The Aegis reacted as the Nyx hit the ground, enveloping Robyn's hand in light and taking the shape of a metallic band around his index finger.
"Why would you do that!" Robyn exclaimed, the creatures taking a step back, cautious now that the Aegis has been activated.
The Nyx tried to stand but collapsed, sighing realizing his death was inevitable, "Those things are Death Walkers, the whistling is how they communicate. They must've also been in the area drawn to the power of the Aegis. Whatever you do, make sure you keep it out of their hands."
The Nyx was beginning to fade and the creatures in the room with them were slowly creeping forward.
"What am I supposed to do though? It's just a ring!" Robyn said frustrated.
"Wield its power Robyn, I told you it's like a workshop of weapons," it said quietly, "You must find a witch in the woods to the north of the city, she will know what to do..."
The Nyx disappeared, the remains sparkling through the air.
"You bastard!" Robyn stood and gripped his fist, the ring coming to life and constructing itself into an intricately designed sword.
He put his other hand on the hilt of the weapon and it began to expand, becoming more widespread and long, forming a menacing-looking two-handed sword. The creatures rushed in an attempt to stop him, but he was already mid-swing having anticipated them to try and attack. The massive sword connected with one of them, sending it flying into the wall behind it, the other bringing up its hand again, the same magic circles forming again. Before it could fire, the two-handed sword broke down and building into a metallic kite shield, reflecting the magic back at its caster.
He could feel his heart beating through his chest, "This is insane!" He huffed, the shield reforming back into the ring on his hand.
There was a faint wailing, the creature who had been hit with its own spell, slowly collapsing into ash. Robyn stood, looking for the other creature but it was missing from his room. He continued to look around and peaked his head out of the door seeing if he could see anything.
"What the hell is going on?" he said, taking time to catch his breath, "Okay, I have to find...a Witch? To the North?"
He walked back towards his storage, grabbing some of his belongings and rushed out of the door to his room, and making his way to the barracks entrance.
"What's the rush Robyn?" a guard said, stopping him as he passed by.
"N-Nothing," he looked around unsure if the creature was still somewhere nearby, "I just, uh, have to head out for a minute to get some fresh air" He nodded even trying to convince himself.
The guard paused for a minute and just dropped his hand, "Uh, okay, I guess."
Robyn continued to walk quickly toward the gates and slowly started into a job, then a full sprint. He hardly was in control of his own body, the only thing he could do was continue to run. Making his way up the road, he continued off onto the tree line rather than turning in toward the city walls.
"I need to relax," he panted, trying to get his legs to stop moving on their own, "How am I even supposed to find a Witch, they don't even exist. At least, I mean, those creatures were definitely real, and that Nyx,"
Finally, his legs came to a stop, they were trembling out of fear. He hunched over himself, his pack slumping over his shoulder and weighed him down further. A faint whistle pierced through the air, sending chills down his spine. It was coming after him still.
"Can't I get a break?" his breath still heavy, forcing his body to continue moving through the trees heading north, "I don't know how I'm supposed to find some kind of Witch out here, he didn't even tell me what to look for."
The whistling was fading the further he headed in, eventually becoming silent. He sighed relief, but before he could relax he realized the sun was setting. Blindly running through the dark was not something he was really wanting to do, especially after seeing how creepy the things that were chasing him were. He came upon a clearing, with a small hut in the middle of the field, its lights were on, but he had never seen this field before in all his life.
"Did I go the right way?" he thought, "I've never seen any field like this north of the city."
He made his way to the home, his body exhausted at this point and he leaned against the door, knocking, "Hello?"
Inside a girl shrieked and there was a crash of glass on the floor.
"Oh no!" she yelled, "I just finished making that!"
Shuffling within the place could be heard, Robyn, standing back a little to have some time to catch his breath. The door swung open and a girl looked over him, her face red with embarrassment and anger.
"What do you want!" she exclaimed, "Wait, how did you get here? My enchantments on the woods should've just had you walk right past my place." She looked past him, scanning the horizon to see if there was anything else she should be worried about.
