===== December 11, 2022 - Floor 3: Hateno Town =====
The following morning, Link and Zelda wasted no time in heading over to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, where they found Purah and Kiwi already hard at work.
"Well, it's about time you two showed up!" Purah said with her hands on her hips, as if she had somehow been expecting them. "Check it! Kiwi and I have been working all through the night."
"On what?" Zelda asked.
"On this," Kiwi said as she stepped forward. She produced a device that looked oddly familiar, in design if not in size. Zelda marveled as she turned it over in her hands.
"Is this... another Sheikah Slate?"
"Like the one Link carries?" Kiwi responded. "No... the technology to build that exact design vanished a long time ago. Granted, if there was anyone alive who could build one from scratch, it would be my aunt Purah. But she can't, or at least she hasn't. She did help me build this one, but there are several key parts missing that we can't get our hands on."
"And I suppose you want our help finding these parts?"
"You're so perceptive, but no," Kiwi replied with a smirk that was a little too mischievous for Zelda's liking. "I don't want you to help me find these parts; you want you to help me find these parts because without them - and thus without this device - I cannot be nearly as helpful to you as you would like."
"Okay," Link interjected, sensing a confrontation on the horizon. "What are the parts you looking for, and where can we find them?"
"About that..." Purah chimed in. "Finding the parts isn't actually the hard part. Symin and I managed to do that ourselves."
"Of course... the difficulty lies in separating said parts from their holders, who are...?"
"Guardians."
Link and Zelda looked at each other in trepidation. "You mean this thing... all your tech... needs Guardian parts?"
Purah opened her mouth to say something, but Kiwi raised a hand to cut her off. "You have questions, we have answers. Get us the parts we need, and we'll do our best to answer them. Deal?"
Now Zelda was pissed, and she almost exploded into a verbal tirade, but she was stopped by a quest dialog box. She hit 'Accept' and took a moment to remind herself that she and Link were dealing with NPCs.
Satisfied that Zelda and Link were now on board with her plan, Kiwi began to explain where 'we' were going to find the Guardians they needed to harvest.
"Wait a second, 'we?' As in, you're coming with us?" Link asked, somewhat perplexed.
"Of course, Master... we are a party now, aren't we?"
"Yeah, we are..." he said. These NPCs were far more advanced than any he had ever come across in any game before. "All right, so where do we go to find these Guardians?"
"To the southeast. It's not very horse-friendly territory, so we should probably go on foot. The monsters in that region are strong, but nothing the three of us shouldn't be able to handle."
"Sounds like a plan," Zelda assented. She checked the clock; it was only 7:30 AM. They still had the entire day ahead of them. "Kiwi, meet us at the town gates at 8:30. That gives us an hour to make preparations."
"8:30 it is then... see you at the gates." With that, Kiwi went back to puttering around the lab with Purah, while Link and Zelda went about their errands and took a few moments to discuss their new companion.
"So, what do you think of her?" he asked.
"Her scripting seems pretty-"
"I'm not asking how you look at her as a part of this system. I'm asking what you think about her as a... well, 'person' might not be the right word but it's the only one I can come up with at the moment, so as a person."
"Oh... well, she seems kind of snotty."
"Smart people usually do."
"Wait a sec... are you saying I'm snotty?"
"No, because I'm not saying you're smart."
Before Zelda could unleash the wrath she had been building up during her back-and-forth with Kiwi, Link continued, "Smart people know what they know, and that tends to be it. Whereas wise people understand what they know as well as what they don't, and intelligent people are more apt to learn things they don't know."
Link gave Zelda another brief kiss, the kind that she had grown so enamored with. "For instance, I'm smart. I know what things we should hunt, tactics we should use in battle, materials we should farm. I know a lot of things, and I tend to focus on the things I know. You're the wise and intelligent one. You're the one who's always thinking a step ahead of me, who sees the things I miss. And to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Hmm... okay, I guess that makes sense," Zelda responded.
"And yet...?"
"And yet what?"
"Your tone and smirk tell me you're not entirely convinced."
"Am I really that transparent?"
"To those who know how to see through you, yes."
"Hmm... I guess I'll have to keep that in mind."
"Along with the fact that I've had twenty years of practice... anyway, here she comes." Kiwi was making her way to the town gates, and since was their first time meeting in broad daylight, Link and Zelda finally had a chance to get a good look at her appearance.
