'ok what now? '
I am getting attacked by a girl with a staff in what I thought was an, and I quote, "abandoned house in the middle of the forest".
Do I run?
Do I stay still?
Do I wave?
Probably the best thing to do here is to try to communicate.
yes comunication is the key to success.
...Can bugs communicate? Wave even?
I slowly lifted one of my front legs.
"..."
"..."
The girl blinked.
I blinked.
Wait.
Do beetles blink?
no. Insects have compound eyes, which are made up of hundreds of individual lenses that transmit signals via neurons to the brain for interpretation. These eyes are particularly adept at detecting motion and are better for seeing predators above, like a bird or wasp, as well as food or what they're interacting with closer and towards. Bees and hoverflies have two sets of eyes – compound eyes and simple eyes.
Insects, unlike mammalian creatures, lack eyelids, which means they cannot close their eyes in the same manner humans do. This absence of eyelids affects their ability to protect their eyes and control light intake. To compensate, some insects exhibit behaviors that help safeguard their sensory organs. For instance, cockroaches fold down their antennae when they sleep, serving a similar protective function for their delicate sensory structures.
This is a fantasy world after all; some logic and science from my old world might be applied, and some other not. What do you expect from a world of magic and monsters?.
Putting all of that aside.
She tightened her grip on the staff.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
I wasn't planning to.
In fact, I was planning on leaving before I became today's bug-flavored pancake.
She looked around the room, probably trying to figure out how a giant bug had managed to sneak into her house.
Her eyes landed on the open door.
"..."
She looked back at me.
"..."
Then back at the door.
"...I forgot to close it again."
She actually looked embarrassed for a second.
Well.
That explains that mystery.
Unfortunately, she immediately remembered there was still a monster inside her house.
"I-I don't know why you're here, but... but I won't let you attack me!"
She swung the staff awkwardly.
There wasn't any confidence behind it.
Just panic.
Honestly...
She looked more scared of me than I was of her.
...Actually, no.
I was definitely more scared.
That stick could very well shoot lasers.
I will say it again: no matter how much, I'm in a fantasy world.
For all I know, saying "Fireball!" is enough to erase me from existence.
Speaking of...
The tip of her staff began glowing a faint orange.
...
Nope.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
I immediately threw myself onto my back.
"..."
The girl froze.
"...Huh?"
I kept all eight legs raised.
If she was human, she'd probably recognize this.
Universal sign of surrender.
Hopefully.
Please.
"I-It's..."
She tilted her head.
"...Playing dead?"
No!
That's not—
Actually...
That might be exactly what it looked like.
Come on, System.
Now would be a fantastic time to give me the ability to communicate.
Or translate.
Or literally anything.
Instead...
[Quest Updated.]
Seriously?
[Optional Objective: Establish Peaceful Contact.]
Objective: Convince the human you are not hostile.
Reward: ???
How?!
How exactly do you expect me to convince her?
I'm a whooping 50 centimere beetle with 3 horns and a useless system!
I don't even have vocal cords!
The girl cautiously stepped closer.
The orange glow on her staff dimmed, though she still held it tightly.
"...You're... not attacking."
Correct.
Very observant.
She poked one of my legs with the end of her staff.
I instinctively twitched.
"Eep!"
She jumped backward faster than I thought was physically possible.
"..."
"..."
Well.
There goes our progress.
She stared at me for another few seconds before lowering the staff completely.
"...You're weird."
Excuse me?
I'm not the one with naturally pink hair.
Actually...
That is probably not weird here.
agaaaaaiiiiinnnnn! Fantasy world!
Right.
She slowly circled me, careful to stay out of reach.
"...You don't look injured."
Thanks?
"...You're also not trying to bite me."
Because I'd rather continue existing.
She frowned in thought.
"...Are you... someone's familiar?"
A familiar?
Like those magical companion creatures?
Wait.
That means intelligent monsters exist in this world?
Or at least tame ones.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
She crouched down until she was almost eye level with me.
"...Can you understand me?"
I nodded.
Very slowly.
Her pink eyes widened.
"..."
"..."
"...You can?!"
I nodded again.
This time, much faster.
"H-Huh?!"
She almost dropped her staff.
"You actually understand me?!"
yahoo. yay.
Finally.
Progress.
She looked between me and the door several times, as if trying to process the situation.
Then she asked the one question I absolutely couldn't answer.
"...Can you talk?"
If I were able to talk, I wouldn't have stayed silent all that time and risked getting lasered by magic.
I slowly shook my head.
"...Oh."
She looked... disappointed?
"I guess that would've been too convenient."
Tell me about it.
For a few moments, neither of us spoke.
Well.
She didn't speak.
I physically couldn't.
The silence was strangely peaceful.
Until...
Grrrrr...
A low growl echoed from outside the house.
Both of us froze.
The girl's face immediately turned pale.
"...No..."
She rushed to the window, carefully peeking outside.
"Oh no..."
Her grip on the staff tightened.
"...The wolves found the house."
'Pardon?'