Ambrosine winced as her sister attempted to coax another note out of the trumpet. Agace was bored, very bored and that was historically, not a good thing for peace in the heavenly abode. Absolon had wanted to leave her with Ambrosine’s parents when they left to populate and rule over this world. Ambrosine could not do that to her sister though. She knew how their parents’ strict household grated on her sister. Still, she had to find something for Agace to be distracted by or her husband was going to leave the house, again, for one of his cosmic hunts.

“Agace, dear?” said Ambrosine interrupting yet another tortured squark from her sister’s poor instrument.

“Yes, sister?” replied an oblivious Agace.

“Why don’t you get out of the house for a bit? Go play with the mortals for a while?” Ambrosine tempted.

“They are soooo boring,” huffed Agace, “all I’m allowed to do is curse people and every bargain for a curse is the same. ‘My brother’s business is better than mine I want to be the best tailor in the village’, ‘My sister is too pretty I want her boyfriend Roul to love me instead’, it’s all so boring.”

Ambrosine tried to keep her face neutral. The bargains and curses had been Absolon’s idea. ‘Right in her wheelhouse’ is the way he had put it. Clearly that was only enough to keep Agace’s attention for a few millennia and not until the end of time. Ambrosine was going to have to up the stakes or she would never get Agace out of the house.

“Well how about I give you somethings out of the vault to make it more interesting?” Ambrosine offered, “just don’t take too much or Absolon will kill me.”

Agace stirred but did not get up from her seat, “well.. all right but you have to let me pick from the souls in the aether, everybody in this world is so boring. We need new blood.”

Ambrosine sighed and pulled a key out from her around her neck. The key was delicate but had a weight to it. The very air was saturated from the presence of it. “Fine but only one soul. You know that Absolon has a plan for this world and he chose his souls very carefully.

Agace sprang out of her chair and plucked the key out of her sister’s hand giving her a hug at the same time. “Thank you, sister, you’re the best.” Then Agace left the room like Absolon’s dogs were chasing her.

Ambrosine winced for the final time that day feeling as if she had been tricked. Well, Agace couldn’t do anything too dangerous with that key. All the good stuff was too important to just lock in a room. Plus, this way she would have some alone time with her husband. Maybe she could keep him too distracted to worry about her sister. Agace couldn’t make too much trouble.

___

­

Agace tossed the trumpet into a bush on her way out of the house. Her sister was so easy to manipulate. Agace felt bad briefly but shook it off when she thought of all the fun she would have with this key. She had her eye on a soul for a while now, but she needed the key and permission before she could have any real fun with him. As Agace walked she admired the garden around her. She had to admit that the centuries her sister had spent on the place were worth it. She would never have the patience to create this perfectly manicured wonder. Agace walked under towering trees on lush soft grass. Birds sang in natural yet perfect harmony. She could swear that they sang only for her… and Agace was bored again, the Garden was beautiful but far too big. Luckily the vault wasn’t too far from the main house.

The vault was not a particularly large structure, at least from the outside. It looked much like an ordinary garden shed albeit an ornate one. Agace fitted the key to the lock and as she turned, she felt the weight of ages flex in response. The interior of the vault was plain but cavernous. Light filled the space with no apparent source. Agace skipped down the rows of curiosities trailing a hand across some of them. There were many interesting objects in the vault, sword hilts with no matching blades, a glass orb filled with clear liquid and an eyeball. All the items might be amusing but Agace knew what items she wanted. At the centre of the vault was a small clearing in the forest of shelves. At its centre a tree grew. It looked like an apple tree, but it only had one apple. The apple was ordinary but at the same time perfect. The concept of an apple as well as an apple in and of itself. At the base of the tree was a shallow pond filled with a silver fluid. Agace plucked the apple off the tree and scooped a bowl of the liquid out of the pond. Agace smiled to herself now all she needed was the soul and then she could have some fun.

