Water dripped, seeping in through cracks of the stone overhead. It pooled on the ground where it carved spaces for itself.

As the passage ahead grew fainter with each step they took into the mouth of the cliff-side, Bennie led the way with cautious checks of the floor, walls, and ceiling at every step. He picked his way slowly along through the near darkness. While Savaran held back a couple steps and withheld most of the light from his torch for himself and Traven.

The fortuitous light source had been waiting silently in an iron bracket anchored to the wall where they entered the lair. Proving that their luck wasn't all bad. Had it not been there, Savaran had no idea how they would have seen where they were going.

Not as though there was much to look at, however. The hideout was very nondescript. Even as far as caves went. And Savaran had spent his time in many a cave. Whether it was hiding from an enemy, or plowing in to root them out. He wasn't an expert on them, but felt that even this one lacked when it came to cavernous dwellings.

"Anything yet?" the once celebrated general asked of Bennie.

"Nothing."

"If that bird of yours—" Savaran started to complain.

"Wait." There was a hushed urgency to Bennie's rebuttal.

On the path ahead there was a faint light. Savaran saw it now. Although it was pale and flickering, it might as well have been bright as daylight. Quickly dropping his own light, he stomping it out.

"What did you do that for?" Traven whimpered as he lost his ability to use his eyes effectively.

"If we can see them, they can see us," Savaran scolded the ex-prince. "Now be quiet. Or they'll hear us too." Once the admonition was given, Savaran made a series of hand gestures in the near darkness and directed at Bennie.

They loosely translated to, "Get your sorry ass up there and give me an update."

Bennie replied with his own series of hand waves and motions that converted to, "What if it's Karis?"

Savaran rolled his eyes. More hand actions followed with the commands, "Well, then you'd better keep well hidden. Now get a move on!"

Shoulders slumping in defeat, Bennie slinked off up ahead while Savaran and Traven remained behind in silence with eyes adjusting to the lack of light.

A minute or so later, Bennie returned and forwent the silent communication. "Chamber up ahead looks empty, but those lights indicate someone's around. And there's a slew of bodies lying around."

"Dead?" Savaran asked. "Or sleeping?"

"Based on what looks like a lot of blood? I'd say dead." That led Bennie to a thought. "Maybe someone already took care of Karis for us?"

"Not likely. More probably is he killed anyone he brought here with him just so they couldn't tell anyone where he was." Savaran drew his sword. "All right, let's check it out a little more thoroughly. But carefully."

The general pushed ahead of Bennie and towards the light. What he saw when he reached the void beneath the earth lit by burning braziers and torches, was exactly as Bennie had described it. Ten bodies, all with their throats slit, rested in pools of their own juices. Fools who, no doubt, believed they held some position of power and importance in Karis's latest venture. Only to find out that, like so many before them, they were ultimately expendable when it meant meeting his own needs.

A draft towards one of the seven other tunnels exiting the chamber drew the smoke up and out of the room, leaving the air only slightly tinged with a burned smell.

There were crates of non-perishable supplies—dried meats and fruits, mostly. Although there were some fancier items such as jarred preserves and picked eggs as well. All gathered in advance and squirreled away, waiting for the day when the inevitable attempt at taking Karis out came.

The horde was quite impressive. It could have fed the starving on the streets of Shon quite well and for some time.

No less obvious were the numerous chests of valuables glinting in the light of the flames. Gold and silver coins and jewelry made up most of the hoard. But there were also weapons. Some were ornimental, but others were quite practical.

Karis was nothing if not prepared. He could fund a small army with the treasury they'd stumbled upon. Or buy some necessary allegiances.

The trove just laying there, ready to be pilfered, Savaran grabbed a fistful of treasure from one of the boxes and shoved it into his pocket. It didn't make up for what Karis had taken, but it would help ease the sting.

After a few moments of wandering aimlessly and taking stock of what was collected, Savaran relaxed with the realization that there was no immediate threat.

"Well, what do we do?" Traven said. "Karis isn't here."

Savaran's hand shot up to silence the ex-prince. "He's here," the general warned.

"What? Where?"

Savaran began prowling the hideout. While it might have seemed he was wandering aimlessly, his trek was purposeful and methodical. He covered ground in such a way that he was able to rule out potential hiding places before moving on to the next.

In honest truth, however, he couldn't explain how he knew their quarry was here. He just knew it. Instincts told him so. Ones honed from years of fighting for one's life.

Still, after searching about a fourth of the lair, even Savaran was beginning to doubt his intuitions. There really wasn't anywhere for Karis to hide. But that didn't stop Savaran from being certain they were in his presence.

Something caused the flames in one of the braziers to waiver in a way that was a little wrong. Savaran focused on the air surrounding it. Still, there was nothing. At least nothing overtly obvious.

The harder he stared, however, the more he was certain he saw something. And that something, which he could look straight through, saw him seeing it.

"Maybe you're right," he said to Traven. Then Savaran forced himself not to look directly at whatever it was he thought he recognized. All while keeping track of it from the corner of his eye. "Karis is a coward. Killed each of these men who I'm sure thought had some special standing in his little organization." The whatever-it-was seemed to tense as Savaran vamped. "This one here?" Savaran kicked the corpse of one of the men laying dead. "Probably beat that asshole at Gorian Dice. Not that it was hard to do so. Karis didn't know the difference between a Straight Roll and a King's Flush. And that one?" He pointed to another with a smile. "Probably had a bigger dick than Karis. Not that I hear that was hard either considering what some of the tavern wenches we shacked up with during our years of battle told me."

Savaran thought he could almost pick up on a supressed growl from the nothingness that caught his attention.

