407Please respect copyright.PENANA0GbuEtROy4
407Please respect copyright.PENANAlrky8XkwUZ
"Mummy, look!" 407Please respect copyright.PENANAgHjXQfgBb9
Tap, tap. 407Please respect copyright.PENANA4BhKHblvOE
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 407Please respect copyright.PENANAfsbg8o1VEN
Tap, tap.407Please respect copyright.PENANAIEUR9ZUAVq
"Mummy, save me."407Please respect copyright.PENANA0NzR087MlW
Tap, tap.407Please respect copyright.PENANA2iXj3pzrBi
"Alright you better shut407Please respect copyright.PENANA1YADSMAUVr
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 407Please respect copyright.PENANAO0S1mpFFZA
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 407Please respect copyright.PENANA9JY5Rg5CnU
David was about to 407Please respect copyright.PENANAlfGWGmd551
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the407Please respect copyright.PENANAy8Sdobiiiq
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 407Please respect copyright.PENANAkgwcG4vSTc
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 407Please respect copyright.PENANADOCnBILyQG
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 407Please respect copyright.PENANAtdKPqCLJaC
eerily lifelike.407Please respect copyright.PENANABemfeRteVN
Then it clicked, the 407Please respect copyright.PENANA5sPVnBgxEC
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 407Please respect copyright.PENANAhIuE8zAmCb
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 407Please respect copyright.PENANAPCX2OXWiGL
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he407Please respect copyright.PENANARZuiu96Jr3
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 407Please respect copyright.PENANA3CBfh0yb5j
back? Was he dead after all? 407Please respect copyright.PENANABi4ZmU2Ksi
All of those thoughts, 407Please respect copyright.PENANATD6D8zYTms
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 407Please respect copyright.PENANAm2yuaNDJCX
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.407Please respect copyright.PENANAqS2gTOfqX4
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.407Please respect copyright.PENANA6jmip45h1J
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 407Please respect copyright.PENANAy4nFJfYp7H
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"407Please respect copyright.PENANAiiB3ArmmN1
"There, there. Get it 407Please respect copyright.PENANAzzk82hdGb1
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 407Please respect copyright.PENANA0aPXsZmC3A
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 407Please respect copyright.PENANAnoVcAoUPce
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 407Please respect copyright.PENANA13xqbajlnP
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 407Please respect copyright.PENANA4S9O7y2xzS
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 407Please respect copyright.PENANA1RZysne4ws
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.407Please respect copyright.PENANAM2pYPvqsbv
It was quite disconcerting. 407Please respect copyright.PENANA2g31aVbrah
"All done now?" The 407Please respect copyright.PENANAUPuQUGOII9
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 407Please respect copyright.PENANA3NOnURIIUA
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 407Please respect copyright.PENANAilDP9gD1Hx
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 407Please respect copyright.PENANAFta90UfnJB
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 407Please respect copyright.PENANAd7vF8e7Dx8
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.407Please respect copyright.PENANAhfm3CvsMt3
Its clothes were quite 407Please respect copyright.PENANAscYAYm4Y1t
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person407Please respect copyright.PENANAtgrL42wqSX
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 407Please respect copyright.PENANAo45ctgx4gm
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 407Please respect copyright.PENANA469CIpGRub
changed both color and shape.407Please respect copyright.PENANA7IIDopBavF
The figure tilted its 407Please respect copyright.PENANAEEBzoXyJgd
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 407Please respect copyright.PENANAsDVZiNyh9k
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 407Please respect copyright.PENANA9hbJ2n0Zjf
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?407Please respect copyright.PENANAbbHdcisfZp
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.407Please respect copyright.PENANACTApDHH4q8
"Indeed" 407Please respect copyright.PENANADm03W1qHqV
Tap, tap, tap.407Please respect copyright.PENANAdfWv9bV9s1
David flinched at the 407Please respect copyright.PENANAbqSVlhjMUj
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 407Please respect copyright.PENANAekQ3xqf65L
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,407Please respect copyright.PENANAHkSsx932pk
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 407Please respect copyright.PENANAhGauhZ661A
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 407Please respect copyright.PENANAOS3pXQsAw9
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 407Please respect copyright.PENANAPsBhk35C0N
