{I would like to team up.}
This... wasn't what Anna expected. Anna had reread the note while walking along with Greyson.
"Team up?" (Anna)
Anna couldn't hold back a sigh. Maybe she will come to regret this decision, but she almost died, and she isn't a real fighter. It was like Greyson could tell what Anna was thinking. A wide grin grew on his face. As if he already knew what she would say to him, wanting to work together.
"Fine." (Anna)
"Hahaha Yes." (Greyson)
"I'm Batman." (Greyson)
"No, no you're not." (Anna)
"Come on, think about it, you're the brains, I'm the brawn, you could be Oracle or Alfred." (Greyson)
"Well, Greyson, I am not that smart and I'm not that strong. Don't take that as weakness because I will do what I must and once more you're not Batman and I'm not a bonified genius." (Anna)
Anna froze up, a smile had formed on her face, making her puzzled. This was the most she had talked to someone she wasn't required to speak to. She dropped out of school because she is a NEET, more like a city hermit. Her burn scars made her self-conscious, along with her walking cane. She was damaged and couldn't fully fix it, so she dropped out of school to avoid others. Anna squeezed her hand; she no longer has those scars. She no longer has to use a cane to walk. She can stand on her own with no pain. Yet her hands were resting exactly as usual when standing with a cane. Greyson looked at Anna, waving his hand in front of her face to catch her attention.
"Anna, you in there?" (Greyson)
BRRRRR
Like nails on a chalkboard, a sound rang through both of them, backed with a low hum. In a quick motion, Anna covered her ears with her hands, gritting her teeth in pain as words glitched into her vision like flashing scenes in a horror movie. Anna was internally freaking out as words filled her vision.
[Congratulations, all living mortals on the planet 328.08 E called Earth. All mortals at this point have been integrated into %^&!@)(&^.]
[Results: 7.5% of the mortal population failed to evolve.]
[All living beings on your planet will now evolve as well.]
[Access to parts of @#&!*^)& have been unlocked.]
[All survivors will be given access to more integral settings.]
[All living mortals are granted an unlimited planetary quest.]
[Planetary quest: Prove Your Worth: Your planet has been integrated into @#$*$%*@!. You are to provide entertainment and worth to the greater multiverse. If proven otherwise, your planet will be recycled for resources.]
[Failure Extinction of over 90% of the native population.]
[Failure become a dungeon world. Becoming a dungeon world is to fail to excise any growth type dungeon from wiping out and taking over large expanses of your world.]
[Requirements to complete the planetary quest.]
[1. Excise {0/10} World Core dungeons
2. Create safe zone {0/70,000} created]
[All updates shall be uploaded in 72 hours.]
"The hell? Didn't I turn off all the other forms of notifications?" (Anna)
Greyson stood next to Anna, rubbing his temples while cringing in pain.
"Same, I set mine for thought and verbal, so I should have only heard the notification and had a mental tug from it." (Greyson)
"I set mine to thought because any time something glowing is in my vision, I'm like a moth to a flame, I can't help but stare at it no matter what situation I am in." (Anna)
"Is that like a condition?" (Greyson)
"I don't know if I'm honest, never asked about it because it never interfered with my daily life till now." (Anna)
"Point taken." (Greyson)
"So, um, do you want to be the one to look into all the new information while we travel, or should we wait to be somewhere less out in the open?" (Greyson)
Greyson turned his head, looking around both of them to ensure no monster approached them while they were distracted.
"Well, it said the updates won't all be up and running for another 72 hours." (Anna)
"Thats kinda annoying. I honestly wanted to see if one of the updates would be like an RPG." (Greyson)
Anna paused slightly in her steps.
