Game of Thrones: The Dangerous Traveler (MULTIVERSAL)

GOT: The Dangerous Traveler 19

Lyn Corbray

Year 2010 AD – Georgia

Lyn and Ciri were crouched over a map spread out on a flat rock, while Glenn and Maggie, with their hands tied behind their backs, watched them from a few meters away. The map had been in Glenn's backpack before Lyn stole it.

"This doesn't make sense," Lyn said, pointing at the markings on the paper. "These lines... are they roads? Or something else?"

"They're highways," Ciri replied, tracing the black routes with her fingers. "Places where vehicles travel. We saw them in the town."

Lyn frowned. "I don't see why they'd need roads so straight and wide if they're not for marching armies."

"Not every place works like yours, Lyn. It's time you opened your mind a bit more," Ciri responded, her tone a mix of patience and exhaustion. "Look, here's a symbol that looks like a tower. Maybe it's a city."

"And what would we do in a city?" Lyn raised an eyebrow. "From what Glenn said, they're full of the dead."

Ciri nodded slowly. "You're right. Maybe we should avoid cities... but where do we go, then?"

Lyn studied the map more carefully, his eyes stopping at a point marked with a circle and the word "home" handwritten, though it looked like someone had tried to erase it.

"This," he said, pointing at the spot. "What does this 'home' mean? Who marks their house on a map?"

Ciri looked at it curiously. "It must be something important to them," she commented, glancing at the duo, who were growing nervous.

"Maybe," Lyn murmured thoughtfully. "But I don't see why we should trust it to be safe or of interest to us."

Finally, both decided to ignore the point and opted to follow one of the roads that seemed to lead to a less dense area. As they rolled up the map, Lyn approached the horses, untying them from where Glenn and Maggie had left them.

Maggie expected resistance from her horses; she had raised them since she was a child, after all. However, she watched in disbelief as Lyn calmed the horses with unsettling ease. "How are you doing that?"

Lyn smiled arrogantly as he stroked the muzzle of one of the animals. "It's natural. Animals understand me, and I understand them. Maybe you should try it sometime. It's a wild streak I have in me."

"Impressive," Maggie whispered, though her tone was a mix of sarcasm and resignation.

"Impressive to you, maybe," Lyn replied, mounting the horse gracefully. "For me, it's just another day in the life of an exceptional man."

Ciri looked at him with an expression that mixed exasperation and amusement. "Do you always have to be so insufferable?"

"Only when there's an audience," Lyn retorted, winking at Maggie, who simply rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, Glenn and Maggie were tied with ropes that secured their hands to the horses. The situation was humiliating, and Glenn avoided looking directly at his captors. Maggie, on the other hand, kept her chin up, though her expression was grim.

Ciri felt uncomfortable with the scene. "I don't think it's necessary to treat them like this."

"It's for safety," Lyn replied lightly. "Besides, we're not hurting them... yet."

As they rode down the desolate road, Lyn turned his head toward Ciri with curiosity. "Give me that rifle you're carrying," he suddenly said.

Ciri looked at him incredulously. "What do you want it for? You have no idea how to use it."

"Exactly why," Lyn replied with a confident smile. "I want to learn. You seem to know something about it, so teach me."

With some reluctance, Ciri took the rifle and handed it over grudgingly. "Alright, but this isn't a toy. You need to take it seriously."

"That's for me to decide," Lyn commented. At the same time, he held it with both hands, examining it as if evaluating an exotic piece of art. "How does it work? It seems more complicated than a crossbow."

Ciri sighed but began to explain. "This is a rifle, I think. I have no idea about the specific model. Here's the trigger, which fires the bullet. This button is the safety, to prevent accidental firing. And here's the magazine, where the bullets are stored."

Lyn turned the rifle, observing each part as he nodded slowly. "Interesting. So, how do I shoot it?"

"First, make sure the safe is off," Ciri said, showing him how to do it. "Then aim at your target and pull the trigger."

Lyn raised the rifle, pointing it into the air. "Like this?"

"No!" Ciri exclaimed, alarmed. "Never aim unless you're ready to shoot. And always make sure there's nothing or no one nearby you could hurt."

"Got it," Lyn replied, his tone not entirely hiding his amusement. He lowered the rifle and looked around. "What can I use as a target?"