She wore the traditional Sheikah grey robe with red accents, and a dark blue bodysuit underneath it. Blue handguards, white leggings and grey tabi completed her outfit, although Link noticed it lacked any obvious armor reinforcements. Her hair was silver, like all the Sheikah they had met so far. She had a decent-sized bun on the top, and it fell in almost a cape down past her shoulders. She had recovered the steel pins she lost at the entrance to the Deku Tree and stuck them in her bun, although whether they were holding it together or just for decoration, neither Link nor Zelda could discern.
She had an unusually chipper personality, which Link chalked up to her eagerness to prove to her older sister Paya that Kiwi was capable of being every bit the warrior Paya was. She could handle herself well enough in a fight - both Link and Zelda had witnessed that, albeit to a very limited point - but the weapon she carried was a curiosity. The Magic Rod wasn't a sword, and flew in the face of the conventional game design that had removed magic from Aincrad. It definitely merited further investigation, but so far Kiwi hadn't been very willing to answer any questions... yet. Her mannerisms up to this point indicated that she would be open to do so in the future, once she trusted the two adventurers more.
Or was 'trust' the wrong word?
Zelda thought back to the times Kiwi had refused to answer their questions. She hadn't done so with any particular brand of spite or malice, but rather a sense of understanding that she had something they wanted: information. In turn, she wanted something herself: Link and Zelda's cooperation.
Kiwi wasn't being snotty at all, despite Zelda's initial impressions. She was simply withholding the knowledge the heroes wanted in exchange for the assistance she needed.
In other words, she was not only smart, but clever too.
Zelda decided she liked Kiwi a lot more now that she felt that she had a better understanding of her.
Fully armed and supplied, the trio struck out towards the southeast reaches of the floor. True to Kiwi's warning, the terrain was a nuisance to cross, but the spoils they earned from hunting made up for the inconvenience. When they weren't fighting, Kiwi would dart off the path from time to time to catch some insect or pick some flower. Link began to question her, but Zelda stopped him, saying only that she would tell them when she was ready. Link cocked an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"
Zelda glanced back at Kiwi, who was now digging under a bush for something. "You trust me, right?"
Link looked shocked for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah, I do." He concluded that she had figured something out about the young Sheikah but wasn't altogether certain of it just yet, and he decided to trust her instincts. Such faith had served them well so far, and he saw no reason to abandon it now.
After traveling and fighting for quite some time, Kiwi pointed to a nearby ridge. "The Guardians tend to roam just on the other side of that ridge," she said.
Link quickly assessed the scene. There were no monsters in the area, so they could rest and recuperate safely. He checked the time; it was almost 11:00 AM. "Anybody hungry?"
"Yeah, I could go for a snack right about now," Zelda answered.
"Anything in particular?" he asked as he set up a small campfire and his cooking pot.
"Hmm... how about some Simmered Fruit?"
"Coming right up, sweetheart." He reached for apples from his pack, when Kiwi approached him with three yellowish seed pods. "What are these?" he asked.
"They're called Fleet Lotus Seeds, Master," Kiwi replied. "If you're cooking fruit, throw one of these in the pot."
"And you're sure they're not poisonous?" Link asked with more than a hint of skepticism.
"Positive. Do you really think I'd have you come all the way out here just to kill you?"
"Fair point, I suppose..." He produced some apples from his pack and cooked one of the seeds with four apples. The result was a new dish: Swift Simmered Fruit. He passed a bowl to Kiwi, who ate with no problems. Convinced of their non-toxicity, he recreated the recipe twice more for himself and Zelda. After they ate, they each noticed a modest uptick in their movement speed. Apparently there were food items that also bestowed special effects, which Link made a note to research extensively the next time they were in Necluda City.
After they finished eating, the party crawled to the edge of the ledge to do some reconnaissance. Together they observed eight Guardian Stalkers skittering about on six legs each. "If we take their legs out, they're a lot easier to defeat," Kiwi contributed.
"You're right," Link said, remembering the one he and Zelda had taken on near the stable on Floor 1. "That'll be your and Zelda's job. Bust up its legs while I do my best to keep those lasers focused on me."
