The Vault

*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

**The Vault** is the fifth chapter of Act 3 in *House of Ashes* and the twenty-first overall.

The player controls Salim and Nick as the group plans to plant the bombs on the cocoon mounds.

## *Cocoon Vault, 0457 HRS, 3521 FT.*

The protagonists stand near the vault as they watch over it.

* If Rachel is cocooned or died...
	+ If Eric has a high relationship with her, he will hold onto his ring.
	+ If Nick has a high relationship with her, he will glance back.

Salim then uses binoculars to view the cocoon mounds, before handing Jason the binoculars. As Jason watches over, he notices two vampires hatching from their cocoons, before commanding the others they should move quick. Jason then remarks how they've been hit hard tonight and lost their comrades (he will also add Rachel and Eric if they die), after which he claims they should give some payback. Jason comes up with a plan to set some charges on the mounds and escape once they explode, after which he adds they'll create a diversion if they're lucky.

* If Rachel is alive, she will exclaim if they die, at least they will take down some vampires with them.
* If Rachel is dead...
	+ If Jason has a high relationship with Salim, he will ask if he's ready. After Salim answers, Jason tells the others to get loose.
	+ If Jason has a low relationship with Salim, he will ask if he's with them.

Salim then asks who will plant the dynamites. Nick eventually volunteers, but Jason tells him they should do it together. However, Nick refuses as he claims they would be compromised by the vampires. After going with the plan, Nick will go to plant the bombs.

* If Eric is alive and knows about the vampires' weakness...
	+ If Eric has a high relationship with Nick, he will lend the UV wand to him.
	+ If Eric has a low relationship with Nick, he will look at the UV wand, but won't lend it to him.

Nick will then descend onto the vault's ground. Salim will use his binoculars to inspect several things, such as:

* A cocoon laying down, which Salim comments how he can't make it out.
* Some lighting machines.
* A cocoon to the far left which is hatching a vampire, after which Salim points it out. Jason then warns Nick about the hatching cocoon.

After inspecting the hatching cocoon or some time passes, Nick successfully plants the first dynamite. Nick will then find himself in a two-way direction.

* If Salim inspects the hatching cocoon, Jason will tell Nick to go right. As Nick moves on, The Ancient One follows behind him.
* If Salim doesn't inspect the hatching cocoon, Jason will ask Nick to decide himself, after which the latter can go left or right. Either way, The Ancient One follows behind him.

Nick arrives at an opening.

* If he goes left or has an injury, a vampire will be alerted and search for Nick. Nick must complete two Keep Calm segments.
	+ If Keep Calm segment is completed, the vampire will fly away, leaving Nick uncompromised.
	+ If Keep Calm segment is failed, the vampire attempts to attack Nick, but the latter fires. The vampire then retreats and lands on a platform.

Either way, Nick arrives at the second mound and plants a dynamite on it before noticing the motherlode. Jason commands Nick to retreat as the situation is hairy, but Nick refuses and wants to plant bombs on the motherlode. Nick can advance or retreat.

* Retreat
* Advance

Nick runs back to the others as the Ancient One follows.

* If Nick didn't alert the vampire, he will reach back safely. Jason then presses the trigger, which causes explosions in the vault.
* If Nick alerted the vampire, it will attack him. Nick must complete two QTEs in order to dodge it.
	+ If both QTEs are completed, Nick will reach back safely. Jason then presses the trigger, which causes explosions in the vault.
	+ If either QTE is failed, the vampire will catch Nick and tear him apart. The others hear only his screams before pressing the trigger, which causes explosions in the vault.
		- However, if Eric lend Nick the UV wand, the latter will use it to incinerate the vampire, saving himself from being killed.

After the successful explosion, the surviving protagonists leave the vault. Meanwhile, The Ancient One follows them.

Nick advances to the motherlode. Nick remarks how it's too easy before planting the bombs. Meanwhile, Salim notices the amount of vampires crawling down the motherlode. Jason tries to warn Nick, but Salim advises him to not do so. Nick will ask Jason the situation, after which Salim can ask Jason to tell Nick the truth or otherwise. Either way, the vampires crawl around Nick, which the latter must complete three Keep Calm segments.