"That tree over there," Ciri said, pointing to a sturdy trunk about twenty meters away.

Lyn aimed carefully and pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the forest, and though he didn't hit the center, the bullet struck the trunk.

"Wow! That was satisfying," Lyn commented, turning to Ciri with a radiant smile.

Ciri crossed her arms, clearly less excited. "That was a decent shot, but you shouldn't shoot without a good reason. The noise can attract trouble."

Lyn ignored her warning and aimed again. This time, he hit closer to the center of the trunk. "Seems like I have a talent for this."

"It's a matter of practice," Ciri said, trying to stay calm.

"Practice?" Lyn let out a laugh. "This isn't harder than hunting with a bow. I'd even say it's easier."

He took another shot, this time at a high branch. The impact caused several leaves to fall to the ground.

"See? Perfect," Lyn said arrogantly, holding the rifle as if he'd mastered an ancient art.

From behind, Maggie couldn't hold back any longer. "What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted, her eyes blazing with fury.

Lyn turned, confused by the intensity of her reaction. "Shooting? What does it look like I'm doing? Do you have a cognitive problem? Or is it sensory?" Lyn asked, pointing to his brain.

"You're attracting walkers!" Maggie retorted, clearly exasperated and ignoring the jab. "That noise can be heard for miles. Do you want us to get surrounded?"

"Walkers?" Lyn raised an eyebrow. "You mean those slow creatures? They're not a real threat."

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Maggie said, shaking her bound hands. "A large group of them could take you down before you even notice."

Ciri intervened, her tone firm. "Lyn, she's right. She clearly has more experience than we do. Here, even the slightest noise can get you into trouble."

Lyn lowered the rifle, his expression shifting slightly. "Alright, I get it. But I still don't see how they could be a real problem," Lyn's eyes then fixed on Maggie. "Just so you know, by experience, she meant you're older than her."

"You'll understand when it's too late," Maggie said, her tone full of bitterness. Again, she ignored Lyn's jab. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Don't be dramatic," Lyn replied.

Glenn, who had remained silent, finally spoke. "I... please. Stop."

Lyn looked at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Fine. I won't shoot anymore, for now."

Ciri shot him a warning look. "Don't ever do it without a good reason. This isn't a game."

"Understood," Lyn replied, though his tone had a slight edge of sarcasm.

He stored the rifle in the makeshift holster Ciri had made for him, and the group continued their journey in silence.

Maggie muttered something unintelligible to Glenn, who simply nodded. Though the tension had eased, it was still palpable.

Lyn, for his part, kept smiling, as if he enjoyed the discomfort of the other three. But deep down, something in his eyes indicated he was starting to take the warnings a bit more seriously. If a real army of those things showed up, they could overwhelm him just by sheer numbers.

Lyn kept up a light conversation with Ciri as the group continued moving. "Have you noticed how quiet our friends are?" he asked mockingly, referring to Maggie and Glenn.

Ciri didn't respond immediately, trying to ignore the comment, but Lyn continued. "It must be hard to accept that the best days of your life are probably behind you. Especially if those days included things like magical washing machines."

Maggie shot him a glare, but she didn't say anything. Glenn simply kept his head down, focusing on the road.

"Maybe you shouldn't push them so much," Ciri said with a sigh, tired of Lyn's provocative and unserious attitude, though sometimes the young man managed to make her smile. "They've been through a lot, and we're the intruders here."

Lyn shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe, but a little fun never hurt anyone."

"Fun?" Maggie finally interjected, frowning. "Is this fun to you? Tying us up like animals and mocking us?"

"Well, technically you're not tied up like animals," Lyn corrected sarcastically. "You're more like... prisoners of war. Though, now that I think about it, maybe that's a bit more humiliating."

Glenn clenched his fists, but Ciri quickly intervened. "Enough, Lyn! This isn't helping anyone."

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I offending our guests' sensibilities?" Lyn retorted, clearly enjoying the reaction. Maggie muttered something under her breath, but Lyn pretended not to hear. "What was that? Something about dignity?"

"Lyn," Ciri said in a more severe tone. "Leave them alone. We have more important things to think about."

"Of course," Lyn said, feigning remorse. "I wouldn't want to distract us from this wonderful journey through this desolate paradise."

Ciri rolled her eyes, trying to stay calm as Lyn kept smiling. Finally, silence returned among them.