9o1v
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 416Please respect copyright.PENANAbZSzVcW8HU
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 416Please respect copyright.PENANAzhcbFeoT3o
that, you should feel dead honored"416Please respect copyright.PENANAjshqctKjcy
David was having trouble416Please respect copyright.PENANAXCHGIWtQfB
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 416Please respect copyright.PENANAoXeLoVBHOz
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."416Please respect copyright.PENANAhLRciqo0F8
But David didn't get to 416Please respect copyright.PENANAzcgicht4po
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 416Please respect copyright.PENANAvCwXAQIw7O
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 416Please respect copyright.PENANAHlnHH2cO5d
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"416Please respect copyright.PENANAqrU3jvVCB3
A pause, David was 416Please respect copyright.PENANAvuPPGMg0TT
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 416Please respect copyright.PENANA5ldF4KqGZV
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 416Please respect copyright.PENANAD2cKxPd9Uz
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 416Please respect copyright.PENANAVClMxBh9XH
Jester made a clock 416Please respect copyright.PENANAzwJnJNXjGn
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 416Please respect copyright.PENANAoTe168LWoy
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 416Please respect copyright.PENANA1zgWFcARGU
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 416Please respect copyright.PENANAvxXelMCi81
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."416Please respect copyright.PENANAEEPXDY3M8Q
David was about to ask 416Please respect copyright.PENANAyWxMrrOaz7
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 416Please respect copyright.PENANANpoZBpqr7T
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 416Please respect copyright.PENANA3KC2girxXi
convince David at all.416Please respect copyright.PENANA5jSQkZhObQ
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 416Please respect copyright.PENANASrTmIck0t5
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.416Please respect copyright.PENANACR78xvgm1a
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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