423Please respect copyright.PENANAEOJrN4b2N8
423Please respect copyright.PENANAcroAft0AId
"Mummy, look!" 423Please respect copyright.PENANAYy7i0JM06j
Tap, tap. 423Please respect copyright.PENANAjhFv6wV22w
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 423Please respect copyright.PENANAezkvFoK83s
Tap, tap.423Please respect copyright.PENANAWzjPpLMn2F
"Mummy, save me."423Please respect copyright.PENANAPVpCGIK1P5
Tap, tap.423Please respect copyright.PENANAfor9fsxYND
"Alright you better shut423Please respect copyright.PENANAR8XXX2YtgU
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 423Please respect copyright.PENANAhiRajAXgRQ
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 423Please respect copyright.PENANA0iPksS9hbM
David was about to 423Please respect copyright.PENANArE0BC6XD7I
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the423Please respect copyright.PENANA5K9guGil5U
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 423Please respect copyright.PENANAzPFxztZiS5
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 423Please respect copyright.PENANAbhFfa7fjBa
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 423Please respect copyright.PENANAm7haRMReYm
eerily lifelike.423Please respect copyright.PENANALgRAiRZY2D
Then it clicked, the 423Please respect copyright.PENANAjgH0nrSXVo
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 423Please respect copyright.PENANAfFx1LIloPT
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 423Please respect copyright.PENANAzLpb7zQw2k
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he423Please respect copyright.PENANA9m82AoSGyd
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 423Please respect copyright.PENANAkMMQYAFGLn
back? Was he dead after all? 423Please respect copyright.PENANAakbbZ2hYaV
All of those thoughts, 423Please respect copyright.PENANA2SpruGAKpf
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 423Please respect copyright.PENANAGXCfZVy96w
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.423Please respect copyright.PENANAC0YHdKKbto
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.423Please respect copyright.PENANAsGrGI7rBW4
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 423Please respect copyright.PENANAvfVkH2UvUg
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"423Please respect copyright.PENANAykRPRvffTy
"There, there. Get it 423Please respect copyright.PENANAPqSpdZtzXb
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 423Please respect copyright.PENANA7V65WTsWVn
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 423Please respect copyright.PENANAaTCb2MdL2A
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 423Please respect copyright.PENANAOH7c2wwZyl
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 423Please respect copyright.PENANALeehMp51A0
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 423Please respect copyright.PENANAA8dKUprEzg
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.423Please respect copyright.PENANA00ZQFX9DtJ
It was quite disconcerting. 423Please respect copyright.PENANAFScbqV4pTb
"All done now?" The 423Please respect copyright.PENANALx7Mss0WxD
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 423Please respect copyright.PENANA5dVHcDJzLq
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 423Please respect copyright.PENANAhyf2bAuAn1
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 423Please respect copyright.PENANAMKTjXijoYv
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 423Please respect copyright.PENANASs3zkVYRX7
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.423Please respect copyright.PENANAuZryA4JYUE
Its clothes were quite 423Please respect copyright.PENANAY1PebPJefa
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person423Please respect copyright.PENANABQ7kZsPzO1
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 423Please respect copyright.PENANAxwK64JVbvJ
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 423Please respect copyright.PENANA65la4bBZNZ
changed both color and shape.423Please respect copyright.PENANAFHW6Hnb6OO
The figure tilted its 423Please respect copyright.PENANAInl9fe5K8j
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 423Please respect copyright.PENANA08hwy8z05z
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 423Please respect copyright.PENANA2lGGISW4nK
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?423Please respect copyright.PENANAJGg7lLZFqC
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.423Please respect copyright.PENANAZhFdHCKdEB
"Indeed" 423Please respect copyright.PENANAi1SHYqP3DD
Tap, tap, tap.423Please respect copyright.PENANA81vPwYevHx
David flinched at the 423Please respect copyright.PENANACLFdXOd9Hx
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 423Please respect copyright.PENANAwrDoEKpuvM
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,423Please respect copyright.PENANAn0dnYBceJr
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 423Please respect copyright.PENANAkhnHC5Epvm
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 423Please respect copyright.PENANAwv0MWtuKkB
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 423Please respect copyright.PENANAEngipX1Bt8