___

Humans have a well-documented tendency. The more people there are in a crowd, the less likely any one of those people is to help someone in distress. The middle of times square is not a good place then to be stabbed in the stomach. Theoretically, there should have been hundreds of people who could have helped as the man fell to the ground. In reality, all that happened is that an ever-growing mass of people watched as the man died. He supposed that it hadn’t been a bad life. Not bad, just unsatisfying. It had been a life of near misses. He had had big dreams, and nearly achieved them. Each goal had become impossible at the last hurdle. He had wanted to marry his college girlfriend, but her family disapproved because he was from a poor background. So, he had started a business only to have that same business wrested from his control just before it went public. He had tried to climb Everest but only made it to the last basecamp before having to turn back. Every time he had tried something ambitious, he had been just slightly too incompetent to pull it off. He just could not bring himself to ‘accept the way life was’ as his friends put it. He lacked too, the apprehension to help when others would have minded their own business. That is why when he saw a drug addict trying to mug a woman, he couldn’t help but step in. He had manged to get her purse back from the mugger but hadn’t noticed the knife coming his way. As he bled out onto the concrete, he couldn’t help but wish he had a second chance. To live a life where his skills matched his ambitions. The world faded to black as the man died.

___

Agace smiled as the soul she was after passed into the aether between worlds. He would be perfect. She snagged the man’s soul just as he crossed over. She loved this part. She got to look all mysterious and godlike. Mortals where always willing to make a deal just after they died.

The man opened his eyes and gapped as he beheld her. Agace was wearing a crown of flowers, her dress was white but a white so pure that snow would be ashamed to claim any kind of purity in the face of this dress. She wore sandals of golden thread. Swirling around her songbirds that she had stolen from her sister’s garden fluttered. The man had never seen someone so beautiful.

“Welcome mortal,” Agace said with a smile. “I have come in answer to your plea.”

The man was baffled. He had always been an atheist. He hadn’t really believed in any kind of afterlife. He knew that he had died though so no other explanation apart from life after death made sense.

“Plea?” the man questioned rather lamely.

“Yes, a second chance. A second chance in a new world. This time round though I am prepared to grant you what you want. Utter competence. The kind of competence that can overcome any amount of bad luck or ill intent.”

“Why?” the man had learnt through hard experience that benevolence for its own sake was not common.

“Simply put I’m bored, and you seem interesting.”

The man blanched, “That’s all?”

“Well,” Agace tapped her chin, “that and in exchange I will require one unspecified favour from you in the future. Not such a bad bargain.”

The man paused in thought. There had to be more too this. Human history was filled with people who made seemingly benign deals with fairies and gods only to discover that they were not as harmless as they seemed. This favour would probably not be something he would enjoy.

Seeing his hesitation Agace sweetened the pot. “Let me explain exactly what I am offering and what the alternative would be. Firstly, if you don’t choose this option then your soul will dissipate into the aether of the universe. There is no guaranty that your soul will remain intact or enter into a reincarnation cycle. Those have to be set up by the deities of a particular world. Your soul has already failed to enter whatever afterlife your world has if it has an afterlife at all. Sometimes world’s do not have one. However, if you take the bargain, you are guaranteed rebirth. As an adult so you do not have to spend time as a baby. I will give you even more than you asked for. You will not only be supremely competent in your chosen pursuits, but rather all pursuits. You will be the most competent person in every endeavour to which man has ever turned their thoughts. Not only that but I will also grant you with eternal youth and health, no goal you ever have will go unfinished due to a lack of time. Too be clear, you will still be susceptible to death by injury. Death by disease or old age will not be an issue for you.”

The man was certain now that this goddess must be up to something. No deal would be this preferential for no reason.

“I won’t lie. I am tempted,” said the man, “but for all of this the favour required of me will probably be hellish to endure.”

Agace pouted. She had laid it on so thick and he was still hesitating.

“To be honest the only reason that I have to ask for the favour is because there must be a price. I could not think of a suitable one however, so I have chosen to leave it open ended for now. I guarantee that whatever I decide to ask of you will be well within your capabilities.”

The man breathed out slowly, he still had a bad feeling but, the conditions offered were too tempting, eternal youth or disintegration of his soul. There was never really a choice.

“Very well I agree.”

As soon as he said the words his body froze in place.

“Wonderful,” Agace purred.

