Dinner was still cooking, so they went to the kiosk for some shopping.  Allistor divided up the labor, telling Amanda what he was looking for, and authorizing her to spend some of the Citadel’s klax.  She purchased some training scrolls for the various professions they thought citizens might be pursuing.  If they didn’t need them, they could always resell them later.  Allistor bought some spells.  He found an upgraded healing spell called Restore that…oddly enough, restored a thousand health points on a target, and purchased six at two thousand klax each.  One each for himself, Helen, Amanda, Dean and Andrea, and one for Ramon to learn and copy for the others.   Ramon had already distributed Nature’s Boon to half a dozen of the Citadel’s people so that they had heals for the next battle.

He also purchased six copies of an offensive spell called Vortex that created a tight spiral of air.  It was a channeled spell that could be directed at a target, and it would become stronger the more power was pushed into it.   He kept one for himself, would offer one to Helen if her stats leaned toward magic use, and would give the others to Andrea and Sam for distribution to appropriate people.

At their low levels, there were very few spells available to the humans.  The only other one he found before the dinner bell rang was one called Erupt that would cause a spike of stone to burst forth from the ground and impale a target.   He only purchased two copies, one for himself and one for Ramon.  Nobody else had the level and intel requirements to use it yet.

That accomplished, he and Amanda returned to the food court where the others were gathering.  Sam and Meg had teamed up with Thorne and Dean to create a celebratory meal of dragon steaks, potatoes and vegetables from the Warren’s greenhouse, and canned fruit for dessert. After dinner, they broke out beer and booze and Allistor proposed a toast.

“To you, and you, and all of us!  I’m proud to know each of you, and I look forward to all of us sharing long lives together.  To the survivors!”  He raised his glass.

“TO THE SURVIVORS!” the crowd shouted.   In the background, someone shouted, “Gnomes Rule!” getting a laugh from the gamers in the room.

*****

Baldur growled his displeasure at his brother and niece.  The mist around him curled and swirled, reflecting his agitation.

“A second drake, Hel?  You know as well as I that they are solitary creatures and do not invade each other’s territory unless it is mating season, or there is a dire shortage of food!”

Hel burbled deep within her amphibian chest, a sort of chuckle for her species.  “Do not look to me, Uncle.  I like this boy.  Since we began observing him, he has killed many of his own kind!  I expect great things from him.”