Myth-Nomers & Im-Pervections by Robert Asprin

What she was referring to, of course, was her jewelry. Nearly all the magik Massha used was of the gimmick variety . . . magik rings, magik pendants, magik nose studs . . . hence the nickname within the trade of “mechanic.” She was, however, polite enough to not stress too hard the fact that her toys were often more effective and reliable than my own “natural” form.

“You’re right, Massha, and I’d love to have you along . . . but you’re needed more against Hemlock. Before you get too worried, though, just remember I’ve handled some pretty tough situations in the past.”

“Those weren’t on Perv and you usually had your partner along to handle the rough stuff,” she said bluntly. “You don’t even have a D-hopper along.”

“I’ll get it back from Aahz when I find him. If I’m successful, we’ll be along together. If not, I figure he’ll give me the D-hopper and set it for Klah just to be rid of me.”

“. . . And if you can’t find him at all?” Massha gestured pointedly at the crowds on the street. “In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t going to be the easiest place to locate someone.”

For a change, I was confident when I answered. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll find him. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve for that chore. The trick is going to be getting him to change his mind.”

“Well, can you at least do one thing? As a favor to your tired old apprentice?”

She tugged a ring off her left pinkie and handed it to me. “Wear this,” she said. “If you haven’t shown up by the end of the week, I’ll come looking for you. This’ll help me locate you if you’re still in this dimension . . . or do you want to run the risk of being stranded here?”