Using the same path they rode across to find Carne village, Alberic and Agravain reported to the king their findings, and the troublesome situation they ended up in. So far, this seemed far more serious than previously anticipated.

With no other place where to go as far as the Bretonnians knew, Louen more than willingly decided to reach this Carne village, him and his army encamping in the nearby regions. The timely rescue of the village by the knights was a life saving for the Bretonnians, as now they had the gratitude of the inhabitants. Not that it was the true intentions of the Bretonnians: to watch a helpless village being raided and doing nothing about it was the opposite of chivalry.

By the Lady, the whole Bretonnian system was based on oaths to protect the commoners!

After a short while, Louen and his army arrived at the ruined village. The inhabitants were shocked by the steeds of the Bretonnians and their armours. Far sturdier and imposing than the Re-Estize counterparts.

But none of them compared to Louen himself: with his golden crown and shoulder pads, his crimson shield with the effigy of a golden lion, and a sword so bright it almost seemed to glow. Not to mention his mighty steed: a mighty white hippogriff, which was almost as tall as some of the houses.

Whilst many people in Carne village had mostly stayed in the same place for generations, there were few who ventured far from their home to the big cities of the kingdom. Some, but not many, had seen a hippogriff before: a creature that seemed to be the fusing of a large kestrel or falcon and a horse. But this? This was something else entirely.

For starters, as stated before, it was huge, big enough to dwarf any hippogriff they had ever seen. Whilst the front part of any hippogriff they had ever seen resembled a medium sized bird of prey, common in some of the openings in the Tove Woodlands, soaring in the skies for small game, this one resembled a mighty eagle, far rarer, and capable of taking larger prey.

It was not all: the upper part of the beak had several structures that could only resemble the teeth of a big cat. If what the few that had the chance to see a city could make of royal hippogriffs to be mighty steeds, this creature could be considered an undisputed apex predator. Nothing in the Tove Woodlands, save for maybe the famed Wise King of the Forest, could challenge this creature.

Louen steed seemed to know the aura of power it emanated, as its piercing raptor eyes studied the villagers every move. Almost to demonstrate its strength, it flapped its mighty wings, creating gushes of wind that send many of Carne's inhabitants falling down.

« Calm down, Beaquis! These poor people are no threats to me. They have been through enough. » Louen scolded his mount sternly.

But whilst his tone showed authority, it was less than a man scolding his dog, and more akin to a man holding the rage of a friend. That being said, it did the trick, as Beaquis piercing stare softened.

The Bretonnian king then got off his mighty steed, and approached the crowd. « Greetings, people of Carne village. I am Louen Leoncoeur, king of Bretonnia. I understand your difficult situation, and I truly apologize for asking this from villagers who felt the wrath of cowardly lesser men, but me and my men were stranded in this alien land, and as we stand, we are in need of a base to where operate, and information of this realm. Would it be possible to speak to someone in charge? »

One man stepped forward. « That would be me, your highness. I do believe that it's best to discuss matters in my home. » the man said.

Louen simply nodded. « Very well. I'll be following you then. »

Xxxxxxx

The village headman's house was right off the square. Inside, the floor was dirt. The main room was big enough to serve as a workshop, and there was an adjacent kitchen. Some shabby chairs and a table had been set in the middle of the open area.

Louen sat in one of the chairs and looked around the room. The light coming through the latticed door banished the darkness to the shadows, so he could see clearly the surroundings. He observed the woman working in the kitchen and noted various agricultural implements. There was no machinery to be seen. He judged that wherever he and his men had ended up, this village was far more similar to the ones of Bretonnia, rather than the industrial lands of the Empire.

Louen moved his arms, setting them lightly on the table to move them out of the sun. His gauntlets weren't that heavy, but the table was shoddily made, so it rocked and clattered. The chair made a horrible squeaking noise under his weight whenever he moved.

Impoverished was the word for these people. But then again, it would be hypocritical to judge. Most homes in Bretonnia were not that different from this. Some were even worse.

Louen leaned his sword against the table so it wouldn't be in the way. It sparkled in the light and, especially in this plain room, made it seem like they were in the land of mythology. He simultaneously recalled the villagers' speechless amazement; their eyes had practically fallen out of their heads.

Judging by their reactions, these people never saw an hippogriff before. Not that it would give him any clues about this place: hippogriffs are fairly rare creatures in the Old World, their voracious appetite and territorial nature not allowing that many to exist in the same place. And if he had to assume, he guessed these people weren't that different from the peasants of Bretonnia.

And if so, they probably hardly ever left their village.

