Character · from book 4

Britney Proskurina

The Pit Fighter from the water quadrant who attached herself to Firas; on the sixth floor Donut's plus-one in a jacket of stuffed Slate Butterflies, a guitar virtuoso, the one who kills the ballroom's warning light, reaches the top fifty in time to be spared by the queen, and draws the last lightning with the rest of her coat. Her face does not heal; Firas dies beside her.

Race and class, since book 5: Pit Champion

First appears: Book 4

Series arc

As of book 8. The Pit Fighter of book 4, possessed by an axe since book 7, Eris says; in book 8 the pickaxe is Ysalte's problem. Red-eyed out of the Desperado Club, she presses Carl's chest and speaks in his mind; in the final heat she moves as fast as Osvaldo, kills him at the portal and takes a golden skull and Ysalte's memorial crystal; she jumps into the stasis portal after Chris without a word, and wakes in Sheol with the pickaxe. Samantha: the gem must go in a plinth at the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple.

Open threads

Status is open or resolved; the chapter after it is the last one that moved the thread.

Thread	Opened	Status
Britney and the axe	B7 ch. 76	open · B8 ch. 83 — Britney's axe is a pickaxe now; she kills Osvaldo at the portal and takes Ysalte's crystal; Samantha: a plinth at the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple would bring Ysalte 'back for good', and the Halls of the Ascendency or Sheol might get her out of Britney; into the stasis portal (ch. 85).
The casino's 'Nothing': a stasis chamber that leads to Sheol, not the Cabaret	B8 ch. 79	open — Pontiff tests the portal and leaves the playing field (B8 ch. 82); Chris, Britney and then Louis follow, meant for Herot's menu (B8 ch. 85, B8 ch. 87); Louis wakes in Sheol with a leech on his skin and Forkith's welcome: 'We needed soldiers on a different front' (B8 ch. 99).
Ysalte in Britney: a plinth that would bring the goddess back, and two places that might get her out	B8 ch. 79	open — Britney speaks in Carl's mind, kills Osvaldo at the portal as fast as he moved, takes his Ysalte crystal and a golden skull (B8 ch. 83); Samantha: the gem in a plinth at the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple means 'she’ll be back for good', and Britney must reach the Halls of the Ascendency or Sheol 'to get that crazy Ysalte bitch out of her'. She jumps into the stasis portal after Chris (B8 ch. 85).

All threads: Open threads.

Through book 4

A level-27 Pit Fighter in a fur bikini with a spiked stick, Vadim's patient at the moment of the collapse and the water quadrant's other survivor, who would rather die than go back into the sea, told him not to go, and sits alone in a corner when he does not come back (B4 ch. 20, B4 ch. 25, B4 ch. 28). She attaches herself to Firas (B4 ch. 33).

Through book 5

A Pit Champion who will not speak to Carl and has given up on everything (B5 ch. 8, B5 ch. 11); the Latin and Greek from Firas's lap (B5 ch. 36); teleported out of a saferoom by an empty blood bar (B5 ch. 54). Donut's plus-one from outside the top fifty, in a jacket of stuffed Slate Butterflies (B5 ch. 64): she reaches the top fifty on her own as a queen raises a hand at her (B5 ch. 65), kills the warning light with one butterfly (B5 ch. 67), plays the guitar like a virtuoso (B5 ch. 74), and pulls the rest of the jacket when the last lightning comes (B5 ch. 76). Her face does not heal; Firas dies beside her (B5 ch. 77).

Through book 6

Scarred, level 55, an extinction sigil (B6 ch. 22); hysterics at a Firas card (B6 ch. 48); her first smile (B6 ch. 63).

Through book 7

Liaison to the NPCs, dispatcher of Operation Ruin (B7 ch. 22, B7 ch. 59); possessed by an axe, says Eris; nothing found (B7 ch. 76, B7 ch. 78).

Through book 8

Her usual grumpy, Louis says (B8 ch. 36); Eris speaks of 'the pickaxe that may or may not eventually kill your friend' (B8 ch. 35). Red-eyed out of the Desperado Club she presses Carl's chest and speaks in his mind (B8 ch. 79); in the final heat she moves as fast as Osvaldo, kills him at the portal, takes a golden skull and Ysalte's crystal (B8 ch. 83), and jumps into the stasis portal after Chris without a word (B8 ch. 85). Samantha: the gem must go in a plinth at the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple (B8 ch. 83). Awake in Sheol with her pickaxe (B8 ch. 99).

Where they appear

Book	Chapters they are in (of the book's)	Where
4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods	5/35	Ch. 20, Ch. 25, Ch. 28, Ch. 29, Ch. 33 · the book's own page
5 — The Butcher's Masquerade	20/78	7–8, 11, 36–37, 40, 54, 56, 63–67, 70, 72–74, 76–78 · the book's own page
6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride	16/74	2–4, 11, 19, 22, 26, 28, 47–48, 63–65, 67–68, 70 · the book's own page
7 — This Inevitable Ruin	32/89	5–11, 14–15, 19, 21–23, 42, 47, 59–60, 62, 67–71, 73–79, 82, 86 · the book's own page
8 — A Parade of Horribles	22/99	1, 3, 15, 22, 33, 35–36, 45, 56–57, 59, 67, 71, 75, 78–80, 82–83, 85, 87, 99 · the book's own page

By book

Britney Proskurina in book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods

'I'd rather die than go back in that water' (ch. 25). She flies with Donut, huddles in a corner of the personal space when Vadim does not come back (ch. 28), and crosses the Lacuna with Firas, to whom she has attached herself (ch. 33).

Britney Proskurina in book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade

A Pit Champion who will not speak to Carl (ch. 8), has given up on everything (ch. 11), and supplies the Latin and Greek from Firas's lap (ch. 36). Teleported out of a saferoom by an empty blood bar (ch. 54). Donut's plus-one in a jacket of stuffed butterflies (ch. 64): she reaches the top fifty on her own just as a queen raises a hand at her (ch. 65), kills the warning light with one butterfly (ch. 67), plays the guitar like a virtuoso (ch. 74), and pulls the rest of the jacket when the last lightning comes (ch. 76). Her face does not heal (ch. 77).

Britney Proskurina in book 6 — The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

Half her face burned since the masquerade, level 55, an extinction sigil under her eye, talking to Tserendolgor about scars (ch. 22); hysterics at a Firas card and a slow dance with a troll (ch. 48); the first smile Carl has ever seen on her (ch. 63).

Britney Proskurina in book 7 — This Inevitable Ruin

She reads Juice Box's papers all through the war room — 'How big are these diggers?' (ch. 9) — becomes the liaison to the NPCs (ch. 22), coordinates Operation Ruin like a dispatcher (ch. 59), runs for her life in Larracos (ch. 68), and, Eris says, picked an axe off the ground and is possessed; Imani and Juice Box find nothing, and Carl says keep watching (ch. 76, ch. 78). She goes into the stairwell with Chris, contemplating a deal (ch. 86).

Britney Proskurina in book 8 — A Parade of Horribles

Her usual grumpy, Louis says (ch. 36); Eris speaks of 'the pickaxe that may or may not eventually kill your friend' (ch. 35). Red-eyed out of the Desperado Club she presses Carl's chest and speaks in his mind (ch. 79); in the final heat she moves as fast as Osvaldo, kills him at the portal, takes a golden skull and Ysalte's crystal (ch. 83), and jumps into the stasis portal after Chris without a word (ch. 85). Samantha: the gem must go in a plinth at the Basilica or the Vulgar Temple (ch. 83). Awake in Sheol with her pickaxe (epilogue).