Echoworld

And normally, that's okay," he told the milk carton as he poured himself a glass of milk. "But with Lady Wren destroying everything...I don't know." He replaced the milk in his refrigerator and returned to his seat on the couch. "My last six jobs have been really hectic. But successful," he added. "Lyrea shouldn't mind too much if I should take a little beak. 'Little' being a very relative term, of course." He grinned and shook his head in amusement as he gulped down the last of the milk. "Cookies, I think."

He stood again and, once in the small kitchen, grabbed the entire box of cookies from the table. He popped a few into his mouth as he continued his conversation with himself. "I only want to go to get away from this craziness. I'm sure Eric will transport me...if I promise to bring him a pretty girl from the Echoworld," he reasoned. "Which world, though? I'm thinking... Delta. Not too similar to here, but not completely insane." He nodded in determination. "Good. Then I go...after I finish the cookies." He closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously. "Whoa, I definitely need a break. I'm talking to myself again."

The box of cookies remained silent, in obvious agreement.

"Hey, Shaun." Wren glumly greeted the bartender at her usual tavern.

"Hey, kid. What's the matter?" Shaun asked as he towel-dried a beer mug. His long brown hair hung in his eyes, but he ignored it.

Wren sighed. "I'm out of a job."

Shaun nodded and put the mug away. He then grabbed a glass and filled it with soda and a bit of bourbon. He turned and handed the drink to Wren, who had her head on her arms on the table. "Here. It's on the house." He pulled up a stool and sat across from her. "Now talk. Explain what happened."

Wren just shook her head and sipped her drink. "It's nothing. Just stupid shit."

"C'mon, kid. It's not stupid; you wouldn't look so unhappy if it were."

She gave him a small smile and said, "It's all right. I'm fine. And what's with this 'kid' business? You're not more than three years older than me."

He grinned. "Ah, but those three years are full of wisdom that you have yet to gain."

"Wisdom, huh? Apparently those years of wisdom were wasted," she joked.

He laughed. "Back to your old caustic self." With that, he turned to another patron.

Wren smiled and finished her drink. She could always count on Shaun to cheer her up. The small bar was getting crowded, so she left, taking a back exit to avoid the usual catcalls.

The back door led to a short alleyway, with a dumpster at one end and a street at the other. A streetlight lit up part of the alley, bathing it in a weak yellow light.

She headed towards the street end of the alley, with her hands in the pockets of her loose-fitting black pants, and her head low in thought. Home was not far, and she yearned to be eating a tub of ice cream and watching a movie. While she was thinking of home, there was a shock in the air behind her. She stumbled from the force of it. Gaining her balance, she spun around. "What the -?"

In front of the dumpster, there was a large absence of light. That's the only way to describe it. And out of this hole stepped a man dressed in all black. He had spiky dark hair and a sheathed sword hung on his back. He spoke to his wrist, no, to a device on his wrist. "All right, Eric.