DAY 667

"I can't believe you talked me into going around like this. It's humiliating!"

Alizz glances back at the basket strapped to her arachnid back, and at the slimy elementalist contained within. "And I can't believe that it's taken me this long to talk you into it! You have been in that dungeon for over a year and a half! Now, granted, Worthy didn't have the capability to send guardians outdoors for much of that - but still! I had no idea you were such a shut-in, Lollyp!"

"How is that surprising, it's in our nature! We literally don't have legs! Or wings, or anything else. Not to mention that if we wander too far away from our natural environments down in the Domain, we kinda tend to dry out pretty damn fast. We're naturally-evolved ambush predators, not hunters!"

"As if you've ever done any ambushing. Well...before you became a dungeon monster, that is. But come on, surely you must be at least a little excited to finally see Grassbrook yourself! You never even saw it when you arrived, did you?"

Lollyp rests her arms on the sides of the basket as she watches the terrain go by, and the first buildings of the town come into view. "Not really, just a few lights - we flew in at night, pretty much. But I've heard there's not much to see. Why else would so many Challengers decide to stay in our inn?"

Alizz looks again at her passenger. "Lollyp. Xenia offers free food, drink, and board to most of her guests. Not even to mention your...lounge offerings. It's not the magic that makes you hard to compete with, it's the way you can simply ignore the, ah...the economic laws of reality! But that doesn't mean that Grassbrook isn't a fine little town. Especially after all of the work we've put into it."

"Well, I'll give it a try, I guess. I just...worry about not being around to do my job, you know?"

The drider tilts her head. "Oh? As guardian of Floor Two, you mean? I assume Xenia did find a placeholder, didn't she? You do deserve at least one day off."

"Yeah, Sevastion said he didn't mind trying out being a slime for a day. But Floor Two is the most popular floor, did you know that? ...Aside from Five, obviously. Guarding the floor's an important gig!"

"And so it's even more important that you get some vacation time. Ah, looks like we have company!" As Lollyp tenuously stretches out to get a look over Alizz's shoulder, the two spot a familiar kobold standing at the main entrance to the town. It's a rather unofficial spot - the town has no walls or guards, and there's still a fair bit of expansion going on which means this particular entrance is likely to shift again within the next few months. There's not much traffic passing in or out right now, although Lollyp does catch sight of numerous townsfolk further down the road.

"Hey, Alizz! So you actually got your squirmy sis-in-law to get out of the house for the day, huh? Ha! Sely owes me a drink!"

The administrator grunts at the greeting. "Hrmph, well I'm glad you have some faith in me at least, Kelsey. What brings you out here, though? Were you waiting for us?"

The short Warrior of Flame nods. "Not for that long, but yeah. Figured I'd help you show Lollyp around town, before you did something boring like take her to the office."

That statement does manage to bring forth some of his boss's ire. "Eh!? The Association office is one of the most impressive achievements of the past year! We've put quite a bit of work into it, as you know - the medical center, the training yards, and so on. Why wouldn't I want to show Lollyp where we work?"

Behind her, the slime shrugs. "I mean...I've seen Association offices before, you know. And you guys do tend to use a standardized layout. Not that you haven't put a lot of work into it, I'm sure! But if Kelsey has other ideas..."

The man nods. "I was thinking we'd start with The General. Lollyp could maybe do some shopping, and get some snacks! And it'll get you out of the sun after your long hike, right?"

Alizz grumbles. "As if she was doing any of the hiking..." The proposal intrigues her passenger, however.

"The General...isn't that the tavern the town had before things got big? I've heard about it, but I've heard it's, uh...not that impressive."

Kelsey has to nod to that as well. "As far as inns go, yeah, it's got nothing on The Lucky Bastard, let alone Worthy Inn. It's only got like four rooms, which was plenty back before the town started growing. But it's been finding new niches, ya know? The owner might be an old local, which is to say...y'know...a bit of a backwoods hick. But he's got a sharp mind for making a few coins! I assume you brought some, yeah?"

Lollyp jingles a pouch sitting next to her in the basket. "I even brought actual currency Challengers have tried paying us with, in case counterfeiting claims might be something to worry about. Actually, I think some of this might come from Challengers I've killed myself..."

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Kelsey snorts. "Well, maybe let's not mention that part so much. But come on, it ain't far."

From all the gossip that gets spread around in Worthy Inn, not to mention among the guardian staff, Lollyp had been under the impression that she had a pretty good idea of all of Grassbrook's main attractions. She knew that The General was a combination general store, inn, and tavern, and had been the town's only notable commercial location back when it was barely even a village. At the time it had survived largely by catering to off-duty soldiers from the nearby Rainlander fort.

As they step inside the modest establishment however, Lollyp realizes that her information is slightly out of date. There's a few tables for dining, yes, and stairs heading up to the rooms for rent. But the merchandise on the shelves taking up the majority of the space is not at all what she was expecting.

"Alizz...are those...stuffed slimes?"

