592Please respect copyright.PENANARxDEHOdG2v
592Please respect copyright.PENANAAtYbApnEtY
"Mummy, look!" 592Please respect copyright.PENANAd2o2oLGmKe
Tap, tap. 592Please respect copyright.PENANAVWrxlrHWMh
"Mummy I will make you proud!" 592Please respect copyright.PENANALGhEc5n5Zv
Tap, tap.592Please respect copyright.PENANAjyu8kA4r9X
"Mummy, save me."592Please respect copyright.PENANAv5LiEEoPDu
Tap, tap.592Please respect copyright.PENANAcH8w5YnUc2
"Alright you better shut592Please respect copyright.PENANAmrISlNJi3U
it with the falling tapping!" David shouted as he opened his eyes and 592Please respect copyright.PENANAGHz98skzs9
got up. Waking from his dream, for what else could it have been? 592Please respect copyright.PENANAyRVrUULagQ
David was about to 592Please respect copyright.PENANApPR8wbis9T
complain more but then he remembered what happened, how he fell from the592Please respect copyright.PENANANXgZfMAwjY
ship, to his apparent death. But right now he was in the middle a city 592Please respect copyright.PENANALlMV3YlJ0K
or at least a shallow imitation of one. With the buildings and the 592Please respect copyright.PENANAp42o1bGMTU
people just being shadowy reflections of the real world, but still 592Please respect copyright.PENANA5BAm7AseIB
eerily lifelike.592Please respect copyright.PENANAnEBW9UBiTJ
Then it clicked, the 592Please respect copyright.PENANAPcRdC984ap
ramshackle buildings, the crooked streets, dark alleyways guarded only 592Please respect copyright.PENANA36OVZOJ1ft
by footpads and thieves. Shadowy humans begging and fighting. Stumbling 592Please respect copyright.PENANAwLixaDGnpK
around drunk. David was back in the Havenport slums, his home. A home he592Please respect copyright.PENANAplxdzNF9KL
left around 20 years ago when he boarded his first ship. Why was he 592Please respect copyright.PENANAVabNWtSfut
back? Was he dead after all? 592Please respect copyright.PENANArmJAJ8mYF9
All of those thoughts, 592Please respect copyright.PENANAhd4SEEylXv
and more, were racing through Davids mind. As he was trying to gather 592Please respect copyright.PENANA5Pw0WwG1nP
his wits, he heard laughter from...not behind exactly but everywhere.592Please respect copyright.PENANAuTyZP06b6j
"Ah! Perfect you finally awoke!" David tried turning towards the voice but couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.592Please respect copyright.PENANAn1K1y8PBWm
"Ah, apologies. The ether world makes everything quite fuzzy." 592Please respect copyright.PENANA1chWSIwaDY
David fell backwards out of fear as a figure appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Spirit! G..ghost! Demon!"592Please respect copyright.PENANAha8042FC6G
"There, there. Get it 592Please respect copyright.PENANAmJ4yvkHYRR
all out." The being said in an amused voice. Was it even amused? David, 592Please respect copyright.PENANAQlQqLgC5f2
again, could not pinpoint the exact tone of voice. It sounded as if it 592Please respect copyright.PENANArAMfuV14vs
was echoing both in his mind and in this city. Hitting the walls making 592Please respect copyright.PENANAws31oPhzk5
the voice both louder and yet quieter. The voice had both male and 592Please respect copyright.PENANAM2BltUuTFs
female aspects to it as some parts sounded quite high pitched while 592Please respect copyright.PENANAkl0d2OR2MW
others sounded low pitched. Both happy and sad, amused and disappointed.592Please respect copyright.PENANAcwYSAraICe
It was quite disconcerting. 592Please respect copyright.PENANAi7GnCpVp94
"All done now?" The 592Please respect copyright.PENANAjdLTj7cmxd
apparition asked, smiling. Or was it smiling? As David got back up he 592Please respect copyright.PENANAbhlyjetvee
got a better look at his new friend. Or at least at the parts that he 592Please respect copyright.PENANAosh3lB7w4i
could see. Its face was covered in... something that looked like mist. 592Please respect copyright.PENANA4zHrJSPtQC
