428Please respect copyright.PENANAPhndozF61l
428Please respect copyright.PENANAMHBUfcnYgI
"Mummy, look!" 428Please respect copyright.PENANA8gf63yHd4N
Tap, tap. 428Please respect copyright.PENANArvsWvmnz70
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 428Please respect copyright.PENANA3uGmSvssf4
Tap, tap.428Please respect copyright.PENANAOx9EFNWt8q
"Mummy, save me."428Please respect copyright.PENANAOfrGorqWFi
Tap, tap.428Please respect copyright.PENANAL1AdgPSENy
"Alright you better shut428Please respect copyright.PENANAGpJjZJT5ng
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 428Please respect copyright.PENANArJ2A8Q27Ih
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 428Please respect copyright.PENANAYoDco9G9SJ
David was about to 428Please respect copyright.PENANA0FCw4j6Bjo
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the428Please respect copyright.PENANAnmNkCzUzWR
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 428Please respect copyright.PENANAwot3rLugvR
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 428Please respect copyright.PENANAhvECyWKhWc
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 428Please respect copyright.PENANAPXwPipFudr
eerily lifelike.428Please respect copyright.PENANAvxK8w4eWSj
Then it clicked, the 428Please respect copyright.PENANAFOGracMfm9
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 428Please respect copyright.PENANAi7UuLcTNMr
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 428Please respect copyright.PENANAOQjpEHuCt4
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he428Please respect copyright.PENANA7Uuu92rgEu
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 428Please respect copyright.PENANAICBiupBqWk
back? Was he dead after all? 428Please respect copyright.PENANAt4kNldoQqc
All of those thoughts, 428Please respect copyright.PENANAErEBVDH9mV
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 428Please respect copyright.PENANAsGVvGjhNez
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.428Please respect copyright.PENANAZO94nAHmSJ
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.428Please respect copyright.PENANAnuf33Ua7Qj
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 428Please respect copyright.PENANAP8IPns2Y34
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"428Please respect copyright.PENANAgmzxE4bxyR
"There, there. Get it 428Please respect copyright.PENANAEoggoC9oNd
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 428Please respect copyright.PENANApI0Dh4lRGZ
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 428Please respect copyright.PENANAinga1lkktk
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 428Please respect copyright.PENANA3jTY3Yx0Xy
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 428Please respect copyright.PENANAo2lEIc6ZIp
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 428Please respect copyright.PENANApdh40EdSnb
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.428Please respect copyright.PENANA0gTYF6fGx4
It was quite disconcerting. 428Please respect copyright.PENANAoBz98M6aSy
"All done now?" The 428Please respect copyright.PENANAn8oBF8wBrp
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 428Please respect copyright.PENANA5VqVJhKTre
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 428Please respect copyright.PENANAAa0OiQmlxu
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 428Please respect copyright.PENANAZY5QDExCEL
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 428Please respect copyright.PENANA0MDUWasNoQ
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.428Please respect copyright.PENANAZofqI1ZN41
Its clothes were quite 428Please respect copyright.PENANAyjMy3ntbga
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person428Please respect copyright.PENANArDC8JnchwI
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 428Please respect copyright.PENANANhLW1THEUz
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 428Please respect copyright.PENANAKkQoZRUVpH
changed both color and shape.428Please respect copyright.PENANA22nvK3qclw
The figure tilted its 428Please respect copyright.PENANA3C5fhaLSRD
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 428Please respect copyright.PENANArpcKGWat4m
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 428Please respect copyright.PENANAfUIFV07EvD
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?428Please respect copyright.PENANApIoR8q3MNE
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.428Please respect copyright.PENANADIL866sRDR
"Indeed" 428Please respect copyright.PENANAw6kHLk8HQ8
Tap, tap, tap.428Please respect copyright.PENANAnMmWSjGg0W
David flinched at the 428Please respect copyright.PENANA7OdrsXJWOe
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 428Please respect copyright.PENANA9NPbAJzYNa
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,428Please respect copyright.PENANAMUujgGQZG2
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 428Please respect copyright.PENANAX7ytbvut1L
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 428Please respect copyright.PENANApKNIhReTtX
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 428Please respect copyright.PENANAymoT3IcLrd
