Greg saw something new this time when the Calamity roared again. The body of the creature was changing and growing. The weapons it absorbed weren't just making it heavier.

They were restructuring and making new buildings. What looked like siege weapons coming out of its shoulders was a huge ballista made of blades that had been fused together.

It was an artillery made from hammers and anvils. The monster was turning all of the city's weapons into an arsenal that it could use.

A ballista shot with a bolt the size of a tree trunk flew through the air and hit a guard tower, knocking it down completely. The building fell into a neighborhood, crushing homes and probably killing everyone inside.

Tunner said, "We can't fucking fight this abomination," and for the first time, Greg heard real fear in his voice.

"We can't even make it go slower. Every weapon we use just makes it more powerful! It gets stronger with each person it changes!!!"

"How the fuck do you fight something like that?

Greg said, "You don't."

"First, get as many people out as you can, then find another way to stop it."

"There isn't any other way!" Tunner yelled. "Don't you get it?!"

"This thing can't be stopped! It will destroy Ironhaven and then move on to the next city, getting stronger with each one! Soon, there won't be any place to run!!!"

The Calamity moved forward again, and the mining rail system broke down because it was too heavy. The creature saw the metal tracks and rails, and all of a sudden they lit up.

In a matter of seconds, tons of iron structures ripped themselves free from the ground and flew toward the monster, making its already giant body even bigger. "JUST LOOK WHAT IT CAN FUCKING DO!"

"The mining tools," Lylia said. "It's not just weapons... It's taking everything that could be made into a weapon or is made of metal!"

The Calamity's attention turned to the forges, as if to confirm what she had seen. Every blacksmith in Ironhaven had giant piles of raw metal that they used for their work.

Hundreds of tons of copper, iron, steel, and other valuable metals. Everything started to move toward the creature.

As the contents of a giant warehouse that held the city's main metal reserves flew toward the Calamity, the warehouse itself exploded. Metal bars, sheets, and ingots were all flying through the air like a swarm of metal. The monster took it all in and grew even bigger, now standing at least 150 feet tall.

"It's going to take everything," Elwen said, her voice barely audible over the noise of the destruction. "All of the city! All the meta! "Anyone who has ever used a weapon will be affected!"

"It's going to consume everything!"

Tunner looked around at the city he had promised to protect. Buildings were falling down. People were changing or running away in fear.

His order for an evacuation was a complete mess, with people trampling each other in their panic. And in the middle of it all was a monster that made all of his strength and training useless.

"I failed," he said softly. "I've been saying for years that I would protect Ironhaven, but when it mattered most, I couldn't do anything."

Greg said, "You can still help people get away! That's not nothing."

"It's not enough!" Tunner's warhammer hit the ground hard enough to break the stone. "I'm a Royal Knight of the Elite!"

"I should be able to deal with threats! I should be able to keep people safe! And instead, I'm running away like everyone else!"

Lylia said, "Sometimes running is the right thing to do."

"Lady Rosalina ran once. You know that story, don't you?"

"The fight in Crimson Valley. She knew she couldn't win because there were fifty of them against her, so she ran away."

"She led two hundred civilians through a secret mountain pass while the enemy believed she would engage in battle. Running isn't cowardice if it means staying alive."

Another huge explosion rocked the city. The disaster had reached the central plaza, the location of Ironhaven's memorial.

In a matter of seconds, a statue of the city's legendary smith and founder was destroyed. The bronze statue melted into the Calamity's body, and Greg swore he could see the statue's shape in the monster's chest, which was a horrible trophy.

Greg said, "We need to go now."

"We'll either change or die if we stay here any longer."

"You know these mountains better than anyone, Tunner. Get us out of here!"

Tunner didn't say anything for a long time. He looked at the Calamity, his dying city, and everything he hadn't been able to protect. Thereafter, he slowly turned away.

"Follow me," he said in a flat voice. "There's a path that emergency workers use."

"It is narrow and steep, but it will get us over the mountain faster than the main roads. Hopefully, we'll be gone before that thing sees us."

They ran through the mess, avoiding falling debris and scared crowds. Hammy had stopped making any noise on Elwen's shoulder.

The slime seemed too scared to even make a sound. The sounds of destruction followed them, a constant reminder of the terror they had left behind.

Tunner was right about the path. It was a narrow trail cut into the side of the mountain that went up the steep slope in a zigzag pattern.

It was made for small maintenance teams, not for big evacuations. They could see other people trying to climb, some of whom made it and others who lost their grip and fell.

"Keep going!" Tunner took the lead, and it was clear that he knew the mountain well because he moved quickly along the dangerous path. "Don't look back, and don't stop running your ass up!"

Greg couldn't help but look back, though. He had to see and understand what they were going through.

Ironhaven was completely taken over by the Calamity. People were tearing apart the city that had stood for hundreds of years. People were either running away or changing, and buildings were falling and metal was flying.

The monster kept getting bigger and bigger. The monster had grown from one hundred and sixty feet to seventeen feet, and it continued to grow, absorb, and transform. It was turning into something that was difficult to understand, like a walking apocalypse made of the weapons of humanity turned against them.

They climbed for what felt like hours, but it was probably only thirty minutes. The sounds of Ironhaven's destruction got quieter as they got farther away, but the mountain still shook from the Calamity's movements.

Other refugees walked by them on the path. Some helped the old or injured, while others were only focused on getting away.

Finally, they reached the top of the ridge. The eastern valleys lay out in front of them, mostly untouched by the destruction. There were small farming towns all over the place that had no idea what had just happened to Ironhaven.

"We need to warn them," Lylia said, breathing hard from the climb. "If the Calamity continues in this direction..."

"It won't." Tunner said, and there was certainty in his voice.

"Look."

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