Not that it mattered. Soon, he would get his answers, or at least he could figure something out and plan his next move. His requests weren't that hard to get, but they could still sound shady. He had to admire the trust of these people, even after everything that happened.

Still, he assumed that the timely rescue of his knights would be enough to get the trust of the natives.

«Sorry to keep you waiting. » The village headman sat in the seat opposite Louen. His wife stood behind him.

The headman was tan with deep wrinkles. He had a brawny physique, and it was clear from one look that it'd been built by hard labor. Much of his hair had gone white—almost half of his head. His cotton clothes were dirty, but he didn't smell. Judging by the look of deep exhaustion on his face, he was probably in his late forties, but it was hard to tell—it seemed like he'd aged considerably because of the Baharuthian attack.

His wife was probably around the same age. Louen got the feeling she'd been a trim beauty at one point, but hard work in the fields had worn most of her charm away. Spots had appeared on her face, and all that was left was a thin old lady. Her shoulder-length black hair was messy, and although her skin was tanned from the sun, she had a gloomy air about her.

«Here you go. » She placed a shabby cup on the table. Normally speaking most Bretonnian nobles would refuse such lowly gift, being used by luxurious lives.

However, this was not most cases, and he wasn't your typical Bretonnian noble. He was what many saw in the virtues of the knights of Bretonnia. And besides, after seeing how much work went into it, he couldn't just refuse.

Making hot water was hard work. First, she had to use a flint to make a spark. Then, she had to arrange thinly sliced wood chips to make a fire. From there, she moved it to the earthen oven to build the flames up. It took quite a while to heat the water.

And besides, this wasn't Bretonnia. In his homeland, he might had ruled. But here, he was just a knight who came in a ruined village, requesting information's and to allow himself and his soldiers to stay in the vicinity of said village.

Sure, he didn't resemble just any knight, with his mighty armour and his powerful steed. But he could had still been considered a mercenary, or even a very powerful bandit who got lucky. He had to be careful: not extremely careful, but still.

That being said, with an honest tone and respectable manners, he should be able to get what he wanted.

He turned back to the headman and his wife. «I'm sorry I put you to so much trouble... »

«N-not at all. No need to apologize. » The both of them were flustered at Louen's politeness. They probably never imagined that a king would be so kind and humble towards them.

Louen understood their situation: it's not everyday when a monarch comes to your house and acts as politely as possible.

«I once again apologize, but the more information's I know, the better to address the current situation. »

«Yes, but before that... could you tell your knigths that we can't be grateful enough? » The headman bowed his head so aggressively Louen thought he would whack the table. A beat later his wife followed with her thanks and a bow.

«If your knights hadn't come, we would have all been killed! We are so grateful! »

« I will congratulate them on your name. But it is the least a knight of Bretonnia could had done in such situation. Especially against the dogs that attacked your people. »

«Of course, we understand. But please, still, allow us to thank both you and your knights. It's thanks to them that so many of us were saved, and if I'm not mistaken, you are also willing to protect our people from further harm, for free at that! »

«I would hardly consider allowing my men to be stationed here being "For free." And for that, I thank you, my good sir. Now then, shall we begin? As headman, you must be very busy. »

«There's no one who deserves my time more than the ones who saved our lives, but yes, let's begin. »

« Let's start with the basics. Tell me more about your home. About Carne village. Is it near any big cities? » Louen asked.

« Whilst not exactly "near"…there is a big city at the border with the Baharuth empire. It's called El-Rantel. Have you heard of such city in… "Bretonnia", was it?» the headman asked.

Louen pondered a bit. « "El Rantel" huh? And some of the villagers said that you come from a country named "Re-Estize kingdom", right? »

« Yes, my lord. » was the headman response.

Louen pondered a bit more. « El-Rantel….. sounds Arabyian. Is the Re-Estize kingdom by any chances one of the Sultanates of Araby? »

The headman remained silent in thought at the question. After a short while, however, he shook his head. « I don't think so, my lord. Never in my life have I heard such a country before. »

Louen cursed mentally at his question. In hindsight, this was nothing like Araby.

First of all, the environment didn't match. The Sultanates of Araby were located in the north of the Southlands, in a desert region which bears the name of it's inhabitants.

But as far as he could see, they had ended up in a forest realm, far larger than any of the oasis's in the Desert of Araby. There could be a possibility that they had ended up in one of the vassals of the Arabyians further south in the Southlands, but even then, it didn't match.

The Southlands woodlands resembled impenetrable jungles akin of the untamed continent of Lustria, whilst this forest was more akin to the ones in the Old World. They could even be found in Bretonnia, for Lady's sake!

