Spare some change for the cyberhobo?

Mags walked down the corridor into the elevator, Aliphos closely following him "So, what's the deal with the dungeon? Are you going to calibrate it this time Lip?" he asked, scratching the back of his head "Because I'm going to be honest, if the task to send me to that dungeon again is delegated to a newbie, I'm going to have an aneurysm." Aliphos smiled, slapping Mags in the back "Worry not my rabid friend, as Hermes is my witness you will reach your destination safely." "Thank God for that, I'm not sure I could handle an EX-EX-rank disguised as an EX-rank disguised as a B-rank." "Your jokes are lacking my friend."

"So, how does *all of this* work?" Mags asked, opening his arms around him. Aliphos pondered for a few seconds before replying "Well, the Travel Order of Weight and Enlightenment Reassembly, or TOWER for short, is a new system designed by our Chinese friends in the Great Ancestor guild; it connects all the guilds with teleportation systems or artifacts in a central spire of sorts, in which they are placed based on guild rank, total guildmates rank, dungeons owned and personal achievements. Take for example our guild, Star Belt: We have 3 S-ranks - you, me, and Johann; we also have guild branches in every part of the world and sometimes more than one in a continent; even besides that, we are a big sponsor of both the Merchants and the Crafters Guild, and the number of ancient items we own is beyond a simple census. That means that we are near the top in fourth place, just below Bloody Conqueror, Masked Siren and Great Ancestor."

Mags let out a whistle, impressed "Not bad, how come I never knew of this?" "It's because you tend to travel by foot or you run away after you leave a dungeon." Aliphos sighed "Honestly, it's incredible you haven't seen this before, it's literally in the news." "Got it, my fault. So, why are we going this way this time then?" "After Spatia dragged you home the people in our guild sort of… picked up the dungeon gate, I think?" Aliphos mused, furrowing his brow "It's not something I fully understand, but it's something about using a relic to transport dungeon gates to safety, them being contained and the aligned frequency? Rei explained this to me before, but it flew over my head entirely. She is a fantastic crafter and engineer, not much of a people person though."

Mags smiled, patting his large friend on the back "That's what you're here for Lip. That and the fact that without Johann and you the guild would fall apart." "We all have our places my friend, yours is more of a practical one: Who could bring such treasures from even the most desolate of places, who can scare away potential troubles by threatening them with death or worse while foaming at the mouth?" "You're making me seem like a wild animal." "Well, you ARE a wild animal, you have been given the nickname of 'The Magpie' from the rest of the executives." "What do you mean by that Lippy?" "Oh look, we're here!" And before Mags could exact his angry response on Aliphos, they arrived at a large room, with large tables, chairs, lockers and circular doorframes that shone and disappeared as hunters crossed them."

In the middle of the room, technicians pressed buttons and dialed codes and numbers, with a tall, tanned woman behind them, labcoat around her shoulders. Aliphos sauntered over to her, embracing her while laughing "Anat my dear, so nice to see you again!" Anat looked at the large man and smiled "It has indeed been too long صديق, what brings you here? I am certain I am not one of your preferences." "Not at all my friend, Mags over there is here for travelling purposes." Anat couldn't block her surprised expression "Ra's sun! The Magpie is here?!" (Note: صديق means friend in Modern Standard Arabic.)

…And then all hell broke loose, as higher-ranked members in the guild scrambled to either bow or kneel around him, while others either looked on in confusion or hid under the tables. Anat and Aliphos stood, while she walked over to the confused and bothered man "Greetings, o Defiler of Graves. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Anat shook his hand. Mags, however, both shocked and bewildered "First off, what the hell is this? Secondly, who are you? Thirdly, what is this? Fourthly, stand up, all of you!".

And as the people present stood and resumed their duties, the hunters returning to the portals and the technicians to their respective consoles, Anat cleared her throat "Well, to answer your first question, you are seen among the higher ranks of Star Belt as a, let's say, mythical creature. There are tales of you beating the two guildmasters in hand-to-hand combat, as well as killing a dragon by tearing out its throat with your mouth – the rabid guardian that protects the guild from the shadows, as well as the greedy collector of rare items and materials that our guild uses."

Mags had nothing to say. 'I did beat Aliphos and Johann in a drunken brawl, but I never killed a dragon. How far did these rumors go?!' he thought. But before he could reply, Anat continued "I am Anat, the Chief Navigator of the Star Belt Guild in the TOWER and I perform the opening of the portals for the highest ranks in the guild. Coincidentally I'm also a part of the board of executives in it as well, though I had never seen you before. Perhaps you were on a death-defying adventure, yes? To answer your third question, this is The Highway, the hub from where all dungeons can be accessed, from the easiest of F-ranks to the hardest A-rank we have. We also make connections between branches of our guild if you're so inclined. Please, follow me."