"Okay, sounds easy enough... but how do we make sure we're only fighting one at a time?" Zelda asked.
"Kill them quickly."
"Short, simple, and to the point. I like it."
"Yeah, except it might not be that simple," Kiwi interjected. "Watch their movement patterns."
Link and Zelda watched as the Guardians moved around the area. They occasionally crossed paths, which could spell trouble if they were forced to fight two of them at once. And there were what looked like dead Guardians scattered about the field, which the Stalkers seemed to move around strangely. Almost as if...
"Kiwi, I have a question," Zelda said nervously. "Is it possible for a Guardian to function-"
"With no legs?" Kiwi completed Zelda's question. "Yes. Some of those husks are most likely Decayed Guardians. They're completely immobile, but their eye lasers still work and are just as strong as the Stalkers."
"Meaning we could end up attacked from multiple directions. I don't suppose I have to say how bad that could turn, or how fast," Zelda grimaced.
"Right... but what if..." Link scanned the terrain. If they could destroy the Decayed Guardians first, they would have more room to work with against the Guardian Stalkers.
"I got an idea: we take out the Decayed ones first, then if a Stalker tries to interfere, we pull it to the far edge of the plain. We don't have much cover, so we'll have to take these things out quickly and move on to the next. Although if one of those shells is dead, I can try to keep it between me and anything shooting at me. But speed is critical; we gotta take these things out as quickly as possible so we lessen the chance of them ganging up on us."
"All right," Zelda said as she drew her sword. "I don't think we're gonna come up with a much better plan than that. Kiwi, you're with me smashing things while Link holds their fire."
"Got it. Let's get down there and start wrecking shop."
The party descended the ridge and made their way to the outskirts of the plain. About two hundred meters out, a Stalker spotted them and skittered out toward them. Link drew his bow and quickly fired a couple arrows at it, which did a negligible amount of damage but kept the robot's focus on him. Zelda and Kiwi stuck to the plan and went about destroying its legs. In no time flat, the Guardian was smoldering, sparking, and exploding, leaving behind a decent amount of spoils. Zelda reviewed the drops quickly, surmising that clearing half the field would get them the full list of parts they needed. Kiwi shook her head in disagreement. "The first thing Master taught me was that you're going to do something, do it. No half-assed wishy-washiness allowed."
Link couldn't help but let out a solid laugh. "Good. You're learning. Now, here's lesson two." Suddenly he grabbed Kiwi by the arm, flung her into Zelda and managed to get his shield up just barely in time to deflect a laser blast from one of the Decayed Guardians that they had strayed too close to. "Lesson two: never stand with your back to an enemy."
Kiwi gulped as she lay stunned on the ground, until Zelda pushed her up and regained her own feet. "What do we do about those?" she asked Link.
"Same thing as the Stalkers: I tank, you ladies spank. We'll move in on it single-file, but pay attention to your left and right."
"I don't like that idea."
"Then let's retreat back to the ridge, but we're sitting ducks right here," Link said as another laser blast deflected off his shield, this time in the direction of - and catching the attention of - a nearby patrolling Stalker.
"The ridge sounds like a good idea!" Kiwi said as she began to sprint back towards it. Zelda followed her while Link covered their retreat. Soon, all three party members were safely on the side of the ridge they had approached from. The Stalker wandered aimlessly nearby, but didn't pursue them.
"Okay, so we managed to pull a Stalker out of range of any nearby Decayeds. Kiwi, good thinking on the retreat. Needless to say, that'll be our first target when we go back over. But Zelda, you said something about not liking the idea of approaching the Decayed single-file. Why not?"
"Because your shield can only take so many of those beams before it breaks." Of course, she was right; it occurred to Link that he hadn't been keeping a close eye on its durability. If they charged it head-on, they were still far enough away that a Guardian would still get at least two shots off before they were within sword range.
Zelda looked over the ridge. The Stalker was still below them, but largely ignored them. "How long do their eye beams take to charge?"
"From targeting to firing, ten seconds."
"Hmm... in that case, we'll move serpentine."
"Serpentine?"
"Yeah. We drift left and right while advancing forward. If we can drift on count nine, that should in theory give us plenty of time for it to shoot behind us while not taking us too far off our path."
