A/N: Takes place immediately after the first novel Another Fine Myth.
Myth Applied Magic
"Aahz?"
"What is it kid?" the demon sighed. Yes, he was a dimensional traveler, that's what demons were. Why he had been stuck on a backwater world like Klah was either chance or a series of events that the universe had disguised cleverly as coincidence. Why he was stuck with an apprentice who asked too many questions was something more akin to torture. Aahz had to admit that Skeeve was okay as a person, but he just didn't know anything yet.
"Why don't you teach me more spells?"
"Kid, you haven't mastered the ones you know yet. There are people who make a very good living specializing in one or two spells; the trick is learning to do them the best you can, and then applying your talent to new ways of using it."
"What do you mean?"
Aahz plopped down in a chair that had been a part of the old inn's furnishings for some time. The way it groaned under his weight, it didn't have long until retirement, and by retirement he meant turned into kindling. "I mean kid, that once you learn how to do something really well you can find new ways to use the same skill. What was the spell you really struggled with the most to get to work the first time?"
Skeeve didn't have to think hard. "Firestarting. It took me forever to light that practice candle, and I still haven't gotten really good at it yet."
"Right, good choice; you could have easily chosen levitation from what you've told me. Anyway, let's go with firestarting. You have gotten better at it at least, right? At least a little?"
"Some. I still have failures, but not as many" Skeeve admitted.
"As it should be. Even the best magicians have a learning curve with a new spell; I think yours is probably a little steeper than some considering how you've started out and all, but it's not ridiculously so. Now, let's assume you completely mastered that spell. How would you make a living using it?"
"I don't know. Light people's fires I suppose."
Aahz slapped his forehead with his hand, careful not to claw himself. "If only you could light your imagination. What kind of fires?"
Skeeve furrowed his forehead. "Cooking fires; I could light people's stoves."
"That's a start. Stoves, campfires, and even bonfires. Maybe even the occasional witch burning."
"Which burning?"
"Nevermind. But what else? What about a fire for a blacksmith's forge? A kiln for a brickmaker?"
"I've never seen either of those, Aahz!"
"It doesn't matter kid, the principal is the same. Fire is heat and burning. You could light torches! I can see your sign: Illuminating your adventures, cheap rates. You could restart a pilot light!"
"What's a pie lot? More than one pie being baked probably, but that would be just another oven."
"A pilot light is…forget it, it's a technology thing. If there was a forest fire, you could start a fire to burn in the other direction and save a town; wouldn't that be something?"
"I'd like to save a town, but wouldn't it burn down from my fire instead of the one in the forest?"
"It could work kid; you just gotta set it up right is all. If you learned to really control the spell you could use it to dry out things, like shirts. You know, just heat it up enough that it gets hot without catching fire, like a clothes dryer."
"Clothes drier than what? When they were wet?" Skeeve was starting to have that feeling he was asking too many questions in a row again.
"Forget that for now, remember the idea is control. What if I spread oil on my sword and then you ignited it just as I attacked someone. What would happen?"
"You might get singed."
"Maybe, but more importantly the enemy would probably soil themselves and run away. He wouldn't have to be made of straw to be afraid of the 'Flaming Sword of Gustine'."
"You didn't tell me about that weapon before."
"That's because we haven't invented it yet. Remind me sometime when we're outnumbered, the odds are desperate, and there doesn't seem to be any hope of survival" Aahz smiled.
Skeeve noted to himself that such a situation seemed to happen about every third day when Aahz was around, but he kept the observation to himself.
"Anyway, just a thought. You always have to find a way to eat, and proper drink doesn't just walk into your home." Just then a traveling salesman appeared at their door selling wines and dried meats. Aahz arose from his chair and started towards the door. "Sometimes you have to order ahead."
The End
A/N: A totally pun-filled series of magic and fantasy, although in truth I've only read the first 12 books. I do wish at times Skeeve was a little less dense, but he does have a great sense of fair play and is the obvious choice as a target for expository dialogue.