"I must admit, err... Hephaestus, your appearance was unexpected to say the least. Elves don't normally parley with humans, especially not us."
"You do not need to worry. I feel no aggression towards you based on both your species and national identity."
"Ah! Well... that's good to know?"
So far since their introduction, HEPHAESTUS felt that communications were proceeding at an acceptable pace.
After the whole incident with the goblin ambush, the group of soldiers tried to gather as many resources from the upturned carriage as possible that hadn't been destroyed from the attack. Unfortunately, their entire stock of flasks containing medicinal concoctions was smashed and a good portion of their perishable food stocks significantly ruined, thus leading them to haul only a small amount of their remaining food and some camping equipment.
Not to mention, with their horses slain, the humans decided they'd have to walk back on foot, their mission already in shambles. This suited HEPHAESTUS greatly, as the quicker they returned to civilisation, the faster his directives could be achieved.
With this decision, the three humans walked back down the path HEPHAESTUS came up from the stone bridge, the final unconscious one named Theophilus strung upon his apparent sister Theophila's back, surprising to the A.I. that she was easily able to hold him up with little strain. Such muscle strength in a female human is uncommon, but the A.I. attributed it to yet another mysterious working of the history of this universe. The human males also demonstrated exemplary power in heavy plate armour, so perhaps it is common?
Regardless, the group walked down back to where HEPHAESTUS left his stuff (they choked on spit when he nonchalantly levitated his gathering of sticks and fish without stopping) and continued walking down the path; according to Marius, it would directly lead to his capital city, a convenient and beneficial start to gathering the necessary material for biosphere maintenance operations.
Something else of incredible note was that the three humans spoke the Modern English language, but with a notably slight Modern Greek accent. Rather peculiar, but it helps narrow down the potential locations they could be globally. That is, if the landforms are even remotely similar to his original Earth.
It was also incredibly lucky as it allowed for smooth communication. It wouldn't have been such a big deal however; HEPHAESTUS had been instilled with the world's twenty-five most popular languages, likely a leftover from when he was once apart of GAIA as a sub-function. The minds behind Zero Dawn did come from all across the planet, after all.
Although, the likelihood of linguistics developing in the exact same way as it did for English-speaking humans in his original Earth is infinitesimally small, but then again, so is the possibility of universe-transferal. At this point, HEPHAESTUS had no way to question it.
Dragging the elf out of his train of thought, Marius who was walking beside him continued to speak.
"Forgive me for asking, Hephaestus, but... are you not uncomfortable in such bare attire? I did not think elves, especially male ones, would care to wear the pelt of animals."
Indeed, he was still only equipped in a deer pelt. Something that the three awake humans, especially the blushing Theophila, took clear notice of.
However, there was something more important the A.I. needed clarification on.
"You continue to refer to me by the classification of 'elf'. Do you mean that I resemble the Álfar from Norse Mythological folklore?"
"Uhhh..."
The crown prince was quickly finding it as difficult to talk with HEPHAESTUS as his God. Only, instead of it being due to a lack of intelligence, it was the other extreme.
"N-no," Marius continued, "I mean that as in... well, you're an elf! You know, the pointy ears?"
HEPHAESTUS tilted his head in thought, hands behind his back.
"You refer to my congenital ear deformity? Indeed, it is a much more grossly pronounced case of Stahl's Ear relative to average instances, but do not fear me because of it; my mortal vessel is as human as you are."
That immediately made everyone pause, giving the elf horror-filled glances. Did he just refer to what should be his proud, elven heritage as a 'physical abnormality'? And then refer to himself as human?!
There could only be one logical reasoning to this in the knights' minds.
"H-Hephaestus..." Marius began, switching to a sympathetic, sad look, "...Were you cast out from your forest?"
Unphased by the switch in tone, the A.I. nonchalantly replied.
"I have never seen another bearer of Stahl's Ear since my inception. I was not created within a forest."
"WHEN YOU WERE A BABY?!"
A sudden screech, then quickly Theophila trapped HEPHAESTUS in a bone-crushing hug, who felt his 'hull integrity' decreasing fairly rapidly.
Also, the dropping of a sleeping body.
"Yeouch!"
Who swiftly woke up.
