700Please respect copyright.PENANA93qJX1YJ86
700Please respect copyright.PENANAhTDTQtcW1o
"Mummy, look!" 700Please respect copyright.PENANAGE1g4yEgRl
Tap, tap. 700Please respect copyright.PENANAZGAniTn0Sm
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 700Please respect copyright.PENANAaOctVKTvUC
Tap, tap.700Please respect copyright.PENANAS2WTQhm7ZG
"Mummy, save me."700Please respect copyright.PENANAYAOs1XKdsT
Tap, tap.700Please respect copyright.PENANAphErDTPJVh
"Alright you better shut700Please respect copyright.PENANAh6O4TzpdWh
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 700Please respect copyright.PENANArkNb72sHZb
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 700Please respect copyright.PENANAlSE1jBglH0
David was about to 700Please respect copyright.PENANABq02tqHoOe
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the700Please respect copyright.PENANAzqmVMx9LLy
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 700Please respect copyright.PENANAqekcEUqJZM
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 700Please respect copyright.PENANATDrWNgZvLN
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 700Please respect copyright.PENANAC6mb74mKQA
eerily lifelike.700Please respect copyright.PENANAP9ODNBScOU
Then it clicked, the 700Please respect copyright.PENANACxOZFEOdkI
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 700Please respect copyright.PENANAGyjgVfKfxv
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 700Please respect copyright.PENANAXu56vHNv6P
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he700Please respect copyright.PENANAEUiNHd5XMg
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 700Please respect copyright.PENANAbPTEO4WO6n
back? Was he dead after all? 700Please respect copyright.PENANANqxODQ7qwu
All of those thoughts, 700Please respect copyright.PENANAU0vJaHKjh5
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 700Please respect copyright.PENANASiUev6fW5k
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.700Please respect copyright.PENANAtGqqs5qK0X
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.700Please respect copyright.PENANA6bjT6Ql1fO
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 700Please respect copyright.PENANAcoyYUq8yTI
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"700Please respect copyright.PENANAKdAwVLn7cR
"There, there. Get it 700Please respect copyright.PENANAptTwzssDLH
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 700Please respect copyright.PENANACuvJ19WZvJ
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 700Please respect copyright.PENANAig3vWv0peB
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 700Please respect copyright.PENANAvmRimp2PMx
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 700Please respect copyright.PENANAVaiitXqIZT
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 700Please respect copyright.PENANAQrccjaNrja
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.700Please respect copyright.PENANAlYk4qfQLBX
It was quite disconcerting. 700Please respect copyright.PENANAXIWnm7N5MA
"All done now?" The 700Please respect copyright.PENANAcDV3yapGRZ
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 700Please respect copyright.PENANAZ6lPHRBkze
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 700Please respect copyright.PENANARwxE4N7H1d
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 700Please respect copyright.PENANAF6swDfkuD1
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 700Please respect copyright.PENANA7Dmlb4GCx1
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.700Please respect copyright.PENANAEimLrWACqp
Its clothes were quite 700Please respect copyright.PENANAagorFAATwf
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person700Please respect copyright.PENANAipMNDOUh1k
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 700Please respect copyright.PENANAJnZ9q6xAm4
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 700Please respect copyright.PENANAgUL1vHaiUQ
changed both color and shape.700Please respect copyright.PENANAubb3HokCal
The figure tilted its 700Please respect copyright.PENANA83NibhCuwz
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 700Please respect copyright.PENANA4swT7JWACQ
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 700Please respect copyright.PENANAIr5slUNfqR
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?700Please respect copyright.PENANAbSVyoL7RnZ
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.700Please respect copyright.PENANA1QLU3jtBTm
"Indeed" 700Please respect copyright.PENANAQKEWVBXnJI
Tap, tap, tap.700Please respect copyright.PENANAplDEJoCJae
David flinched at the 700Please respect copyright.PENANAN0vcH8Gi9w
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 700Please respect copyright.PENANAPHnQkZFuYm
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,700Please respect copyright.PENANA3Z737oJOqT
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 700Please respect copyright.PENANAPwuqGcsq14
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 700Please respect copyright.PENANAbMFOuz4R33
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 700Please respect copyright.PENANATKLgH0cz0y
