Chapter 83

Carl's team executes a plan to breach the building and reach the eleventh floor. Osvaldo attempts to escape but is killed by Britney, eliminating Team Three. When the Russian crawler team tries to make a desperate run for the exit, Donut destroys their vehicle in a single devastating blow, killing them and earning three player-killer skulls.

Carl detonates specially designed poleaxe charges to create a vertical path through the building to the roof, where portals to the eleventh floor await. Osvaldo uses his Launch spell and supernatural dexterity to race toward the exit, exploiting a rule allowing crawlers to pass the finish line outside destroyed vehicles. However, the portal has a protective barrier that stuns him upon impact. While he is stunned, Britney—who matched his speed—kills him and claims the bounty, earning the player-killer skull and eliminating Team Three from the heat. Donut rushes back to protect the team, and Carl's group notices Britney now possesses a memorial crystal from Ysalte that she must place in a plinth at either the Basilica or Vulgar Temple to permanently remove Ysalte's influence. As the stunned bugs begin to recover, Louis, Florin, and others begin withdrawing from the track toward their garages. Carl reflects on plans to move problematic crawlers to a holding area or the Pineapple Cabaret rather than forcing them into deadly confrontations. When the Russian crawler team suddenly attempts to flee toward the exit in their Cadillac, Donut casts Astral Paw and instantly crushes the vehicle, killing all three occupants and earning three additional player-killer skulls for herself.