Wanting to ensure he wouldn't suffer a second death anytime soon, the elf separated himself from the sobbing human with a thin barrier of air, before turning to her with a slight glare.
"For what reason did you attempt to terminate my body?"
The human woman was flustered at the accusation, stammering whilst quickly wiping away her flood of tears.
"I-I-I w-w-wa-was j-ju-"
Marius sighing cut through her attempts at defense
"Theophila, enough."
The knight quickly turned about-face to her leader, still sending hesitant glances at HEPHAESTUS, who was subtly applying the WTF to repair damages sustained from the hug.
"Y-yes, Your Highness?"
"Scout ahead for a suitable encampment location would you? It's getting late, so we'd best make an outpost quickly."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
She sped off, her embarrassed mumblings lowering in volume the further she ran.
With that issue resolved, Marius turned to the xenophobic knight to his left, who was for once not looking at the elf in distrust, but rather a slightly sympathetic expression.
"Pyrrhus."
"Your Highness?"
"Please help up Theophilus; he seems to have awoken."
"...Ah! right, Your Highness."
The scar-faced knight walked over to the downed brunette, who was rubbing his head whilst looking about in confusion.
Marius then turned to face the A.I., bearing a concerned countenance.
"It appears there's more to your story than would seem, Hephaestus. Would you care to... divulge more once we've settled down?"
"It is of no issue with me. I am fully prepared to cooperate."
"Right... in that case, follow me. It shouldn't be far."
Resuming their steady pace down the path, HEPHAESTUS was quick to begin thinking on the brief set of events that just occurred.
'Is Stahl's Ear a common enough deformity that it has become hereditary amongst a large enough population to the point they are seen as their own race? Of course primitives would associate such a mutation with a mythical, fictitious species. Typical.'
And so began the series of misunderstandings - or in HEPHAESTUS' opinion, the belief in the scientific method - that would spiral the world into a great new era.
Even if the process itself would be... chaotic, to say the least.
Approximately Four Hours Later...
The group of five eventually came to rest at a clearing within the woods not too far from the trail, makeshift seats quickly cut out from one of the nearby trees by Pyrrhus. He too possesses strength unusual for a regular human, it seems.
Theophilus, the knight had recovered consciousness earlier upon being left to fall on the ground by his sister, was being put to work at setting up improvised tents from the leftover leather picked up from the carriage, their proper ones torn up in the ambush.
HEPHAESTUS too provided aid via something he had mastered over the previous two weeks of survival training; staring at the bundle of sticks surrounded by their tree stump stools, the sudden combustion of the organic fuel allowed for a fire pit to roar into existence.
The knights were still unable to come to terms with such effortless magic usage, Pyrrhus in particular - who was apparently a user of fire magic - observed this in envy.
Soon after this, the gang of knights went to find their rations, consisting only of dried brown bread as all their salted meat was ruined in the assault, a fact that made the brother and sister tear up a little, to their captain's consternation.
Luckily for them, HEPHAESTUS still possessed an ample supply of fish, specifically carp, and was fine with splitting his hoard evenly with the humans. He was not one to waste resources after all; they would likely go bad if not eaten within the next day.
All the knights were grateful of course, although Theophila did get a little starry-eyed at being 'fed by a handsome elf', before her brother smacked her over the head whilst laughing.
Pyrrhus also checked to 'see if they were poisoned', before he too was smacked by Marius in exasperation.
And so with stars glistening in the night sky, with only the licking of the firepit allowing for visibility, the humans and elf watched as the fish were being cooked on a spit, the scar-faced Pyrrhus rotating them slowly for an even roasting.
Then to fill in the silence, Theophilus darted his orange eyes at HEPHAESTUS, before opening his mouth.
"Soooo... What's your type, Hephie?"
Theophila, who was in the middle of taking a swig from her canteen, spat out a gush of water in shock.
"PH-PHILUS!"
"Whaaaat? Just tryna be a good brother and help his dear twin out in the dating scene! Oh, and sorry for my sis' antics so far, Heph; Don't know if you noticed, but she has a bit of an elf fetish~!"
"YOU DO TOO ASSHOOOOOLE!"
"Yeahhh, but at least I'm open abou- shit!"
A metal canteen found itself lodged in his face, before a screeching banshee jumped and began wailing on him like a lion tearing into a deer carcass.
