Breaking Up

*Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light...**This article is about The Dark Pictures Anthology's third installment,* ***House of Ashes***
***.***

## Chapter Guide

**Breaking Up** is the sixth and final chapter of Act 1 in *House of Ashes* and the seventh overall.

The player controls Eric (Theatrical Cut) and Rachel (Curator's Cut) as the couple flees from Dar near the chasm.

## *Chasm, 1931 HRS, 159 FT.*

Eric and Rachel run away from Dar to the edge of a chasm. Eric notices some worn rope left from the archaeologists and takes it as a precaution as they see a ledge they can cross to traverse the chasm. Rachel says that the rope is several decades old, to which Eric replies that it is the only one they have. Rachel then spots Dar looking for them and warns Eric. Rachel can choose to distract Dar or hide.

* If Rachel decides to distract Dar, she will pick up a rock and throw it in the opposite direction of the chasm. While he's distracted, the couple begins crossing the ledge to reach the other side of the chasm. Rachel must complete two QTEs to avoid tripping over the rocks and Eric must complete one.
	+ If either of them fails a QTE, Dar will be alerted to their location.
	+ If they complete all QTEs, Dar will not be alerted.
* If Rachel decides to hide behind a pillar, she and Eric must complete two Keep Calm segments while Dar searches the area.
	+ If either of them fails a segment, Dar will be alerted to their location and Rachel will shoot at him, which stuns Dar but doesn't do any harm to him, before she and Eric start moving across the ledge.
	+ If they complete both segments, they will sneak across the ledge without Dar being alerted.
* If Rachel doesn't make a choice, Dar will immediately be alerted and they will run.

After crossing the ledge, the couple is about to leave through the sand caverns, but an earthquake suddenly breaks out. Rachel falls and begins sliding down the ledge. Eric tosses her a rope, which she ties to herself. However, despite Rachel's attempts to hold on to the rock (failing QTE has no consequence), she still falls into the chasm. Eric is pulled down the steep incline with her as she goes over the edge, though he manages to steady himself. Both can perform QTEs (Eric - to keep the rope from fraying; Rachel - to stop struggling), but either way Eric is reaching closer to the edge.

Rachel, unable to see anything in the dark, lights a flare. Eric then says he's sorry to her and pulls out a knife. Eric can use the knife to cut the rope.

* If Eric cuts the rope, Rachel will fall into the chasm.
* If Eric doesn't cut the rope, he will plunge his knife into the dirt nearby.

If the rope hasn't been cut yet, Eric catches a glimpse of lights from the other end of the chasm and he will call out to them (if Merwin is dead). Rachel can also pull out a knife and can then cut the rope herself, causing her to fall into the chasm, as Eric looks on in horror.

* If Dar wasn't alerted, Eric must then complete a QTE to hold onto the rope, but regardless, he has a second chance to cut the rope.
	+ If Eric cuts the rope, Rachel will fall into the chasm.
	+ If Eric doesn't cut the rope and Nick and Jason are slowed down (by either Merwin or the creature), he will lose his grip and fall into the chasm after Rachel. During the fall, he impales himself onto a stalagmite, while the rope breaks and Rachel continues to fall into the bottom.
	+ If Eric doesn't cut the rope and Nick and Jason aren't slowed down, Nick will come and have time to rescue Eric before he falls. However, the rope snaps and Rachel falls into the chasm.
* If Dar was alerted, he runs up to the pillar and begins shooting at Eric.
	+ If Eric fails the first QTE, he will be injured, but he will have another chance.
		- If Eric fails the second QTE, he will be shot twice in the chest and fall into the chasm with Rachel, where his corpse is impaled on a stalagmite.
	+ If Eric completes the first or second QTE, he will be given a second chance to cut the rope.
		- If Eric doesn't cut the rope, Eric will be shot and his body is impaled onto a stalagmite as Rachel falls into the chasm.
		- If Eric cuts the rope, Rachel will fall into the chasm.

Rachel screams as she disappears into the darkness.