He smiled, thinking one more good insult ought to do it. "Of course, Karis always did prefer to fuck something with four legs rather than two."

That accusation sent the nothingness moving upon him in a flash. Savaran sidestepped one blow from it, denoted by the breeze passing him by, but a second one, a firm punch from the invisible assailant, cracked him in the jaw.

Rubbing his chin, Savaran smiled as the assault relented. "That the best you've got, Karis?"

"Karis?" Traven started looking this way and that, drawing his sword. "Where?"

Savaran squinted. Now that his unseen attacker wasn't next to the fire, he was harder to make out. But if he concentrated hard enough, Savaran found he could make out the faint outline of his foe. "I see you've still got that ring of invisibility. Certainly is a handy little toy."

Silence was the only response.

Savaran expected that. Karis was too keen a thief to make this any easier than it needed to be. Even though Savaran identified his dull form, fighting him like this wouldn't prove easy.

"Just for the record," Savaran said. "I'm revoking my previous offer to scamper off and hide under a rock."

What little that was able to be assertained of Karis's invisible form vanished as it took one step back into more shadows. "Why? Because of Daria?"

Savaran followed him, stepping forward and trying not to lose sight of Karis. But he had. The voice was now off to the left. "Yeah, you really shouldn't have killed her."

"Please. Like she meant anything to you besides being a piece of ass?"

Karis's intent was clear. Savaran had already gotten him to react out of emotion, and now Karis was trying to do the same to him. "Good ass is hard to find," the former general replied.

"I hear Sharen Dular is still quite on the market." the theif's voice was further to the left now, circling around and headed towards the ex-prince and Bennie. "Though about thirty pounds heavier these days. And not in her tits either."

Savaran moved to impede that obvious line of attack. Traven was hapless, and Bennie, daggers drawn, looked confused and frightened. He couldn't let Karis pick off the low hanging fruit that easily. In some ways, his partners were liabilities. But three on one were better odds.

And there was a certain principle to the whole situation. A moral imperative of sorts. Savaran convinced himself of an unwritten rule that members of the Inglorious Brotherhood would watch each other's backs.

Savaran waved to usher his companions behind him while he continued to scan the area.

A sound of whizzing steel hurled towards him. The last-minute swipe of Savaran's blade caught just enough of the knife to turn it away from the meatiest part of his skull. Still, the edge caught his cheek and warm blood seeped from a shallow cut.

Upon processing their position, Traven whined. "How do we fight someone we can't see?"

"By being quiet," Savaran snapped. "I can hear him if you shut your yap."

Another knife flew, but this one Savaran couldn't deflect. He did move, however, just enough that it went into his shoulder rather than his heart. He let loose a scream at the impact and as it dug in like a biting tooth.

"Savaran!" Traven called.

"I said," he regained himself, "to be quiet!" He tore the knife from its new home and sent it clattering to the ground. The wound bled well.

Then Savaran found what he thought to be his target. It was only the briefest glimpse of a still hazy outline, but enough to send him into action.

Savaran leaped toward it. He knew he'd been on the mark when the table next to it shook.

Karis swore as he banged into it and sent a trove of coins falling.

Following what his eyes barely saw, Savaran pressed forward while Karis retreated. The general swung his sword, missing. But not by much and only imagining how awkward his target was in his avoidance. "I almost hit you?" he taunted.

"Not even close, you arrogant bastard."

"Any chance you'll take off that ring? Make it a fair fight?" Savaran swung again, missing just the same as before.

"Not a chance." A wildly thrown third knife materialized once it left Karis's hand and missed wide by a foot. But it gave away his position.

Continuing to stalk after his phantom prey, Savaran kept the banter going. "Your aim is a little off," he goaded Karis.

The sound of a stubbed toe against a jangling chest of treasure and another curse gave Savaran a hint that his target had tried to flee to the right. He swiped again. But again, missed. Then he lost sight of Karis entirely.

Savaran stopped. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Silence.

Savaran poked around the horde, jabbing his sword at the air here and there, trying to find any sign of his prey. Unsuccessfully. "You still here, Karis?" he asked. "Or did you run away like the fucking coward you are?"

The response came in the form of a burning pain in the back of his shoulder. Karis drove Savaran to the ground, digging the blade into him while his face planted into a pile of coins.

Struggling to turn over, Savaran found his deepest desire to launch a desperately needed counterattack going unfulfilled. With each second that passed, Karis continued to hold him down. "Little help?" he begged through pained gasps for air.

A piercing whistle split Savaran's ears.

Moments later, flapping wings and Karis was off his back. The thief screamed.

Rolling over, Savaran twisted to his feet.

Lenore clawed at something she percieved much more clearly than any of them. And Karis, still invisible, tried to fend her off as blood on her talons spoke of the accuracy to her strikes.

Savaran swung, feeling the edge of his sword bite into flesh. Blood on the blade confirmed he'd caught Karis somewhere. He reached for the knife in his back, striving to pull it free. While he did so, Lenore was batted away. Taking a blind swing with his sword, Savaran was back to missing and couldn't assail his prey.

He finally got the knife out as Traven ran to him. "Gods, you really are useless in a fight," he cursed the ex-prince.

"I do just fine when I can see what I'm supposed to hit," Traven replied.

Bennie went to help his falcon. Lenore, apparently only suffering from being stunned, was airborne again and circling the chamber.

Savaran lent his eyes to the search. "She seeing anything?"

"No, Karis is gone."

Savaran spat at the claim. "Pick a tunnel," he ordered. "Send her down each one. I want that asshole dead today."