Use your sunglasses to hook onto them and pull up.

And when that fails () go back to your room, and twist some hangars together, making sure one of them has a hook facing out, then return to where you are now. Make sure the coast is clear and steal as many keys - starting with the DM key - as fast as possible! 8D

Maybe it would be a good idea to focus on that task to improve success. (If that works)

I keep using the wrong form of hanger unless we plan on tying Cessnas together, which is about as likely as thwacking the dude with the balustrade.

You take out your sunglasses but quickly realise that they are not going to reach either, so you put them away again. Thinking back to when you first arrived and searched your room, you remember there were some wire hangers in the wardrobe. You return to your room and take one of the hangers out. Sitting on your bed, you unwind the twisted-together length of metal which makes up the hanger, turning it into a long and flexible piece which you bend at the end to make a hook.

Back at the stairs, you carefully reach down with your new wire hook after checking that the man is still busy watching the TV. It reminds you of playing those stupid circus games where you have to use a fishing rod to hook a duck, but luckily, this is easier. You once worked at a hotel during your teens where "DM" stood for "Duty Manager", so you take a gamble and lift that key off its hook first. You now have one keycard marked "DM".

Trait gained!
Experienced: Tom solved a puzzle without resorting to special abilities. Your mental acuity means you might spot things others wouldn't, and pick more probing dialogue choices in conversation.

I was hoping DM stood for dungeon-something...

EDIT: Go to Sandra's room and so if she's in there!

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Mar 2 2011, 8:23 pm by Fire_Kame.

You head back up to the third floor and try the keycard in the door to Sandra's room. There is a click as the door unlocks, and you push it open, taking care to make sure you don't let it close behind you by jamming one of your boots in the threshold.

The room is identical to your own, but there are signs of a struggle. Sandra is lying on the bed, her hands bound to the bedposts with cable ties. The bedclothes are a mess, lying half on the floor, and the towels are strewn about the room. A piece of duct tape covers Sandra's mouth. Her eyes follow you as you approach. She seems afraid.

Focus: Available

RAPE SANDRA!

Tell her to not scream, remove the tape from her mouth, then ask her what happened.

You approach the bed slowly.

"It's ok - it's me. I'm going to get you out of these things. Don't scream".
Sandra's eyes widen as you rip the tape away from her mouth.
"Tom, it's a trap!"



No sooner are the words are out of Sandra's mouth then something bursts out of the wardrobe and slams into you, knocking you into the wall next to the door. You feel the air forced out of your lungs. Your assailant is wearing a tribal mask in the shape of a grinning skull. Your arms are currently pinned back against the wall.

Focus: Available

FOCUS because I have no idea what the hell to do.

...and we may as well use it now rather than lose a luck point.

You stay calm and try to assess the best way to avoid being overpowered in this fight. It's not going to be easy because this guy is bigger than you - he presses you against the wall with one arm and then moves the other against your throat and starts to push, slowly crushing your larynx. You bring up your right knee hard into his crotch, forcing him to let go, doubling up as he stumbles backwards. Twisting anticlockwise, you bring your right elbow across yourself and then, using the energy of your twisted upper body, swing it into your attacker's head. The momentum sets you up perfectly to deliver a straight punch with your right hand, which you aim at the man's head.

Somehow he manages to get up a block and then knocks your legs out from under you with a two-footed sweep. You crash to the floor on your side and your attacker moves in to stamp on your face. You notice that he moves with a slight limp, as if he has an injury to his trailing knee. Thinking quickly, you slide into position and aim a strong kick at the man's patella. He grunts in pain and falls, knocking his head against the tiled floor.

Your assailant is currently on the floor unconscious, but you expect him to recover quickly.

Focus: 1/8

DUCT TAPE and CABLE TIE the assailant to the bed where Sandra was tied, after UNTYING her.

Beat him with the wrench, in particular cripple his legs. Then remove his mask and if it's someone you don't recognize kick them in the face a few times. Use the wires that tied Sandra up to tie up the assailant.

You drag the assailant to the end of the bed and examine the cable ties. It looks like you will have to cut them to get them off, making them useless. You also don't seem to have anything in your inventory to cut them with. You suppose that you could saw through them with the wire hook but that would take too long. The piece of duct tape doesn't seem strong enough to stick a full-grown man to a bedpost.

The man begins to stir on the floor.

Focus: 2/8

HIT the man repeatedly on the head with the wrench, keeping him unconscious.

Plus what Jack said. Also put your sunglasses on to appear badass.

You take out your wrench and beat the attacker over the head with it repeatedly until he ceases moving. You stop, realising that you may have gone too far and not noticed it in time. It is quite possible that you have killed him - in any case he doesn't look like he will be waking up any time soon.

Focus: 3/8

Trait change:
Traumatised -----------> Brutalised
Tom's disturbed mental state combined with his experiences and actions over the last twenty four hours have dulled his humanity and diminished his appreciation of the value of life. Tom may do poorly at conversations that require him to be empathetic, and will likely choose violent solutions to problems in the absence of strong guidance to the contrary.

Check his pulse, remove his mask (and put it in your inventory), then check his body for anything of interest to take. Also put on your sunglasses to appear badass.

Shaking slightly from what you've just done, you kneel next to the man and check his wrist and then his neck for a pulse. You feel one faintly but you have no idea how much brain damage you might have caused him - for all you know he could now be in a coma. You grab the edges of the skull-mask and pull, removing it from his face and keeping it. You don't recognise the man underneath - he has a large, roman nose, olive skin and shoulder length brown hair. His khaki clothes indicate that he probably works here.

Turning him over, you rifle through all his pockets. You find nothing of interest. No identification, no keycards, no useful items. Perhaps in an attempt to distance yourself from the violent scenes you've seen today, you put on your sunglasses.

Inventory: Camera, bread, sunglasses, $275, manifest, licence, phrasebook, handcuffs, wrench, mask
Focus: 4/8

Handcuff the body to the bedside (he may still be alive for all we know), then put the bread up to his nose to see if the terrible smell awakens him. Take a picture with your camera for whatever reason. Then ask Sandra what her opinion on all this is, and ask her to put the mask on for some comic relief.