David was unable to properly distinguish the features. Whether it was 592Please respect copyright.PENANAVx1SKyivxG
smiling or crying David would never be able to tell.592Please respect copyright.PENANAtOIPlpCWNa
Its clothes were quite 592Please respect copyright.PENANAivAG24vEyY
weird as well. Wearing a top hat which seemed both as tall as the person592Please respect copyright.PENANAwrDUn00BVo
wearing it and as short as Davids own pinky. Its body was covered in a 592Please respect copyright.PENANAWCEhPBV72h
dark shroud going from the shoulders to feet and every time it moved it 592Please respect copyright.PENANA76ahX8Mi6i
changed both color and shape.592Please respect copyright.PENANAszomv6c6wH
The figure tilted its 592Please respect copyright.PENANANtGaiO0UTe
head and moved his hands as the tapping noise continued. Concentrating 592Please respect copyright.PENANAPz6yubrxBF
on the lower part of the body David could see a thin shape of an object 592Please respect copyright.PENANAx0rRn9SVoo
that looked like a stick. A cane? A walking stick? Who knew?592Please respect copyright.PENANAaMltvm6mR8
"The tapping, was that you?" David said as the tapping noise surrounded them again echoing as if they were in a cave.592Please respect copyright.PENANASEN55XT33h
"Indeed" 592Please respect copyright.PENANApuAJybVHTW
Tap, tap, tap.592Please respect copyright.PENANAf9qRaFYfat
David flinched at the 592Please respect copyright.PENANAX9FqOGSt2h
sound. He wanted to shout at the ghost to stop the tapping. To answer 592Please respect copyright.PENANA68Fs8ubp64
where he was and what was happening. But there was a power dynamic here,592Please respect copyright.PENANAIB5UMxM6x4
as in everything else in life. During the years he learned that there 592Please respect copyright.PENANAAr6oetlKvG
are three types of people: Leaders, followers and parasites (a handy 592Please respect copyright.PENANAEebeDzcyZy
word he learned from a scholar, turned pirate, in his earlier forays 592Please respect copyright.PENANAgEXWmzfKdj
into piracy)592Please respect copyright.PENANAJN8hTyHz4q
Leaders and followers 592Please respect copyright.PENANA30r8XtM0ef
were self-explanatory. David, meanwhile, considered himself a parasite. 592Please respect copyright.PENANAXEhrleqb9v
Parasites attached themselves to either a leader or a follower. Making 592Please respect copyright.PENANA810hXgF5j9
them believe you were on their side, that you were one of them. And then592Please respect copyright.PENANAs2TkISLil1
when that person gives you everything you need you leave and attach 592Please respect copyright.PENANAefkMWPscmc
yourself to someone else.592Please respect copyright.PENANAitkzpT8ARZ
This was not so 592Please respect copyright.PENANABkSX4yWXiJ
different, David was the parasite and the person in front of him was the592Please respect copyright.PENANAwBzMJ2Pn71
leader. He was in charge of the situation so David had to attach 592Please respect copyright.PENANAoEAVDQ4tK1
himself to him or her. Had to make them believe he was on their side or 592Please respect copyright.PENANA1MYhDm1lG8
harmless or whatever the situation called for. After all no one is 592Please respect copyright.PENANAEpC0WoJygS
immune to flattery, be it gods or ghosts.592Please respect copyright.PENANAgyaTxr6AM1
"I'm sure I'd have the pleasure of your acquaintance, if I knew your name?" He ventured slightly bobbing his head.592Please respect copyright.PENANAp2qELmc6d4
The figure gave a 592Please respect copyright.PENANAiPm2fTzwrF
chuckle, which sounded as if glass shattering. "Ah yes, you will suck up592Please respect copyright.PENANAohvLU0dh2t
to me trying to win me over and then hopefully gain an advantage. I've 592Please respect copyright.PENANAb5TpeJRZUa
been watching you, David Oxtorne, lying and never revealing your true 592Please respect copyright.PENANAkvYVX52hwY
self. Being a friend to some, an arrogant bastard to others whatever 592Please respect copyright.PENANACtB4cULFS0