The drider seems just as surprised as her passenger. "...They would seem to be, yes. I haven't actually been here in, well...I'm not sure, exactly. But it would seem that the layout has been modified quite a bit since my last visit." She makes her way over to the first set of shelves, specifically placed to grab the attention of every new arrival, and reads off the small sign placed there. "'Dollyp - The Official Lollyp Doll'. Official?"

"Not that I know of!" Lollyp glances over towards Kelsey, and notices that the kobold can barely hold in his laughter. "Did you know about this!?"

"Know about it? Hells, I was one of the first customers! Every one is hand-made, you know!"

"Well what else would they make it with, magic?" Lollyp is about to go on a rant, but a question makes her pause. "...Wait, do they have magic for that?"

She's answered by the voice of a young girl, who makes her way out of one of the aisles. "I don't know, miss, but I can tell you that I've made each of these with my own two hands!" The teenager is wearing a shirt with a message stitched onto the front - 'The General - The Worthiest Store in Grassbrook!' - and on her face she wears a surprised expression. "Wait - oh my! Are...are you The Lollyp?"

Sensing that she may have a fan, the mage preens in her basket. "Why yes, I am The Lollyp. I can see you've heard of me, obviously."

"Oh wow!" The redhead claps her hands together in delight. "You're the first guardian to visit our store! I've heard that others come around - I've seen The Banshee around town myself, and I've heard about the large rabbity fellow and his wife. But they haven't been here! Can - can I get you to sign something?"

"Well, maybe, maybe." Lollyp generates a chin that she can rub in thought. "I have questions about this...'official' title you've slapped onto things, though..."

"What's wrong with it? We were here first!" The girl's voice takes on a plaintive tone, apparently voicing a grudge she's been holding on to for some time. "Before the...The Bastard, or those fancy bakeries or anything else, The General kept this town going! It's only right we share in the town's luck!"

Deciding not to get into a debate with a fifteen-year-old, Lollyp switches to a conciliatory tone. "I...suppose you might have a point. What's your name, by the way?"

"Em Plit. My father, Ope, runs this store - although I make most of our most popular wares, these days."

Alizz raises an eyebrow at the crowded shelves and racks. "That sounds like quite a bit of work, Miss Plit. Would you show us around a bit?"

"Why, certainly! I just finished adding in a new set of shirts, come take a look!" The association duo and the dungeon monster follow after her, and find a number of clothing items for sale. It's fairly apparent that the young girl didn't make all of them from scratch herself, with the independent craftsmen and women of the town probably doing the bulk of the work, but each of them has a few additions probably stitched on by the young shopkeeper. On some of the shirts there's a small patch with the phrase 'Worthy Survivor' sewed over the left breast. Others have text stitched all over the front with phrases like 'I Beat The Doorman's Riddle - Could You?'. The shirts are even bilingual, with a few of each design done in Valleylander instead of Rainlander. On nearly all of them, however, there's a small circular patch consisting of a white orb with black stripes.

Lollyp is the first to point it out. "Hey - is that Xenia's core!?"

Em nods eagerly. "It was hard to find someone who's actually seen it, but Kelsey here actually confirmed its appearance for us! It makes a wonderful way for challengers of Worthy Dungeon to recognize each other, regardless of nationality or, well, literacy. We even sell core patches on their own for people to add to their hats or bags!"

Alizz turns her gaze towards her assistant. "Very helpful of you, Kelsey."

"What? They offered me a store discount. It's hardly top-secret info or anything, anyhow..."

Lollyp waves off the concern. "It's fine. I haven't actually seen Xen's core myself in a while now, but it is kind of pretty. Still...I kind of feel like Xen should be involved somehow, if this is all going to be 'official'."

The shopkeeper seems about to issue a denial, but rethinks her words on remembering that Lollyp is in fact a dungeon monster, and a highly lethal one at that. "You can't - ! ...Ah, I mean...surely there's some sort of...arrangement we can come to? If I might be honest, this has all become rather, ah, essential to our well-being here, Miss Lollyp. Even with the town being so big, with all of these specialty shops opening up, it's been harder than ever to make a living off of local goods..."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't mean to put you out of business or anything. And it's not like Xen actually needs the money..."

Her living carriage offers a compromise. "How about you pick up a few items to take back with you, Lollyp, and show to Xenia directly? If she's fine with the designs then there shouldn't be much problem, but if there's anything she actually takes offense to she can let the Plits know."

Em nods in agreement. "Or if she has any ideas on designs we could add? Why, if we had her blessing, we'd be happy to help her out in return, if there's anything we can offer!"

Lollyp nods along. "Yeah, that makes sense - I probably shouldn't be the one to make any decisions on this myself anyways. I should have enough coin for - " The mage's shopping calculations are interrupted by a loud voice from behind her, as another woman enters the shop.

"Gods, this whole town has changed since the last time I've been here! At least The General hasn't moved, but...hey, are those stuffed Lollyps?"

Lollyp turns and peers out of the aisle to take a look at the entrance, and her mouth drops open in surprise.

"Beatrice!?"

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