Vol II, Ch 76 – When you stare out into the sunset and the sunset stares back.

Lilis was doing her best not to cut her fingers as she sliced up the unending pile of vegetables. And barring one minor incident, she’d been successful thus far. Cooking wasn’t something she’d ever had to actually do herself, too used to her meals being made for her both at home and at the academy. But Lilis was happy to learn and do whatever she could to help the strange people that were doing so much more in exchange. In a roundabout way, this was the best way to search for Ruby that she had.

When the door of the log cabin creaked, she jumped, so focused on her task that the sound caught her off guard.

Lilis’s hand clapped the knife against the table as she caught her balance on the tall stool. She turned to see a demon twice her height scuttling inside, the creature’s six brown legs clicking across the rough wooden flooring. Lilis met their gaze, and they smiled at her, mouth splitting open into three horrifying segments.

Under normal circumstances, Lilis might have run for her life. Or perhaps she would have simply frozen in place, certain that no amount of running would save her from the nightmare blocking the exit.

Instead, she took a deep breath, listening as the arachne, Vestni, spoke. “Ractek said there’s still no sign of her, but they’ll keep looking.” Her voice was sweet, yet had that edge of authority that made you not want to miss a word, in fear of some kind of reprisal.

Or perhaps that was simply how Lilis felt when speaking to a large, intimidating arachne.

“R-right,” she replied.

Vestni moved to the large cauldron slowly filling with vegetables and peered at the paltry amount Lilis had added in since she’d left. “You need not cut these up so small, dear.” Then Vestni grabbed a knife and began chopping through the remaining vegetables at four or five times the speed that Lilis had managed. “Let’s finish up these, and then we can fetch some water to get this pot boiling.” She paused, her many eyes staring down at Lilis and causing the girl to fidget. “Though, I don’t know that you’ll be able to carry the buckets.”

Mutely, Lilis nodded. She’d figure out something. After all, she felt rather indebted to the demons here. Both for sheltering her from the dangerous jungle and, more importantly, for helping her search for Ruby. The small camp of presumed mercenaries, or as Vestni had called them, the Teni clan, had been surprisingly kind since Lilis had stumbled upon their camp.

Of course, she’d ran for her life when she first realized that she was, in fact, approaching a large group of literal demons out in the desolate jungle. Things had appeared bleak when one of their scouts speedily tracked her down, pinned her to the forest floor, and questioned her in their strange demonic language. She screamed and fought back, punching, kicking, and casting whatever magic she could think of while he dragged her into their camp.

Beyond that, however, things had gone surprisingly smoothly. Vestni was one of the few in their group able to speak Lilis’s language, and after some discussion and placating statements, managed to calm her down.

If the arachne was to be believed, they weren’t going to eat her or hurt her or anything else of that nature, a viewpoint that she was still coming to terms with. That and the fact that she was now in the Under realm of all places. Overall, they seemed surprisingly human once she looked past their appearances. At least thus far. Though, given that most of them were much larger than any human could ever hope to be, looking past their appearance was a bit easier said than done.

Lilis was just hoping they could actually do the one thing she’d so far failed at—finding Ruby. With numerous scouts scouring the forest, they had a far better chance than she’d had on her own. So she was hopeful. More hopeful than she’d been since her first day out in this ridiculous jungle.

The demons had appeared quite dubious of the idea that a succubus—or a vyxa, as they’d encouraged her to call them—could survive several days out in the jungle alone. But Lilis insisted that Ruby was still alive out there.

She had to believe she was.

Ruby was resourceful, in her own peculiar way. If anyone could survive despite the odds, it was her.

The demons seemed happy to search regardless. They didn’t seem keen on leaving one of their kind to fend for themselves out in such a dangerous place.

After finishing the vegetables, the arachne grabbed several buckets and rushed out the door, forcing Lilis into a near-run to keep up with her. The camp outside was bustling. One group of demons was cutting a thick tree into firewood, while several others were carrying in some large monster.

“A tholuusto,” Vestni answered the unasked question, breaking the long silence. She slowed down enough for Lilis to get a better look at the gray-colored creature, particularly its long, spiny neck and coarse skin. “They’re occasionally brave and stupid enough to attack in the night or late evenings. As long as you can take them down from a distance, they’re usually easy to manage. Particularly since they travel alone whenever they’re not mating in the spring. The key is to rush around to their back and sides and not let them get a bite of you. Their teeth will sink right through armor.”

One of the men with fiery red feathered wings and a pointed face noticed the two of them watching. With a wave and a few shouted words, he began to make his way over, causing Vestni to sigh. “It seems we’ve dallied.”

Lilis pushed to keep up as Vestni strode forward even faster than before. Seemingly undeterred, the feathered demon took flight, soaring over them and landing just a few meters ahead. He laughed as Vestni chastised him in their unfamiliar language. As the demon responded and closed the gap between the two, the arachne halfheartedly swung her bucket at him, making him stagger back. She didn’t once pause as she passed by, Lilis trailing close on her heels.

Luckily with a few more words in exchange, the feathery demon took the hint and let them be.

“Ignore him. He’s just a nuisance,” Vestni said.

“I believe I know the type,” Lilis offered, uncertain of how to respond.

The setting sun peeked through the forest canopy as they made their way out of the camp, rays of light briefly catching Lilis’s face. Between the trees, streaks of orange stretched across the darkening purple sky, and she wondered if, somewhere out there, Ruby was staring out at the same sunset.

“I also spoke to Goloth earlier,” the arachne continued. “He’s leaving with a group in the morning, and I suggest that you join them. Together, you might find the area that you first appeared in and search around there for a day or two before heading to the city.”

“The city?” Lilis asked, finally finding her voice.

Vestni’s next words were hesitant. “If she’s made it out of the forest somehow, that’s where she’ll be.” It was clear that she was skeptical of the idea that Ruby could still be alive. The arachne paused and turned to face Lilis. “Just be careful who you speak to about your… friend. Many there would help you search for her, but not all will do so with good intentions. If you truly believe she is alive out there somewhere, I advise speaking to someone from the Sanctum, as they’ll have both the means to properly search for her and won’t have ulterior motives.”