The transition from the ancient, whispering canopy of the Sierra Madre to the jagged edges of civilization was a shock to Elias's feline senses. The smell of jasmine and damp earth was abruptly choked out by the acrid stench of burning rubber, diesel fumes, and the electric ozone of a world built on scavenged tech.
Elias perched on a rusted highway sign that once pointed toward Marikina. Below him, the Marikina-Infanta Highway stretched out like a long, grey scar through the mountains. It was no longer the orderly road of his previous life; it was a gauntlet of cratered asphalt and abandoned husks of cars.
[SYSTEM CALIBRATION]
Environment: Post-Collapse Urban Fringe
Mana Conductivity: High (Static Electricity from Power Lines)
Objective: Reach Quezon City Ruins (Sector 7)
Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate. It wasn't the rhythmic thud of a forest giant, but the high-pitched, aggressive scream of tuned-up engines.
Five motorcycles, modified with glowing blue neon strips and spiked tires, tore around the mountain bend. These weren't ordinary bikers; they were Rebel Riders, scavengers, and freedom fighters who lived in the "Dead Zones" between the corporate-controlled cities.
They pulled over just beneath the sign where Elias sat, their engines idling with a throaty growl.
"Check the perimeter," a woman commanded, kicking her kickstand down. She wore a jacket made of synthetic scales and a helmet with a digital visor. This was Ria, the leader of the pack. "The Iron Corp patrols have been thick near the border. We need to be invisible."
"Boss, look," one of the riders pointed up.
Elias stood up on the sign, his silver fur ruffled by the hot wind from their exhausts. He let his sapphire eyes glow at full intensity, casting two beams of brilliant blue light down onto the asphalt.
The riders froze. In this new Philippines, animals with glowing eyes were usually monsters to be shot on sight. Rifles were unslung, the metallic clack-clack of chambering rounds echoing in the quiet night.
"Wait!" Ria shouted, her visor sliding up to reveal eyes filled with curiosity rather than fear. "That's no mutant. Look at the markings. Those are... celestial."
Elias didn't wait for an invitation. He leaped.
To the humans, it looked like a silver streak of lightning. He landed squarely on the gas tank of Ria's bike, his claws dull for the moment, clinging to the leather grip. He looked Ria directly in the eye and projected a single image into her mind via the System: A vision of Lyra trapped in a cage of lightning.
Ria gasped, clutching her head. "You... you're looking for the girl? The one the Iron Corp snatched this morning?"
Elias gave a sharp, regal nod.
"The enemy of my enemy is my ride-along," Ria smirked, slamming her visor down. "Hold on tight, little star-cat. We're about to break the speed limit of reality."
The Highway Gauntlet
The engines roared to life, and the group took off. Elias hunkered down, his belly pressed against the warm metal of the bike. As they hit 150 kilometers per hour, the wind threatened to tear him off, but he activated his new skill.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: GALAXY GRIP]
A molecular bond is established between the paws and the surface.
The world became a blur of grey and neon. They bypassed the main checkpoints, taking hidden service roads that hugged the edges of cliffs. But the Iron Corporation had eyes everywhere.
High above, a Drone Swarm detected the illegal mana signature of the riders.
"Contact!" Ria yelled over the comms as red lasers began to paint the road around them. "Elias, if you've got any of that 'dragon' magic, now's the time!"
Astral Countermeasures
Elias stood up on the moving bike, his tail lashing behind him like a rudder. He saw the drones, sleek, black discs with Gatling lasers diving from the clouds.
System, overclock the mana output, Elias commanded.
[MANA BURST INITIATED]
Current Mana: 150/150 -> 20/150
Skill: [Star-Fall Barrage]
Elias opened his mouth, and instead of a meow, a shower of small, diamond-bright projectiles erupted. They weren't physical bullets, but concentrated shards of astral light. Each shard sought out a drone's engine, detonating in a series of blue explosions that lit up the night sky like fireworks over Manila Bay.
"Holy!" one of the riders cheered.
The drones spiraled out of control, crashing into the jungle below. The path to the city was open.
As the sun began to peek over the horizon, the skeletal, neon-lit skyline of Quezon City rose from the mist. The "Concrete Jungle" was home to the Iron Corp's headquarters, a fortress of glass and steel where Lyra was being held.
Elias narrowed his eyes. The hunt was no longer in the forest. It was time to show the city what happens when a Galaxy Dragon goes to town.