The Witcher: Make the Witcher Great Again

"Lord Borch, I have one condition... I can help her, protect her from threats, but she must follow my instructions."
"If, and I mean if, my opinion diverges from hers, you must unconditionally side with me... Of course, I guarantee that my instructions will absolutely not threaten her life; they will only benefit her, not harm her."
Borch had no objections. Through their journey, he had already come to understand what kind of person Lynn was.
"Good, I agree. Time is short, so get on now." After speaking to Lynn, Borch turned to the two Zerrikanian maidens. "Thea, Vea, find your kin and await orders at the foot of the Kestrel Mountains. Find a place to hide and avoid detection by the dragon-hunting party."
The two Zerrikanian maidens acknowledged the command and departed.
Lynn climbed onto Borch's back.
On the backs of true dragons in this world, especially along the spine, there was a row of prominent, triangular, broad scales. These scales were not densely packed, but rather spaced just far enough apart for a person to sit comfortably between each one.
Sitting on a dragon's back wasn't much more comfortable than riding a horse bareback. However, since Borch's body was covered in scales, there were at least places to get a foothold. Additionally, with protruding scales both in front and behind, there were rough backrests and handholds.
Therefore, it was actually quite manageable.
"Hold on tight."
The golden dragon spread its wings, kicking up a massive dust tornado on the ground.
With a mighty dragon's roar, the golden dragon unfurled its wings, soared into the sky, and ascended.
The fierce wind rushed against Lynn's face, yet it felt rather pleasant.
Borch considerately controlled both speed and altitude to a degree comfortable for his passenger.
Clearly, this wasn't his first time giving someone a ride.
"How do you feel, Lord Lynn?"
"Flying feels great."
Lynn watched the farmlands, lakes, rivers, mountains, and forests rapidly pass beneath him.
It gave him a sensation of trampling everything underfoot.
No wonder humans had always dreamed of conquering the skies even before the invention of aircraft.
As time passed, it wasn't long before a snow-capped mountain range appeared in his view.
"We've arrived. That's the Kestrel Mountains."
Borch did not carry Lynn towards the mountain peaks. Instead, he descended into a canyon near the base of the mountains.
Once Borch settled, Lynn dismounted from his back.
Borch, however, did not transform back into his human form. Instead, he lifted his head, sniffed, and then began crawling purposefully in one direction.
"Follow me, this way."
Soon, they found a hidden cave entrance.
The entrance was large, big enough for a dragon like Borch to crawl through without feeling cramped.
Clearly, this cave entrance had been excavated by Myrgtabrakke.
One dragon and one man proceeded along the passage inside the cave.
"I had thought she would just find any old cave on the mountaintop to make do, since humans rarely venture near great mountains and would find it difficult to climb to the peak anyway."
"I never imagined she would do the opposite, digging out such a passage in this hidden canyon."
Lynn followed behind Borch, observing the passage that appeared tall and vast to him.
He agreed with Borch's assessment.
"She must have taken a long time." Lynn paused, then asked curiously, "Speaking of which, Lord Borch, did you know Myrgtabrakke before?"
Borch sighed with emotion.
"I met her only once during my travels across the continent, over a hundred years ago."
"We exchanged marks—a special draconic magic. Dragons who have exchanged marks can communicate using draconic magic, no matter how far apart they are."
"We stayed together for several years and were very fond of each other."
"So, Myrgtabrakke wanted to take our relationship a step further. She invited me to become her mate, to stay with her in the North, but..."
"I got scared. I didn't think I was ready to bear the responsibility of a family, so... one morning, I fled."
"Since then, I've mostly avoided the Kestrel Mountains region, and we haven't been in contact again."
"Until recently, when she called out to me for help using draconic magic, imploring me to assist her."
"Lord Lynn, perhaps you don't know, but true dragons, once they reach adulthood, draw power from their bloodline to automatically master mimicry magic, allowing them to assume human form."
"Of course, she can too... but she's pregnant. The life within her has greatly weakened her abilities; even her innate mimicry magic cannot be maintained stably."
Lynn suddenly understood.
"So she'd lived in the Kestrel Mountains for all these years without incident, yet she only recently appeared and attacked sheep?"
Borch confirmed, "Precisely. If she could still use mimicry magic, she could naturally exchange the gold, silver, and jewels she's collected over centuries for food in cities or villages. But because she couldn't, she was forced to reveal herself to the world in her dragon form."
Thereafter, neither of them spoke again.
They simply proceeded in silence through the passage.
This artificially—or rather, "dragon-excavated"—passage wound steadily downwards.
Since it wasn't designed for human use, there were naturally no torches or other lighting fixtures on the stone walls.
However, both Lynn and Borch possessed the ability to see in the dark, so they didn't require torches.
They advanced through the pitch-black tunnel for an unknown duration until, finally, an arrogant voice resonated from ahead.
"Go no further, intruder."
Borch replied, "I am no intruder, Myrgtabrakke. I am Villentretenmerth the Golden Dragon, and this is the Witcher Lynn."
His response seemed to make things worse.
The next moment, a brass-horn-like roar echoed from ahead.
The vibrations shook dirt and dust from the ceiling, causing it to cascade down.
"Villentretenmerth, why do you betray me?"
"Myrgtabrakke, I have not betrayed you. You summoned me, and I have answered your summons."
"If you have not betrayed me, why bring a monster slayer to my sanctuary?"
"He is a monster slayer, but not here to hunt dragons. His purpose here is the same as mine: to help you."
"A monster slayer... to help me? Why? Don't monster slayers live by hunting monsters?"
Borch was about to explain, but Lynn stepped forward, waving him off.
"Allow me to speak for myself, Lord Borch."
"My name is Lynn, Myrgtabrakke. Your statement isn't entirely accurate. Not all Witchers live by hunting monsters."
"I, my friend Geralt, and my master Vesemir, we only kill monsters that harm people."
Lynn spoke these words hoping to convince the dragon that he harbored no ill will.
But he didn't expect an unexpected revelation.
"Wait, you said you are Vesemir's disciple?"
"Yes," Lynn asked, puzzled, "You know Master Vesemir?"
"When he was young, I once assumed human form and was his lover for a time... Of course, he never knew my true identity, even when I departed."
Lynn was dumbfounded.
Good heavens.
The information overload was immense.
He never imagined that old man Vesemir had actually bedded a dragon.
Truly a role model for us all.
As this thought crossed his mind, he heard Myrgtabrakke speak again.
"Tell me, is Vesemir well? Is he still wearing that pirate-like black eye patch?"
Black eye patch?
Lynn paused for a moment.
Then he reacted.
Borch too, and Myrgtabrakke as well.
Do true dragons simply not know how to speak properly, and only resort to testing people's hearts?
Lynn calmly said, "You must be mistaken, Myrgtabrakke. My master Vesemir has no problems with either of his eyes. In fact, none of us remaining in the Wolf School wear eye patches."
"You are indeed Vesemir's disciple. Very well, I will trust you for now. You may enter with Villentretenmerth."
Lynn and Borch exchanged glances.
Both saw helplessness in the other's eyes.
However.
The dragon's caution was understandable.
Therefore, neither said much more and continued walking deeper into the dragon's lair.
....
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