The Truce

*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 Truce** is the third chapter of Act 2 in *House of Ashes* and the tenth overall.

The player controls Nick (Theatrical Cut) and Salim (Curator's Cut) as both soldiers put their differences aside while confronting a creature.

## *Sand Caverns, 2012 HRS, 158 FT.*

Nick stands behind the wall, listening to the clicking sounds. Suddenly, Salim sneaks up behind Nick and covers his mouth. Salim then points out that there's a creature feasting on the corpse of an Iraqi soldier. He can say they need to work together or threaten to feed Nick to the creature. Salim then explains that the creatures react to sound like bats. He then continues to explain bullets only slow them down and even a fallen truck will only make them angry.

* If Salim found out about the weakness of the creatures and killed one, he adds that they burn in sunlight and that they can be killed with a stake through the heart. Salim can also add that he's seen the creature killing an entire squad of soldiers.

Having told all the information, Salim releases Nick and offers to either kill the creature or sneak around it. Nick can agree or tell Salim to go first. The guys begin to carefully walk around the creature while it devours the corpse of an Iraqi soldier. Both Nick and Salim must complete QTEs to move quietly.

* If one of them fails one of the QTEs, the creature hears a noise and start looking for the protagonist. Whichever character fails the QTE has to complete two Keep Calm segments.
	+ In Shared Story, the hidden protagonist has an opportunity to either distract the creature with a rock, taking the risk of exposure off the protagonist that failed the QTE, or remain hidden, forcing the exposed protagonist to complete the two aforementioned Keep Calm segments. If the hidden protagonist chose to distract the creature, they’ll be tasked with completing the Keep Calm segment instead of the exposed protagonist.
		- If Nick/Salim completes the Keep Calm segments, the creature hears another noise and go away.
		- If Nick/Salim fails one of the Keep Calm segments, the creature attacks Nick/Salim. Later, Eric and/or Jason come running into the cave, who scares away the creature.
			* If the attacked character fails a QTE to dodge the attacks, the creature injures them.
* If both completes all QTEs to sneak by the creature, the guys cautiously walk past the creature.
	+ If Salim offered to sneak around the creature, it hears a noise and run away.
	+ If Salim offered to kill the creature, Nick must complete a QTE to shoot it.
		- If Nick shoots, the creature is alerted, Salim can then complete a QTE to attack the creature and both characters can complete a QTE to finish it off.
			* If Salim completes QTE to attack and the guys complete QTE to finish off the creature, they kills the creature.
			* If Salim fails QTE to attack or the guys fail QTE to finish off the creature, it attacks them, attracting the attention of the other protagonist(s), and flee.
		- If Nick doesn't shoot, the creature flees.

Either way, Salim and Nick begin to discuss about the creature. Afterwards, Salim can ask Nick if he believe in demons or warm up to Nick.

* If Salim asks Nick if he believes in demons, Nick asks what he thinks they are, and Salim says he doesn't know (if he never found the Mythology Book) or he explains that they are trapped in a Sumerian temple and that in the Sumerian mythology, the souls of the dead live in the House of Ashes where they are haunted by demons (if he did). Nick can afterward introduce himself or ask if they're done.
* If Salim warms up to Nick, he says how he shouldn't be down in the caverns.
	+ If they have a good relationship, Salim tells Nick about his son, he explains to Nick that he should be in home instead and that it's his son's birthday. Nick says that the best gift Salim can give to his son is to return home alive. Both soldiers introduce themselves to each other.
	+ If they have a bad relationship, Nick spits before asking if they're done, to which Salim agrees.

Salim takes the gun from the corpse when Jason/Eric contacts Nick and their light is visible in the tunnel. Salim can stay or hide, and Nick can reassure him or ask him to hide.

* If Nick asked Salim to hide or Salim hid, Jason and/or Eric enters the area and ask Nick if he is alright/he killed the creature himself. Noticing Nick's confusion, they'll ask him what's wrong, whom Nick can reassure them or tell them that Salim is behind him.
	+ If Nick reassures the others, they tells him that they need to return to the temple and regroup. Salim then flees.
		- If Salim and Nick killed the creature, the group drags the corpse back to the base.
* If the guys alerted the creature, Salim stayed, Nick reassured him or Salim hid, but Nick revealed his location, the other American(s) aims at him, ordering him to drop the weapon.
	+ If Jason killed the fleeing shepherd in The Raid or Salim chooses to shoot them, Salim shoots them, injuring Jason or shooting Eric in the head, and then flee.
	+ If Jason didn't kill the fleeing shepherd or Salim doesn't choose to shoot them, Salim surrenders. Nick ties him up and take him to the base, as Salim thanks him sarcastically.

## Deaths

### Inevitable

* An Iraqi soldier - Mauled by a creature.

### Determinant

A creature

* If Salim decides to kill the creature, then Nick and Salim complete every QTEs, they will successfully impale the creature with a stake.

Eric

* If Eric joined Nick, Nick reassured Salim or Nick and Salim alerted the creature, and Jason shot the fleeing shepherd in The Raid, Salim will shoot Eric in the head. (Theatrical Cut)
* If Eric joined Nick and Nick told Salim to hide but exposed Salim's location, Salim will shoot Eric in the head. (Theatrical Cut)
* If Eric joined Nick and Salim did not hide, Nick exposed his location, or Nick and Salim alerted the creature, then Salim chooses to shoot Eric, he will shoot Eric in the head. (Curator's Cut)

## Trivia

* This is the second chapter in which Salim can kill vampires to get the "*Slayer*" trophy.
* This is the second chapter in which Eric can die.