Grumbles and growls filled the air above the forest.
Apex grimaced and rubbed his stomach, stopping on a branch and observing the machine below.
He'd eaten an entire moose for dinner and a slightly smaller but still sizable deer for breakfast a few hours ago. Ridiculous. No meal ever left him feeling full, but they should've staved off hunger for quite some time. Was he going to have to spend entire days hunting just to avoid this? Maybe switch to targeting the much bigger predators that prowled the forest?
'Master, I believe you are experiencing the effects of a caloric deficit.' Navi said. How was that even possible when he wolfed down animals more than double his size on a daily basis? 'Scans of your body indicate that your metabolism exceeds that of humans of the past. That alone would be insufficient to induce the hunger you are currently experiencing. Preliminary data gathered through observation since your awakening indicates that the efficiency at which you consciously utilize your abilities falls short of the data gathered during unconscious use.'
Of course it circled back to a lack of experience.
His stomach released another loud grumble. Luckily the machine he'd been following didn't hear it, tapping the arm of another machine. It fell in line and the two took off between trees and grass.
Apex prepared to jump.
'If I may make a suggestion master, you should follow the machines from the forest floor to conserve your energy in the event of conflict.' Navi said before he could leap to another branch. 'Fighting or traveling in such a way at a caloric deficient will be extremely dangerous for you. Your metabolism will quickly burn through the traces of fat your body contains should you make excessive use of your ability to heal or morph.'
Trusting her input, he dropped into a bush down below and followed the machines, crouching the whole way. Their heavy bodies left distinct marks in the dirt and anything else they stepped on, so it wasn't difficult to track them even with line of sight broken.
Winning a fight only to starve to death sounded like a horrible way to go.
'Though possible, that outcome is improbable according to my calculations. During starvation the human body begins to cannibalize itself. At its utmost efficient, your healing factor consumes less energy than your body would gain through that process. You may experience exhaustion and likely be rendered immobile for a time but would eventually build up enough energy for self-cannibalization to halt, theoretically giving you enough time to seek out an alternative source of energy.'
That was good to know. Granted, the whole frozen in place as his body ate itself was far from what he'd call a comforting thought, knowing that there was a good chance he could survive a process that should kill most living beings was relieving.
But they could save all the hypotheticals for later.
He stalked the machines around trees and through bushes. One by one, the initial machine recruited lone members of its kind till there were well over a dozen of them soldiering forward in a single file line.
Distant voices, robotic as usual, filled the area. He couldn't make out what was being said but it sounded like a lot of them and they were….excited?
As the line of robots broke out into a large clearing, the reason for all the noise became clear.
Machines, dozens and dozens of them, populated the clearing. Most sat in badly fashioned wooden chairs that formed circles of what he could only deduce to be stage of some sort. Three machines stood on the large wooden platform.
"Welcome latecomers! Our first match has already concluded but this next one is sure to blow your socks off!" The machine at the center of the stage announced, garnering cheers and woops. It was thick and stubby like many of the others Apex had seen though a vast majority of its head plating was missing. "On my left, hailing all the way from the southern forest, we have captain Biceps!"
The apparent announcer of this whole gathering gestured toward another machine. Apex found himself holding back a chuckle. Just as stubby as a majority of the machines, that one had the slim arms he'd come to associate with the machines replaced by arms far too large for its frame. It flexed its arms to the crowd, earning a mix of robotic boos and cheers.
"And to our right, we have the up-and-coming rookie, General Thunder Thighs!" On the opposite side of the platform was a machine that while similar looking to the others, was far taller thanks to the pair of longer and bulkier legs that made up its lower half.
This time a snort did slip lose. Captain Bicep? General Thunder Thighs? Had the machines given themselves such weird names or was something else responsible?
"Will our hotshot rookie take down yet another longtime competitor on their way to the top or will Captain Biceps knock them down a peg? Place your bets now!" The clearing erupted into more shouts, a mix of the two names filling the air.
