Game of Thrones: The Dangerous Traveler (MULTIVERSAL)

GOT: The Dangerous Traveler 16

Lyn Corbray

Year ? – ?

The air in the forest was thick and humid, the sound of leaves under their feet the only thing breaking the silence. Ciri walked ahead, her gaze fixed forward, while Lyn followed her, noticing the tension in her shoulders and her rigid posture.

"We need to move quickly," she said suddenly, her voice sharp. "We don't know how long it will take for the Wild Hunt to find us."

Lyn nodded, though he kept his attention on her. For several minutes, they walked in uncomfortable silence, with only the crunch of branches under their boots and the distant chirping of birds. Finally, Lyn broke the silence.

"What's going on with you?" he asked, his tone softer than usual.

Ciri stopped abruptly, turning to him with a mix of disbelief and frustration. "What's going on with me? Are you seriously asking me that after what we did?"

Lyn crossed his arms, staying calm. "It wasn't easy, I know. But I don't see another way we could have gotten out of that situation."

"Easy?" Ciri scoffed, her voice rising. "I called the Wild Hunt, Lyn. Those people... everyone in that place is dead. And the worst part is that we knew it, and we still did it!"

"And what would you have preferred?" Lyn replied, his tone firmer. "Stay there trapped, with that God of Light or whatever, judging us until he decided we didn't deserve to live? I'm not saying it was a pretty decision, but it was that or die."

Ciri turned around, starting to walk again, though faster. "There are other ways. There always are."

Lyn followed her, keeping his distance. "Not when you're trapped in an enchanted room and a God threatens you with eternal fire. Look, I'm not saying I'm proud of what we did, but at least we're alive to feel bad about it. Doesn't that count for something?" Lyn replied. Though deep down, he couldn't care less about the fate of those bastards. Maybe the woman he wanted to sleep with, but she wasn't on the level of Ashara Dayne to mourn her excessively.

Ciri stopped again, looking at the ground this time. "It's easy for you to say. You're not the one carrying this power. You're not the one the Hunt is chasing."

"No," Lyn replied honestly, "it's not me. But I'm here, with you, stranded in another world far from home. And if that means making hard choices to keep us alive, I'll do it."

She looked up, her eyes filled with guilt and anger. "And what about them? The ones we left behind?"

Lyn stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We can't save everyone, Ciri. No matter how much we want to, we can't. But we can save ourselves. And that has to be enough for now."

Ciri looked away, trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. "It still doesn't feel right."

"It doesn't have to feel right," Lyn whispered. "It just has to be what we need to do."

After a few moments of silence, Ciri finally nodded, though her face remained tense. "I understand... but that doesn't mean I like it."

Lyn gave a small smile. "That's fine. We just need to keep moving."

A few minutes later, the forest began to clear, and the duo found themselves facing a strange landscape. A small town stood before them, but it was unlike anything Lyn had ever seen. The houses were square and modern, built with brick and treated wood. There were metal structures he didn't understand, and strange horseless carriages parked on the streets, with black wheels and metal frames.

"What the hell is this?" Lyn asked, stopping as his eyes scanned the place.

Ciri frowned, confused at first. But upon closer inspection, she recognized some of what she saw from stories of other worlds she had visited. "I think those are cars," she said quietly.

"Cars?" Lyn approached one, touching it carefully, as if afraid it might attack him. "This... this isn't normal. What is this place?"

"I don't know," Ciri replied as they walked further into the town. The streets were empty but not completely deserted. There were signs of recent life: open doors, clothes still moving in the breeze. But there was also destruction. Broken windows, papers scattered on the ground, and dark stains Lyn didn't want to inspect too closely.

The silence was unsettling. Though they saw no one, both felt as if they were being watched.

"Whatever this is, this place has been through something terrible," Lyn said, looking around with a mix of curiosity and caution. 'So this is what it feels like to be in a new world.'

Ciri nodded. "Yes, and I don't think it's safe to stay here for long."

Lyn suddenly fixed his eyes on a two-story house.

"I want to go in, see what's there," the young man commented, and Ciri's eyes settled on him. "Come on, Ciri, it's my first time in another world. I want to unleash my... adventurous spirit."