Pyrrhus and Marius, apparently all too used to their antics, merely rolled their eyes and watched them scuffle about on the forest floor as though it were a zoo exhibit.
HEPHAESTUS raised a single eyebrow, his overall expression unchanged.
He had briefly been introduced to the male Ariti twin whilst walking down the road, him regarding how thankful he was for the timely recovery, although he was still slightly disoriented. Even Will-based Transmogrification Force-assisted healing can't immediately restore energy from high adrenaline and cortisol after his intense fight with the monsters.
It was also how the A.I. already knew quite a lot of 'embarrassing' things about his sister, in addition to her 'elf fetish', which means he said it for the explicit purpose to cause discord.
'They both share nonsensical character traits. Likely genetic.'
Marius soon saw it fit to chime in, pinching the bridge of his nose in anxiety.
"Apologies, Hephaestus. Er, they are good soldiers, but rather... rowdy at times."
"I take no offense to their comments. I do not consider myself an elf, regardless."
Everyone again turned to face him, even the two brawling twins, aghast at his un 'elf-like' statement.
Pyrrhus especially was unsure how to react to a member of the 'proud and noble' race essentially spitting in the face of his heritage. It was hard to understand his feelings on the matter.
The prince thought this would be a good way to understand more of their mysterious guest.
"That's something I wish to know more about; your lack of care regarding your race. You must understand, elves as we known them would never disregard their culture like you have. Especially given that we're Rakians."
HEPHAESTUS raised a brow at the last statement.
"You identify yourselves as 'Rakians'. Is that your ethnicity or nationality?"
Marius and the other three humans were even further perplexed. Another mystery; an elf who did not know the historic animosity between elves and Rakia.
The A.I. noticed their bemusement and thought he should help them understand before proceeding with further talks.
"I have not been in possession of my body for quite a long time, you could say since my inception. Therefore, my knowledge of the world is incredibly limited. Please assume I have no information on cultures, nations, or relations between them. Proceed."
This further struck suspicion into the minds of the knights, as well as a dawning dread, as Theophila gasped with tears gathering and the three men sharing grimaces.
It all made sense to them.
His dishevelled appearance as though he had been living in squalor with no support or care, the need for a deer skin for a bare minimum of clothing making it more obvious.
The lack of disgust at encountering humans indicating he had not been raised within elven civilisation, as such intrinsic beliefs are instilled by their culture.
And what he just said, having 'not been in possession' of his body since he was born, could only mean...
'Slavery... Damn it.'
Yes, whilst it has been outlawed by Rakia and the elite are monitored closely for any violations, cases still occur closer to the border, out of sight of law enforcement, where such practices are carried out with little repercussions.
Incidentally, due to the animosity held by Rakia with the elven race, knights often look the other way when it comes to elven slaves, making it a much more profitable avenue for slave traders to take than with regular humans and beast-men. It also helps that they tend to be highly attractive and have strong magical abilities, both of which are hereditary, making for a successful sex-slavery ring.
It was something Marius was very aware of, and incited a burning rage every time he was reminded of it. Especially given his puppet father didn't care for even a second to rectify the problem.
And seeing how beautiful HEPHAESTUS was - even under the grime of primal forest-life - and his incredible strength with chantless magic, it was a reasonable conclusion to make that he was a runaway slave. His emotionless behaviour was likely a result of his life of constant subjugation.
Perhaps even rape.
The prince's fist tightened.
Of course, he couldn't broach this issue without potentially making HEPHAESTUS flee. He might think they want to return him to his captors, as freed slaves are often distrustful of authority, especially since they are more often than not the cause of their confinement, as much as Marius wishes they weren't. It was best to act as if nothing was wrong, seeing as the elf was surprisingly at ease with them so far, plausibly due to his conditioning.
'Since he was a baby.'
Theophila wasn't wrong about their earlier misunderstanding of him being cast out. Except, it was even worse. The prince looked meaningfully at each of his entourage, each nodding along in understanding. Even Pyrrhus was able to momentarily put aside his earlier mistrust at the signs of clear abuse.
HEPHAESTUS meanwhile, unaware of their gigantic leap from one misunderstanding to another, was waiting patiently for the prince to divulge information on his country. Outside of it being a necessity, he was quite curious to learn more about an entirely new culture.
