I had no name.
I was simply an Intelligent Box. A vessel meant to protect the treasures stored within. That was all.
Having established that, let me make one thing perfectly clear: I was not a Mimic. Do not dare compare me to those magical creatures with such pathetic storage capacities.
I awoke from a long slumber, likely jarred by a sudden impact. It was quite a shock, but it would take more than a mere bump to pry my lid open. If you wished to see what lay inside, you had best bring a key.
Fuhahahahaha!
...And then I processed the reality of my situation. I was currently encircled by a pack of truly horrifying magic beasts. What was I supposed to do? Would the right move be to just open my lid?
Wait. Hold on a moment. You, the black magic beast over there preparing to cast magic—are you planning to incinerate me along with my contents? While it might be my life's purpose to burn alongside the treasures I held, is that truly what you wanted? Were you not even the least bit curious about what was inside?
Oh, good. That human over there—nice block. Well stopped. You held him back, but just who were you? You were clearly weaker than those magic beasts. A monster tamer, perhaps?
Fine. Human, I shall grant you the right to behold my contents. I wasn't surrendering them, mind you. You were only allowed to look. Once you were satisfied, you would surely leave me in peace.
Or so I prayed, but the human actually moved away from me. He looked as though he was about to approach, so why the change of heart? Well, if he intended to leave just like that, I didn't mind. All's well that ends well.
The monster tamer and his beasts stopped at a distance roughly equivalent to fifty humans lined up end-to-end—about eighty meters. One could say they were quite far away, but I was still clearly within their line of sight. Despite being in the middle of a forest, a path had been cleared with unnatural straightness, and I sat at the very end of it. Had this road been made specifically for me? There was nothing else around; I wondered what had transpired while I slept.
And what were the monster tamer and the beasts doing now? Ah, they were eating. Why there, of all places? Then, even more magic beasts began to gather. They appeared to be the same species, but I couldn't even begin to count them all.
After a short while, several people gathered around the monster tamer. They seemed to be debating something. My hearing was excellent, so I could catch their voices even at this distance, but they were all talking at once, making it impossible to decipher the conversation. However, based on the way they kept glancing in my direction, they were clearly deciding my fate.
I hoped for a peaceful resolution, but then I spotted a God-kin among them. That made me uneasy. Those types were notoriously violent. I worried they might simply blast me with magic like that beast tried to do earlier.
I placed my hopes in the Dwarf. High hopes, in fact. Dwarves might look rough, but they possessed a deep appreciation for fine craftsmanship. Surely he would suggest that the monster tamer open me properly with a key.
As for the Elves... I didn't think I had to worry much about them. They tended to be obsessively focused on things that interested them and utterly indifferent to those that didn't.
Oh. It looked like the discussion had ended. What was the verdict? My heart pounded in anticipation.
It seemed the worst-case scenario had won out. Those savages started hurlings stones at me. They intended to destroy me with projectiles! Fools!
Or were they actually wise? Considering the possibility of traps, it was a tactically sound response. Not that I intended to forgive them for it.
However, was eighty meters not a bit far to be throwing stones? They hadn't moved an inch from their picnic spot. There was no way a stone would hit me from—
Fuhahahahaha! You utter fools!
The moment the thought crossed my mind, something whipped past me at high speed. It continued on, shearing through the trees of the forest behind me. Something had traveled a very long way.
Actually, I knew exactly what it was. A stone. A rock the size of a human fist had passed right beside me at a speed that rendered it invisible. It flew straight. Linearly perfect.
Was that even possible? For a stone to fly perfectly level over that distance? Ordinarily, air resistance would cause the trajectory to shift, but this had been thrown with such overwhelming power that it ignored physics entirely.
Who was responsible? That whitish woman? What was she? A Dragon? I could feel a draconic aura radiating from her.
Hey! Monster tamer! Do not pass her another stone!
Hieee! That was close! It grazed me! I heard it "ping" against my side! Terrifying!
And this was bad. Very bad. She had already settled into her next throwing stance. I knew that form. My intuition screamed at me. That one was going to hit.
"Oh? I missed?" the whitish woman asked, tilting her head.
"You're terrible at this," the woman beside her provoked.
Stop that! Wait, was that woman a Vampire? Ugh. Vampires were famous for their rotten personalities. And why was she moving around in broad daylight? A Vampire who could walk under the sun... was she from a Progenitor Lineage?
This was disastrous. She was a Mad Curiosity. Those people would stop at nothing to satisfy their whims. The fact that she was here meant she had definitely taken an interest in me.
"That's strange. I was sure I'd hit it. One more time."
The whitish woman took another stone. She wasn't giving up. Dammit!
"Can I check something?" the whitish woman asked the Vampire.
"What is it?"
"Do you think that box is dodging?"
"Is that your excuse for missing?"
"No, really... I feel like it's subtly shifting."
"Maybe the trajectory is just wobbling because it's a stone?"
"Maybe, but... Village Head, next stone."
...Ugh. What should I do? I had abandoned my pride as a box to dodge, but could I keep this up? As a box, should I not just accept the impact?
No way. It was too scary!
"It definitely dodged."
"Yeah, it dodged."
I wanted to curse my own cowardice.
"Does that mean that box is a monster?" the Village Head asked.
No, monster tamer! I am not a monster! I am a box! Just a box!
Vampire! I am not a Mimic! I am not a monster in the shape of a treasure chest!
Urgh, if only I could communicate! But boxes cannot speak. There was only one way I could express my intent, but that would compromise my very reason for being!
Therefore, I would not yield! If it had come to this, I would dodge their stones until the end! I would persevere until they gave up and went home!
Or so I thought, until the whitish woman stepped closer. She was now only forty meters away. She settled into her throwing form once more.
Yeah, no. Impossible. I couldn't dodge from this distance.
Relinquishing my pride, I threw open my lid of my own accord, a desperate and total display of surrender.