Today's chapter continues the out-of-order chaos that has been going on, but I promise that next week you'll get a wrap-up of the dungeon delve. Now, on with the show!

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Waking up, slowly, Eliza Sussaridge was aware something was decidedly wrong. Her wagon was moving under her. She never slept on her wagon while it was moving, and thus she was on high alert when trying to speed up the waking process and get her faculties about her.

Slowly, she checked her various hiding spots and, finding them intact, she checked her coin pouch and less hidden items. Everything was there. Lifting her head, she saw that a dragon was walking along beside her wagon, the lead for her horse clutched somewhere in its wing.

Memories of having a dragon all-but attack her came back, and Eliza had to cling to the reality that she wasn't actually dead. "Uh…?"

"Sorry I startled you. I'm just excited to see if Travis gets what he thinks he will with the cannon."

Penelope's tone was less gravelly, which helped calm Eliza down a little, but she was starting to fixate on why her horse wasn't freaking out. "S-Sorry, but I have to ask, and I hope you don't get upset with having to answer or anything, but you're making me want to get up and run, but my horse doesn't seem to care that you—"

"For the first part, I'm a big predator that hunts and kills humans for food. Horses are fine. You're fine, aren't you?" Penelope stretched her wing forward a little and gave the horse a rub on the head. "The second part is because Katelyn's pacification aura she cast on me only affects animals and not people. It can't work the other way around, which is good, since people are a lot easier to convince that you're not going to kill them than donkeys."

"You sound like you're talking from experience," Eliza said, the words slipping out as if she weren't chatting to a dragon.

"Steph and Robert have a donkey. It got used to the dim lighting of the dungeon pretty quick, and while it acts like a dad to all the wyverns, it doesn't like me being bigger than it." Flicking her wing, Penelope tossed the reins to Eliza.

Catching the leads, Eliza did her best to look relaxed. On one hand, she thought, Penelope seemed to be the most laid-back dragon in the history of her species, on the other she remembered the joke about being the only dragon someone had known. Used to dealing with canny thief-takers and brutally pragmatic frontier folk—as well as bloodthirsty lesser nobles—Eliza put Penelope on a fairly high shelf among the people I can be friendly with who can kill me as soon as look at me. "So, the cannon?"

"When we first got some firearms from a local trader, Travis got an unlock from having 'one of his minions' carry it into the dungeon. That's how he got a special upgrade to build firearms himself. We're all hoping he can get the same thing with cannons."

"You want to make cannons?" Given the flow of guns leaving Northridge, Eliza could see it become one of the most important cities in the kingdom if it also provided cannons. "And sell them?"

"Probably. We've talked about the future, and one thing Travis wants to do is reward everyone who ever stood by him. The city itself, Breeze, and every guard, merchant, crafter, and child that stood in the city when things were tough. There's a small group who are happy to live inside, which is great, but not everyone can get past the feeling of danger a dungeon can put out. What I'm saying is, they all put their lives on the line for us, and we did the same back, and that kind of loyalty is worth rewarding.

"It's not going to be as rewarding for new folks coming in, but we're not going to leave the city behind. Northridge is a work in progress, and there are plenty of ways to mark yourself as being someone worth depending on. Like getting a cannon for us. If it works, great, if it doesn't, you still went to the effort of doing it when no one else had."

Eliza had a moment where she was struck by the altruism of it. The dungeon wanted to reward all that had protected it, even if from what she'd heard it had done a lot of the protecting, and it wanted to make its city grow? If it wasn't a lie, she was impressed. "The kingdom already has cannon factories. I admit it will be a major export, but only if you can make them in good enough quality."

"We will. We have several smiths working now, and one of them is taking a keen interest in making guns. I believe it will be a small jump to cannons. Our first target will be to arm the city with enough for its current and future wall, have enough for our growing outpost to the south, and more to reinforce Breeze's fort."

Though the information was coming thick and fast, none of it was actionable. It was interesting, though. "And then there's your railway?"

"Railways and fast logistics are how a city on the northern edge of the kingdom can still participate in the major economics of the kingdom. With it, we're no more than a week or two from the capital. Without it, we are almost a month away. You're a merchant—you know what impact time has."

"Where does a dragon come up with knowledge like this?" As soon as she asked, Eliza realized she sounded offensive. "Uh, you don't have to answer if you—"

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"Steph, mostly, but also Christine Sellswell. What that woman doesn't know about trade isn't worth knowing. So when there are important meetings and I can insinuate myself into them, and being a dragon makes that easy, I listen as hard as I can and remember. If they put up with me, I'll even ask questions." Penelope let loose with that gravely laugh again. "I'll be the first commerce dragon in the kingdom."

They'd reached the gates, and despite herself, Eliza was still startled at the warm welcome for Penelope by the guards; they didn't simply put up with her, but took her in as a friend.

"Hey there! You brought Travis his cannon?" Brolly Windchime, of all the guards, seemed able to avoid crowding around Penelope and instead diverted to Eliza. "You might as well cart it to his entrance. Do you have a list of what you're carrying?"

