616Please respect copyright.PENANAtHvDp321sY
616Please respect copyright.PENANABzTps1qNJd
"Mummy, look!" 616Please respect copyright.PENANAcBHdOzDe7F
Tap, tap. 616Please respect copyright.PENANAJmHczKFuEV
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 616Please respect copyright.PENANARZDwqFNJnw
Tap, tap.616Please respect copyright.PENANA8NdODbzQOF
"Mummy, save me."616Please respect copyright.PENANAPxLI4r8yDa
Tap, tap.616Please respect copyright.PENANAjQGStYiTC9
"Alright you better shut616Please respect copyright.PENANAIpAJktlrm7
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 616Please respect copyright.PENANAv8f8zWMMlb
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 616Please respect copyright.PENANAPDRcUuo1EG
David was about to 616Please respect copyright.PENANAwuIRgLFJdK
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the616Please respect copyright.PENANA0k5HT3Lyce
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 616Please respect copyright.PENANAcvjPq6pNVn
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 616Please respect copyright.PENANADdgALauzGd
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 616Please respect copyright.PENANA54kuaLBCFE
eerily lifelike.616Please respect copyright.PENANAfPJpGVqmFL
Then it clicked, the 616Please respect copyright.PENANAiTUjvF4i6Q
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 616Please respect copyright.PENANAD3qKd4i8ff
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 616Please respect copyright.PENANAS1cdeoapk5
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he616Please respect copyright.PENANAI6Dnfk4uAt
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 616Please respect copyright.PENANA5IOwcbfCZl
back? Was he dead after all? 616Please respect copyright.PENANAjx35wbP8dS
All of those thoughts, 616Please respect copyright.PENANAX6RbYbpN58
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 616Please respect copyright.PENANANtOXwQum5O
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.616Please respect copyright.PENANALSUemf6kNy
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.616Please respect copyright.PENANAz9dIB7JQYN
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 616Please respect copyright.PENANAZb5ZwbtLvX
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"616Please respect copyright.PENANAJ1KxHnjA8W
"There, there. Get it 616Please respect copyright.PENANAXGtvuidG9k
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 616Please respect copyright.PENANABwwhdbEk1M
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 616Please respect copyright.PENANAiZfdwsiSZz
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 616Please respect copyright.PENANAZsem22GJxQ
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 616Please respect copyright.PENANAHnnliz8vMO
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 616Please respect copyright.PENANAJVjDP317tN
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.616Please respect copyright.PENANAXwCQnmXFYj
It was quite disconcerting. 616Please respect copyright.PENANAiko9JLYdc5
"All done now?" The 616Please respect copyright.PENANAX8ZnSacVfU
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 616Please respect copyright.PENANA4BI6EtnwKA
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 616Please respect copyright.PENANARjVv4msRZJ
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 616Please respect copyright.PENANAlFDkG43PFp
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 616Please respect copyright.PENANAiJqW2Ap22p
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.616Please respect copyright.PENANA8biFVQkLYH
Its clothes were quite 616Please respect copyright.PENANAcQ2eDkwq8b
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person616Please respect copyright.PENANAaIY9GtOq18
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 616Please respect copyright.PENANA6fOjeYLHCy
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 616Please respect copyright.PENANAbFks57vAMT
changed both color and shape.616Please respect copyright.PENANA4hwIZr6gut
The figure tilted its 616Please respect copyright.PENANAS9fUCMLlYx
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 616Please respect copyright.PENANAo8wdIBZM39
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 616Please respect copyright.PENANAcrQkNg8VkB
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?616Please respect copyright.PENANAAMhH3y5QEf
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.616Please respect copyright.PENANAMxzKX0Paaa
"Indeed" 616Please respect copyright.PENANA4u8SDqtLJc
Tap, tap, tap.616Please respect copyright.PENANAOIMp8XOb8T
David flinched at the 616Please respect copyright.PENANA3quIPRlQ74
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 616Please respect copyright.PENANAbkFp8KveQG
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,616Please respect copyright.PENANA7ht8n8KvHB
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 616Please respect copyright.PENANAyKOve9bW7w
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 616Please respect copyright.PENANACmTCjYfTGJ
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 616Please respect copyright.PENANAqpu1dseHup