Link visualized Zelda's plan as she spoke; it could definitely work. They could theoretically be on top of it and smash it to shards without taking any damage themselves, as long as they moved quickly and in unison. "All right, we'll do it your way."
"Umm, Master, I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"The Guardians can only shoot at one of us at a time, right? So why don't we spread out?"
"Hmm... good question, Kiwi. Zelda, why don't we spread out?" Link feigned ignorance, but this time Zelda saw through him. Once again he had the answer already; he was just testing her. Something about his tone made her certain of it, and she would address that later. But for now...
"The reason we don't want to spread out is because that could draw the other Guardians' fire and overwhelm us."
Link grinned. "Exactly. Spreading out is a good idea when you don't have to worry about taking fire from multiple positions. But for right now, we want to remain as small a target as possible. Does that make sense?"
"No, but if you and Mistress say it's a good idea, then I trust you, Master."
Smart people know what they know, and that tends to be it.
"Good enough for me. Let's quit wasting daylight." The heroes crossed the ridge once again and immediately dispatched the Guardian Stalker nearest their position before assaulting the Decayed.
Zelda's approach worked flawlessly. Charging the Decayed Guardians in a serpentine fashion allowed the party to swarm them without taking any damage. Combined with their keen awareness of the Stalkers, the were able to clear the field and collect all of their drops with relative ease. Once the final Guardian was defeated, the earth began to shake. Link and Zelda held their ground as another shrine burst forth from the earth. They descended into the Lakna Rokee Shrine, which contained a treasure chest and another monk. After retrieving a Giant Ancient Core from the chest – the last quest item they were searching for, but hadn't been able to find – and another Spirit Orb, they rejoined Kiwi on the surface and warped back to the Hateno Lab.
"Well done!" squealed Purah. "I knew you wouldn't let me down. In fact, I think I have enough parts to upgrade your Sheikah Slate after we finish our work. Why don't you put it in the Guidance Stone?"
"Sure, I'll give it a shot," Link shrugged as he complied with Purah's instructions. The Guidance Stone did its thing once again, and upon completion made a series of announcements:
Remote Bomb Upgraded.
Stasis Upgraded.
Sheikah Sensor Upgraded.
After Symin gave Link a brief explanation and tutorial on how the Sheikah Sensor and Compendium worked - it could be used to locate shrines (and give a count of how many were on a given floor), enemies, treasure... anything Link saved a photo of with his Sheikah Slate - their business at the Hateno Lab was concluded.
"Well, where to now?" Link asked. He had an idea of where he wanted to go next, but thought it best to consult his team before making a unilateral decision. As it turned out, he needn't have done so, for they were all on the same page.
"Actually, I'd like to spend some time in Necluda," Zelda answered. "We didn't do anything in the city other than visit the library the first time we were there."
"And I definitely need to spend some time at the Imperial Library," chirped Kiwi.
"I was thinking we should visit Necluda as well. If we travel on foot and hunt along the way, we can be there by nightfall and spend tomorrow touring the city and researching at the library."
Having come to an accord, the heroes set out for the grand city of Necluda. They fought, hunted and gathered to their hearts' content, and arrived at the city's grand inn exhausted but with much heavier pockets than they started out with. They booked a room and went about their nightly chores of selling loot and resupplying before returning to bed down for the night. Zelda showered first, while Kiwi stripped down to her bodysuit and laid down in bed.
The only bed, it suddenly dawned on Link.
Zelda emerged from the bathroom, and Link quickly and wordlessly entered it behind her. He stayed in the shower as long as he could, thinking of a way to defuse the inevitable nightmare confronting him. The idea of the three of them sharing the same bed made him uncomfortable, to say the very least. Then he recalled their first meeting with Asuna, where Zelda had not once but twice shoved a sword in her face, so she was most likely blowing her stack at Kiwi at this very moment.
Poor girl, Link thought to himself. Guess I better get out there and rescue her.
He exited the bathroom to see Zelda in the middle of the bed staring absolute daggers at him. Kiwi was to one edge of the bed, burrowed deep into the covers to the point her head just barely peeked out from them. There was another human body sized space between Zelda and the other edge, which Link didn't have to be told was for him. Without saying a word he crossed the room, turned off the light and laid down in bed, feeling Zelda latch on to him the moment he did.
This was going to be a long night, even without the barely audible snickers coming from across the room.