Then, it was the matter of the inhabitants. Other than their tanned skins, they weren't too far off from the commoners in Bretonnia. Nothing alike the hardy inhabitants of the deserts Bretonnia had come to face in the liberation of Estalia. There was also the fact that the headman's wife didn't seem to cover her face in any shape or form, unlike the women of Araby.

And finally, there was the issue of the country's name. According to the headman, Re-Estize was a kingdom. If he and his men had truly ended up in Araby, this would be the "Re-Estize Sultanate." Although similar in some regards, a sultanate was not the same as a kingdom. For starters, it was ruled by a "sultan", not a "king."

None the less, Louen kept his composure. « I see. If it would be possible, could I see a map of the region? » he asked.

« Most surely. » the headman responded, before motioning his wife to grab one.

Then, the woman placed the map on the table, enabling Louen to have a full view of the content. To say he was confused was an understatement.

It was a map like he had never seen before. Never in his life he had seen such landmasses before. If he squinted it enough, it could resemble the Badlands. But it just didn't make sense. If these were the Badlands, why was there a large body of water in the north? And if these were the Badlands, why there was something resembling a peninsula where there should had been the Border Princes?

It also didn't help that none of the countries showed in the map resembled any he had ever seen. Especially in the barren Badlands. The three major nations were the Re-Estize Kingdom, the Baharuth Empire, and the Slane Theocracy.

« And are you sure this map is accurate? » Louen asked.

« Yes, my lord. I bought it from an adventurer that came here for some healing herbs. » the headman explained.

Louen then proceeded to look at the various countries. First, the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire. Their territories were divided by a mountain range. From the southern edge of the mountains stretched a forest, and about where the forest ended was where the Re-Estize Kingdom's domain, containing the castle town and this village, began. Judging by the Baharuthian attack, the two countries had poor relations, and Louen assumed that fighting mainly took place on the plains near El-Rantel.

He found it weird that the Re-Estize kingdom and the Baharuth empire would waste so much resources fighting each others. Sure, relations between Bretonnia and the Empire weren't always friendly. There had been border disputes on several occasions, especially in the Wastelands. But none the less, full out war was mainly avoided, with all sorts of horrors that roamed the lands.

Beastmen, vampires, Skaven, Greenskins, Norscan and Dark Elf raiders worked wonders in uniting the nations of men to a common cause, if only temporarily.

Louen then focused his gaze to the south, towards the Slane Theocracy. To get a rough idea of how their territories fit together, it was easiest to think of an upside-down T tilted so it pointed up and to the right, but slightly melted so the long edge bent to go straight up. On the left was the Re-Estize Kingdom; on the right, a bit larger, was the Baharuth Empire; and below the bar was the Slane Theocracy.

To the west of the Re-Estize kingdom was the Roble Holy Kingdom, and with their presence it just showed that this was not the Badlands. As far as he knew, if these were the Badlands, instead of this Holy Kingdom there should had been Nehekhara, the realm of the Tomb Kings.

No region of Mallus matched this map in one shape or the other, and none with such large human kingdoms. All major human civilizations were found in the Old World, with the only exception being the Empire of Grand Cathay to the east.

Which, so far, meant only one thing.

« By the Lady….we've been stranded in another world…. » Louen murmured at the realization. Whilst technology wasn't too advanced in Mallus, its inhabitants were aware that there were other celestial forms in the vast void above.

At the same time, many among the more intellectual elite knew of the dreaded realm of Chaos, the domain of the Dark Gods. Thankfully, so far this didn't seem the case.

Still, it heavily complicated things for Louen. If he and his men were in an alien world, it meant it probably had completely different rules than his. Were there still monsters plaguing the lands? Were there non-human nations, and so, were they friendly to humans or hostile?

And worst of all….did the Dark Gods also cursed this world to constant warfare?

«Is something wrong? » the headman asked concerned.

Louen remained silent for a while « My good sir. I know it is hard to believe, but….I fear that I come from a different world than your people. A world of incessant warfare and ceaseless horrors. A world plagued by the laughter of sadistic dark gods and plotting monstrosities. A world where for every victory, there are countless other wars. »

The headman remained silent after hearing Louen's revelation. This all seemed like madness, and yet….

Something in him, he could tell that Louen wasn't either lying, nor was he mad. When he gave the Bretonnian one good look, he could also see that he wasn't quite as human as he was.

His eyes, for example, were far smaller. Compared to the large eyes of his people, they were about half the size of anyone in the village. Far less expressive as well.

