699Please respect copyright.PENANAvFftT9zWs9
699Please respect copyright.PENANA1u9Zjww3NL
"Mummy, look!" 699Please respect copyright.PENANAvzQOCfQpr5
Tap, tap. 699Please respect copyright.PENANA1TsScFKBIg
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 699Please respect copyright.PENANAUaBWmdQE3t
Tap, tap.699Please respect copyright.PENANAOMDIbIDruD
"Mummy, save me."699Please respect copyright.PENANA9HSwN9rRnb
Tap, tap.699Please respect copyright.PENANAsDDI0dmFyH
"Alright you better shut699Please respect copyright.PENANA7mLujUGhZ2
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 699Please respect copyright.PENANAtXgnvCgfNw
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 699Please respect copyright.PENANABaDGxpkzZB
David was about to 699Please respect copyright.PENANAzPMCRo14U1
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the699Please respect copyright.PENANA5ze02l7h5h
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 699Please respect copyright.PENANAUqelqre1mZ
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 699Please respect copyright.PENANARPYr8OtaGQ
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 699Please respect copyright.PENANAwBrEr56WXv
eerily lifelike.699Please respect copyright.PENANAtxBcQaJKO2
Then it clicked, the 699Please respect copyright.PENANA7IRsaXH5Oo
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 699Please respect copyright.PENANAOk9nG4hq4N
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 699Please respect copyright.PENANAF8IYOxoN7W
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he699Please respect copyright.PENANAzJZ69kioYY
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 699Please respect copyright.PENANAnptgueOECh
back? Was he dead after all? 699Please respect copyright.PENANArehKyNOQkb
All of those thoughts, 699Please respect copyright.PENANAfS5tt1PTe4
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 699Please respect copyright.PENANArAWTsY9NwW
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.699Please respect copyright.PENANAIfJKQLny7T
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.699Please respect copyright.PENANAejD196JRtQ
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 699Please respect copyright.PENANA5kJjOlsMCJ
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"699Please respect copyright.PENANAGBSxPEmchS
"There, there. Get it 699Please respect copyright.PENANA3ncR9sapwV
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 699Please respect copyright.PENANAiiT5pQkpJO
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 699Please respect copyright.PENANAIz6gLcjCD6
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 699Please respect copyright.PENANAd20Xofqchl
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 699Please respect copyright.PENANAFVFIlwBYtd
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 699Please respect copyright.PENANAiS6OzTVyJQ
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.699Please respect copyright.PENANAGItFuGiIwB
It was quite disconcerting. 699Please respect copyright.PENANAkmRMbIIapT
"All done now?" The 699Please respect copyright.PENANAIVWgNeRf1D
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 699Please respect copyright.PENANA27FLQckw0M
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 699Please respect copyright.PENANAjmhrSevQ7g
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 699Please respect copyright.PENANA8ettKD0eif
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 699Please respect copyright.PENANAGWYGhLxleI
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.699Please respect copyright.PENANAtMGsakjqCW
Its clothes were quite 699Please respect copyright.PENANAb1zgkFzs2h
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person699Please respect copyright.PENANAt4KWbwq7pI
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 699Please respect copyright.PENANAetiRpJCSGg
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 699Please respect copyright.PENANAt83Muhjmws
changed both color and shape.699Please respect copyright.PENANAdHrrvzZ6UY
The figure tilted its 699Please respect copyright.PENANAfdtV3sThzm
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 699Please respect copyright.PENANAO6ZB0eXLIJ
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 699Please respect copyright.PENANAeoxbmDtIfq
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?699Please respect copyright.PENANAPeGUiE51O8
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.699Please respect copyright.PENANAP8su0Uarlf
"Indeed" 699Please respect copyright.PENANAuICC0dhzRj
Tap, tap, tap.699Please respect copyright.PENANAuVe6Y5SEBX
David flinched at the 699Please respect copyright.PENANASELnaxt34Y
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 699Please respect copyright.PENANAgRIzzth2OJ
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,699Please respect copyright.PENANADtL3QXwVug
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 699Please respect copyright.PENANAff9Hu0ZAqT
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 699Please respect copyright.PENANA3SLyJPzWzf
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 699Please respect copyright.PENANASCoFOcqTYn
