When they reached the Bad Luck, after a quick journey through Alushinyrra's portal system, Seelah was just turning around to face the tavern's portal archway.
"Oh, hey, look who it is!" the paladin said, with a chuckle. "And Woljif, what a pleasant surprise."
"Yeah, yeah," Woljif said, shaking his head. "I get it, I get it, the Boss made the point about how I'd screwed up… I don't need you to get on my case as well."
Seelah laughed. "Woljif, you wouldn't be you if you didn't need a reminder every now and then," she said.
Now the thiefling looked puzzled. "...wait, is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"It's a thing," Juniper suggested. "It's nothing to be worried about, anyway… Seelah, I assume you left Regill or Yaniel in charge?"
"Regill, told him he'd have to confirm any major decisions with you or me," Seelah agreed. "Yaniel and Berenguer went out to hunt for demons, doing their own thing, like we discussed."
"Oh, sure, they get to go out and do their own thing," Woljif said. "Made your mind up yet, boss?"
"Not quite," Juniper replied. "But almost. First… I want to see what Red Mask has to say."
"Who's that, now?" Seelah asked.
"She hired assassins to go after an aasimar by the name of Latverk," Juniper answered. "And I was told she usually drinks in this very tavern."
"How interesting," Camellia said.
Juniper glanced up, spotting the half-elf standing at the bar. "Camellia – I'm surprised to see you here."
"When I heard the purpose of Seelah's departure, I thought it would be the most helpful thing to do," Camellia replied. "If you're undecided about having Woljif with you, then it only makes sense for me to offer my help in the fields we both specialize in."
She smiled, slightly. "You don't mind, I hope, my friend?"
"I suppose not," Juniper conceded, looking out over the tavern floor, then nodded slightly. "To me, that looks like a woman in a red mask…"
"So, what's the plan?" Greybor checked.
"Try and find out what's going on, first of all," Juniper replied. "If she's after Latverk – why Latverk? It might be something where there's a way of working it out… we just don't know enough."
The woman was sitting at a table, examining the cloudy contents of a glass that was scarcely less cloudy than the drink inside it. Her mask covered her face from the upper lip all the way to the top of her head with only two small holes for eyes – and there was something about the way it sat on her face that didn't quite look right.
"Get lost," she said, as Juniper approached. "I'm not looking for drinking companions."
"Nor am I," Juniper replied. "I'm after answers, instead."
"I doubt I can give you any," the woman said, shortly. "Since they won't be any of your business."
"We'll see," Juniper said. "Firstly… you, I take it, are Red Mask."
Woljif chuckled. "Yeah, that's a pretty sharp deduction there, boss!"
"Good, you've got the right person," Red Mask said. "This is the part where you leave."
"I don't think so," Juniper replied. "I have to ask – why did you send assassins after Latverk?"
Red Mask smiled grimly, then took off her mask.
Beneath… Juniper was fairly sure that she was an aasimar. There were subtleties of feature which the mask had concealed, that had stopped her making the determination before now… but a face that had previously been classically beautiful had been disfigured, by terrible scars.
It looked like she'd been flayed.
"That wretch deserves the worst death imaginable," Red Mask declared. "When the demons abducted and enslaved me, Latverk bought me and my fellow captives. I thought myself saved, but I was wrong."
Aivu gasped, slightly.
"The worst was yet to come," Red Mask went on. "The things he did to us… I cannot describe them. He destroyed our bodies and our souls, acting out the worst of the filthy, perverse desires in his sick mind…"
"Shelyn," Sosiel breathed.
"It was a miracle I managed to escape, but – not one of Shelyn's, I think," Red Mask said.
"I…" Sosiel began, looking troubled. "I was going to say that it was possible, but I think… no, I don't know."
Juniper glanced at Ember, but she didn't seem to have anything to add.
"So how come you're still here?" Woljif burst out. "In the Abyss? If there's someone like that who…"
He shook his head, swallowing.
"I could have left," Red Mask agreed. "But… it feels as if Latverk has sown the seeds of his madness in my soul. I refuse to spread his sickness to other places, happier places. Let his evil perish here, in the Abyss, utterly and without a trace."