The two men approached the far-end wall, where two large, curved stone pillars stood. Beside them stood a leather recliner adorned with gold trimmings and a smaller apparatus by its side: it was bronze in color and staff-like in its appearance, wrapped in a translucent cloth, with four legs and a golden pulsing orb lodged in a claw-shaped object on top. Below the orb, a brownish metal revealed shining cyan dots connected between lines, surrounded by a bronze gear. "This is my own station, comprised of several relics: the pillars are the [Fingers of Abeona and Adiona], the body is [Melli's Companion] and the cloth is the [Cloak of Hasamelis]; The orb is the [Steed of Lam Lha] and the tablet is the [Map of Chimata-no-kami]. To have the chance to wield such powerful artifacts, I thank you." "Why are you thanking me, I'm not the one with the shiny trinkets." Mags replied shrugging, as Aliphos followed "But my friend, you were the one that recovered said relics, called them 'shiny trash you found'." (Author's note: please refer to Addendum 2: "On relics and artifacts" for more clarification on recovered ancient and powerful items, A.K.A "shiny trash", thank you).

Mags sighed, trying not to pay attention to the fact that five powerful relics had been in his hands and he had thrown that opportunity away. "Well, as Lip over here said, I want to re-enter the supposed goblin dungeon I almost died from." "Died? From a B-rank dungeon? That surely cannot be." "Well, it is what it is what it is. Last time some bad juju happened and I got transported to an EX-rank with lizardfolk, and my escape items failed. So the two lovebirds decided to send me back again to kill me for good." "Excuse me, what? I have known the guildmasters for quite some time and they have only been nice to me." "Yeah, for you. They were wild back then. So, can you hook me up or not?"

Anat considered the options 'Do I risk my career and send a man to his death or do I bar his entry and save a life? …Well, he *is* the strongest man in the guild after all.' Her researcher brain flaring up, she replied "We have a deal, just step away from the pillars please." When they did so, Anat closed her eyes and focused, grabbing her staff. The cloth fluttered in an imaginary wind, the plate twinkled before forming a line between the dots and the orb shone, firing a beam at the location between the closest point in the pillars. The pillars started to light up, a water-like material rippling inside the relic. Wiping the sweat from her brow, Anat concluded "Here it is, the dungeon you wanted: A forest middle-sized goblinoid dungeon, complexity level 4 with a light burden and permanent in its placement." (Author's note: please refer to Addendum 1: "On dungeons" for more clarification on dungeons, thank you).

Aliphos called Mags and handed him a large rucksack "For your travels, we shared no expense my friend: a larger space inside for those that can't hold things in their System Inventory". Clasping Aliphos' shoulder Mags pulled him into a hug "Thank you so much and stay safe my man, okay?" "The same could be said to you, my friend." Mags turned to Anat, shaking her hand. "Thank you very much Anat, it's been a pleasure." "You too Magpie, good luck." As he walked into the portal, it shimmered and glowed: something was wrong, he could feel it. But before he could leave the pillars, the rippling space cracked, splintered and shattered, pulling Mags to the depths before disappearing from the gate itself.

Mags floated in the abyss for what felt like an eternity, the same darkness repeating itself, strange twinkling dots coming and leaving his sight; for twice he had felt like the stars were calling his name, but shrugged it off as merely hallucinations from sensory deprivation, and then… A large current of whatever it was rushed downwards, dragging Mags with it, as he spun out of control, falling into what seemed like a shining hole. When he came to himself, he was in a dumpster, trash bags around him and the sensation of what *might be* a raccoon groping him looking for food.

Dragging himself out of there, he took a deep breath and looked around. Instead of a large forest with trees, he saw a concrete jungle, massive skyscrapers piercing the clouds and people with wings coming to-and-fro the various shops and establishments, or what could pass as them in such a strange world. Picking a direction and walking around the large city, Mags saw a small quaint grove. In it, maddened monstrosities made of eyes and teeth, covered in growths and sores were fighting each other for what seemed to be scraps of food, until one of the creatures noticed him. Leaping into action, it tried to swipe at Mags, catching him in the arm. Swiftly turning around, he delivered a powerful punch to its chest, making it heave blood and screeching. Looking at its eyes, Mags only saw pain and anger, choosing instead to end its misery by snapping its neck.

The other creature having scampered off with its meal, Mags heaved and threw up upon looking at the dead and surprisingly fast rotting of the carcass. Trying to recompose himself, he took a deep breath and let his body heal itself, looking around the foliage trying to recognize some of the species. From the rucksack he pulled out a glass bottle, catching some of the creature's blood before it rotted away completely, as well as tearing off a fang. Taking out a small journal, Mags started to write: 'From where I ended up, it seems to be some sort of futuristic city with half-bird half-person people. I also found some ugly as hell monsters and took out one of them. I felt sorry for it, it felt like putting down a puppy. Wherever it is, may God have mercy on it.'

Closing his book, Mags was surprised by the figure of a disheveled man, hunched over and covered in hair, wearing what seemed to be old clothes. "Who are you?" he asked, but the man did not respond. Instead, the man came closer until the he was within touching distance and stretched out his hand "Hey boyo, spare some change?" the man asked, his long, yellowed nails almost clicking together. "Excuse me?" Mags asked, intrigued "Change?" "Yes, change. You don't need all those credits, do you? Just a little bit so I can buy some booze." "I'm not sure I have credits." "Then you're not gonna survive here."