Motif · Book 7, This Inevitable Ruin
The clock
The countdown in the corner of every crawler's vision: 'Time to Level Collapse', five days on the first floor, read out by the system at the head of chapters and by Carl whenever he has to choose. On the second floor a second timer appears beneath it, counting down to the closing of the safe rooms an hour before collapse, and Carl waits for the level timer to reach six hours before he takes the stairs.
Segment appearances
- Chapter 1 — Porthus; Welcome to Faction Wars
- Chapter 12 — The base camp; Tina
- Chapter 14 — The flag room and the Ramp-Up
- Chapter 15 — The Rolling Battle Formation Ball
- Chapter 16 — Everly; Glory Bound
- Chapter 20 — Christmas Morning; the Ramp-Up
- Chapter 56 — Justice Light; the Nest
Progression
A clock with a condition: 'Time to Level Collapse: 30 Days or 90 hours after a winner is declared, whichever is sooner' (ch. 1), and Mordecai's 'three scenarios where the ceasefire time is shortened' (ch. 2). The war runs on phase timers — the ceasefire at 52, 33, 31 and 20 hours (ch. 12, ch. 15, ch. 16, ch. 17); 'Time remaining in Phase One: 180 hours' (ch. 20); a capture timer that 'has not started as this room is occupied by multiple factions' (ch. 26); 'Time until Phase Three: Two Hours' (ch. 56) — and ends on the system's countdowns the party races: the War Mage Rebellion winning the castle in 5 hours, 57 minutes, the city defenses activating in 27 minutes (ch. 69), the towers in 13 (ch. 70), and Emberus's countdown to the destruction of the ninth floor, 66 minutes, then 32 (ch. 84), 21 (ch. 85), 8 (ch. 86) and three (ch. 87).