would get them to like or accept you." A pause and the figure looked to 592Please respect copyright.PENANAg3mZU9XmD8
the side. "I've no time for your games; otherwise I would've loved for 592Please respect copyright.PENANAOUzf6kfyfM
you to grovel and try to win favor. For now call me...Jester." Jester 592Please respect copyright.PENANABcOeYW7XqK
laughed, as if saying a grand joke that David wasn't part of.592Please respect copyright.PENANAHNiiI0Kqqz
David looked at him 592Please respect copyright.PENANABtBnqXSxHS
puzzled adding his own awkward laugh to Jesters. This...Jester certainly592Please respect copyright.PENANAUuTGf7AMwJ
liked to laugh a lot, although David was failing to find any funny 592Please respect copyright.PENANAMLMAHbGZQt
jokes. "Nice to meet you Jester." David was about to say more but he was592Please respect copyright.PENANApdWFfzzXWm
interrupted by a raised hand.592Please respect copyright.PENANAwjUwJZSj9k
"Yes, yes you're a slow 592Please respect copyright.PENANA601eYh2faj
learner aren't you? We will need to change that. You want to ask where 592Please respect copyright.PENANA54hCjNRscr
you are and whatnot. So let me answer that for you. You're in the ether 592Please respect copyright.PENANA9F7b8Avvwq
world. You're not dead because I saved you. Your body is laying asleep 592Please respect copyright.PENANALo14UE4TT8
so you're here only in your consciousness. Not a lot of giftless can do 592Please respect copyright.PENANABmRkzxRcs5
that, you should feel dead honored"592Please respect copyright.PENANAETWLRkxdGq
David was having trouble592Please respect copyright.PENANAEdnjfSz6zP
following jester. But one thing he understood was that you didn't save 592Please respect copyright.PENANAT6Kj9cytD1
someone's life unless you got something out of it."wha..."592Please respect copyright.PENANA9tW3V4hISQ
But David didn't get to 592Please respect copyright.PENANAOKAuc24s29
finish as jester continued." Not done yet was I? Your next question is, 592Please respect copyright.PENANAohaykBCC01
probably: 'what do you want in return for saving my life?' Which 592Please respect copyright.PENANAJyOr6gt75E
honestly David hurts, just hurts. Don't you think I'm a generous soul?"592Please respect copyright.PENANARoZkh6gKNK
A pause, David was 592Please respect copyright.PENANABGfSlnuN7m
unsure what to do and begun to answer but the figure kept on talking." 592Please respect copyright.PENANAiKysPAyLzp
Of course I'm not. Suffice to say I will need you to find something. 592Please respect copyright.PENANAnyivEboDMH
Can't tell you what yet but others will be hunting for it too" 592Please respect copyright.PENANAgU5ORsgiaO
Jester made a clock 592Please respect copyright.PENANAar49NpO2yb
appear in front and nodded...probably." Well that's all from me. We'll 592Please respect copyright.PENANAUsDgUmnQX1
meet again once you've met the other chosen ones. I'll explain more 592Please respect copyright.PENANA6pZFUj3ght
then, hopefully you'll be better company by then. Or else I've chosen 592Please respect copyright.PENANAiEvF50Fq49
quite wrong, quite wrong indeed."592Please respect copyright.PENANAgcSxl2Sr0d
David was about to ask 592Please respect copyright.PENANAvwG567ygKJ
more questions but then he heard a whisper. He looked at jester first 592Please respect copyright.PENANAT4fyCAQqH2
but as far as David could tell it wasn't his doing, which didn't 592Please respect copyright.PENANAmV4drJKiRf
convince David at all.592Please respect copyright.PENANA5ULnWgwFeX
"Hey I...body..." a voice echoed. Sounding human. 592Please respect copyright.PENANAaTQFeznSUF
And then his world shook, all the shadows dissipating, as if swept away by the wind.592Please respect copyright.PENANAIUZwmipjid
"I am watching, my chosen. Make it interesting for me." Jesters voice resounded within Davids head as darkness fell again.
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