But aside from that, he was clearly human: no diminutive size, no pointed ears, no animal features….he was undoubtedly a human.

« I see, my lord. » was all the headman said.

After a short silence, he spoke again. « And I believe you. Despite how outlandish this story may sound. N-no offense, sir! »

Louen sighed in relief. « I thank you for your trust, my good sir. »

He then turned serious. « Now, could you also tell me about other things of this world? »

«O-okay, yes. » The headman changed topics to discuss monsters.

They had them, just like in Mallus. There were dangerous beasts living deep in the woodlands, especially the Wise King of the Forest, and they also had dwarves and elves, as well as other monstrosities such as Greenskins and ogres. Elves and dwarves also had their own kingdoms, but unlike either the Dwarf holds, the Kingdoms of Ulthuan, the kingdom of Naggaroth or Athel Loren, these countries were on the brink of extinction.

Sure, it wasn't like either the elves, at least not of the Druuchi kind, or the dwarfs were holding any better. But still, to directly attack them would be suicide. They could still pack quite the punch and shatter any enemy army foolish enough to face them. Here? It seemed a miracle they were still standing.

People who went around exterminating monsters for rewards were called "adventurers," and there were many magicians among them. Judging by the fact that they didn't seem to be persecuted, and given their large numbers, it didn't seem they could accidentally misfire and summon a demon.

Handling magic in Mallus was a difficult matter. For it meant using the Winds of Magic, a volatile source of power coming directly from the Realms of Chaos. Sure, countries like elves could easily handle magic, but humans? Unless well trained, they could quite literally bring devastation to entire countries. It was such a problem that until the times of Magnus the Pious, the Empire forbid the use of magic, punishment being burnt on the stake as a witch.

In big cities, there were adventurer guilds.

Louen also got more information about E-Rantel. The headman wasn't sure about the population, but he knew it was the biggest city in these parts. It seemed like it would be the best place to gather information.

The information Louen got from the village headman was useful, but there were still lots of unknowns. Rather than trying to get details here, it would be faster to send a party to E-Rantel.

At the very least, despite being in an alien world, he seemed to be able to speak with the natives, which would help the Bretonnians considerably.

Another thing he wondered was whenever or not other nations of Mallus had been stranded in this alien world. On one hand, it could come in handy to know some known faces. Having the Empire on the same side could help considerably, or even the Dwarfs or the High Elves. Even the Wood Elves could come in handy.

But at the same time, if they got stranded here, other less welcomed creatures and nations could be lurking around. Norscan marauders, Druuchi raiders, Undead armies, Beastmen warherds, Greenskin tribes, Ogre Kingdoms, Skaven clans.

By the Lady, for all he knew, the Lizard folks of Lustria or the Southlands could had been stranded here. And the only thing that prevented all out war with the cold blooded reptiles was the fact that they lived in such isolated environment, and they didn't seem interested in wreaking havoc to the Old World. Now? Who knows what they could do now that they had easily accessible sacrificial tributes.

And worst of all, of course….the servants of the Dark Gods. It took the Servants of the Lady, the Heralds of Sigmar and the Worshippers of Ursun centuries to combat the puppets of the Chaos Gods. Centuries of precautions, centuries of studies, and even then, they barely comprehended the Dark Gods ways. At least, without falling to their influence.

Louen shuddered at the though. What if, by any chance, an adventurer magician casted a spell against a Beastmen herd, only to accidentally open a portal and summoning an army of Daemons?

Worst of all, from what he had gathered, people in this world used magic for most of their needs. If that was the case, and the Puppets of the Chaos Gods were stranded here, the Great Deceiver, Tzeentch, would have had a field day.

As Louen was going over all of this in his head, he heard the faint sound of footsteps in the dirt outside the thin wooden door. The interval was large, but it didn't sound like stomping—it was a man in a hurry.

The knock came just as Louen had turned to face that way. The headman looked to Louen to see how he wished to proceed. He must feel awkward doing anything of his own volition when he's in the middle of a discussion towards an alien creature discussing about his native world. «Don't worry, my friend. Perhaps a little break will aid us both. »

«My apologies.» The headman gave a slight bow and walked toward the door. When he opened it, a villager was standing there with the sun at his back. His eyes went from the headman to Louen.

«I'm sorry to interrupt, but the preparations for the funeral are complete... »

«I see...» The headman looked Louen's way as if requesting permission to leave.

«If I may….. could we join the funeral? To give them prayers to Morr? »

« Your people are more than welcome. » was the headman response.

Xxxxxxx

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review so I can learn your opinion. I'm willing to accept suggestions, so stay tuned.

See you on the next chapter!