So this was some kind of fight club? Interesting and unexpected.
'Master, an immediate retreat is highly recommended. A gathering of this size will likely overwhelm you through sheer numbers if you are caught.' Navi was right, especially considering his energy situation. Running would be the smart thing to do, but honestly? He was way too curious to see how things played out. 'Calculations indicate that that is a poor decision.'
'Maybe but this is a good chance to get information on these machines.'
"Begin!"
At the announcer's shout, the smaller machine used its arms to push off the ground and propel itself at its opponent. The one called Captain Thunder Thighs backstep and twisted into a stiff roundhouse, scoring a hit across Captain Biceps's face the moment it slammed into the ground. Not a moment wasted, Captain Thunder Thighs threw out a flurry of kicks, using its superior range to avoid any counterattacks.
'Who do you think is going to win, Navi?' Apex thought.
'I must reiterate that you are exposing yourself to unnecessary danger. A retreat should be carried out immediately.' Navi insisted.
'Come on, aren't you a little curious about why these machines are doing what they're doing? Watching them is the only way we'll get answers.'
'I am not programmed to feel curiosity, master.'
'Well, today's your chance to learn a little bit about it.'
The one-sided match took a sudden turn when Captain Biceps managed to catch one of the other machine's kicks and lift the thing off the ground. The left, the right. Ahead and behind. Captain Biceps slammed the other machine into different parts of the arena, cracking the wooden platform. Captain Thunder Thighs other leg shot out, crashing into Captain Biceps face and staggering it. Its other leg broke free of Captain Biceps' grip and it unleashed a final volley of kicks that ended with its opponent flying off the platform and landing amongst the crowd.
"And the winner of this match is Captain Thunder Thighs!" The announcer yelled as it retook its spot at the center of the area. Roars erupted from the crowd of machines, some going as far as to jump up from their seats to cheer.
What an odd group.
"Quiet down people! I have an extra fight in store you all; an exhibition match unlike any in the history of The Coliseum!" The crowd quieted immediately. "For this event we will have our victor, Captain Thunder Thighs face off against a new face on our battleground." The announcer pointed straight into the sky. "Please give a big round of applause for our guest star-" The machine lowered its arm, pointing straight at the tree Apex was peaking out from. "-The Human!"
Before the thought of fleeing could even enter his head, both of his arms were seized and his feet left the ground. A pair of those levitating machines each held an arm in a vice grip no amount of wiggling could loosen. Shouts broke out once more as he was brought on the stage and placed opposite to Captain Thunder Thighs. The floating machines kept hold of him even then.
"What say you, human?" The announcer began. "Will you show us the fighting spirit of humanity that the legends speak of or will you flee in shame?"
Apex blinked. "I have a choice?"
"Of course!" The machine yelled. Despite the static nature of its voice, he could feel the displeasure in its words. "Every fighter here participates in matches to prove that they are the strongest. That they are the best. That they are better than the average nobody. I would never sully this stage with someone who doesn't strive to reach the top!" Cheers followed the announcer's declaration. "Now tell us, human. Will you leave this coliseum here and now a nobody or are you one of the chosen few who believe they can make it to the top?"
This was not at all how Apex expected his first conversation with one of the machines to go. Not that he ever expected to be able to hold a conversation with the murderous things.
"Are there any rules for this match?" Apex asked.
"No weapons and no killing. The winner will decided by either knock out, ring out, or a ten count." The rules were a lot more civilized than he expected. The fact that he had the option to walk away at all was almost too good to be true too.
Apex looked towards the crowd.
The machines looked excited, practically vibrating in their seats. All of their eyes were the docile yellow he saw in the aimless one despite the fact that a human was right in front of them.
"Alright." He consented. "I'll fight in this match of yours."
Deafening cheers shook the clearing.
"Alright! You heard the human folks! Prepare yourselves for a match of epic proportions!"
The floating machine released him though one took the rusty axe off his back as they floated away.
