Rain lashed against Elias's face as he sprinted through the backstreets of Meridian City. The Moonstone Crystal pulsed against his chest, its light now visible even through his coat. His boots splashed through puddles filled with oil and steam from the nearby factories, the industrial smells of the city mixing with the metallic tang of magic in his nostrils.
[MINIMAP ACTIVATED: ESCAPE ROUTE CALCULATED]
[RECOMMENDED PATH: THROUGH THE TANNERY DISTRICT, THEN TO THE RIVER DOCKS]
[PURSUERS: 5 HOSTILES, 2 WITH DETECTABLE MAGIC SIGNATURES]
He ducked into an alleyway as two figures in black coats rounded the corner. Their faces were hidden by hoods, but Elias caught a glimpse of silver badges—the mark of the Imperial Inquisition. The system flashed another warning:
[DETECTED: TRACKING SPELL "BLOOD HOUND" ACTIVE]
[CASTER: UNKNOWN (PROBABLE LOCATION: 200 METERS BEHIND)]
[COUNTERMEASURE: SUBMERGE IN RUNNING WATER FOR 60 SECONDS]
Up ahead, the narrow passage opened onto the Meridian River. Elias sprinted across the rickety wooden bridge, then dove into the murky water below. The shock of the cold made him gasp, but he forced himself to stay submerged, counting the seconds as the system's timer counted down.
[TRACKING SPELL NEUTRALIZED]
[WARNING: MAGICAL ENERGY AT 25/50]
[ADVISED: FIND SHELTER AND REST]
He dragged himself onto the riverbank downstream, collapsing onto a pile of discarded crates. Through the rain, he could see the Inquisition agents searching the bridge, their voices fading in the distance. The crystal's glow had dimmed to a faint pulse, matching the rhythm of his heartbeat.
A movement in the shadows caught his eye. Elias scrambled to his feet, reaching for the knife he kept in his satchel—only to freeze as a woman stepped into the moonlight. She wore a leather jacket adorned with brass gears and a mechanical eye covering her right socket, its lens whirring as it focused on him.
"Got quite a party chasing you, bookworm," she said, voice like gravel in a tin can. "That must be the Moonstone Crystal you're clutching. Mind telling me why the Inquisition's wetting themselves over a rock?"
Elias tensed, but the system suddenly flared to life with a new notification:
[NEW ALLY IDENTIFIED: LENA MORNINGSTAR]
[AFFILIATION: GLIMMER BROTHERHOOD (REBEL ORGANIZATION)]
[TRUST LEVEL: 45% (CAUTIOUS COOPERATION ADVISED)]
Before he could respond, a gunshot echoed through the night. Lena cursed, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the shadows as bullets struck the crates where he'd been hiding moments before.
"Looks like we're both running from the same people," she said, grinning as she produced a grappling hook from her belt. "Care for a ride?"
Elias hesitated only a moment before nodding. As they ascended to the rooftops, the crystal's light pulsed once more—this time projecting a hologram of the city map, with a single location marked in red:
[NEXT OBJECTIVE: THE CLOCKTOWER]
[URGENCY: HIGH]
The chase had ended, but the real journey was just beginning.