Xanthir Actrinol is a wastrel of a wizard. Who signed a magical Contract putting him on the suicidal end of the next Avenging Horde vs Allegiance of Virtue confrontation. Which comes at the next major Arcane Conjunction. An untrustworthy imp, Chlothinoch, had sworn truthfully that his best hope of survival was an Exchange of Knowledge to gain unforeseen powers. But what can he get from an Exchange with someone who lacks magic? Scott Jordan was a devops engineer - really just a glorified sysadmin - for an indie game developer. That was by day, at night he hacked on anything that interested him. It was as close as he could find to being a wizard. But now the impossible has been offered to him - the chance to become a wizard’s apprentice during his sleep! Not that Xanthir is the best wizard, and he won't get a full apprenticeship. But even some magic is better than none. Let's not forget Chlothinoch. By day, a minor imp. By night, an even more minor servant of Bealtach, Lord of Hell. He only has his tricks. But who is the trick being played on this time?