Apex landed on one of the many giant trees surrounding the castle the machines were centered around, the greenery providing a good cover. This close he got a far better look at their defenses; patrolling machines protected by armor and wielding spears and crossbows made to fit them walked the tall walls. The tree's height still outclassed the structure so he could see into the courtyard behind the main gate where there were plenty of machines lying in wait.
He hadn't even got a look across the entire place and he could already tell that no group of machines he'd come across matched their numbers.
'Are you certain keeping your true intentions from A2 is wise, master?' Navi questioned.
'You've seen how she is. As far as she's concerned, the only good machine is a destroyed one.' Apex thought back. 'I doubt she'd give a conversation with them the time of day.'
'Indeed. However, she may take it upon herself to act if you do not proceed quickly. That will likely result in a frontal confrontation.'
'I guess I'll have to get a move on.' Apex took a breath, preparing himself.
Backtracking and leaping across the river that ran through the forest had been easy enough for him. Even if A2 could follow without sinking to the bottom of the rushing water like a rock, he'd convinced her to remain on standby across the bridge. If there was any commotion or he took too long, she'd rush in and do things her way. Her way being a long battle against who knows how many machines that there was no guarantee they'd both walk away from unscathed.
Hopefully he could prevent that.
Crouching down, Apex leaped from the branch he stood upon, lightening his body and quietly landing on the slopped roofing of the structure just above the ramparts being patrolled. None of the machines were the wiser, continuing their patrol. The main benefit that came with their imitation of the earlier days of human society were their lack of guns and the flying machines. So long as he remained above them and kept quiet it was unlikely that any would spot him.
Now he just had to figure out where this Forest King was.
His hands, morphed into boney claws, allowed him to hug the roof without slipping off as he headed deeper into the castle.
An internal look revealed that there were more than just armored knight-like machines behind the tall walls. Groups were spread about, using a variety of tools to cut away at roots growing on different parts of the old structure or fix some damage. Their near perfect imitation of what humans would've been doing was ruined by the fact that there was a group of them literally standing upon one another so that the one at the top of their self-made ladder could fix up a hole, but it was interesting to see never the less.
The machines weren't just occupying the old structure but actively taking measures, unorthodox as they were, to restore it to its former glory. The whole coliseum group with Captain Thunder Thighs and the others had been interesting but this group was blowing them out of the water in terms of sheer numbers as well as their complexity.
Stowing his curiosities for later, Apex kept moving across the roofs, getting higher and deeper behind their lines. Occasionally he'd spot machines patrolling the halls of the castle through holes or glassless windows, but none took notice of him.
It didn't take long before he got a good look over the rear walls. They were patrolled just like the front, but it was what was beyond its gate that caught his attention.
A collection of wooden buildings lined the dirt path leading out from the gate. Houses from the looks of things. He'd have thought that they might be for the many knights but the machines that populated that area were unarmed and walking about. Some talked amongst themselves, others played by throwing a stick between each other, and many more milled about.
For all intents and purposes, he was looking at a genuine village not just some small group of odd machines.
The almost peaceful atmosphere down there came to an abrupt end when a group of red-eyed machines came down the path. The armored machines that were patrolling the path moved quickly meeting the group in battle. Many slipped between those knights however, not so much interested in their fellow machines as they were in the structures, mindlessly ramming their entire bodies into the buildings.
There were some robotic shouts and orders given out by a caped machine that emerged from behind the castle gate, but things were brought under control quickly, the red-eyed machines destroyed and the apparent villagers already moving to begin repairs on the damaged buildings. The knights only a few of their number compared to the near dozen they wiped out.
Machines full-on attacking one another? That was a first.
'According to the others, the directive of the machines are the elimination of humans as well as all their creations.' Navi said. 'It is likely that these abnormal machines are considered valid targets due to their attempts at rebuilding such things.'
A theory that made perfect sense to him.
With that trouble wrapped up, the caped machine quickly returned behind the castle walls, nearly jogging as he made his way through the castle grounds. Apex shifted gears, opting to place his bets on that machine rather than blindly sneaking about.
If there was an attack on a king's people, it was only natural that they'd be informed about it. With how human these machines were acting it wouldn't surprise him one bit if that machine was on its way to wherever the king was.
Unable to slip into the castle itself without being caught, he used a combination of enhanced hearing and glimpses of the caped machine through openings in the building to follow it through the castle. It wasn't easy to keep up, but he managed. It came to a stop before a pair of tall wooden double doors that, while worn, was free of dirt and roots and guarded by a pair of other caped machines.
It pushed the doors open and entered, the pair closing the doors behind it before Apex could get a look inside.
Fully pulling himself back onto the roof, Apex pushed on towards the room, looking the outside over. Sure enough he found a circular opening at the rear of the room, not just big enough to look through but jump through.
"-have been handled and repairs are underway." The knight, kneeled down before stairs that led up to a tall stone throne, finished, mechanical voice echoing throughout the otherwise empty room. Torches lined various worn pillars that supported the wide space, working with the sunlight pouring in from various windows to light things up.
"How many did we lose?" Another voice asked from the throne, mechanical like all the others, but a sort of distortion to it as if damaged. From this angle he couldn't see the machine it belonged to.
"Two, my king." The kneeling machine answered.
"I see…and the human?"
"There has been no news about the human. We will send out more teams soon and I will be joining them."
"Good. Capture the human without harming him. The White one will follow if we have him." The slightly distorted voice said.
These machines called A2 the White One too? A coincidence or did she have a reputation among the machines that made their home in the forest? More importantly, it sounded like they wanted to get at him to get to her.
Not exactly what he expected but he might be able to work with that.
"Yes, my king!" The machine exclaimed before shooting up from a knee and leaving the room. Apex waited until the heavy footfalls faded and the room was completely silent aside from the faint burning of the torches before throwing himself into the room. He flipped in mid-air, landing where that machine had been kneeling.
He'd expected to come face to face with an impressive machine in pristine condition. Instead, a machine no different than any of its stubby counterparts sat upon the tall throne, a thick stick fashioned into something of a cane held in its hands. No, it was worse off than other machines. Deep cuts marked its arms and legs and part of its face plating had been torn open.
All wounds from battle.
"You are the human." The machine stated, looking down at him with yellows eyes. Though that didn't last long, a blink turning them to a deep green.
Odd. He'd assume green signified friendliness and Apex very much doubted this one considered him a friend or ally.
"You're the Forest King?" Apex questioned.
"I am." The machine answered. "However you managed to get here, I did not expect you to do so of your own free will. This shall make things far easier." Apex prepared to defend himself or run if it came down to it but to his surprise the machine remained seated, no attempt made to call out for its knights or to attack him. "If you wanted to destroy me, the White one would be with you. I assume you share my desire to speak with one another?"
Apex lowered his guard slightly, surprised by the accurate question. Here he thought the king would be out for blood. "What do you want to talk with me about?"
"There is much I wish to ask a human but that can wait for now." The machine rose with the help of the cane. Unlike the knights with their armor and capes, their king wore nothing like the others, damage fully shown off. It came down from the throne and the steps so that they were standing on the same level. "I wish to make a deal. One that can help you as well as my people."
A deal?
Just like his meeting with the abnormal machines that spent their days fighting on that stage, this wasn't going at all like he expected. The Forest King stood there, not a trace of animosity or even anger to be found despite the destruction of several groups of knights that it had to know he and A2 were connected to.
'Exercise caution, master. This machine has shown no indication that its intelligence is in anyway lacking compared to the likes of the androids.' Navi warned.
Apex couldn't disagree with that, but he couldn't help his growing curiosity. Just what did this machine want with him? With A2?