* If Keep Calm segment is failed, Nick will be noticed by a vampire. The vampire drags Nick and tears him apart. The others hear only his screams before pressing the trigger, which causes explosions in the vault. This will also kill the Ancient One in the process by incineration.
* If Keep Calm segment is completed, Nick will walk out into the opening. The vampires, as well as The Ancient One, surround Nick. Nick pops off a flare, after which Jason presses the trigger, which causes explosions in the vault.

The other protagonists watch over the blazing vault. Believing Nick died in the explosion, the protagonists decide to leave. Nick then regains conscious and calls the protagonists through a radio signal.

* If Eric is alive and has a low relationship with Nick, he will ignore his radio signal. Believing Eric's words about it being a ghost contact, the others leave. As Nick is calling, The Ancient One arrives and lifts him up. After hearing voices in his head, the Ancient One snaps Nick's neck.
* If Eric is alive and has a high relationship with Nick or is dead, the group will acknowledge his radio signal before going into the vault's grounds to rescue Nick. As Nick is calling, the Ancient One arrives and lifts him up while the others are on the move. If any of them is injured, they will awake a vampire, forcing them to take the longer route. Nick then hears voices in his head.
	+ If no one in the rescue team is injured, Salim arrives and impales the Ancient One, rescuing Nick from death.
	+ If anyone in the rescue team is injured, Nick will have his neck snapped, after which Salim arrives and impales The Ancient One. Discovering Nick died, the group briefly mourns over him before fleeing.
		- If Nick has a stake, he can use it to free himself and complete a QTE to impale The Ancient One (failing it will result in the same previous scene).
		- If Jason previously picked the option *Foreboding* and *Serious* while in the room with the tripwire in Bloodbath, Nick will free himself by stabbing The Ancient One with a knife. As The Ancient One looks around, Nick will appear behind him with his own spear, after which he must complete a QTE to impale The Ancient One (failing it will result in the same previous scene).

The remaining protagonists make a break for the entrance of the structure. If Eric has the UV wand and is the only protagonist alive other than Jason and Salim, he will use it to ignite a vampire along the way.

* If only Jason and Salim are alive, they will sneak pass a vampire, after which both soldiers escape safely.
* If there is at least one protagonist other than Jason and Salim alive, Salim will be chased by a vampire, causing the former to be separated from the others.

## Deaths

### Inevitable

Numerous vampires

* Numerous of them are blown up/burn after Jason pressed the trigger.

### Determinant

Nick

* If Nick advances to the motherlode and fails Keep Calm segment, he will be torn apart by a vampire.
* If Nick fails the initial Keep Calm segment that results from him being injured or going left and retreats from the motherlode and fails a QTE without the UV wand, he will be torn apart by a vampire.
* If Nick advances to the motherlode and completes the Keep Calm segments, he will have his neck snapped by The Ancient One if:
	+ Nick fails the QTE while being strangled.
	+ Another protagonist is injured and Nick doesn't have the stake and was not inspired by Jason.
	+ Another protagonist is injured and Nick has the stake or was inspired by Jason, but fails the QTE to kill The Ancient One.
	+ Eric ignores Nick's radio signal.

The Ancient One

* If Nick advances to the motherlode and completes Keep Calm segment, then Eric acknowledges his radio signal or is dead, The Ancient One will be impaled by Salim with a stake.
* If Nick advances to the motherlode and completes Keep Calm segment, then Eric acknowledges his radio signal or is dead, but any protagonist in the rescue team is injured, and Nick has the stake and succeeds to fight the Ancient One, he will be impaled by a stake.
* If Nick advances to the motherlode and completes Keep Calm segment, then Eric acknowledges his radio signal or is dead, but any protagonist in the rescue team is injured, and Nick is inspired by Jason and completes QTE, Nick will impale The Ancient One with his own spear.
* If Nick advances to the motherlode and fails Keep Calm segment, The Ancient One will be burned.

A vampire

* If Nick fails the initial Keep Calm segment due to going left or being injured, then retreats and fails QTEs to fight the vampire on his way back, but has the UV wand, it will be burned.
* If Eric is alive, has the UV wand, and is the only protagonist alive other than Jason and Salim, he will burn a vampire along the protagonists' way to escape the structure.

## Trivia

* This is the first chapter in which Nick can die.
* This is the only chapter in the game where there's a Keep Calm with three segments.
* This is the only chapter in which injuries from the Blood bearing have an effect.