Stepping forward Agace took out a magnificent apple and pressed it to the man’s lips. The apple liquefied and poured down his throat. It tasted of everything and nothing at the same time.

“With this apple the curse is given, supreme competence above the skill of all living men.”

The man panicked when he heard the word curse but he could not move at all to protest.

Agace took out the silver bowl she had filled in the pond under the tree. She poured the water in to the man’s mouth. It tasted of earth, spring and growth.

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“With the water of immortality, the bargain is struck, the price is one favour to be given at some future date.”

Agace stepped back and clapped. All traces of her previous regal bearing gone.

“This is going to be so much fun. I have high hopes for you. Absolon is going to hate whatever I make you do to his perfect plan. You won’t remember this conversation or your previous life, but you will remember the favour that you owe me. When I send for you to fulfil your promise you will know it.”

The man’s consciousness faded still wondering how competence could be a curse.

___

Erec gasped as he returned from unconsciousness. He knew his name was Erec or at least that was his name now. He had a vague feeling that he used to be someone else. As it stood however, he knew his name was Erec, he knew that this life was somehow a second chance, and he knew for that second chance he owed someone a favour. Apart from those facts he remembered nothing. Erec had a pain in his side that could only come from a broken rib. Oddly enough he knew exactly how such a wound could be treated. He knew several ways to treat such an injury, both mundane and through magical etching. That gave Erec pause. Something about the thought of magic seemed incongruous to him. That thought was pushed aside however by his surprise that he knew how to use magic to fix a broken rib. In fact, as he thought about it, he realised that in fact he knew how to use magical etching to do everything. He knew how to etch a blade so that it would never dull. He knew how to make a horseshoe that would never need to be replaced. He knew that if he etched a teapot in a particular way, he could enhance the flavour of tea and keep the brew fresh for weeks. It wasn’t just magic though. He simply knew how to do everything. He knew for a certainty that if he chose to, he could be the world’s greatest juggler. He knew that if he were to put his mind to carriage making, he would make carriages which would put master works to shame. He knew how to do everything.

The pain from his broken rib returned Erec’s thoughts to more immediate concerns. Looking around the room Erec noted that he appeared to be in the hold of a ship. He was submerged in brackish salt water up to his hips. Before he sat up, he must have only escaped drowning by shear luck. It was difficult to tell but he thought that he must be a teenager. His body felt young notwithstanding the broken rib and severe bruising which covered his whole body. `He or the person who used to be inhabiting this body had been beaten, badly beaten and Erec could not remember by whom or why. He did not even know where he was. The ship was rocking violently and there was the sound of heavy rain and wind outside. A storm then. As the thought occurred to him so too did the realisation that he was perhaps the best geographer in the whole of Teranis. That was this world’s name, Teranis, Judging, by the mild nature of the storm he must be at the edge of the Sea of unending Storms. It was disconcerting not remembering where he was but rather intuiting it. Like an abstract puzzle Erec constructed more of what must have led him to this ship.

There was only one reason to sail out into the Storms. Mana crystals. The crystals accumulated on the sails and rigging. Like stalactites in a cave. It was one of the only ways to get a steady supply of the crystals to use in magical etching. Otherwise, one could only rely on finding deposits of the substance that had accumulated over centuries. Judging by his age and the state of almost rot the ship appeared to be in, he was mostly likely among the lowest ranked crew members of a poor desperate crystal harvesting ship. In addition, someone on this ship had beaten him almost to death or perhaps he had died. Rather whomever this body had belonged to died.

Erec dragged his sore body up the wall getting himself to his feet. His feet were prune-like and wrinkled. He must have been down here for hours. He needed to treat his injuries, or he would get infected.

If this was a crystal harvester, then there must be some mana for him to use. He shuffeld carefully and painfully towards the dimly lit staircase. Occasional flashes of lightning came from above. The storm was intensifying they must be making their way further from whatever harbour this ship called home. Erec was bare foot and as he was walking, he almost stepped on a rusty nail that protruded from the steps out of hold. This ship must be very badly maintained. The sloppiness of the vessel affronted Erec. He found that knowing how to perfectly maintain a ship he couldn’t abide seeing the job so poorly done. However, his priority now was to treat himself and find out who had killed his predecessor.

