Ruby Quest: Chapter 25

Tom is scared and angry. Ruby fumbles for an

explanation, an apology -- anything. She assures Tom she would never hurt him. There's nothing wrong with her, and if there was, she's better now.

She doesn't want to hurt him.

"Say that to show your good will, that you will be placing the scalpel on the ground and stepping away from it (do so). After this ask Tom what he wants."

">Say that to show your good will, that you will be placing the scalpel on the ground and stepping away from it (do so). After this ask Tom what he wants."

Ruby places the SCALPEL on the ground as a show of good faith. She nervously continues to try to explain, but her voice is shaking.

Ruby backs away slowly. Tom seems somewhat placated, but he is still in a panic. He orders Ruby to leave the room.

Ruby offers that if anything should happen, she will still have her walkie-talkie.

Ruby exits the room, leaving Tom alone for the time being. Perhaps some space will help calm things down.

She doesn't know what to do next.

Ruby is shaking. These recent events have unnerved her greatly.

She has a pounding headache.

"Go to cafeteria, drown sorrows with water from the water cooler."

">Go to cafeteria, drown sorrows with water from the water cooler."

Not knowing where else to go, Ruby heads to the cafeteria.

"Looks around in a manly manner."

">Looks around in a manly manner."

Ruby tries to collect herself and surmises her situation in the most manly manner she can muster.

"inventory check"

">inventory check" Ruby is carrying a

BALL OF TWINE, an OXYGEN TANK WITH MASK, and HEAVY RUBBER GLOVES.

"Sit down, and try to calm down and think."

">Sit down, and try to calm down and think."

Ruby tries to gather her thoughts and calm down. It won't do to go running around willy-nilly.

Where should she go next? She still has to do something. She can't just give up!

"open third eye"

">open third eye" There's no hiding it

anymore. Ruby can feel the third eye throbbing in her head, eager to make itself known.

If Ruby's on her own, she's going to need some defense.

Ruby wraps the incredibly thick gloves with barbed wire to create the PRICKLY FIST.

"I thought I saw something among the blood we missed out on."

">I thought I saw something among the blood we missed out on."

It was just a severed vertebrae.

Ruby heads upstairs. There may still be things to examine downstairs, but this is a good point, Tom does probably want his space.

"Examine room with your THIRD EYE. Then check to see if the trap on the STATUE PEDESTAL is fully disabled."

">Examine room with your THIRD EYE. Then check to see if the trap on the STATUE PEDESTAL is fully disabled."

Ruby can't tell if there are any traps remaining on the pedestal.

Ruby opens her THIRD EYE and closes her others, surveying the room...

"Examine the 'painting' that has "RUBY" scrawled on it in more detail."

">Examine the 'painting' that has "RUBY" scrawled on it in more detail."

This must be what she saw.

There's some strange, archaic-looking text on the painting, but Ruby can't decipher it.

"Use THIRD EYE on TEXT"

">Use THIRD EYE on TEXT"

The text is still incomprehensible.

But Ruby sees that there's something out of place behind it. Something tied to her.

"move the painting."

">move the painting." There's nothing

behind the painting... but Ruby's sure something's here.

"Use PRICKLY FIST to scrape away at the fabric/paper of the plaque."

">Use PRICKLY FIST to scrape away at the fabric/paper of the plaque."

Ruby tears back the parchment on the front of the frame.

There appears to be a large group portrait hidden under it.

"now it suddenly needed to be used to progress?"

"Take portrait and move on to Locker room."

">now it suddenly needed to be used to progress?"

The fist was not needed to tear the parchment. Ruby is not THAT weak.

">Take portrait and move on to Locker room."

Ruby rolls up the GROUP PORTRAIT and moves on to the next room.

"Check WHEEL SYMBOL with THIRD EYE"

">Check WHEEL SYMBOL with THIRD EYE"

it hurts it hurts it hurts something from the back wall

it hurts

"Use THIRD EYE on WHEEL SYMBOL in painting from the room where Tom was killed."

">Use THIRD EYE on WHEEL SYMBOL in painting from the room where Tom was killed."

Ruby's third eye hurts very badly. Her head is throbbing.

Perhaps overusing it is a bad idea.

"Radio TOM, ask him if he's up to talking yet."

">Radio TOM, ask him if he's up to talking yet."

Ruby radios Tom. Tom says he's okay. He's

exploring. He'll keep in touch. Ruby assures him she is fine too.

Tom makes it clear he is still not in a very talkative mood.

At least he was polite.

Ruby checks the various lockers.

Most of them are jammed shut, and locker #5 is wedged on its hinges. It looks like it was shut too tightly -- Ruby can't pull it open with her GIRLISH FIGURE.

There is fresh blood on locker 2, however, and the locking mechanism seems to be open.

Ruby considers whether to

investigate.

“Open the locker, and punch it first for good measure”

“>Open the locker, and punch it first for good measure”

Ruby punches the locker to show it who's boss. Then she stands to one side and opens it...

...but it's empty, save for a small padlock key taped to the back wall. It looks very purposeful.

"STICK FACE THROUGH HOLE. BE CEILING RUBY."

">STICK FACE THROUGH HOLE. BE CEILING RUBY."

Ruby peers down into the room below, where she first woke up.

Tom's bloodied CROWBAR is there -- she must have missed it on her way to the cafeteria, because it's lying in the pit in the center of the room. Obviously, it's no longer stuck in Ace's leg.

"Radio TOM and tell him you found his crowbar. TTYL kbai."

">Radio TOM and tell him you found his crowbar. TTYL kbai."

Ruby contemplates keeping the crowbar should she need it, but instead radios Tom and lets him know where to find his crowbar.

Ruby heads back towards the upstairs room she emerged from the pipe in.

"Oh hell LOOK TO THE CORNER!"

">Oh hell LOOK TO THE CORNER!"

Soft sobbing sounds are coming from the dark corner of the room.

Crying.

"Ask figure if they are okay"

">Ask figure if they are okay"

The figure continues to cry softly in the corner.

"Leave the room"

">Leave the room" Ruby gets the distinct

feeling that there is something terribly wrong here, and carefully, quietly, leaves the figure be.

Ruby continues upstairs and opens the TALL LOCKER with the PADLOCK KEY.

...it would appear the back of the locker has been removed, in a clever disguise of a hidden door located behind it.

The door appears unlocked...

Ruby enters the hidden room.

This room is divided into two main sections by a partition wall with no door, leaving both sections separated but accessible.

It appears to be similar to the examination room downstairs, in some ways.

An ACCESS HATCH leading up is sealed with a rather large mechanism, which is linked to a wall panel.

On the west portion of the room, there is a MEDICINE CABINET.

"Examine room with third eye." "Return and SCAN strange symbols." "check cabinet"

">Examine room with third eye."

Ruby's third eye is still in pain.

">Return and SCAN strange symbols."

Are you perhaps referring to the BROKEN LAB EQUIPMENT in the room to the south?

">check cabinet"

Ruby tries to open the cabinet, but it refuses to budge. The tiny lock on the side must be holding it closed.

"Jump back before that arm coming around the corner gets you!"

">Jump back before that arm coming around the corner gets you!"

Someone's here.

The haggard-looking man comes around the corner.

Ruby keeps her weapon at the ready.

The man holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

He looks oddly relieved, and sighs deeply.

"Ruby?... Oh, thank God!"