A soft chime echoed in Johnquis's ear. A screen flickered open:
[DUO REQUEST]
You have been invited to form a Duo with: [Savier]
Accept? [Yes] / [No]
He hovered for a second, then clicked Yes.
Their Eater Blades pulsed in sync — a faint hum passing between them.
[DUO FORMED]
Duo Members: [Savier] / [Johnquis]
Duo Status: [Active]
D-Tier Access: [UNLOCKED]
Savier whooped. "Hell yeah — D-Tier access, baby!"
"Right. Now we can push past this system wall. Just so you remember, when you're unranked, you're stuck scraping the bottom. F-Tier hunts, two or three Eaters at best, scraps for feed. I've spent half my life cleaning up that trash."
"This whole system's ass-backwards. Why the hell does the Guild force us to buddy up just to get real work?"
Johnquis jabbed a thumb at the screen. "Simple. Out here? You try to solo everything — you're dead. Someone's gotta watch your back, help you grind up. No partner? No feed. No feed? You're worm food."