A local girl from the village

You feel someone catching you from behind, arms clinging around you as they slowly lower you onto the ground, with great effort on their part. You can feel their strain and heavy breathing, and can confidently conclude that whoever this is, they are unlikely to pose a threat to you, even in your current state, at least physically.

As they lower you onto the ground into a sitting position next to a tree, you see your rescuer for the first time: an entirely average looking girl by your, admittedly high, standards, likely to be in her late teens you estimate, with a bow and quiver slung onto her back. A huntress then, perhaps, you muse to yourself. Back in your day, you would not have turned to give someone as plain as her a second thought, with all the high class whores you've fucked. While her lean and fit body was nice to look at, she barely had any curves to speak of, with a chest so flat you could've mistaken her for a boy. The only indication she was even a girl was her long brown hair and the skirt she was wearing, which you could conveniently look up from where you were sitting. "White, eh," you mutter under your breath, appreciating the view at least.

"Phew," the girl said, standing up straight after ensuring you're comfortably seated, "are you alright mister? You gotta make sure to stay hydrated if you're gonna travel these woods!"

Hydrated? Ah, of course, she thinks you collapsed from dehydration. "Of course," you utter weakly, making sure you seem more **** than you really were. "I've definitely learned my lesson this time".

She grins, and offers you a sip from her canteen, which you gladly partake. "The name's Alice. Say, I haven't seen you before, you're not from here are you? There's not many people in our little hamlet and certainly none dressed as strange as you, traveler".

You look down at yourself, dressed in your personal battle armor from that long ago. The metallic plating engraved with runes of power to ensure its toughness while also rendering it weightless. How on earth were you going to explain this away? You briefly considered simply killing her, before erasing that thought from your head. Your new start is hardly going to be glorious if the first thing you do is killing an innocent girl. On the other hand, telling her the truth is just asking for trouble, and that's assuming she even believes that this pathetic man on the ground who could barely walk is an all powerful ruler millennia ago. "I am a...mercenary, by the name of Crow" you say, improvising as you go. Mercenaries back in your time all used pseudonyms, and you sincerely hope that this trend hasn't changed. "Hoping to find work along these parts, the big cities had too much competition and not enough jobs." Not the most believable lie, but hopefully this country bumpkin doesn't know better.

"You've been to Unlyger? Ohmygod, I've always wanted to go there." She says excitedly, with a gleam in her eyes. "Did you see the Knights of the Imperial Bulwark? The castle of Beauhen? The statue of king Jerome? I've read about it in books but I always dreamed of seeing them for myself!" She leans forward energetically, pressing her face right up to yours, her eagerness evident.

You blinked, unsure of how to react. It feels like she just turned into a whole different person. "Uh...yes, of course I've seen them. I was born there, after all. You get used to the sights if you see them everyday, though I agree the statue of king Jerome is very...impressive," you say, trying to sound knowledgeable about a place you've never seen.

"Come, let me get you back to the village and you can tell me all about it," she says, helping you to your feet. You've already mostly recovered, but you're hardly going to refuse the offer, especially when she offers to let you lean onto her for the entire journey. The walk is uneventful, with her blabbering on and on about the sights and sounds of faraway places she read about, though it's mostly going in your left ear and out the right without actually registering.

When she finishes talking about one place and was about to continue, you interject: "so why did you never go to any of these places if you're dying to see them?" You ask, more out of politeness than actual curiosity.

She pauses, seemingly thinking about how to answer. "It's my family, they can't survive without me contributing to the tithe. Even if I leave, I still count as a member of the family, and my family will need to pay for three instead of two," she answers, looking behind her wistfully. "I love my mom and sister more than anything, so I'd never abandon them here, and I've made my peace with my decision. I'm happy just reading about it, and listening to travelers about their journeys. Though the travelers who arrive here usually do so on their own two feet," she joked, though you can tell she's just trying to lighten the mood. Still, you have to think, why would a small village here require a tithe? Who is collecting it? A organized religion? A nearby city? How would that even be profitable?

It seems there may be a mystery awaiting you when you arrive.