Prologue
My face grows pale with fear as a couple of menacing brutes threaten to drag me down a back alley. In the next breath, something appears before me, kicking up a wind in its wake.
“Gugahhhh!!”
One ruffian’s scream is accompanied by a crashing noise, but it’s hard to focus on him right now.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Scary old men trying to drag a weak little girl into the dark is considered a crime, you know.”
Despite the two imposing thugs’ attempts at intimidation, a petite-framed girl stands between us, calmly confronting them. She boasts leather armor, shorts, and blond hair tied into a side ponytail.
I think to myself that she’s probably in her midteens. She appears to be a hunter judging by her leather armor, but facing off against such frightening men is more than reckless. And besides—
“Oh, so now some freak show is running her mouth at us? You just laid hands on my buddy, so I hope you’re ready for the consequences.”
They’re right—she’s unusual. Weird even. There’s nothing wrong with her clothes, mind you, but for some reason, she’s carrying a giant metal box on her back.
She’s in front of me, shielding me from them, so I have a full view of her back, with the metal box right before my eyes.
What is it? It’s mostly white, but the upper half has been fitted with glass, behind which lies all manner of things I’ve never seen before… Wait, seriously, what is this thing? I’ve seen rare magic items from past and present, from around the world, all thanks to my father’s job—but this is a first for me.
One of the oddities is a see-through bottle with a painting of a mountain on it, and another looks like a small cylinder with a picture of yellow soup drawn on it. Others have fruits, but— Oh! Are these really paintings? They look just like the real things. The artist who painted these must be incredibly skilled.
The more I look at this box, the less I understand it, but suddenly, I can’t see it at all. The girl carrying it moves abruptly, vanishing from sight.
As though the metal trunk isn’t even a consideration for this charming girl, she zips right up to one of my assailants and throws a punch.
It looked like she only tapped him on the shoulder, but he flies into the sky, spinning like a drill!
Wait, she didn’t hit him that hard, did she? Besides, that wisp of a girl couldn’t possibly knock such a brawny man off his feet.
As I put the thought from my mind, unable to process what I just witnessed, I hear someone unfamiliar.
“Get one free with a winner.”
Wait, whose voice was that? And what did it mean, Get one free with a winner?
“Oh, behind me!”
One of the ruffians’ friends had snuck up behind the girl, but she spins around and roundhouse kicks him.
“Thanks, Boxxo.”
“Welcome.”
Who’s Boxxo?! And who just said Welcome—and why?!
I feel like it was coming from the metal box, but that can’t be. Anyone in there while it was jerking around like that would be in a sorry state.
I approach the girl who so easily thrashed the thugs, put a hand to my hat—pulled down over my eyes so it doesn’t slip—and bow. “Thank you very much.”
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
“Yes, I’m fit as a fiddle. Might I, um, ask your name?”
She looks strange, but I can’t let this chance to make the acquaintance of such a skilled lady slide. She must be a hunter of considerable renown.
“Oh, um. My name’s Lammis.”
“Lady Lammis? I will make sure to remem—”
“And this is Boxxo.”
Hmm? Who? I’m fairly certain the only ones here are myself, Lady Lammis, and the hooligans at our feet, right? No one else is around.
“I, um, beg your pardon, but I don’t see a Boxxo anywhere.”
“Oops, sorry! I guess that didn’t make sense. Here we go!”
She sets the metal box down next to her and promptly extends her hand.
“This magic item is Boxxo.”
“Welcome.”
“What?”
Wait, what’s she talking about? H-hang on. Just calm down. Plenty of hunters give names to their favorite battle gear. She must be one of them… I definitely heard a voice, though.
“I, ah, so this is Sir Boxxo. I do believe he spoke just now.”
“Yup, he did! Boxxo’s a talking magic item. But he can only say certain things.”
“I—I see. That is amazing!”
If that’s true, this prize would fetch an absurd price on the market. My encounter with those thugs put a significant damper on my sneaky afternoon stroll, but this discovery could more than make up for it.
“It is! But that’s not all. Boxxo can give you delicious food and drinks, too!”
“Um…”
“Oh, I bet you don’t believe me. Here, let me prove it. I’ll go first. See the numbers below each item? Those are prices. Now I’ll put a silver coin in here.”
They do look a lot like prices, but a whole silver coin to purchase one of them is rather exorbitant. But wait. How can a metal container like this sell things?
“And then you push the bumpy thing under the one you want to buy. And then…”
Hearing the clatter of something falling, Lammis squats, then reaches into the lower part of her odd luggage and fishes around for something.
“That’s how you get the item.”
Wow! The exact same thing displayed behind the glass is now in Lady Lammis’s hand. Wait, is this for real? This magical contraption would be worth a fortune.
“Can I—? Ah, would you mind at all if I bought something as well?”
“Yup, sure. Go ahead!”
Lammis steps away from the metal box. When I move toward it in her place, it says, “Welcome.”
“Let’s see— I’ll put the money in. Which should I choose? Hmm. I will pick this one with the fruit painting on it.”
I’ve decided on an item emblazoned with a brilliant citrus fruit. Then I hear a sound from the long, thin hole near the bottom of the box, so I nervously reach for it.
“Eek! It’s cold!”
“Yup, all the cold ones are really cold, and all the warm ones are nice and hot.”
It can even cool drinks for you? What in the world is this thing? This canteen I bought is hard, but if I give it a real push, the material warps. Maybe the metal is stretched really thin.
This part on top must be where you drink. It’s long like a bottle, after all. And if it’s anything like a bottle, I just have to twist this part on the end.
With a click, the lid opens, and a refreshing scent tickles my nostrils.
“Oh, it smells good!”
Aware of the possibility that I was about to imbibe a suspicious brew, I sample only a bit with my tongue.
“Ahhh, i-it’s delicious!”
Both the natural acidity of the citrus and the perfect amount of sweetness spread across my taste buds. And the coolness feels refreshing. I gulp down more of it, feeling the chill wash through my body. Then, without thinking, I exhale noisily.
“I guess you liked it.”
Oh, I drank it all. This magic item stores things that taste great, and it can even speak. Plus, it probably has a trove of coins inside from the people who purchased items. This is a gold mine. I would very much like to have it.
“Yes, I’m truly astounded. Oh—but look at me, I haven’t yet thanked you for helping me. My house is right up this road, so would you like to stop by for a short while?”
“You don’t need to worry about it.”
“No, I insist. If I don’t thank you, my parents will be quite cross with me. Please?”
And so I try my best to keep her from leaving. She refuses, though, saying she is in the middle of work.
“Mistress, Mistress! Where have you gone?”
It would seem as though my time is up. Lady Lammis the hunter and her magic item, Boxxo. I will remember those names.