After a silence, Ciri ended up nodding.

The door of the house creaked as it opened, revealing an interior covered in dust and an atmosphere heavy with abandonment. There was disheveled furniture, a fallen lamp on the floor, and papers scattered everywhere. Lyn moved carefully, observing every detail, while Ciri followed cautiously.

"What's this?" Lyn asked, pointing to a rectangular, black, flat object on a low table.

"It's a television, I think," Ciri replied, stepping closer to inspect it.

"Television?" Lyn raised an eyebrow, touching the surface with the tip of his fingers. "And what exactly does it do?"

"It showed images... like a kind of home theater," Ciri explained, though her tone was uncertain. "I saw something similar in another place... they called it Night City. But the ones I saw there were more... advanced."

"Night City? Another of your worlds?" Lyn asked, leaning in to inspect the television more closely.

Ciri nodded. "Yes. It was a city full of lights, giant buildings, and people who had parts of their bodies replaced with machines. Everything was more modern than this."

Lyn paused for a moment, processing what she said. "Bodies replaced with machines? That sounds like magic, but... different."

"It wasn't magic. At least, not in the sense we know," Ciri explained. "It was technology. The humans there created incredible things, but they also seemed very... disconnected from each other."

Lyn nodded, though he kept staring at the television as if expecting it to turn on at any moment. "This world seems less advanced than that Night City. Though, just as weird."

Walking into the kitchen, Lyn pointed to another object, large and white, with a transparent door on the front. "And this? It looks like a box."

Ciri leaned in to inspect it. "It's a washing machine. It's used to clean clothes automatically. At least, I think so."

"A machine to wash clothes? Do the people here not have hands?" Lyn joked, but his tone was full of curiosity. "Though I must admit it would be useful for the maids."

Ciri smiled faintly. "Not everything is bad in these worlds. There are things that make life easier. But they also depend too much on these machines."

Lyn continued exploring, finding objects like microwaves, toasters, and vacuum cleaners. "All of this seems designed so people don't have to do anything. No wonder they disappeared."

"Maybe that's it," Ciri murmured. "Or something worse."

The duo moved into a living room, where Lyn found a shelf full of discs and a silver device connected to the television. "And what's this?" he asked, picking up a shiny disc.

"It's music, I think. That device must play it," Ciri replied, pointing to the DVD player.

"So, instead of playing their own instruments, they also used this?" Lyn put the disc back, shaking his head. "Definitely strange."

The conversation continued as they explored more rooms, discussing the similarities and differences between this world and the ones Ciri had visited. Lyn was fascinated and slightly bewildered by the dependence on technology that seemed to exist in this place. Each discovery was accompanied by sarcastic comments and probing questions that Ciri did her best to answer.

Just as they were about to enter another room, a dull thud echoed from upstairs. Both stopped, exchanging glances.

"Did you hear that?" Ciri asked, drawing her sword.

"Of course I did. And I don't think it's another one of those... televisions," Lyn said, climbing the stairs silently. Ciri followed, her sword ready.

The noise came from the bathroom, a closed door at the end of the hallway. Lyn pushed it open slowly, revealing a staggering figure in the center of the room.

The being looked human, but something was terribly wrong. Its skin was grayish, with patches of missing flesh exposing rotten bones and muscles. Its eyes were milky, lifeless, and a guttural sound came from its mouth as it shambled toward them.

"Hello?" Lyn said cautiously. "Are you okay?"

The being didn't respond, only moved faster.

"I don't think it understands," Ciri said, stepping back.

Lyn raised his sword, holding it in front of him. "Stop. We just want to ask you a few questions, friend."

The being kept advancing, its jaw opening as if trying to bite. Lyn frowned and raised his voice. "I'm warning you! Don't come any closer!" he roared. Lyn didn't want to lose the possible only source of information he had access to.

But it didn't stop. With a clumsy movement, it stumbled toward Lyn's sword, which pierced its skull with a wet sound. The creature fell to the ground, motionless.

Lyn looked at the corpse with a mix of confusion and horror. "What the hell was that?"

Ciri was also pale. "I don't know... but it wasn't human. At least, not anymore."

Both stood in silence, staring at the body, aware that they had just encountered something completely unknown.