Robyn fell through the Witch's portal and found himself in a dark area, the ground was black and cracked with varying sizes of holes. The air was pungent, like old rotting food and other unpleasant scents. He picked himself up and looked around seeing large brick walls that ran up toward the sky, with a set of stairs that ran just as tall in a winding pattern.
"What kind of cave is this?" he said aloud.
"It's not a cave, it's called an alley," the witch said emerging through the portal and closing it, "Its the space between two buildings that are usually used for people's trash in this World."
"That seems unhealthy," Robyn said disgusted, the smell wafting into his nose more.
"I've never understood it myself, but my mom said it's always been like that while she was here," she replied.
She took his hand and lead him out of the alley and into the open, revealing more of the city they were in and she raised her hands proudly, "This is The New York City!" her face was beaming with excitement.
"The...New...York?" he said, confused.
"Yes, The New York City, where I was originally born!" she was beyond excited to finally be back in her World, "My name is Claire Thistle."
"Robyn, Robyn Flinn,"
She held his arm and began dragging him through a crowd of people, Robyn's head literally spinning trying to take in everything. There was so much he had never seen before, weird contraptions that were on wheels but did not have horses to pull them, moving on their own. Buildings that were reached higher than any castle back in his world, as well as more people in one place than he could've ever imagined, all in a rush to get somewhere and in each other's way.
"We need to find my dad, He'll know what to do," Claire said confidently.
"Your dad, is he a mage too?" he asked, trying to keep up with her as she pulled him down the sidewalk.
"He prefers Wizard, mage is such a bland term, you know?" she laughed, "But yes he is from your World, and he was a Wizard. The Chruch found out that he had been using magic and tried to bring him in, but he and my mom came back to her World."
"Then why were you left behind?" Robyn asked, trying to find out more as to why she was supposed to be waiting for someone to be wielding the Aegis.
"Well that Nyx, Toum, he came to my dad talking about destiny and fate, boring stuff," she explained, "Said that if the Aegis is to be found that I would be destined to help him, you know the whole every Knight needs their mage."
Robyn had remembered from the stories he had been told at the orphanage about tales of great knights and their companion mages that helped overcome great evils.
"So since my World is actually in danger, I kind of need your help," she said coming to a stop in front of a building.
This building was littered with windows, spaced all the way across and up to the top of the building. Claire walked up to the door and pressed her finger on a button that was next to a sign that read "Thistle".
"Bzzt...Hello?" a voice came from the box, "Who is it?"
"Dad it's me!" she knelt down to get closer a whispered, "I found the Aegis, well, found is subjective, he kind of just showed up."
"Claire!" the voice explained, "Hurry on in, curfew is about to begin, we need to get you two off the streets!" There was another buzz and Claire swung open the door, walking to another pair of metallic doors.
She pressed a button with an up arrow pained on it and the doors began to open slowly.
"You're really great at magic, this is amazing!" Robyn exclaimed.
"Magic? What are you talking about?" she said, puzzled, "This is an elevator, it brings you to the place you need to be, instead of taking stairs or climbing ladders."
"An Ele-vator?" Robyn repeated, following her into the small area.
It began to rise and Robyn looked around startled, as he could feel that he was going up but his body not actually moving. Claire laughed at how jumpy he was and took her hat off, stuffing it into her bag.
"Look, my Dad is a little annoying, but Mom says that's just cuz she's from your World," she said, "Just listen to what he has to say though okay? This World is actually in trouble and it really could us a Knight, a Hero."
Just hearing the word Hero sent Robyn's head into overdrive, imagining himself being adored by hundreds of people having felled some dragon or whatever manner of creature is threatening "The New York City". He shook his head trying to remain focused, the doors opening again and Claire pushed him out of the elevator into the hallway.
"C'mon Mr. Knight, we are almost there," Claire said amused with his behavior.
They stopped in front of the door 403, and she knocked gently. It swung open before she could even knock a second time and a woman, similar looking to Claire came rushing out and picking her up hugging her tight.
"Mom, please put me down," Claire said annoyed.
"My baby is home!" her mom exclaimed, "Honey she's really here!"
A man peered around the door, locking eyes with Robyn, "Is that him? The Aegis Knight?"
"Yes, Dad..."
Robyn was standing slack-jawed a little, unsure of how to even respond to what was going on. Claire freed herself from her mom's clutches and wheeled him into the home. They stood in the middle of a room, a moving picture playing in front of them and her Dad slowly walked in front of them. He was a little thin, but definitely not what Robyn had imagined a wizard to look like. No robe, no white beard. He had glasses over his eyes and hair pulled back into a ponytail, with a t-shirt that had some kind of person on it, holding a sword.
"Guys, this is Robyn Flinn," she announced, holding up his hand and showing her parents the ring on his finger, "And this is the Aegis."