"I… don't know," Juniper said. "And by that, I mean – I think that leaving the Abyss might give your soul a chance to recover. But it's your choice."
"She does not lie," the Hand said, his voice trembling with anger. "Her heart aches with a desire for retribution. Latverk is a liar and a traitor, and he must answer for his misdeeds. Champion, we must go back and see that he faces justice for his crimes."
Seelah groaned.
"How can an aasimar do such monstrous things?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah, of course!" Woljif said. "Because everyone knows aasimars and paladins are always noble and brave, and tieflings and thieves are all untrustworthy scum! D'you know what that's called? Prejudice, that's what!"
He folded his arms. "And then you get poor tieflings strung up from the nearest lamp post for stealin', when all that happened was that the purse got left at home. Un-bloody-believable."
"That's not it," Seelah said. "It's – ah, how do I put this?"
She punched one gauntleted fist into the palm of the other hand, producing a clang. "Tieflings do have it hard, Woljif, but that's what I'm trying to say! It's, not exactly a good thing if a tiefling turns to a cult or does something like that, but I can at least understand it because they didn't have a lot of choices that others have. But an aasimar has all kinds of advantage in comparison. They have it easier. So it's more of a choice."
Woljif looked mulish, then sighed.
"Yeah, I get what you're getting at," he conceded. "Still think it shouldn't be that much of a surprise, though… never thought I'd say this, but at least ol' Reggie is suspicious of everyone, includin' himself."
Red Mask softened slightly.
"Latverk has learned to conceal his true nature," she said. "If you were taken in, you would not be the first. None of us suspected him, either."
"It's terrible," Ember said, her eyes full of tears. "What he did to you…"
"Am I not pretty enough for you?" Red Mask asked, grinning. "Are you afraid? I'll never be called a beauty again, I know."
"No, it's not about beauty," Ember objected. "Or, anything else he stole from you… it's what he gave you. He shared his pain with you, and it took root and grew. There is a thorny tangle of suffering in your heart, and you are impaled on its spikes."
Juniper caught sight of Wenduag looking very uncomfortable at that.
"It's not… irreversible, right?" the 'neather asked. "Or is this one of those times when you have to forgive someone who's done something horrible?"
"It's one of those times when it needs care and attention," Juniper replied. "Forgiveness might be part of that healing process, but – I don't think it's mandatory. Everyone's situation is different."
"A murderous lunatic hiding behind a facade of generous and selfless virtue," Camellia said. "How… trite."
"What have you done, since escaping?" Juniper asked. "Obviously you hired some rather poor assassins to try and kill Latverk."
"I have walked the path of vengeance," Red Mask said, and now there was passion in her voice. "Calistra, patron goddess of all who have been wronged, has shown me I must dedicate myself to this path. I am the retribution that stalks villains in the night, paints the darkness red, and makes the streets ring with their pitiful screams as I end their miserable lives."
She looked up at Juniper. "So… now you know, what will you do?"
"We need to stop Latverk," Juniper said. "Rescue the others who he took prisoner… is that something you'll be involved with?"
"Yes," Red Mask confirmed. "Yes, I will. Go there – I'll be waiting. Say I'm dead, if that's what it takes to get him to open the door."
She stood, walking to the archway with a confident stride, and left with a flash of magic.
"I'm guessing we're going there as well?" Woljif asked.
"Not all of us," Juniper replied. "I've been thinking this over… Woljif, unless you have a strong reason to be around when we confront Latverk, or if you've changed your mind on the necessity, I'd say now would be a good time to head out into the city – with Greybor's help, of course."
"Huh?" Woljif asked. "I mean… sure! I can do that – you'll see!"
"Just watch your back," Greybor advised. "I'll be watching it as well, but if I help you out then people are going to know I might be there in future."
"Right, right, got it," Woljif confirmed. "Act like you ain't there."
Juniper frowned, slightly. "In addition, if we're successful in rescuing the other aasimar women then… Seelah, you're going to need to be ready to handle some traumatized prisoners. In fact, since we need the archway anyway, the rest of us should just head back to our camp and set things up, before I take a strike team back to the Middle City. I imagine Daeran would like to be present, come to that…"
