It started with a low rumble, soft but persistent. In a mining town this was fairly common, but this one grew closer. The rumble then was accompanied with the clicking of coins, and a lot of it, by the sound of the thing. It got close, and then stopped. The door was opened and then pushed, it swung open slowly like doors ought to when we open them. By the threshold what looked like a common treasury chest laid unattended.
It then stood in a way boxes aren't meant to, with actual legs sprouting out from within it. Fleshy legs. The chest had tilted itself forward, its lid opening just enough to make space for limbs to come out, get a firm footing on the ground and heave the rest of its body up from the ground. It walked towards the group of adventurers casually as far as it was concerned, which looked like large hasty steps that were quickly getting invasive and felt full of deadly purpose.
It let itself flip forward as the legs retracted in and landed smoothly flat on its base. The lid opened slightly again as a fleshy membrane came out with a signpost, reading: -I finished your errands, master Kato!
The sign flipped to show its backside, the pole conveniently connecting with the bottom of the panel so as to make reading easier on either side.
-I kept the receipts. I advise your credit be returned within the next 30 days.
The cat mewled softly, with authority.
The signpost flipped again, its message completely different.
-Of course!
Another sign-flip.
-They reported that the smalldwarf-hold is in found in a tooth-shaped mountain.
Kato purred impatiently.
-Directions? Hum. Let's see...
The sign hung for a moment as the other side got scribbled frantically. It had a hard time finding a way to put it that would be precise enough, and then gave up.
The sign quickly flipped twice, with the first flip revealing a mess of barred sentences that almost blackened the post.
-It is somewhere North of here.
It then seemed to notice the other people assembled around the table for the first time. The chest hopped to rotate itself enough to now face the table's center. Sign flip.
-Oh! Salutations, esteemed clients! He swung himself forward a bit in a way that felt oddly like some kind of bow. Perhaps it was the way the chest seemed to bend a little as well. The fleshy appendage twisted and the sign turned again.
-Mister Look Bank of the most-reputable Imperial Bank, our interest rates are the lowest in all of Labyrinth and Empire-annexed worlds, at your service!
The letters had gotten rather small to fit it all, but the font used was different and personally selected to leave the best impression. It was a sign he used often, after all. A series of passionate, unstoppable sign-flipping ensued.
-Are you all to join Kato's adventure group? I can arrange a 3-Stars Empire-Deluxe Adventurers' Shared Account, if you please!
-One box for the entire party, everyone gets a credit card! For six clients together, I can negotiate a credit limit of up to 1,200 gold pieces altogether for the first month!
-That would make a whoppin' 200 gold pieces per client, or split among you in any way you wish! No credit evaluation!
The lid flapped open for the split second it took to spit out what looked like advertisements and a bundle of paper stringed together that had all the officialness of a binding contract.
-Interests of ONLY 5% per month! Possibility of increasing your credit limit upon establishing a positive credit score!
-We also have good rates on life-insurance! Never too careful when going out adventuring!
-The Imperial Bank's exclusive Safebox service, (that's me) will also apply to the the adventuring group as a whole.
-How does that sound?
Loot finished his sales-pitch with great enthusiasm. It was always wonderful to find business opportunities even in a forgotten dot on the map like Blasingdell. An adventuring party's joint account meant more people were likely to spend, which would be awesome considering the cat hadn't spent all that much. Yarn-balls and quality cat-food weren't like to ever get it stuck in a cycle of debt and it still had a good 8 lives before it would seriously consider a life insurance. Cats were terrible clients.