into piracy)699Please respect copyright.PENANAieX478rpMD
Leaders and followers 699Please respect copyright.PENANAKvyHiJmqGJ
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 699Please respect copyright.PENANAVW1mtkJpxc
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 699Please respect copyright.PENANAd9lnwZFlRC
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then699Please respect copyright.PENANAoVcP9xgNvE
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 699Please respect copyright.PENANAMN0Nc8Z0K5
yourself to someone else.699Please respect copyright.PENANAqCv6CyEfhA
This was not so 699Please respect copyright.PENANAVw4PfFJw55
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the699Please respect copyright.PENANAZXKGl52GjJ
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 699Please respect copyright.PENANAWbvQWDgHz1
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 699Please respect copyright.PENANA709J6rfWm7
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 699Please respect copyright.PENANAA7P6OqGIhC
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.699Please respect copyright.PENANAfHpSUilwXu
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.699Please respect copyright.PENANAl2kS3fkxIK
The figure gave a 699Please respect copyright.PENANANVpiOjZ4IK
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up699Please respect copyright.PENANAgkPx3Wjcoh
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 699Please respect copyright.PENANAeVm3Rhsrw7
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 699Please respect copyright.PENANA46rb0DpWOS
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 699Please respect copyright.PENANAqX20YgHiJy
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 699Please respect copyright.PENANAupyNHtJkiQ
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 699Please respect copyright.PENANAqGdClybQrF
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 699Please respect copyright.PENANAwuNZsroUUP
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.699Please respect copyright.PENANAAnsnvAaS9X
David looked at him 699Please respect copyright.PENANATIDWKN1GzB
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly699Please respect copyright.PENANA9iL5gVsr74
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 699Please respect copyright.PENANADSYLqFSXaJ
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was699Please respect copyright.PENANAgoOlLTJftj
interrupted by a raised hand.699Please respect copyright.PENANAgucS2oL0LH
"Yes, yes you're a slow 699Please respect copyright.PENANAix8KRQ9QZv
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 699Please respect copyright.PENANA7tlPUNBWHL
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 699Please respect copyright.PENANA4YRhrbFM5y
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 699Please respect copyright.PENANAbI3OTUuipg
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 699Please respect copyright.PENANA35wzFjLNIX
that, you should feel dead honored"699Please respect copyright.PENANA92rN3iIUNI
David was having trouble699Please respect copyright.PENANAczeqlSLQvQ
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 699Please respect copyright.PENANAixffuPPsgB
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."699Please respect copyright.PENANA6PduFnEAFb
But David didn't get to 699Please respect copyright.PENANA0GXGaidbjy
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 699Please respect copyright.PENANA8vCkyCuNYt
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 699Please respect copyright.PENANAYRczwIVWf6
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"699Please respect copyright.PENANAQUbQrbREKk
A pause, David was 699Please respect copyright.PENANA4oKttaLj6F
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 699Please respect copyright.PENANA8QtfdNol6W
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 699Please respect copyright.PENANAjLW8hufr6k
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 699Please respect copyright.PENANAgkXdm5wjdo
Jester made a clock 699Please respect copyright.PENANAIU18GcqbI1
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 699Please respect copyright.PENANAmexaUrmBWc
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 699Please respect copyright.PENANA1sujD7WthZ
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 699Please respect copyright.PENANAVZsPsnvDmY
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."699Please respect copyright.PENANAh3QgufuGsX
David was about to ask 699Please respect copyright.PENANAn7jLFMa9cM
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 699Please respect copyright.PENANAcAiK1k8tgS
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 699Please respect copyright.PENANAERfRsQMrO5
convince David at all.699Please respect copyright.PENANA8vAxYAwyhQ
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 699Please respect copyright.PENANAEAsOeyedEj
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.699Please respect copyright.PENANAvB9WGDxXz5
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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