Pulling her satchel of paperwork from behind her seat, Eliza opened it and lifted out the manifest. It still wasn't everything, but she'd disposed of her more illicit cargo in Far Reach since there had been no opportunity to make use of them. "Only half a load of fabrics. Steph wanted more, but Travis wanted a cannon."

"True enough. If you let Pen distract everyone, and slip through in the confusion"—Brolly winked at her conspiratorially—"you'll probably make it there and still have plenty of hours to organize a room."

This, Eliza knew, was the problem. A guard commander could afford to be friendly with new folks, someone running a city couldn't. She smiled, trying to appear his ally rather than what she actually was—his enemy. After all, she was just the kind of person who should be kept out of cities. "Thanks!"

Driving her little wagon through the city was easy enough. The roads were all packed stone, making the ride through the city fairly normal. There didn't seem to be any thieves about, which was something Eliza knew would change.

When she reached the entrance to the dungeon, she was surprised to see Penelope waiting for her. For a moment she was confused to see the dragon again, but then she remembered the wings weren't for show.

Penelope wasn't alone, though. There was a group of kobolds around her, as well as a very short goblin. As soon as she was close enough to start a conversation, one kobold rushed around to the back of the wagon and started inspecting the cannon. "Uh, I also have some cloth."

"Good! Good! We'll buy that too." Steph's words drew Eliza's attention, and she looked around to spot him walking toward the wagon "Now, we posted a reward, but what would it take to encourage you to settle in Northridge as your central hub? You've been a big help so far, and we'd like to encourage more of that."

It was completely out of the blue. Eliza knew the right answer to give, according to her cover, was that she'd think about it, but a stronger voice said take the offer and use it to your advantage. She decided to take a middle ground. "You know, merchants gain power when there is a lot of gold around. I'd be stupid to say no, but I also need to take care of a few things in Far Reach too."

"Well, we'd hope you would still be happy to work between the two cities, though once the railway is in place, you will likely wish to simply contract hauling to the manager of it."

The predatory grin on Steph's face told Eliza everything she needed to know about who would be the manager of said railway. "That's fine for goods that have a time limit, but if your prices are too high, there will be plenty of things that can be hauled by wagon, cheaper."

"Would you be interested in figuring that value out?" Steph asked.

In a way, it felt like selling-out her fellow merchants but, since that was literally a cover story, Eliza saw more opportunity to ingratiate herself to the dungeon. "For an ongoing discount on whatever price is decided, sure."

"Four percent?"

"Twelve."

Steph laughed and shook his head. "Ten, then. Our stonemasons are building out the new outpost, which we hope to have hardened enough that it could break the goblins should they see it as a weak point."

"But you need to be able to build cannons." Eliza had heard the stories around town, during her time in Northridge previously, about the goblin army. Allowing herself time to muse on it a little, she realized that's partly why Penelope was so terrifying—she had destroyed an army.

"Exactly! Fife, roll it in, please." Turning to look at the back of the wagon, Steph saw Fife and Tinpot talking excitedly together. "Fife!"

"What?" Fife, the kobold that was a walking pile of guns and armor, asked as she approached where Eliza and Steph were talking; looking mildly upset that her conversation was interrupted.

"Don't you want to be the one to haul it inside?" Steph asked.

Fife's demeanor changed completely. She seemed to tilt upward a bit and her mouth pulled into a grin that showed way more dull metal teeth than Eliza ever wished to know existed. "Really? Me?! Woo!" When Fife ran back to the cannon, Eliza could swear the ground actually shook with each of her steps.

"Is this safe?" Eliza asked, giving Steph the most worried look she could manage.

"Safe? Oh, absolutely. See Brayden over there?" When Steph pointed to another kobold that was wearing lighter armor, Eliza nodded. "Well, he can resurrect folks. Uh, the cannon isn't loaded, is it?"

The wagon shook a little and in a moment Fife was wheeling the field gun along, showing no sign of strain as she hauled the huge gun on her own. Eliza had paid two men to help her fit the thing to the back of her wagon, and this sight was a little beyond belief. "You just have to wheel it inside, right? Then you’re done with it?"

"You're thinking of selling the cannon if it works, aren't you?" Steph asked. Fife was almost to the open doors of the tower.

"Would I be a merchant if I didn't try to live the dream and sell something twice?"

Eliza, along with everyone else, went quiet as Fife reached the doors and kept pulling the weapon inside. It wasn't a huge step for Eliza. This wouldn't affect her payment—Steph had promised her that—but there was anticipation and excitement in the air that stopped her from breathing when the (comparatively) big kobold pulled the cannon the last bit inside.

"Okay," Fife could be heard saying, "but did it unlock the— Shit yeah!" She dropped the cannon's trailing arm and ran back out. "We have a new building! Trav got a Siegeworks!"

Not realizing she was cheering along with the others, until she heard her own voice distinctly, Eliza made the executive decision to have fun for one day in her life.

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