"Like the storage function?" (Anna)
"Exactly. I was hoping that if we got access to something like that, then traveling would be much easier." (Greyson)
"I have to agree with you on that." (Anna)
"So what are your thoughts on the Planetary quest?" (Anna)
"I don't feel good about it if that's what you're wondering." (Greyson)
"I have to agree, but that's not what I'm asking. I was wondering if we will be trying to complete the planetary quest. I don't know about you, but I don't want our planet to become recycled for its materials." (Anna)
"Honestly, I don't think we can do much about it in the first place." (Greyson)
"Yeah, it just feels wrong though. We can't leave our survival on the chance that someone out there forms a group with a hero complex." (Anna)
"Maybe the militaries across the world?" (Greyson)
"Do you seriously think that the seven-point-five percent of the human population that died weren't part of them. Besides, we both know they weren't used much when the towers appeared worldwide five years ago." (Anna)
"Yeah, I get your point, and from how you're talking, you never got the implant." (Greyson)
"Gods no." (Anna)
"Yeah, I could never afford it, so I saw no point in it." (Greyson)
"Couldn't afford it? You do realize that here in America, all citizens were granted access to have it implanted free of charge if the towers affected you in any way." (Anna)
"They didn't affect me or my family when I was growing up, so no, I had no access to them." (Greyson)
Part of Anna wanted to snarl. She hated the part of her that was jealous. She had lost more than she believed was possible when the towers appeared. So when Jealousy reared its ugly head at someone having better luck than herself, it took a lot out of her to shove that feeling down. It isn't right of her to feel angry that someone got to have what she lost.
"Oh." (Anna)
Greyson spotted Anna stiffening up when he mentioned the towers did not affect him. Still, unfortunately, instead of following his instincts to change the subject and avoid the spike trap of a topic at all costs, he, like any other time, shoved his foot in his mouth.
"So you were able to have access to the implant?" (Greyson)
"I-" (Anna)
Cutting her off, Greyson started to ramble.
"Fuck sorry no don't answer that. That line of questioning is way too insensitive." (Greyson)
Anna softly chuckled. She rarely talks about what happened to her besides her required talk, and although bringing it up hurt, she did decide to work with him.
"My whole family died. I have a few living distant relatives, but the towers took both my parents and little brother. I got put into a past compasity orphanage." (Anna)
"Oh, you don't have to keep talking about it. I'm sorry that I brought up bad memories." (Greyson)
Anna swallowed the lump forming in her throat from the pressure.
"It's alright." (Anna)
"No, it is not my question that was insensitive, so if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. Besides, we just met." (Greyson)
Greyson looked like a fish out of water trying to find a way to shift the conversation. Like said fish, he was flopping around, failing to change the subject in a chance to plop into some breathable water. Anna shook her head. It's too soon to talk about such subjects. Besides, working together may be temporary.
"Well, Greyson, how are you able to shoot your weapon so well? I'll be honest, I grew up in a city, so I don't know how actually to shoot the gun I grabbed for myself." (Anna)
The subject change is noticeable, but just like a starving animal being handed food, he took it without question.
"My Grandfather was a prepper." (Greyson)
"Prepper? As in those people who prepare for an apocalyptic event." (Anna)
"Kinda." (Greyson)
He cringed slightly.
"More like he believed that World War 4 would take place on American soil. So he was more of a fanatic than anything else." (Greyson)
"How does his being a prepper, though, involve you?" (Anna)
"He was obsessed that soon another world war would happen in at least my lifetime, so he taught me how to maintain and use any form of weapon. My parents would have me spend summers out with my grandpa and he would pretty much spend that time spouting nonsense about nazi rebels rising once more and that I'll need any tool in the book to survive." (Greyson)
"Nazi? I thought that it was confirmed that anyone claiming to be one was captured and thrown into prisons." (Anna)
"I dunno, I didn't bother correcting him. When he went on about a subject like that, my family tended to ignore him. I loved my grandfather but I cant say he didn't have a few screws loose." (Greyson)
"Well, it seems like his work will come in handy, just not in the way he expected." (Anna)
Greyson chuckled.
"Yep, the end of days is now." (Greyson)
"Is that a movie quote?" (Anna)
"Maybe." (Greyson)