into piracy)700Please respect copyright.PENANA2PeFOqyL7X
Leaders and followers 700Please respect copyright.PENANArTGU5DB0Xs
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 700Please respect copyright.PENANAozLPP6YEtc
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 700Please respect copyright.PENANAquDHONIqbT
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then700Please respect copyright.PENANAHDyPzUUibj
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 700Please respect copyright.PENANAnwZ66i9as7
yourself to someone else.700Please respect copyright.PENANA3r51mYrUUi
This was not so 700Please respect copyright.PENANA3VPm2DVHP6
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the700Please respect copyright.PENANAowyuotNrBu
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 700Please respect copyright.PENANAsY0gdsAUs4
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 700Please respect copyright.PENANAriMTKh2YJG
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 700Please respect copyright.PENANATGFIA5lLKe
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.700Please respect copyright.PENANAEam4q9ezsg
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.700Please respect copyright.PENANAToR5cJ7xhZ
The figure gave a 700Please respect copyright.PENANAANnxhhjVQ0
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up700Please respect copyright.PENANAI3wi27LP3L
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 700Please respect copyright.PENANAsYtf0PBp5w
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 700Please respect copyright.PENANAMNrZiZXINn
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 700Please respect copyright.PENANAHtAOTWqHgb
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 700Please respect copyright.PENANAoLi7bqtphK
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 700Please respect copyright.PENANAcyZUJgPsX8
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 700Please respect copyright.PENANAMDYyzayK28
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.700Please respect copyright.PENANAMb64rGUcYz
David looked at him 700Please respect copyright.PENANAe4SUJsJL2U
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly700Please respect copyright.PENANARtvoB2f6QI
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 700Please respect copyright.PENANAdrQhnId5y2
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was700Please respect copyright.PENANAB8wCCd1bRy
interrupted by a raised hand.700Please respect copyright.PENANAEOZKkQUsfq
"Yes, yes you're a slow 700Please respect copyright.PENANAjSNNzuDYih
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 700Please respect copyright.PENANAoZkpiNaeTo
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 700Please respect copyright.PENANAjtqgb6ICrj
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 700Please respect copyright.PENANADLQWtyXThx
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 700Please respect copyright.PENANA8qT1z3PxHy
that, you should feel dead honored"700Please respect copyright.PENANARlWeTCCLZB
David was having trouble700Please respect copyright.PENANAlxi5MLmKed
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 700Please respect copyright.PENANA1QBLMRca4E
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."700Please respect copyright.PENANArt1B1VTcVv
But David didn't get to 700Please respect copyright.PENANATLr6wT8liV
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 700Please respect copyright.PENANA1MC2kDbnKG
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 700Please respect copyright.PENANAaiX9mQDNOt
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"700Please respect copyright.PENANAJbNBUAxJk9
A pause, David was 700Please respect copyright.PENANAEaqSnWnJxz
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 700Please respect copyright.PENANAlaI4ieqyDq
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 700Please respect copyright.PENANAMqz22ICX7y
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 700Please respect copyright.PENANAPd0UunvExp
Jester made a clock 700Please respect copyright.PENANABS0PQPYBow
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 700Please respect copyright.PENANAq79hxAJMEu
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 700Please respect copyright.PENANAioAKrTnwgH
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 700Please respect copyright.PENANAz8mzjwH20M
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."700Please respect copyright.PENANA5vlP4CHqXb
David was about to ask 700Please respect copyright.PENANAQIvIm0ZyjR
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 700Please respect copyright.PENANAwrCualCbQA
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 700Please respect copyright.PENANAQnOJK6WM2v
convince David at all.700Please respect copyright.PENANAuhpvkmNbnF
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 700Please respect copyright.PENANAaFyWtbqbv9
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.700Please respect copyright.PENANA1WtSjOLPES
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
ns216.73.216.8da2