Myth-Ing Persons By Robert L Asprin

That took me a little aback. So far I had considered our vampire foe to be everything from an annoyance to a nemesis. The idea of studying his methods had never entered my mind.

“What leads you to that conclusion?”

The troll pursed his lips as he organized his thoughts.

“Consider what he’s accomplished so far. The entire time we’ve known of him, he’s been on the run . . . first from the Deveels, and then from Aahz, who’s no slouch ‘Stalling people once he sets his mind to it. Now, assuming for the moment that Vic is actually the brains of the group, he was quick enough to take advantage of being left alone in your waiting room to escape out the back door. He couldn’t have planned that in advance, even knowing about the door. He probably had some other plan in mind, and formulated this new course of action on the spot.”

We paused for a moment to let a small group of vampires cross the intersection in front of us.

“Now, that would have sufficed for an escape in most instances, but they happened to pick an exit route that left you and Aahz responsible, which set your partner on their trail,” Chumley continued. “With nothing to go on but your reputations. Vic not only correctly deduced that he would be followed, but he also managed to spot Aahz’s weakness and exploit it to frame him and make it stick . . . again, not the easiest task, particularly realizing it involved convincing and coaching his two accomplices in their roles.”

All of this was doing nothing for my peace of mind. I was having enough difficulty forcing myself to believe that we were really hunting a vampire, the sort of creature I normally avoid at all costs, without having to deal with the possibility that he was shrewd and resourceful as well. Still, I had learned that ignoring unpleasant elements of a caper was perhaps the worst way to prepare for them.