into piracy)616Please respect copyright.PENANAlvOJ507ilt
Leaders and followers 616Please respect copyright.PENANAgDQsJtKRNo
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 616Please respect copyright.PENANAPyoZgJEsrv
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 616Please respect copyright.PENANApu88lKqwWA
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then616Please respect copyright.PENANA8kC64pTrXa
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 616Please respect copyright.PENANAferh3YDqg4
yourself to someone else.616Please respect copyright.PENANAiSJpTB0Lic
This was not so 616Please respect copyright.PENANACJoOS6E2rv
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the616Please respect copyright.PENANAE3Iy1DPcfs
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 616Please respect copyright.PENANAJFkODq8Tor
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 616Please respect copyright.PENANA3VwvD8wqlJ
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 616Please respect copyright.PENANAuRtCv6z5gx
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.616Please respect copyright.PENANAaciUuJ9YxM
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.616Please respect copyright.PENANAuYXPEhllGu
The figure gave a 616Please respect copyright.PENANA4Ayp3qQQAb
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up616Please respect copyright.PENANAAFqzK8X0nl
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 616Please respect copyright.PENANAwME3cCvlgC
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 616Please respect copyright.PENANAlcDE2Wbki6
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 616Please respect copyright.PENANAYfjpbVQiul
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 616Please respect copyright.PENANAOiVPOkKiVl
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 616Please respect copyright.PENANAgyorKg1oOi
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 616Please respect copyright.PENANAg03KzaRqVb
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.616Please respect copyright.PENANAUa9UsrvVap
David looked at him 616Please respect copyright.PENANAPkHDduhnif
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly616Please respect copyright.PENANAGi2Qhm2C1v
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 616Please respect copyright.PENANA3eETJyZteL
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was616Please respect copyright.PENANAichu8SOnjE
interrupted by a raised hand.616Please respect copyright.PENANAnst9ZhPel2
"Yes, yes you're a slow 616Please respect copyright.PENANAUATGBxUQj2
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 616Please respect copyright.PENANAO62lnzDJu1
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 616Please respect copyright.PENANAqJ27KpAVHO
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 616Please respect copyright.PENANAdmw52bj9Cu
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 616Please respect copyright.PENANAAEeduPO8st
that, you should feel dead honored"616Please respect copyright.PENANAwbWQPWhtix
David was having trouble616Please respect copyright.PENANAr7iZfz6jXq
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 616Please respect copyright.PENANAtb1Q4scDU9
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."616Please respect copyright.PENANAynlJtrUVDy
But David didn't get to 616Please respect copyright.PENANAXEZ7Iz7d5M
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 616Please respect copyright.PENANAV4Q6OFqyvT
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 616Please respect copyright.PENANA7b5fh1BlwE
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"616Please respect copyright.PENANAm9NaZ396mq
A pause, David was 616Please respect copyright.PENANA2oyu7cS3w7
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 616Please respect copyright.PENANAH9zIbSVgSg
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 616Please respect copyright.PENANAYMLMT8ZNLs
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 616Please respect copyright.PENANAl6adVC8Yze
Jester made a clock 616Please respect copyright.PENANApEoGAYbHiE
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 616Please respect copyright.PENANAWxntKNcfnG
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 616Please respect copyright.PENANARGWig4tmui
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 616Please respect copyright.PENANAba6Lhh21Yx
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."616Please respect copyright.PENANAsby5HYsT2a
David was about to ask 616Please respect copyright.PENANAgdVnnhJVmi
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 616Please respect copyright.PENANAs3Ju0xPmI1
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 616Please respect copyright.PENANAeVBQgDHB8M
convince David at all.616Please respect copyright.PENANAyEEtIhSxWW
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 616Please respect copyright.PENANAqofMwLr3kr
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.616Please respect copyright.PENANAyzBBJAjNRs
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
ns3.135.63.86da2