'Now that you have been released, an immediate retreat should be conducted. It is the option with the highest survival rate.' Navi said as the announcer hyped with the crowd with a speech.
'Sorry Navi but I think I'm going to play this out. These machines are different from the other ones I've encountered. I want to see how different.' He thought while taking a deep breath and preparing to fight off Captain Thunder Thighs…..he really couldn't take that name seriously.
'They may be anomalies, but these machines have shown a consistent malice towards humans. It would be unwise to trust in their word.'
"Begin!"
Ignoring Navi's warning, Apex sprinted forward. The moment he got within range, a series of kicks came his way. He dipped and dodged around them. As expected, Captain Thunder Thighs planned to do exactly as it did in the previous match, those longer legs giving it the advantage in terms of reach. They were swift too, the machines larger size hardly a determent in that category.
One mistake and something would be broken.
He didn't see how he could knock out a machine and holding it down for ten seconds was far too risky of an approach. Ringing this thing out seemed like the smartest way to go.
"Human fast!" One of the many machines watching the fight shouted, others droning out in agreement as he avoided the swift barrage of kicks.
"Fight back, human!" Others voiced dissatisfaction, apparently taking issue with the fact he'd yet to throw out any sort of attack. It's not like it was easy for a human to content with a metal construct that could crush their bones.
And that gave him an idea.
Ducking beneath a kick, Apex stepped forward, going for a half-hearted punch. Captain Thunder Thighs jumped, raising its other leg. He threw up his guard at the last minute.
CRACK!
He gritted his teeth as he slid back to the opposite end of the area, stopping just short of the edge. His arms throbbed with pain, the left already beginning to go numb and the right soon to follow if he took another blow like that. He hadn't strengthen his body as much as he could on account of not wanting to show off too much for these possibly bloodthirsty machines but he hadn't expected a hit to hurt so much with his abilities in effect.
Just goes to show, normal humans had no chance of taking these things on bare-handed. Something he was sure they all thought him to be.
Captain Thunder Thighs broke out into run then jumped, a flying kick aimed for his chest. Apex threw himself out of the way, the machine landing at the very edge of the arena. He charged it.
Chest, shoulder, arm. He focused on the top half of his body, doing his best to strengthen himself without any outward changes. His body grew heavier and his shoulder crashed into the machine. He winced but kept his teeth gritted and powered through the pain. The charge knocked the machine off balance and it quickly toppled over, falling into the dirt around the arena.
Apex released a breath he didn't he know he'd been holding. Just because he never seemed to sweat or end up short of breath didn't mean he couldn't get nervous.
"And our winner is the human!" The announcer exclaimed after a moment of pure silence.
"Human strong!"
"Human smart!"
"Go human!"
Shouts of encouragement followed his victory. Oddly enough some of the crowd now possessed green eyes instead of the yellow or red he'd become familiar with from their kind. And that included the announcer.
"Congratulations human. You will have to wait for our current tournament to end but if you truly wish to test yourself, know that you are welcome to join our many fighters when the time comes." The announcer said, rusty arm extended. After a quick handshake and his weapon being returned to him, he was shooed off the stage so the next match could be announced.
The stubby machines swarmed, drowning out each other as they threw question after question at him.
A shadow appeared over them.
Captain Thunder Thighs' yellow eyes stared down at him, the smaller machines splitting up as the fighter approached.
"I…underestimated human." The machine said, its voice a bit on the quieter side compared to the others. "I sorry. Next time, take fight seriously."
"Right." Apex said after a pause. Among these friendly machines, so far the announcer was the only one that could be considered well spoken. "They called you a rookie right? With kicks as strong as yours I'm you'll come out on top even if this is your first tournament, you just have to give it your all."
That appeared to be the right thing to say as the robot's eyes took on the same light shade of green as some of the others. "Yes. Watch me, human." Captain Thunder Thighs said before taking off, leaving the other machines to resume their bombardment of question.
He'd joined a machine fighting club of some sort. Not how he expected his day to go.