The City

*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 City** is the third chapter of Act 3 in *House of Ashes* and the nineteenth overall.

The player controls Jason (Theatrical Cut) and Salim (Curator's Cut) as the duo moves deeper into the structure.

## *Unknown Structure, 0302 HRS, 3544 FT.*

After having a conversation, Jason and Salim decide to journey through the remains of the structure. As they move on, they accidentally step on a wire of spores which releases some sort of fireworks.

Moving on, the guys can find an artifact, which Salim notes that the device is a musical instrument. After noting about the vampires briefly, they move forward where they can interact with a fossilized creature. Jason insists Salim to touch it, only for him to refuse, to which Jason decides to touch it instead.

* If Jason doesn't touch the fossilized creature, he puts his hand down as Salim laughs.
* If Jason touches the fossilized creature, the fossil will crack and break, which the rubbles fall onto Jason. The guys must complete a QTE to dodge it.
	+ If QTE is failed, Jason will inhale the gas from the fossil, sickening him.

Whether they interacted with the fossilized creature or not, in the end of the way, they will see a preserved Balathu/Kurum (whichever character that died first in the prologue will appear here). Jason comments that the person looks biblical and Salim uses his lighter to inspect the body. The remaining eye moves, shocking Salim. Realizing that the person is still alive for 4000 years, Salim notes that the cocoon's fluid preserves the body's flesh and stops the aging, before offering to put the preserved out of his misery. Although Jason initially refused, he voluntarily raises his rifle, but Salim immediately puts it down, noting that the gunfire will attract the vampires. Salim stabs the preserved in the face with a stake before moving on.

Walking through a long way in the structure, they will stumble upon an open area where they can find one of the vampires' skulls. Salim will note that the vampires they dealt with are infected and bloodthirsty. Moving on, they will find a way scattered with cocooned vampires leading to a gigantic vault storing three large cocoon mounds, one being the motherlode. They then must sneak past the cocoons without stepping on the spores.

* If any of the protagonists don't step on the spores or only step on them once, they can find a secret in a corner.
* If any of the protagonists step on the spores twice, one of the cocoons will hatch, forcing the protagonists to flee without finding said secret.

Either way, one of the cocoons hatches and a vampire awakens from it. Jason and Salim run away, but the vampire cuts them off. The vampire pounces on the protagonists and a QTE must be completed to dodge it.

* If QTE is failed, Salim will be injured by the vampire.

As Jason and Salim flee and the vampire corners them, they hear Nick yelling at the vampire, before firing at it. Salim finds a small passageway under the walls, to which he crawls through and stumbles upon the Star Chamber with a pedestal in the center. Jason then follows Salim, who is later followed by Nick. Jason compliments Nick for helping them fending off the vampire.

* If Jason inhaled the gas, he will cough roughly, much to Nick's concern.

If Eric is alive, he will crawl through the tunnel, which he claims was an unpleasant experience. If Rachel is alive, she will crawl through the tunnel, who is helped by Jason.

* If Eric died, Jason asks if he didn't make it, after which Nick shakes his head.

## Collectibles

### Secrets

* Mysterious Artifact - Near a ledge.
* Ruptured Skull- On the large circular platform next to one of the chairs on the right.
* Fossilized Lifeforms - Past the area covered with spores. The camera must be moved around to unlock it. This secret can only be discovered if Jason or Salim didn't step on the spores twice.

## Deaths

### Determinant

Balathu

* If Balathu was the first playable character to die in Cursed, Salim will mercifully stab him in the face with his stake.

Kurum

* If Kurum was the first playable character to die in Cursed, Salim will mercifully stab him in the face with his stake.

## Trivia

* There appears to be a glitch in the animation of Kurum should he be the one that is preserved.