* If Eric cut the rope, he will lay himself down with relieve.
* If Rachel cut the rope or the rope snapped, he will call out to her and stare into the chasm.
* If Eric is dead, his bloody corpse will be shown.

Regardless of whether he was alerted or not, Dar can then be seen standing near the pillar and smirking. He turns around and walks away.

## *Meeting The Curator*

The player then meets up with The Curator in the repository. The Curator will brief the characters and their condition. The Curator states that Rachel is "lost to the darkness". A candle is seen flickering, only to remain lit. He then talks about Eric.

* If Eric is alive and cut the rope, the Curator will also remark that bonds once thought unbreakable are now cut free and that the heart is always first to fall.
* If Eric is dead, the Curator will say that "one life cut short, another lost to the darkness". Eric's candle will snuff out, while Rachel's candle will only flicker. He will also note that things have taken a turn for the worse.
	+ If Eric was shot by Dar, the Curator will say that it wasn't bad way for Eric to bow out, at least he died a soldier's death.
	+ If Eric dies for not letting Rachel go, the Curator will quote marines' motto "Semper fidelis" and say that Eric paid the ultimate price for his loyalty.

The Curator then briefs about Jason and Nick.

* If they have a low relationship, the Curator will ask if they are as close as they seem, or if this will be a case where everyone is for himself.
* If they have a high relationship, the Curator will say that the darkness in their past will test the power of their friendship.

The Curator can also comment about Merwin.

* If Merwin is dead, the Curator will say that he is lost to the darkness and that the night is still young.
* If Merwin was left behind only to be mauled, the Curator will say that Jason and Nick left him behind to die tonight.

The Curator also speaks about Salim, claiming that the Iraqi soldier appears to be "level-headed", if a bit reluctant. The Curator claims that an unwelcome fate awaits the survivors, as they are now "trapped beneath the earth" and "swallowed by the void",

* If all protagonists are alive, the Curator will say that their light will be snuffed out one by one unless the player finds a way to save them.
* If Eric is dead, the Curator will say that some lights will inevitably go out and asks the player for how long the remaining flames will burn on

The Curator states again that it is not his place to concern himself with the lives of others but, should the player keep secret, he offers a few words of advice, to keep things "interesting".

* If the player agrees, the Curator will say that he once met a blind poet who impressed him with a quote, "*Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to Light*".
* If the player refuses, the Curator will tell the player to only blame themself if something goes wrong.

The Curator then says that it is all for now, sending the player back into the game.

## Deaths

### Determinant

Eric

* If Eric or Rachel alert Dar to their location, Rachel doesn't cut herself loose, and Eric refuses to cut Rachel loose twice or refuses to cut her loose the first time and then fails two QTEs to dodge the bullets, he will be shot in the chest by Dar and he will fall into the chasm, where his body is impaled on a stalagmite.
* If Eric and Rachel don't alert Dar to their location, Rachel doesn't cut herself loose and Eric refuses to cut Rachel loose twice, and Nick and Jason are slowed (by either Merwin being alive or Nick/Jason having failed all QTEs in the previous chapter), he will fall into the chasm and be impaled on a stalagmite.

## Trivia

* This is the first chapter in which a protagonist can die, said protagonist being Eric.
* The flickering candle that continues to burn but is still lit hints that Rachel didn't die in the chasm.
* Rachel's fall into the chasm was teased through *Little Hope*'s gold picture.
	+ In the premonition, Rachel fell into the chasm after Eric cut the rope.
* The Curator hints that the vampires' weakness is ultraviolet light.
	+ He could also specifically hint the first segment of Slayer where Salim has to complete QTEs before he can complete another QTE to climb the rock and reveal the vampire's weakness.
* In the game's code, Rachel is meant to cut herself free in Theatrical Cut when given the chance if her and Eric's relationship is high enough. However, this is impossible to achieve in-game, likely due to the cut scene in Pazuzu decreasing the number of chances for Eric's and Rachel's relationship to increase.