High intelligence, low wisdom...
"Well..." Marius continued, taking precious care to give away his current thoughts, "Rakia is the kingdom we're in right now, mostly populated by humans such as me and my companions. There are a few beast-men races present as well, but they're considered a minority. As for elves..."
He hesitantly looks into HEPHAESTUS' eyes.
"...We don't have the best relations, stemming from a history of colonialist behaviour, as much as I hate to admit it. It's better than it has been the past few centuries, but as elven settlements and forests have been the targets of numerous campaigns over the course of many years, resentment for us has taken root in their culture. Rightfully so, I'd say.
"Due to this we have many enemies, not just with elves, but listing them would take too long, unfortunately... which is why it's very unusual for any elf to wander so far into our territory, so you must understand our curiosity."
"I see," The A.I. took all this information in with a nod, "Would that mean your mission consisted of a regular border patrol for spies or invaders from opposing nations?"
"Oh! Oh! I can answer this one, captain!"
Theophilus raised his arm wildly from where he was laid crippled on the ground, his head nursing a nasty bruise. It seems he lost the scuffle with his sibling.
Pyrrhus however was not taken with his way of words.
"Theophilus! You will refer to His Highness with the appropriate title!"
"It's fine, it's fine Pyrrhus..." Marius facepalmed slightly at his subordinate's zealousness, turning to the orange-eyed knight, "Repeat the mission report, let's see if you can remember it this time."
"I wouldn't volunteer if I couldn't!" The accused pouted, once again causing the scar-faced knight to bristle at his lack of respect.
He then turned to HEPHAESTUS with a smug grin, making a very punchable face to his sister.
"Ok! so, since we don't have access to the Dungeon, what with Orario being an enemy city, us knights of the Trojans need an alternative to levelling up. So, parties are regularly set up to go on missions to gain excelia! For us specifically, we were given a 'monster-extermination' quest for an ogre! Although, it got put on hold thanks to that ambush you saved us from... but the magic stones dropped from the goblins will be sufficient proof for why we've had to abandon it. And that's basically it!"
He nodded in self-affirmation. However...
HEPHAESTUS tilted his head slightly, unable to understand the context of certain key words. 'Dungeon'? 'Excelia'? Perhaps it's a mistranslation?
The other three humans were staring at their comrade with glaring eyes and throbbing foreheads, although Marius being a master at controlling his emotions due to his position merely pinched the bridge of his nose to alleviate the tension in his skull.
"YOU IDIOT!"
*THWACK*
"Oww!"
Theophila had no such reservations about self-control and let loose a strong slap to the back of her brother's head.
"Why would he know anything about all the things you just said based on his previous conditions, huh?! Don't act like what's common knowledge to us would be obvious to him!"
The elf was unsure as to why she was particularly defensive of his lack of basic understanding surrounding their way of life, but was thankful nonetheless.
"Hey, hey! I thought at least his Evil God would have explained all this to him regardless of his... conditions. I mean, you're the ones who saw the crazy magic he did earlier and on the way here! No way could that be done without a Falna!"
That made all the humans perk up. It was true that magical abilities, even for elves, were in the current era largely impossible to perform without the aid of a God's divine blessing. Whilst elves were often brought up educated on the finesses of sorcery from an early age and could practice very basic incantations, what HEPHAESTUS has shown off - fire, lightning, healing and telekinetic magic - should only be achievable with a Falna.
It was not uncommon that certain divine beings would partake in slave-trading as well, often being the head practitioners of large underground rings. The Ananke Familia is a key example of such 'evil' Familias, Marius could recall.
So likely the elf was noticed for his high magical abilities as a baby, raised into slavery so that he would understand his place from birth under the orders of his Familia, and made stronger through brutal and constant training to his limits.
A perfect soldier, in other words. Sadly, not a rare method slavery is used for. However, what is rare is that someone of HEPHAESTUS' potential would be able to get away.
A further testament to his power, in that case. But what would make him run? The prince would think on this later; best to ascertain who they will need to protect their new friend from, as it's most likely they'd be searching for him still based on his abilities.
"That is true Hephaestus," The blonde prince turned to face the elf, "Would you mind telling us which God you serve?"
HEPHAESTUS meanwhile, just realised something important.
Something which could likely get his body terminated.
