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 .

Breaking Up
Installment	House of Ashes
Act	1
Chapter	6
Overall	7
Theatrical Cut
Playable Character(s)	Eric
Time(s)	1931 HRS
Location(s)	Chasm
Depth(s)	159 FT.
Curator's Cut
Playable Character(s)	Rachel
Time(s)	1931 HRS
Location(s)	Chasm
Depth(s)	159 FT.
Chapter Guide
Previous	The Temple
Next	After the Fall

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 distract Dar or hide behind a pillar.

• If Rachel distracts Dar (which she always does in Theatrical Cut), she picks 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 is alerted to their location.
  • If they complete all QTEs, Dar is not be alerted.
• If Rachel hides behind the pillar, she and Eric must complete two Keep Calm segments while Dar searches the area.
  • If either of them fails a segment, Dar is alerted to their location and Rachel shoots 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 sneak across the ledge without Dar being alerted.
• If Rachel doesn't make a choice, Dar is immediately alerted and they 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 falls into the chasm.
• If Eric doesn't cut the rope, he plunges 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 calls out to them (if Merwin is dead). In Curator's Cut (or Shared Story if her relationship with Eric is high enough), Rachel can also pull out a knife and can cut the rope herself after Eric refuses to do it the first time, 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 falls into the chasm.
  • If Eric doesn't cut the rope and Nick and Jason are slowed down (by either Merwin or the creature), he loses 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 comes and have time to rescue Eric before he falls. However, the rope snaps and Rachel falls into the chasm.
  • In Curator's Cut, Eric cuts the rope at the second chance if his and Rachel's relationship is low.
• If Dar was alerted, he runs up to the pillar and begins shooting at Eric.
  • If Eric fails the first QTE, he is injured, but he has another chance.
    • If Eric fails the second QTE, he is 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 is given a second chance to cut the rope.
    • If Eric doesn't cut the rope, Eric is shot and his body is impaled onto a stalagmite as Rachel falls into the chasm.
    • If Eric cuts the rope, Rachel falls into the chasm.
    • In Curator's Cut, Eric cuts the rope at the second chance if his and Rachel's relationship is low.

Rachel screams as she disappears into the darkness.

• If Eric cut the rope, he lies down with relief.
• If Rachel cut the rope or the rope snapped, he calls out to her and stare into the chasm.
• If Eric is dead, his bloody corpse is 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 briefs 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 also remarks that bonds once thought unbreakable are now cut free and that the heart is always first to fall.
• If Eric is dead, the Curator says that "one life cut short, another lost to the darkness". Eric's candle snuffs 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 says 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 quotes 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 asks 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 says 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 says 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 says 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 says that their lights will be snuffed out one by one unless the player finds a way to save them.
• If Eric is dead, the Curator says 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 says 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 tells 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.