into piracy)423Please respect copyright.PENANAzC2VU2DqMK
Leaders and followers 423Please respect copyright.PENANA2v9tp6XYiA
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 423Please respect copyright.PENANAU3cQVb1FGe
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 423Please respect copyright.PENANAj7g1JMnQ4K
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then423Please respect copyright.PENANAISKzjfciBm
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 423Please respect copyright.PENANA2uzI6o7136
yourself to someone else.423Please respect copyright.PENANA2QxYxI72RR
This was not so 423Please respect copyright.PENANA0Ib4fii4dC
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the423Please respect copyright.PENANAAbUtUvHt8t
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 423Please respect copyright.PENANAaAuJMJ2FLM
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 423Please respect copyright.PENANAzT5HI31f4F
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 423Please respect copyright.PENANA81LpMJXKAn
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.423Please respect copyright.PENANAWoAO30u7gM
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.423Please respect copyright.PENANARH5eSRinnC
The figure gave a 423Please respect copyright.PENANAVP89Asslbe
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up423Please respect copyright.PENANA5qjkt4NWxz
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 423Please respect copyright.PENANAolk0MMdQPu
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 423Please respect copyright.PENANAHlyzcJOLfz
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 423Please respect copyright.PENANA9uV39ZiuCT
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 423Please respect copyright.PENANAaDMHDRFvRD
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 423Please respect copyright.PENANA5iVTicglWX
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 423Please respect copyright.PENANAJuClt5lHAl
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.423Please respect copyright.PENANA7trC0lhvd4
David looked at him 423Please respect copyright.PENANAnwhhEjkbPT
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly423Please respect copyright.PENANA3Zi8JIQ23n
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 423Please respect copyright.PENANA1Kj0INxrj7
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was423Please respect copyright.PENANACiP1J0DDxp
interrupted by a raised hand.423Please respect copyright.PENANA5aDMGN2oWw
"Yes, yes you're a slow 423Please respect copyright.PENANAknTklh1eEy
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 423Please respect copyright.PENANADPHBwTOZuY
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 423Please respect copyright.PENANAylM8qgYYke
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 423Please respect copyright.PENANAnCy3ETjLyO
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 423Please respect copyright.PENANAOBBRQIzRKG
that, you should feel dead honored"423Please respect copyright.PENANAclllvxHfcp
David was having trouble423Please respect copyright.PENANAiy4Bp1E9Gk
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 423Please respect copyright.PENANAsA2jypbnmP
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."423Please respect copyright.PENANAaeB432NAbj
But David didn't get to 423Please respect copyright.PENANAtRVGuZAuZo
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 423Please respect copyright.PENANASmNICuVUsD
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 423Please respect copyright.PENANAM1vuKe5DrH
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"423Please respect copyright.PENANAq9cGXhpu8X
A pause, David was 423Please respect copyright.PENANAoFBjtfq1Ef
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 423Please respect copyright.PENANAguKRCbjOwu
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 423Please respect copyright.PENANAqAnCOxZCKR
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 423Please respect copyright.PENANAPD607BOl48
Jester made a clock 423Please respect copyright.PENANAQ5Em4JViOL
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 423Please respect copyright.PENANA5YpYCKpcSx
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 423Please respect copyright.PENANALtdf4f79qY
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 423Please respect copyright.PENANAd3icxJEIhq
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."423Please respect copyright.PENANAsE4p68H8vd
David was about to ask 423Please respect copyright.PENANAOTASQaHOP2
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 423Please respect copyright.PENANAU5ss496QGi
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 423Please respect copyright.PENANAPeQahFk26r
convince David at all.423Please respect copyright.PENANAqNmuAJkfjh
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 423Please respect copyright.PENANAlVXPHhcvFn
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.423Please respect copyright.PENANA8ramjrw5hA
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
ns 172.70.131.190da2