ruby quest: chapter 15. ruby retrieves the crowbar

Ruby Quest: Chapter 15

Ruby retrieves the CROWBAR.

"Pry open z hatch to try and save Tom."

"Smash open the little metal lock with the crowbar."

"Use crowbar on the boarded up hole. Delicious plank pulling action."

"Go to room to the left"

">Pry open z hatch to try and save TOm."

The thick metal shutters on the Z-Hatch are WAY too strong for Ruby to pry open!

">Smash open the little metal lock with the crowbar."

The lock is surprisingly resilient, but Ruby knew this already. Maybe it's not so surprising.

">Use crowbar on the boarded up hole. Delicious plank pulling action."

Ruby RAPIDLY returns to the boarded-up hole, but she's not strong enough to pry the boards free! Her GIRLISH FIGURE is just not up to the task. She very rapidly returns to the other side -- how considerate of her!

">Go to room to the left"

Ruby heads west!

Ruby enters the Dummy room.

"try to remove rope from dummy."

"Inspect new plaque under the TRAUMA part of the wall."

">try to remove rope from dummy."

Ruby tried before. She just can't manage it.

">Inspect new plaque under the TRAUMA part of the wall."

There is some sort of large black-and-white painting on the wall.

Beneath it, there is a plaque in a language Ruby cannot understand.

"Check the thing under the mail slot."

">Check the thing under the mail slot."

It appears to be a BUTTON DIAGRAM, similar to the one that was upstairs in the control room.

It seems to have a different layout... perhaps it coincides with the one in the other room somehow?

"Use crowbar on jammed filing cabinet."

">Use crowbar on jammed filing cabinet."

Luckily, the cabinet is not jammed very hard, and the crowbar makes short work of it!

Inside, Ruby finds a TINY KEY!

Unlock medicine bag

>Unlock medecine bag

Ruby unlocks it with the TINY KEY and recovers a PAPER SCRAP and a VERY SHARP SCALPEL.

"try checking the deposit box again"

"Check the 'clock' on the wall"

">try checking the deposit box again"

The deposit box is still empty.

">Check the 'clock' on the wall"

Nothing has changed.

"Try the sink"

">Try the sink"

The faucet still doesn't work. There's no water at all.

"Use scalpel on BIOLOGICAL GROWTH in the locker room"

">Use scalpel on BIOLOGICAL GROWTH in the locker room"

Ruby returns to the locker room.

Ruby does her best to carve away at the fleshy growth, and uncovers the cubbyhole behind it.

Eye in locksafe

The eyeball, though strangely oversized, is not nearly as big as Ruby's fist. It won't fit in the spherical safe-lock.

Uncomfortably, Ruby picks up the eye and stores it away.

Ruby cleverly CONDENSES HER INVENTORY.

"Examine the panel on the wall next to the closed doorway."

">Examine the panel on the wall next to the closed doorway."

It's a 4-digit password panel. Above it is a diagram of a happy fish.

It appears to be powered down at the moment.

Attached to it is an EXTENDABLE POWER CORD.

"Get pulling and let's see how far this sucker goes"

">Get pulling and let's see how far this sucker goes"

Ruby pulls the cord to the furthest location she can walk to.

Looks like there's plenty of slack.

TOM arrives on the other side of the thick window.

"Try to pass the cable through the MAIL SLOT"

">Try to pass the cable through the MAIL SLOT"

That would never work! The mail slot is specifically designed to only open to one side of the wall at a time!

"Send the eye to Tom and try to ask if its his for no real reason."

"SMASH WINDOW WITH CROWBAR"

">Send the eye to Tom and try to ask if its his for no real reason."

That's terrible! Even if the eye was his, it's past the point where it could be reattached even if there WERE proper medical facilities available.

Ruby is not so cruel as to do that to Tom for no reason.

">SMASH WINDOW WITH CROWBAR"

The thick window is made of some sort of very resilient plexiglass. It refuses to give.

Open the box with the crow Bar

This box is sealed tight!

Ruby's GIRLISH FIGURE isn't enough to force the DO NOT OPEN box open.

"ASK TOM IF HE HAS ANYTHING IN HIS POCKETS"

"Send Tom the crowbar and see if he and his MANLY PHYSIQUE can open the grate to the Z-hatch."

">ASK TOM IF HE HAS ANYTHING IN HIS POCKETS"

Sadly, this time Tom is carrying nothing. No tap, no canopener, no condoms.

">Send Tom the crowbar and see if he and his MANLY PHYSIQUE can open the grate to the Z-hatch."

Ruby sends the CROWBAR to Tom through the drop slot.

Tom receives the CROWBAR!

With this weapon of potential destruction, Tom feels his MANLINESS surging back! His MANLY PHYSIQUE is at its peak! He poses triumphantly to celebrate.

Tom feels like he could do some serious bashing here, at least, to most things that aren't SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO STAND UP TO BASHING.

"We haven't even looked at the eye in the Z-room. Tell Tom to inspect it closely."

">We haven't even looked at the eye in the Z-room. Tell Tom to inspect it closely."

It's just a painting. Tom doesn't see anything particularly destroyable about it.

"Pry off the lightning-bolt panel."

"Destroy the bank-teller shelf."

"Z-hatch appears open."

">Pry off the lightning-bolt panel."

Tom would rather not be electrocuted by prying off the panel on the HIGH VOLTAGE panel in the other room!

">Destroy the bank-teller shelf."

It's the only thing that allows Tom and Ruby to pass items! They may need it!

">Z-hatch appears open."

What are you talking about? It's obviously closed. Stop getting Tom's hopes up.

"something needs to be smashed dammit! take out them shelves in the closet mind the light"

">something needs to be smashed dammit! take out them shelves in the closet mind the light"

Fuck yeah!

Tom goes to work smashing up the shelves for no good reason, and carefully avoids breaking the lightbulb.

Then he decides what the heck and smashes the lightbulb anyway. It's very satisfying.

"Smash sofa."

">Smash sofa."

Tom's anti-inanimate-object bloodlust has subsided.

Besides, the couch is so utilitarian nothing about smashing it would probably be any fun.

"Pry open Z-HATCH?"

">Pry open Z-HATCH?"

The Z-HATCH is so strong it severed that monster in half earlier. Tom's efforts would be wasted against its thick steel shutters.

"Pry shit off the walls, starting with that painting"

">Pry shit off the walls, starting with that painting"

You guys are really reaching!

The painting won't come off. It's inset INTO the wall.

"Switch back to Ruby, go back to the set of buttons alongside the ladder near the lever."

">Switch back to Ruby, go back to the set of buttons alongside the ladder near the lever."

RUBY DECIDES TO GET OFF HER FLUFFY WHITE BUTT AND GOES TO THE BUTTONS AGAIN

Which button should Ruby press?

Think carefully -- pressing random buttons may not be wise.

Ruby is pretty sure she remembers seeing a DIAGRAM earlier.

"Top one."

">Top one."

Are you SURE?

Okay... but don't say you weren't warned.

Ruby presses the TOP BUTTON.

Ruby hears soft, distant sounds of running water.

Nothing else seems to happen.

"Press button 4"

">Press button 4"

Ruby taps button 4. There's a loud rumbling sound from somewhere in another room, but otherwise, no visible change.

Ruby decides to return to check on Tom.

He's okay, but there's a weird clanking sound nearby, like something moving around in metal.