Reincarnated as an SSS-Ranked Blacksmith Who Refuses to Forge Weapons-Chapter 142. Split Apart

Chapter 142: 142. Split Apart
Greg was leading the way, and Lylia was right behind him with the compass out like a lifeline. Elwen followed, and her breathing was already heavy from the effort.
Hilda was at the end of the line, and her miner’s body was strong. Hammy had stopped moving on Elwen’s shoulder to save energy.
They could hear the sounds of battle starting up again behind them. Rosalina’s voice rang out with orders, telling her remaining knights what to do.
The roar of the Calamity shook the air, but it sounded like it was far away. As promised, they were buying time.
The streets were a mess. Carts that had been turned over blocked the way.
Things that had been dropped were all over the cobblestones. They had to jump over things in their way and avoid people who were still trying to get away.
"There!" Lylia pointed to a small street. "That way is the safe house!"
When they turned into the alley, Greg heard a sound he knew. His modified carriage made a rumble that was unlike any other, and the Eternal Engine’s hum cut through the noise around it.
"That’s our ride!" Greg yelled.
Bork was at the wheel of the car, and sure enough, it came down the alley looking frantic. Through the windows, Marina could see the rest of the Brotherhood. She pressed her face against the glass and looked relieved when she saw Greg.
The carriage came to a screeching stop, and the door flew open. Marina jumped out before it came to a complete stop. She ran to Greg and hugged him tightly.
"Thank the gods," she said. "We heard the blasts and saw that thing. We thought you might be—"
Greg said, "We’re fine," and held her close for a moment. "But we have to go our separate ways."
"What?" Marina pulled away, and her face changed to one of stubborn resistance right away. "No way. We won’t leave you like that!"
"Marina, listen," Greg said urgently, knowing that time was running out. "That thing out there is the Calamity of Weapons."
"It gets stronger by absorbing every weapon it touches. Everyone in the city is in danger."
Bork had gotten out of the driver’s seat, and his face was sad. "Boss, we’re not leaving you. That’s not how families work."
Greg said, "I’m not asking you to leave me."
"I want you to save yourselves and help the civilians. Take them away from here! Use the carriage to get as many people out as you can."
Seraphine stood at the door of the carriage, her mind already working on the problem. "You’re going after this Calamity thing?!"
"We’re going to get help," Lylia said as she held up the compass. "Royal Knights of the Elite. They know how to deal with threats like this."
Felix stuck his head out next to Seraphine, and Donetta could be seen behind him. "So we’re breaking up the party? That’s always a bad idea in games, Sensei!"
Greg said, "This isn’t a game."
"Listen, I need you all to be safe. I need to know that you’re looking out for people who can’t protect themselves. Can you do that for me? A big favor."
Marina was about to say something, but the ground shook. A loud crash came from the direction they had come from, and then there was a scary silence. Then the Calamity’s roar got louder and closer than it had been.
"It’s coming this way," Hilda said, her knuckles turning white around her pickaxe.
"Get in the carriage, everyone!" Bork told them to. "Come on, Marina!"
"Greg," Marina said, and there was so much feeling in that one word. Fear, rage, love, and desperation.
Greg lied when he said, "I’ll be fine," because he didn’t know what else to say. "Just get everyone to safety, and we’ll meet in Ferndale when this is over."
"Ferndale," Marina said again, as if she were trying to remember it. "You better be there."
"I will," Greg said.
Another roar, even closer this time. The Calamity stood at the end of the street, blocking out the moonlight with its huge body. It had grown again, and now it was thirty feet tall, with a body full of armor and blades.
"GO!" Greg yelled.
Bork didn’t need to be told more than once. He grabbed Marina and lifted her into the carriage even though she didn’t want to go.
The door slammed shut, and the Eternal Engine roared to life. The carriage jerked forward and turned down a side street just as the Calamity raised its arm.
Weapons shot out of its body like missiles. Swords, spears, and axes all flew through the air with enormous force. They got stuck in buildings, broke up cobblestones, and one enormous blade, at least fifteen feet long, came down like a guillotine.
The giant sword hit the street between Greg’s group and the carriage that was running away. The effect was terrible. The stone blew up, and the street split apart, creating a chasm that completely separated them.
"No!" Greg reached for the place where the carriage had gone, but the hole was too big and too deep. He could see dust settling on the other side, but not his family.
"They made it through," Lylia said, holding his shoulder. "I saw them clear the split before it was fully open."
"Don’t worry, Greg, they’re safe."
Greg wanted to trust her, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was lying. The creature’s attack split his family and friends apart. Were they really safe? Would he ever see them again?
Elwen said softly, "We have to go! Lady Rosalina is giving us more time, and we can’t waste it."
Greg made himself turn away from the chasm and the way his family had gone. "The house of safety. Which way?"
"This way," Lylia said as she started to move.
The Calamity saw them. Its vortex eyes focused, and it started to stalk forward, weapons appearing and disappearing all over its body.
Every time it moved, it got a little bigger as it absorbed metal from buildings that had been destroyed, weapons that had fallen, and everything else it touched. They ran through winding streets, thinking the safe house was just ahead.
The Calamity followed them with terrifying patience. It wasn’t in a hurry, but it was hunting, and it knew they couldn’t get away forever.
"There!" Lylia pointed to a plain building with a blue door. "That’s it!"
They ran through the door and into what looked like a small townhouse. Rosalina’s safe house was plain on purpose so that it would blend in. The inside was simple but useful.
Lylia said, "The entrance to the tunnel is in the basement," and she was already walking toward a door in the back. "Come with me!"
They went down a narrow staircase into a cellar that smelled like dirt and age. There was an iron grate at the far end, partly hidden by stacked crates.
"Help me move these," Lylia said, already pushing crates out of the way.
Greg and Hilda helped, and together they were able to move the obstacle quickly. Elwen stood guard at the stairs, with Hammy tense on her shoulder.
The building shook, making dust fall from the ceiling. The Calamity had found them.
"It’s ripping through the building!" Elwen yelled down. "Time is running out here...!"
Lylia pulled the grate open, and a dark tunnel that sloped down came into view. "Let’s go! Follow me!"
Elwen went first and made a ball of light to light up the way. Next was Hilda, and then Greg. Lylia was last, and she shut the grate behind her just as something huge crashed through the floor above.
The tunnel shook a lot. The ceiling fell down with dirt and rocks. They could hear the Calamity tearing through the safe house, and its furious roar echoed down to where they were hiding.
"Run!" Greg said this for no reason, since they were already running down the tunnel.
The walls were made of rough-hewn stone, and the floor was uneven. Following them was the sound of devastation as they fell and caught themselves. The Calamity wasn’t going to let them get away that easily.
The entrance to the tunnel blew up behind them. The creature’s arm, which was made up of blades and stretched out too long, pushed into the passage. Weapons scraped against stone as they reached for them.
"It’s getting bigger!" Hilda yelled. "How the fuck can that be?"
"It’s made of weapons that have been absorbed," Lylia said between breaths. "It can change the shape of its body whenever it wants!"
The tunnel split in two ahead. Lylia didn’t think twice and took the right path.
They followed, and the path got smaller, so they had to run in a single file. The Calamity’s arm scraped and clawed behind them, but the small space was helping them. It couldn’t fit all of its size into the tunnel.
They ran for what seemed like hours, but it was probably only minutes. Greg could see a dim light ahead of him as the tunnel continued to ascend.
Not Elwen’s magic, but natural light. It was the dawn.
"Almost there!" Lylia called again.
"Just ahead is the fortress!"