Erec finally made it out onto the main deck. Scruffy crewmen hustled around preparing for the days long storm that the ship would have to endure before it could accumulate enough mana to justify the trip economically. The rigging of the ship was frayed, the wood full of splitters. Luckily the top of the mast was capped with a magically etched lightning break. Without such a device sailing a ship out here would be suicide with the number of lightning strikes which continually struck each ship willing to brave the never-ending tumult.

“Erec,” a stout man shouted as he clasped Erec on the shoulder. He spun Erec around and winced as he saw the extensive bruising on the boy’s face.

Shaking his head and straining to have his voice heard above the wind he said,” I told you boy. Resisting Lothair’s advances will bring nothing but trouble. He doesn’t respond well to resistance. If you, please him maybe he will make you his cabin boy instead of a harvester. Best you could hope for that. Same pay but none of the danger up in the rigging.”

Erec was about to respond when a shout came for the ship’s stern, “Norbert! You and the boy get up there! We already have crystals forming and I won’t have my ship coming down because my crew was too damn lazy to clear the rigging.”

“Yes captain,” said the sailor saluting half-heartedly in vague direction of the aft of the ship. Then he pulled Erec towards the port side rigging. Erec instinctually knew what was expected from him. He grabbed a basket and scampered up the ropes with unexpected grace. Unexpected to him because he still had a broken rib, unexpected to his partner Norbert, because if he didn’t know any better, he would say that the lad was a seasoned sailor, not a freshly recruited orphan.

Dense crystals had begun forming on the rigging. They were every colour imaginable, and mist seemed to twist in their depths. If they weren’t removed in time, then their weight would cause the ropes to snap. Even a crystal the size of a large marble weighed as much as a kilogram. Erec’s job was to collect the crystals as Norbert carefully chipped them off the sails. It was dangerous work. Made more dangerous by His broken rib and weak body. He had to climb down often, or the weight of the basket would cause him to fall. The crystals were not large, but they were unnaturally heavy. At least ten times heavier than gold of the same weight would be. That was why the rigging needed to be continuously cleared. If it were not the crystals weight would snap the ropes. Only his seemly supernatural competence kept him attached to the ship.

Norbert seemed content to keep silent as they worked. Erec didn’t mind he was in too much pain to dig for information anyway. He did notice some worrying signs, however. It was difficult to tell out here in the storm, but he was sure that the ship was heading directly to one of the shifting death-zones of the stormfront. The mana suffusing the wind and rain felt too concentrated. Perhaps the captain would steer them away soon. From the feel of it they were still at least a day away from the deadly area.

After hours of labour, they were relieved by another team of harvesters. Erec had managed to secret a pea sized flake of green crystal into his pocket. The crew would be checked thoroughly before they left the ship. To make sure that they didn’t steal any of the precious resource. At the moment though the captain didn’t bother to check the harvesting crews. After all someone having the knowledge to use mana on his rag tag crew was too ridicules to guard against. Such things were only known by rich craftsmen and scholars.

Erec and Norbert made their way to the mess. Most of the crew wouldn’t meet Erec’s gaze. He deduced that whoever had beaten him up and the less than savoury reason why that Norbert had implied was common knowledge on the ship.

The only food on offer to the crew was barely edible grey slop. Erec grimaced as he collected his ‘meal’. Even on a tight budget and with the same ingredients Erec could have made something much better. On a well-run ship the moral of the crew was just as important as the maintenance of the vessel.

He took a seat across from Norbert. He decided that getting some information on who and where he was more important than not showing weakness.

“Norbert?” he started in a questing tone. The man across from him grunted indicating that Erec should continue.

“I’ll be honest Norbert whatever happened to me must have rung my bell pretty solidly I don’t know who I am, where we are or who that Lothair you spoke about is.”

Norbert paused his assault on the gruel in his bowl and looked up at Erec. His eyes were probing trying to gauge Erec’s sincerity. Seeming to only now notice the dried blood that matted Erec’s hair in defiance of the rain.

