Re: Toranse Hall (A Dorm)
[After some time passes...]
Professor Ramielle slept for a little over twelve hours, waking just before dawn. There was a curious tickling in her throat, and a churning sensation in her stomach. She arose gingerly, still unaccustomed to the feel of her human muscles. Recognizing her surroundings as a student dorm room, she arose and found her way into the hall. It being early morning, the hallway was empty.
It was at this point that she felt the churning in her stomach start to rise. The churning rudely forced its way up into her throat, and her mouth was compelled to open against her will. In a funny way, it reminded her of her own dragon breath... but it was entirely involuntary. Within moments, the hallway floor was covered with a thick, pinkish fluid; several solid chunks lay mixed into it.
Unsure of how to go about cleaning the mess, the professor made her way outside. As guilty as she felt about not cleaning up, Ramielle did feel quite a bit better having all of it out of her stomach. She blinked in the bright sun, her headache worsening slightly... but knowing she had little time to waste she worked her way to her quarters on campus.
Ramielle quickly found the backpack she had loaded for the trip. She had read a few books on adventuring when she initially learned about the quest, and her gear had been selected as part of her human disguise. Little had she known that she would actually need to USE that gear. "Ah, well, might as well check the list one more time."
She opened her tattered copy of the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, First Edition. She had made tiny hash marks in the margins next to the gear she had picked. She checked these against the pack's contents. "Air bladder. Chalk powder. Whistle." Ramielle closed that book, pulled her third edition manuscript of The Arms and Equipment Guide. "Earplugs." Finally she closed that book, opening the most important of her resources. The old hardbound tome had been clawed at by some large beast, but the word Handbook could be made out, and under the partial title was a rogue of some sort perched precariously on a large demon statue with jeweled eyes. The rogue was clearly attempting to remove the eyes.
"Hmph. I still see no reason to pack this." The awkward ten foot pole was tossed into the southeast corner of her office. "Ink, quills, parchment, rope, grappling hook, small mirror, compass. Rations." She tried a piece of the dried jerky. "Mmm... salty."
The professor closed the backpack, activating the enchantment to shrink it down to a manageable size... nothing. Her fingers refused to move correctly. She spoke the incantation again, concentrating harder... nothing. She looked at her fingers, practicing the gestures required for the magic. Again. Again. Finally satisfied, she made one more attempt... and let out a relieved sigh as the backpack shrank slightly and lightened significantly.
She put a small dragonbone dagger into a silver-scaled hilt, attaching it to her belt. A small glass orb slid into a pouch hanging on the belt, ready for use as an secondary magical focus. Ramielle encountered difficulty getting her arms through the backpack's cloth straps, but finally she was ready. She picked up the heartwood oak staff that she had received upon graduation, using it not only as a magical focus but also a walking stick. She felt more confident as she gripped the staff -- it was one of the few familiar feelings she'd had since ingesting Kegor's brew.
Professor Ramielle stepped out of her chambers and began walking in the direction of the Grand Foyer of the University.