into piracy)428Please respect copyright.PENANAoi5bBeDnlM
Leaders and followers 428Please respect copyright.PENANA0TZrtRV7o8
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 428Please respect copyright.PENANAxJYypIHH7n
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 428Please respect copyright.PENANAyvNds7UVWW
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then428Please respect copyright.PENANA7hdAcGabkd
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 428Please respect copyright.PENANAkIqmMkQzPC
yourself to someone else.428Please respect copyright.PENANAnfEmqkK3zq
This was not so 428Please respect copyright.PENANAJAFxLMvyhz
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the428Please respect copyright.PENANA4vq1imfKFj
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 428Please respect copyright.PENANAMJT0l7Ripw
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 428Please respect copyright.PENANAxgG4RGMyR6
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 428Please respect copyright.PENANAq5QUYofZoO
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.428Please respect copyright.PENANA654gqVNuPd
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.428Please respect copyright.PENANA0MazlocBQa
The figure gave a 428Please respect copyright.PENANAXXaXDN75ff
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up428Please respect copyright.PENANAM7Mh2cxCZc
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 428Please respect copyright.PENANAl4chBLkMX5
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 428Please respect copyright.PENANAJnTnZHo4yp
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 428Please respect copyright.PENANA0uOultrpur
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 428Please respect copyright.PENANACFU3eVFDXD
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 428Please respect copyright.PENANAQ4pqC9kTTj
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 428Please respect copyright.PENANATDo8saLP67
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.428Please respect copyright.PENANAQf6issIfJB
David looked at him 428Please respect copyright.PENANAUn3YDEXGFh
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly428Please respect copyright.PENANA6zvdT8SnBJ
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 428Please respect copyright.PENANAJ7R8ee8rLG
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was428Please respect copyright.PENANAeBMxJ7D8Ue
interrupted by a raised hand.428Please respect copyright.PENANA4mYmEKxmt6
"Yes, yes you're a slow 428Please respect copyright.PENANAOFfVHeWctI
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 428Please respect copyright.PENANAjZxes3mIdT
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 428Please respect copyright.PENANAZQbMDldMxm
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 428Please respect copyright.PENANA8nxuwWbtOt
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 428Please respect copyright.PENANAYFAkNF0IXB
that, you should feel dead honored"428Please respect copyright.PENANASFL1UzFj3C
David was having trouble428Please respect copyright.PENANAlPLxxAY5um
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 428Please respect copyright.PENANAeeXWni2xt4
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."428Please respect copyright.PENANAk0LUD97lPU
But David didn't get to 428Please respect copyright.PENANAIbgXhTLt0P
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 428Please respect copyright.PENANATKVT0wYwrC
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 428Please respect copyright.PENANAPzYTfqw0NL
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"428Please respect copyright.PENANAoqiCBw8Qph
A pause, David was 428Please respect copyright.PENANAETfFGZN882
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 428Please respect copyright.PENANA2UN2Gz0Mjp
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 428Please respect copyright.PENANAWrYwZquDWq
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 428Please respect copyright.PENANAIpVrnW8i2z
Jester made a clock 428Please respect copyright.PENANAm9rPJ2K2hK
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 428Please respect copyright.PENANAs9urVRGbbF
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 428Please respect copyright.PENANAwQiFs7qzyw
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 428Please respect copyright.PENANArJ7E0xWAmG
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."428Please respect copyright.PENANAZNmSsdgm0O
David was about to ask 428Please respect copyright.PENANAzsEQ2OZVHH
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 428Please respect copyright.PENANA3QlMqhfr6G
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 428Please respect copyright.PENANAWmmXbfJwWm
convince David at all.428Please respect copyright.PENANANvhehp0YBG
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 428Please respect copyright.PENANADEVEHZ9MCm
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.428Please respect copyright.PENANAHngCg2RVtX
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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