"Alright." Apex said, lowering his guard and indulging in his curiosity. "What's this deal?"
The Forest King tapped his cane against the stone floor and the doors to the would-be throne room opened, the pair of knights responsible for guarding it standing on either side of the entrance and waiting on them. "Walk with me." The Forest King said. The machine led the way out of the large room and into the spacious halls.
They might wear masks, but he could tell that every knight they passed were watching him like hawks, the yellow glow of their eyes ready to change to a deep red on a dime if he made a wrong move. Then again, they could also end up the same green as their king's if this all went well.
"When the first king came upon this place, it was barely standing." The Forest King suddenly said. "It's taken many years to get it where it is now. All the combined work of my predecessors." There were kings before the one he was talking to now? Did these machines run some kind of election to select their kings or was there some other process they used? How would they even decide when the time was right for a new king? When the current one was destroyed or stepped down?
While he debated the implications of The Forest King's words, the machine led them out onto a balcony of worn stone that was so high up, he could see over the castle's walls.
"What do you see?" The Forest King questioned, cane pointed towards the left.
Just beyond the gate Apex spotted the village he'd seen before. Machines were working on repairing the recent damage the place sustained though their efforts were soon interrupted by yet another group of aggressive machines coming across them, knights rising to battle once more.
"It doesn't look like most machines are a fan of what you're building." Apex said.
"No, they aren't. Their constant attacks have stagnated our growth." The Forest King said before pointing its cane to the right. "And what do you see there?"
Knights were spreading out across the bridge. Groups set off into the forest, a good distance from one another, as if to comb through the mass of greenery entirely. Compared to his way of jumping and running around, they'd have the forest mapped out in no time at all. Most of the machines stuck to the bridge, prepping defenses so that the gate and a few knights weren't all that separated them from any dangers.
"You're expanding." Apex decided.
"More than I ever thought possible. The presence of those still connected to the network across the bridge has plummeted finally allowing my knights to push forward." The Forest King said. That explained why they'd only recently started coming across the armored group. "I am certain that it is the White One who made this possible."
'Careful, master. It is possible that the machine is attempting to draw out information on A2 from you.' Navi warned.
"You must know a lot about this White One." Apex said vaguely.
"The knowledge comes from the data of my predecessors. The White One has haunted many areas throughout the forest but has never stayed in one place for very long. Not until recently." The Forest King focused solely on him, green eyes almost seem to glow brighter despite the sunlight all around them. "You are a human, an odd one, but still a human. The White One is an android. The White one must be lingering in that area to protect you."
He doubted there was anything he could say to steer the machine away from that logical deduction, so he said nothing, spurring the Forest King to continue. "Access to new territory means nothing if I can not protect what my people already have. I will pull my forces from across the bridge and leave everything on that side of your river to you. I only request that you have the White One help us deal with the machines on our side."
And it turned out they were more interested in A2 rather than him.
Assuming they kept their word, it wasn't a bad deal. They'd be able to settle things with this group without having to destroy each and every one of them and so long as they remained of friendly terms he could get more info about their behavior.
The real question was whether the idea would fly with A2. He couldn't see her deciding to trust the word of a bunch of machines let alone flying to the defense of some.
The Forest King moved one hand from its cane and held it out to him. "From one king to another, my people need this."
Apex raised a brow. "Why call me a king?"
"You may be isolated now but the androids will rally to you once they're aware of your existence." The Forest King declared. "You are what they fight for. You will be what brings them together. That makes you a king."
A king huh? He'd leave that title for the machine.
"I can't make any promises, but I'll try to get…our mutual friend to help you." Apex said while shaking the cold hand.
-Route A, No. 030-
Flanked by two knights, The Forest King wisely choosing to remain behind the safety of the castle walls, Apex rubbed the back of his neck as he walked across the bridge the machines were fortifying. The moment she'd seen him A2 had abandoned her hiding place among the greenery. She probably would've slashed and slammed her away across the bridge, destroying every machine on it, had he not waved for her to stop.