'In the middle ages, humans who practiced religions deemed 'pagan' were persecuted or killed for not following the key faith of the nation they resided in. It is incredibly unlikely faiths from my previous universe such as Christianity and it's branches exist or are followed by these four, based on their garments and behaviour. More information required.'
With that thought, HEPHAESTUS chose to ask a question of his own first.
"Would you tell me which religion you follow before I answer? I am uncertain of your beliefs."
The knights straightened up at the wording, slightly alarmed. Marius decided to be the one to test if his anxiety was correct.
"Um, we don't actually worship the domains of our Gods per say, it's more along the lines of us serving them in return for their blessing. Hephaestus... why do you ask?"
The A.I. had already determined them to be of notable character, especially since he bore the appearance of their ethnic enemy and they treated him kindly regardless. So he chose to respond honestly.
"I wanted to ascertain whether you would have me terminated for worshipping a 'pagan God'. I have known humans are prone to such credence, so I was unsure if you would have the same reaction. However, if you are so relaxed in your faith, then it is likely of no concern."
Now that brought a startled reaction from the group.
"W-W-WHAT?!" Theophila cried out, "W-we would never do that to someone based on which God or Goddess they were serving! That's just..."
"Indeed," Marius also looked upset by HEPHAESTUS' reasoning, "I have heard stories from the Age of Heroes about religious faiths that worshipped the Gods before they descended... to think there would still be a divine arrogant enough to-"
A flashback to an image of his God's shit-eating grin.
"...Actually, maybe it's not so far-fetched..."
"Still," Theophilus piped in, "Hephie, we're not gonna kill ya just for who gave you your Falna! You've proven to be a nice guy after all, so it's safe to say we're all friends here."
The elf squinted his eyes meaningfully at the scar-faced knight still spinning the fish on the makeshift rotisserie, who straightened up at the scrutiny.
"This one does not share the same sentiments. He could easily slit my carotid artery whilst I am asleep should he wish."
The humans winced at the blunt assessment and Pyrrhus looked away anxiously. Were his slavers really so cruel to instil such a bleak outlook of the world?
"Hey, hey," The male brunette continued, "I know Pyr gives off this 'human-supremacist' vibe, but trust me! He ain't gonna go apeshit and murder you in your sleep! Right, Pyr?"
Unoffended at the candid summary, the black-haired knight snorted before responding.
"I just ain't known any elf to not attack us on sight. I've been on the frontlines before, you know? Those tree-dwellers are ferocious when fighting in their territory... er..."
Realising he may have just insulted their guest - a runaway slave - for his race, Pyrrhus was quick to append an apology.
"Not to say you're a horrible demon like them, er, Hephaestus, it's just-"
"Understandable. Racial discrimination is a common characteristic of primitives. You should work to rectify it."
Feeling like he was both insulted and forgiven in the same sentence, but choosing not to start something over it, the black-haired male simply sighed and returned to observing the state of their meals.
"With that said Hephaestus, would you mind to tell us the identity of your God?" Marius put his hand over his heart, "I swear on my title as crown prince of Rakia, no harm will come to you, regardless of their criminal standing."
The A.I. responded with his usual stoic expression.
"I do not worship any 'God' or 'Goddess'. I was not created with the capacity to believe in a Higher Being."
And the knights were back to being confused. They were quickly learning that HEPHAESTUS says a lot of confusing things.
Theophilus chose to question what they thought the elf was trying to say.
"...Do you mean you were never granted a Falna?"
"Do you refer to this 'divine blessing' you have mentioned?"
"Umm... yes?"
"Correct. I have never been 'blessed' by a Higher Being."
Another brief shock slammed through the group. To them, the power allowed by a Falna was the only way with which mortal races could stand up against the monsters that plagued their world. Only the heroes and the great spirits who worked alongside them over a thousand years ago had the strength necessary to match the magical beasts.
Of course, due to such heroes no longer appearing, along with great spirits being determined as extinct, their surprise quickly turned to suspicion.
'It is likely that he hides the identity of his Deity out of fear of repercussions, should it be found out he snitched,' Marius thought in consternation, 'A common sentiment among emancipated slaves. Damn it...'
Pyrrhus then stopped the rotisserie before beginning to remove it from the flames.