The girl was young, around his age. She had every making of a typical witch, a large brimmed hat, a long robe littered with trinkets and tokens, the only thing that seemed out of place was her large rimmed glasses. She had faint freckles spotted throughout her cheeks and her hair was done in two long braids that reached down her back.
"I was sent here, I think," Robyn said, finally able to breathe steadily, "A Nyx, back in the city told me to find a Witch in the North Woods. He died saving my life from these ghoulish creatures."
"A Nyx?" she paused and then her eyes widened, "Toum is dead?" She pushed up her glasses and sighed mournfully.
"I did get his name, I'm sorry, everything was happening so fast." he said quietly, "Up until maybe an hour ago, I couldn't even believe there was a such thing as magic and strange beasts."
She stepped out of her house and squished his face in her hands, turning his head side to side inspecting him, "You're a human?"
"Is there anything else I could be?"
She sighed and slapped his face out of nowhere.
"What was that for!" he shouted, holding his face.
"Shut up and get in, you probably still have pursuers," she said, turning her nose to him and headed back inside.
Robyn followed behind and closed the door behind them. He couldn't believe any of this was real, it was all just too much. Witches, a creature of fate, ghouls, and magic, how had this all been unknown to everyone until now.
"What are you?" she asked, bending down to clean up the broken glass on the floor.
"I'm just a Squire from Lorriene, I'm training to be a knight," he said, holding his hand up, "The Nyx, Toum, he said he found himself in my room and drawn to the power of this."
The Witch turned around, her eyes becoming alarmingly large under her glasses as she saw the ring.
"THE AEGIS IS REAL!?" she shouted, dropping the glass she had already picked up.
She rushed to him, running her hand over his and inspecting the ring.
"You're a true Knight then it would seem," she nodded agreeing that it was indeed the Aegis on his hand, "You're much more than some dumb Squire, boy."
"A true Knight?"
She turned around, beginning to pack her things, shoving books and baubles into a small sack. It was much too small to hold everything she was stuffing into it, but at this point, Robyn didn't even bother trying to understand anything.
"So, back about two hundred years ago, there was a war between man and magic I guess you could say," she began explaining while she continued to pack, "The results of that war was that the realms were cleaved in two, most say it was the last owner of the Aegis that did it, other's believe it was those without magic and their fervent belief in that those with magic were all evil caused a natural rift in nature to separate the two."
Robyn took a seat, the information he was receiving was too much, but he continued to listen.
"This rift basically pushed those with magic across to another part of the world, the 'Unholy Land' as you idiots tend to refer to it as that lies further north past these woods," she continued, "Then there are those with the ability to use magic but are still indeed human, like myself, that live among everyone in secret. My family was from a long line of Wizards and Witches until your precious church found out about is. Thus, I live out here in hiding, my family all having left this world to escape persecution. I was told that I needed to wait for the Aegis, it was supposedly my destiny, so my family abandoned me here."
"Wait, what? Your family just left you here alone?" he asked.
She turned to him with a puzzling look on her face, "You hear all of that, and you only care about that?"
"Well, is just mean, I never had a family, but if they left me behind I would've been upset I think."
She sighed and shook her head, "It is whatever really, we have to leave anyway, now that you're here."
"Where are we going? Those things are still chasing me you know," he said.
"I know, we are leaving this world," she corrected him.
"Leaving? This World?" he was confused, "Don't I have to save this world and unite it again"
She laughed hysterically, "This ain't some fairytale kid, this world is beyond repair. I'm here to get you out of it and save another. If you're looking for some grand adventure, you won't get that here, the natural order has dissolved here."
"I just found out about magic being real!" he exclaimed defiantly, "And that there are creatures that were told in stories that are real, there has to be something I can do!"
She finished packing and motioned with her finger in a circle, "Portal," she walked up to Robyn and looked him in the eyes, "Listen to me, if you want the adventure you have to believe in me. I've waited ten years for this, I'm just as excited to tackle beasts and evil as much as you are, but we need to go back to my home to do so."
He paused, confused as to what she was saying, "You're not from here?"
She pushed him backward, tipping him into her portal, "See you on the other side!"