The Commando moved quickly and spoke rarely. Rat, on the other hand, moved at a sporadic speed much like her name implied. She would scurry up to the Commando, then fall back to pester Merrick. It was as if she was asking for permission to speak from the Commando each time Merrick would ask her a question after answering one of hers.
Occasionally she would answer, occasionally she would come back with another question of her own. All Merrick really learned from the awkward, nearly asynchronous, conversation were these three things. The Commando's name was Molly, the name was short for something but Rat did not reveal what it was short for. The Wizard that ran off was not Rat's Master, her Master was a wise and powerful Wizard that could crater the planet and did not run after their foes. The last thing that Merrick learned was that Mage's had terrible stamina.
They moved quickly through jungle-like terrain. Occasionally Molly, the Commando, would force them to stop as a nearby monster scurried by. For some reason, the monsters paid them no mind as soon as they stopped moving. It was as if they slipped into a blind spot. Merrick chalked it up to one of Molly's skills. It did not matter if it was an impulsive monster like a goblin or a territorial one like a giant spider, they all left the party alone.
Merrick was out of breath and annoyed. The pace put him out of breath but the system notifications are what were annoying him. Every few minutes, a new notification would pop up saying that he should return to the dungeon and defeat the boss before proceeding. Merrick would close the notification, but then it would come back a few minutes later no matter how quickly he closed it. If he left it open, a second notification would appear over the first one.
At one point, while they were waiting for a goblin hunting party to pass them by, Merrick asked Rat if she was getting the same notifications. She laughed in his face and then apologized. That was the last time he asked her anything.
After nearly thirty minutes of trekking through the jungle, they stepped out onto a grassy plain. The weather changed immediately. It had been sweltering and humid but the sun now shone softly and a calm breeze carried cool air. It felt as if they were about to look over a cliff down at the sea.
The plains continued on as far as the eye could see. Instead of walking out into the plain, Molly turned the party and walked the border between the two climates. After another thirty minutes, they came across a three foot high brick wall. It stretched out over the plains in a straight line and disappeared into the jungle.
Molly and Rat hopped over the wall with ease. However, when Merrick approached the wall, a new notification popped up.
-- Due to beta privileges within project KLEIO, administrative areas have been unlocked. Proceed with caution as untested boundaries may cause unpleasant experiences like looping, lagging, or instant avatar destruction. --
Merrick was about to close the notification but the last phrase of the notification replayed in his mind like a loop of his own. Instead, he asked a question that had been burning in his mind, "Who are you?"
Rat turned to answer from the other side of the wall, before she could, Molly spoke up. "We're here with someone from the Development Team. She'll explain everything once this… Xerxes is dealt with."
With that, Molly turned and continued on the other side of the wall. Rat shrugged her shoulders and followed after. It seemed like Merrick did not have much of a choice but to follow at this point. He closed the notification and vaulted over the low brick wall.
As he crossed the threshold, his surroundings changed so violently he almost lost balance and missed his landing. The view from the other side of the brick wall was that of a grassy field. Much like the plain but less welcoming. The jungle was completely gone.
As soon as he landed, he looked back to see that instead of a brick wall there was now a chain link fence standing eight feet tall with barbed wire over the top. A sign on the fence read:
ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ALLOWED WITHIN THE GAMESPACE. SYSTEM CONNECTION REQUIRED TO PROCEED. CONTACT AN ADMINISTRATOR IF GAMESPACE ACCESS IS NEEDED.
Merrick turned back to see Molly and Rat growing farther away. He hurried after them, wondering where exactly they were.