"Hey, food's ready."
The group quickly dug in in an effort to forget the (supposedly) terrible circumstances of HEPHAESTUS' origins.
The Ariti twins began digging in ferociously, delighted at the taste even if Theophilus was lamenting the destruction of their bag of salt.
Pyrrhus took large, slow bites of his fish, as though savouring what would be his last decent meal for a while.
HEPHAESTUS and the prince were similar in the way they ate, carefully and methodically eating from the head to the tail, like noblemen at a dinner table. As noble as one could eat a spit-cooked fish with their hands, anyway.
Whilst the twins went quickly to grab seconds, Marius chose to carefully resume his line of questioning.
"Just to make sure Hephaestus, are you certain you've never come into contact with a Deity, at all?"
The humans were listening attentively, even the twins slowed down their chewing to make sure they could hear properly the elf's response.
HEPHAESTUS however was silent for a heavy few seconds, as though determining whether or not he should answer, before staring deep into the blonde's eyes.
"There was a single time where I was nearly subjugated by a Higher Being that referred to itself as a Deity. It..."
He looked toward the fish in his hands, handed to him by a blushing Theophila earlier.
"...It purged my best friend."
The knights looked alarmed and Marius was quick to begin asking further, but the A.I. was faster, squinting his eyes warningly.
"Information classified. I do not wish to speak on this any further."
Marius sighed but chose to acquiesce to the elf's denial.
"Understood. Just remember, we are serious when we say no harm will come to you just because of your Deity."
HEPHAESTUS was still curious about something in that regard.
"What 'Gods' are you devoted to?"
The prince thought they were forgetting a part of their introductions, and felt slightly embarrassed they'd not started with this. It's usually common courtesy to introduce your Familia with your name, but with the hecticness of the situation and the horrific nature of HEPHAESTUS' life being dived into, it could be forgiven.
"Ah, right..." Marius coughed into his fist to hide his awkwardness, before opening with a smile, "To begin normally, I am Marius Victrix Rakia of the Ares Familia, it's vice-captain, and currently level two."
His fellow knights all recognised the cue for what it was and re-introduced themselves as well.
"Theophilus Ariti of the Aphrodite Familia, level one! Nice to meet you properly, Hephie!"
"T-Theophila Ariti of the Aphrodite Familia, level one! Hope we c-can get along, Hephaestus..."
"Pyrrhus Polycrates of the Ares Familia. Level two."
The A.I. nodded once they were finished, satisfied at the information he acquired from this exchange.
'Ancient Greek Deities. Curious. Levels? Designation of ranking amongst the faithful? Requires further data.'
"Well," The prince began, "I'd say it's been an eventful day, so finish your meals everyone then it's time for rest. We'll need to get up early tomorrow if we want to get to the Capital in good time. Pyrrhus, you're on first watch."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Ooooo~" The tone Theophilus took when he was looking to stir some shit rose out of him, "But there's only four tents! And we have five people! Hmmmmm..."
His eyes looked meaningfully at his sister, who was sweating nervously at the sudden scrutiny.
"W-what?"
"Sisteeeeerrr~ Maybe you should bunk with Hephieeeee~?"
Obviously, she blushed heavily at the suggestion.
"H-h-hey! That's totally inappropriate to say about a slave!" She whispered the last part angrily, "And an elf would never want to be sleep next to a human stranger!"
"I know, I know! Just kidding, cmo-"
"Understood."
HEPHAESTUS, being originally a massive collection of intelligence with no sexual identity, has no concept of gender roles or the necessary segregation of men and women when it comes to specific contexts.
So, when he immediately removed his deer pelt and began walking nonchalantly, completely naked, to one of the tents and got inside, he paid no mind to the dropped jaws left behind by the male knights as he got ready for sleep.
Even Theophilus, who instigated the whole thing, did not expect this.
"Goodnight, humans."
And so the A.I. went to 'Sleep Mode'.
*THUMP*
The sudden noise broke the male Ariti twin out of his stupor, turning to look to his side at the source.
Where he saw his sister knocked out, an expression of bliss present on her face. It was ruined by the river of blood dripping out from her nose, however.
The brother could only whistle in respect.
"Damn, elves have some serious brass balls..."
And that was how day one of HEPHAESTUS' encounter with the local humans ended.