Should Have Let Me Die

Chapter 194: Wildest Dreams

Our group walked out onto a stone pathway that was littered with shacks and vendors all selling something different. I could smell the variety of food, and they all smell rich and greasy, just the type of thing I was looking for. Buddy stepped up to me and smiled, but I could tell he was hungry for some barbequed meat, and that made Buddy grin broadly. 

I turned to the other but only Breth smiled broadly, Cable and Dwayne looked confused. Dwayne couldn't just read my thoughts, Cable only got the basics of the thought.

"Why are you all smiling about Food, Fire, Meat? Are you wanting to get meat to cook yourself? I thought you were hungry? And you are all smiling about this?" Cable asked with a finger to his chin.

"Food? I could eat? Is that what you are talking about? Are we getting food?" Dwayne asked with a curious look.

"Yes, we are going to get something to eat, but it will already be cooked. Barbecue Meats was the thought, and I think there is a stall up ahead that had some. Let's go check it out; Dwayne looks like he might start gnawing on Breth soon."

We all looked at Dwayne, who was looking at Breth with an open mouth. Once he noticed that we were looking, he closed his mouth, whipping off the drool that had leaked out with a smile. The three of us started to laugh and then turned to head over to the stall I had pointed out.

It was shaded everywhere to the point that some of the space between the shops that had trees that grew close looked like dark alleys. An area triple the size of the lower city, floated, unmoving. It was a massive white stone platform that was held up by around fifty domes that were lit up, each with three rings of blue. It was built around the tree, but it blocked almost all light, and I would imagine that they would have to light the place up pretty early.

This meant that the dwarves lived in darkness most of the time, but If my memory serves me right, I think they preferred to be underground. So, maybe they were more of a kindness than cruelty? I was just getting to the shop and I was about to start ordering a crazy amount of the delicious smelling types of meat, but I reached in my pockets and only pulled out my stupid currency.

"Here, I brought these, just in case you forgot...well, Tescelle gave them to me at the beach for you," Trem said, handing me a small black drawstring velvet pouch.

I opened it and smiled at all the baby spinners that were whirling inside. Bless her soul, always has my back. I smiled at Trem and then turned back to the stall owner. He was pulling some fresh jerky from the smoker he had in the back, and then hanging them on a big rack that was filled with other long thin strips of jerky.

"I'll take all of your jerkies, and  five lengths of sausage, and all of your meat kabobs!" I said with excitement, pulling out four baby spinners and handing them over.

"All of that, for these?!" The rotund dwarf complained, not refusing, but obviously trying to get a better deal out of me, but I don't think he understood the value of what I handed him.

This is where Breth stepped up beside me and saved me trying to explain it to him. Breth had more experience in the kitchen with his wives than I did. He explained how they could be used to run things like meat grinders and cutting tools, but the dwarf was always lost in thought and walking away from his stall. 

"Sir? What about the meat?" I called after him.

"Meat? Oh yeah...take it all," The dwarf said while pausing, without turning around, and then continued walking into the tree, looking into his hands.

"Can I see one of those?" Dwayne asked, and I thought he meant meat, so I handed him a big piece of jerky from the rack.

He took the jerky and started to eat it, but he shook his head and pointed to the pouch of baby spinners while tearing off a piece of jerky. I pulled one out and tossed it to Dwayne, who caught it awkwardly. He then shoved the remaining half a meter of jerky into his mouth, while holding the baby spinner up to inspect. 

Dwyane stuck his hand out and I handed him a meat stick but regretted it as he stabbed the back of his throat. He had been too absorbed into the small spinning sphere. Dwayne had assumed I was intelligent enough to not hand him the only thing that was going to cause him bodily harm in the case that he wasn't paying attention. I had assumed he was paying attention, and you know how the old saying goes. Assuming just made an ass out of you and me.

"This thing is amazing! It doesn't stop spinning? Ever?" Dwayne asked while rubbing his throat.

"Yeah, it will just keep spinning forever, unless Dr. Spin or I stop it. Why do you ask?"

"You just made that made the richest people in the lower city and he will become more famous than his wildest dreams could have ever imagined" Dwayne said, letting his sentence trail off as he looked at the spinner. 

I could tell that he wanted to go and find a workshop, he had the same far-off look as the stall owner as he gazed through the baby spinner. I reached in and grabbed three more out, handing them to Dwayne who looked like he was about to pass out, but Buddy and Breth were both there ready to catch him. 

"What are these for?!" Dwayne asked in confusion.

"I want you to go and get on that train! Go, make something super cool, and I will bring you more if you need, you just have to send someone to get what you need, but I want dibs on whatever you make, okay?"

"You want me to just have these?"

"Just remember what I said, and here!"

I grabbed some link of sausage and strung them around his neck, along with an arm full of other meat. Dwyane thanked me profusely, but then turned and ran off with his load.