“Ambrosine’s Tits boy, he must have cracked your head.”

“Who is he?” said Erec in an exasperated voice.

Norbert sighed, “truly you remember nothing?” Erec nodded in response.

“Well to start we are on board the Cerf-volant. Probably the most miserable tub to sail out of the grand Stormbreaker harbour. The capital of the kingdom of Nevares.

That cleared up their location or at least an approximate one. Nevares was a kingdom which occupied the northern peninsula which made up the great barrier straight. They must be sailing northwest of the peninsular into the Everstorm.

Erec discovered to his pleasure that not only was he a master of geography but also of history. Nevares was a relatively new Kingdom. It was ruled by a branch family of the great Tulanese Imperial family. The Empire had claimed the southern portion of the Northern peninsula 200 years ago. Forever resentful of their relatives and overlords the Nevares royal family rebelled 100 years ago. Busy with wars of conquest to the South The great empire of Tulan hadn’t bothered to send a large army to retake the relatively impoverished kingdom. Most historians in the world agreed that it was only a matter of time though until the empire reclaimed its northern holdings.

Norbert's continued explanation cut off Erec’s musings.

“This sorry wreck is captained by Odile Bovin. Mean bastard, and a penny pincher. Lothair Pettigrew is the ship’s quartermaster. Not putting too fine a point on it Lothiar has a taste for young handsome lads such as yourself. As I understand it you weren’t too flattered by his advances. As for who you are. Well, I can only assume you’re one of the street urchins that Odile tricked into service. When we are short-handed the captain will bring in a few boys off the streets. Untrained, but most will work for food.” Norbert shrugged his shoulders. “Apart from that I didn’t know you until you came on with us.”

Erec grimaced, “Can you point out Lothair?”

Norbert grinned, “can’t miss him.” Norbert used his spoon to point at the ugliest man that Erec had ever seen or at least Erec assumed he had never seen someone so horrifying. Lothair was a short man with protruding ears and a hunched back. He was missing several teeth. As Erec met the man’s eyes, he saw an equal portion of lust and hate flickering in Lothair’s beady orbs. Peaceful negotiation would not be an option. No those weren’t eyes one could negotiate with. Lothair would have to be dealt with. A sharp tug of pain reminded Erec that he was gravely injured. That too would have to be dealt with. He was also increasingly certain they were sailing into one of the death-zones. All in all, his prospects didn’t look promising.

Despite all of this, despite the unnamed favour he still knew hung over his head, Erec smiled too himself. All of these challenges could be overcome. Looking into his mind and feeling his competence, absolute competence he knew that in this life, in this second life he could do anything.

___

Absolon watched as Agace carried out her plan for the mortal. He did not know what she had planned for him but whatever it was this had crossed his bottom line. He had been patient with his sister-in-law but if she was indulged like this then his carefully laid plans for his realm would go to waste. As soon as the mortal faded away going to inhabit his new body, Absolon stepped out.

“Sister-in-law, you have gone too far this time.”

Agace jumped, “Brother I thought you were hunting. It’s just a little curse and sister gave me permission to bring in the mortal’s soul.”

“No doubt you tricked your sister somehow. She gives into you too easily. Well, this time Agace no technicalities, no excuses. You will be punished for your misbehaviour.”

Agace winced, “what punishment brother. Sister won’t forgive you if you send me away.”

Absolon sneered, “I would never send my dear sister-in-law away. You are just going to spend some time on vacation. I’m sending you down to live with the mortals. No godly powers or at least most of them will be gone. Of course, everything must have a condition. Since you conveniently gave that mortal immortality, I will use him as your return condition. Until you get that mortal to fall in love with you, I condemn you to wander the mortal plain.”

Agace paled. “No brother please. I’m still young I’ll behave.”

“It’s too late Agace don’t worry I’ve prepared a place for you in the mortal world.” With that Absolon waved his hand and Agace faded just as Erec had. Absolon sighed, “forgive me wife but I couldn’t stand the brat any longer. Hopefully her time among the mortals will teach her a little humility and discipline.”