Instead, she awaited him at the end of the bridge, giant sword held at the ready, and glare fixed on the machines around him.
"Safe travels." One of the knights stated once they reached the end of the bridge, turning to retreat towards the castle.
"They didn't hurt you?" A2 questioned, still glaring at the retreating machines.
"No, I actually spoke with their king." Apex revealed.
"Of course you did." A2 shook her head as they headed into the forest, not heading in the direction of the cabin quite yet. "You shouldn't be so quick to throw yourself into danger like that."
"This coming from the person that just wanted to rush in there." He retorted, earning himself a side-eye from her. "Either way, I may have worked out something with them."
"And you trust whatever they had to say?"
"Maybe." Apex said with a shrug. Whether or not he believed them, they'd find out whether or not the Forest King was genuine soon enough.
After being sure to lose any possible pursuers, they picked up their pace, sprinting back home as quickly as possible.
-Route A, No. 030-
A2 emerged from the forest surrounding the cabin, no worse for wear when she left and no signs of battle along the length of her greatsword or the cloak hanging off her shoulders.
"Nothing?" Apex questioned.
"For now." A2 admitted reluctantly.
It'd only been a few days since his talk with the Forest King, but the machine had already done as it said it would, recalling all the knights sent across the river as a show of good faith in an effort to win A2 over. Their general peace and quiet had completely returned, little to no machine activity in their general area.
"And? What do you think?' He asked.
"That machines shouldn't be trusted." A2 insisted though a sigh followed. "But if we can handle this before Devola and Popola end up in danger, it might be worth it."
"Then-"
"I'll go." A2 said, the decision they'd been waiting on finally made.
After she stabbed her blade into the ground beside her tent and slipped off the cloak, that was more or less hers at this point, they headed into the cabin together, joining the waiting twins at the dinning room table.
"We got more incoming!"
"Set off the charges!"
"But captain-"
"Set them off now!"
Apex raised a brow as he sat down. "What was that?"
"It sounds like the Resistance is dealing with their own troubles." Devolva said while turning down the radio. "The machines in the desert beyond the city ruins have been attacking their teams more and more frequently."
A desert? That's the first he's heard about a place like that nearby.
"I hope they're all alright." Popola said, hopeful despite the gunfire that'd accompanied the shots they'd just heard along with the yells. "Have you two decided what we're going to do?"
"We'll be heading out to take them up on their deal." Apex said.
The twins exchanged a quick glance and nod before refocusing on him. "Then we'll come along as well." Popola said. "If what you heard from the machine calling itself their king is true then we need to look into it."
"Yeah." Devola said, voicing her agreement. "Software might not be our specialty but if machines are truly capable of disconnecting from the network that is supposed to govern them, imagine if could induce that on a wide scale? Even if they're still hostile, they wouldn't be able to adapt or organize as well without access to that shared data. We can't pass up a chance to get a look at these things up close."
He couldn't very well argue with that. From what they told him the machine network was a sort of hive mind for the machine lifeforms that allowed them to remain in constant communication with one another at all times. Popola and Devola shared basic theories about it gathered from their time among the resistance while A2 reluctantly dropped bits of information as well but even all that information pooled together revealed almost nothing concrete about the network's exact workings.
Their curiosity was far removed from his more innocent interest in the machines, but who was he to deny them the chance to find the answers they were looking for.
"This could still be a trap." A2 said, her stoic expression not fooling any of them. She was just as worried about the twins heading into that place as she had been about him.
"Maybe but nothing ventured, nothing gained." Apex said as Popola and Devola moved to gather their equipment. "If anything feels off at any point while we're there, do whatever you think is necessary."
A2 nodded, rising up herself to gather her things.
All things considered, he actually had a good feeling about the Forest King and its group. The whole set up was far too elaborate to be some trap for androids or humans.
He hoped anyways.