Old Friend

The **Old Friend** is a major character in Louse. He was the mentor of Null's, the main protagonist of Louse, and was the one that called them to the mountain before Rot began.

## History

The Old Friend, along with Null and an unknown number of others, was a Pilgrim in a settlement. In the settlement, he was the last of the mitestone carvers left after several pilgrims left to make their pilgrimage to Rot. This means they left to accept Rot's gift and join it. Among those that left were Null's parents; he took Null under his wing after this, encouraging them while beginning their apprenticeship as a mitestone carver.

As time passed, Null eventually crafted their first mitestone mask. This happened as the Old Friend was called to make a pilgrimage to Rot. The Old Friend chose to take Null's mask with him; when he saw the mask they had made, he expressed his approval of their creation, happy to have it with him on his journey.

When he journeyed to Rot, he was not taken for an unknown reason. Although he received the gift of Rot, he also encountered the Blot on the mountain; it is unknown if he sought it out, or if it found him. After accepting the Blot into his eye, he stayed in a house up on the mountain, unable to nullify Rot on his own. Instead, he decided to ask Null to come, so that they may do so.

Null arrived at the mountain ten years after the Old Friend first arrived. When they arrived, they saw him by a camp fire, warming himself up against the bitter winds of the mountain. When he saw Null, he said that he was glad to see them, while explaining that Rot would break through the surface tomorrow. He explained that he couldn't nullify it on his own, which Rot knew. It used that knowledge to taunt him as he stayed on the mountain. He then said that there was a final preparation to make: the Blot hates Rot, and wanted to join Null when they descended into it to end it. Null accepted the Blot, allowing it to leap out of the Old Friend's eye and into theirs. After watching Null accept it, the Old Friend warned them not to let its hatred drain their soul.

The two of them then entered his house, and walked to a room that he had prepared for them. Before he left, the Old Friend hesitated, and said that he knew he would likely be taken by Rot when it began; he then said that he would not stop Null for nullifying him before Rot had a chance to take him. Null chose to remain silent, leaving an awkward silence before them, before Rot began to spoke to the Old Friend again. He quickly left Null alone as he listened to what it had to say.

In Null's flashback from when they were facing the Love of Rot, which was induced by the Blot, they attempted to convince the Old Friend to leave, which eventually worked. However, as he left the mountain, the Blot intervened directly with the flashback, saying that despite Null wanting to change what happened, they can never go back. As a result, this did not actually happen.

Later, when Null was asleep, they heard something in their room. Forcing themself to wake up, they were frozen in sleep paralysis as they saw the half-rotted Old Friend stand over them. He told Null that they were nothing but a louse, a lost parasite aimlessly crawling through the filth of the surface. He then said that they would see what was truly important. After delivering this message, he disappeared. Considering Rot had not yet taken the Old Friend, it is likely that this was a nightmare spurred from sleep paralysis instead of the actual Old Friend.

After waking up the next morning, Null thanked the Old Friend and left the house, leaving to travel to Rot. Before he entered, he turned back to see the Old Friend's house being taken, with no sound coming from inside. In an alternate timeline shown by the glitch that occurred when Null said their name, Null couldn't enter Rot, and stayed in the house as the Old Friend was taken, before being taken themself, resulting in a game over.

Later, when Null finally entered Rot, they attempted to accept the gift offered by the Face of Rot. However, in doing so, the Face revealed that it knew they wanted to end it; they then felt something grip their leg. The Blot intervened as they looked down, seeing the fully rotted Old Friend grabbing onto their leg, dragging them down further into Rot. The Blot branched out of Null's eye and wrapped its branches around his head, cutting it off, as they all slid through the walls of Rot into a large cavern.

After falling into the cavern, Null saw that the head of the rotted Old Friend was attempting to speak. They approached it, and listened. They heard him say that they carry the Rot, and that they should give in to its consumption so that they don't suffer. The head then liquefied as a searing light burned an image of the Face into their eyes momentarily. Later, when Rot talked to them, it said that it accepted their offering of the Old Friend, and expressed gratitude that they did not nullify him.

After nullifying The Bones of Rot, Null collapsed on the ground, and saw the skull of the Old Friend next to them. It whispered to them, using their name as it convinced them to pick it from the wall to help them. When they reached for it, however, it bit their hand, proving it to be The Skull that was controlled by Rot instead of the Old Friend. It admonished Null for being fooled so easily, while saying that they could never go back.

The Old Friend is deceased.