into piracy)407Please respect copyright.PENANA6nOvZ7fQUF
Leaders and followers 407Please respect copyright.PENANAwAtYnwsHUt
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 407Please respect copyright.PENANA627DPdgOc1
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 407Please respect copyright.PENANAbYRTw71xqD
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then407Please respect copyright.PENANA92CMF6qmDw
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 407Please respect copyright.PENANAzk8LJjLEUN
yourself to someone else.407Please respect copyright.PENANAl98Eq5qzsp
This was not so 407Please respect copyright.PENANAETUm8zm6FB
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the407Please respect copyright.PENANAE8j8FJk7b4
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 407Please respect copyright.PENANAKRaCyweExD
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 407Please respect copyright.PENANA1uYgmuBa9Z
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 407Please respect copyright.PENANAITLDZYYIvQ
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.407Please respect copyright.PENANAApUHon5fG0
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.407Please respect copyright.PENANAPBA0DR1E5J
The figure gave a 407Please respect copyright.PENANAUJJOLuHKZi
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up407Please respect copyright.PENANA3npmT76ton
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 407Please respect copyright.PENANAUMGAwuYZYL
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 407Please respect copyright.PENANAI1Le49TYY7
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 407Please respect copyright.PENANA6xQkpUfbp7
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 407Please respect copyright.PENANASFpqSHhxuU
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 407Please respect copyright.PENANAiQrdiYGCpK
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 407Please respect copyright.PENANAGAw83KEO0l
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.407Please respect copyright.PENANA6HOwhFl8an
David looked at him 407Please respect copyright.PENANA3A4YYsAEkv
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly407Please respect copyright.PENANAfs7X8ETjGL
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 407Please respect copyright.PENANAfsLLKLPBZ1
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was407Please respect copyright.PENANAKjCQcT6O1E
interrupted by a raised hand.407Please respect copyright.PENANAhp4wV34E0W
"Yes, yes you're a slow 407Please respect copyright.PENANA83W5cH6L78
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 407Please respect copyright.PENANAKey4e7hoS6
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 407Please respect copyright.PENANA00maz0EMHH
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 407Please respect copyright.PENANAcQJWmNSlQo
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 407Please respect copyright.PENANAhaDmNXlTvq
that, you should feel dead honored"407Please respect copyright.PENANA0sFwUaYaeC
David was having trouble407Please respect copyright.PENANAzse9h3xQU8
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 407Please respect copyright.PENANA7ekWp7Rr78
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."407Please respect copyright.PENANAOAr8Hdb9ov
But David didn't get to 407Please respect copyright.PENANARoqu8G5bdm
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 407Please respect copyright.PENANAd0fdQhrnqF
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 407Please respect copyright.PENANADFjTwbcmcJ
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"407Please respect copyright.PENANA8DGMaw0CXE
A pause, David was 407Please respect copyright.PENANAbHReDdWOOW
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 407Please respect copyright.PENANAsv3mWg23es
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 407Please respect copyright.PENANA3m04JjOcpu
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 407Please respect copyright.PENANAhbyvOy02rx
Jester made a clock 407Please respect copyright.PENANAvNIbhAyqHO
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 407Please respect copyright.PENANAZVbzKynOEc
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 407Please respect copyright.PENANAU1brxDCbDK
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 407Please respect copyright.PENANAjK71wvmjvR
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."407Please respect copyright.PENANAYnCrB1hx2J
David was about to ask 407Please respect copyright.PENANAga1Y12aAeN
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 407Please respect copyright.PENANAzv6Bx0qEXq
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 407Please respect copyright.PENANAubiJyXmBut
convince David at all.407Please respect copyright.PENANAIusw2kNzCz
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 407Please respect copyright.PENANAfnzPJtv5ji
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.407Please respect copyright.PENANAU9hLzP8JS6
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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