The company didn't spend long at the East Akkala Trading Post. While the people at the trading post weren't unwelcoming, the company could tell their presence there was awkward.
The ride to the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab was, for the most part, quiet. No one felt like opining on Claude's actions, and there wasn't much else on anyone's mind.
"What kind of weapons do you think they make at the tech lab?" Annette finally asked.
"Ones that can destroy Guardians," Ingrid answered.
"What makes you say that?" Raphael asked.
Ingrid pointed to where several half-destroyed Guardians were partially buried. "That's solid evidence."
"Ah. I see," Raphael said.
Hilda looked at a destroyed Guardian closely. "Looks like someone gutted its insides."
Suddenly, one of the Guardians started moving. Not waiting for the Guardian to start attacking, Hilda yelped and brought her axe down on one of its six legs, severing the leg and breaking the axe.
"You idiot girl! Now I have to fix it!"
The company turned to see a diminutive Sheikah man, slightly stooped, with a shock of white hair that extended out from behind his head in every direction. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of thick goggles. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to build a Guardian that is free from Ganon's influence?" the man demanded. "I had to destroy many Guardians, salvage what pieces I could, make sure none of them were broken or infected with Malice. This project took me three years!"
"It's not my fault your Guardian looks just like the ones that want to kill us," Hilda protested.
"Robbie, I presume?" Lorenz asked.
"Yes, that's me," Robbie said grumpily. He started taking apart the leg that Hilda had broken. "I can fix this. Clearly it needed a better casing anyway."
"Purah sent us to meet with you," Ferdinand told him.
"Yes, yes, she told me to expect an entire company," Robbie confirmed. He pointed at Link. "Take off your shirt."
"What?" Link asked.
"Take it off! I need to see your scars to know for sure that it's you!" Robbie demanded. Link was still confused, but he acquiesced.
"One hundred years ago, I personally laid you down in the Shrine of Resurrection. I know every cut, burn, and scar that you sustained in the battle against the Guardians." Robbie's voice shook slightly, and Link could see the shine of tears at the corners of his eyes. "I wasn't sure if I would ever see you again—I don't even know if your body had any life remaining in it in those last moments." He smiled surprisingly warmly. "It is good to see you again, Link."
"Hmm, so you already managed to defeat the piece of Ganon in Divine Beast Vah Ruta?" Robbie asked. His wife, Jerrin, had brought them tea. She was younger than Robbie, though she could still hardly be called youthful.
"Yes," Link confirmed. "But the only thing that seemed to damage it badly enough to be a serious threat was Flayn's magic. And Flayn isn't going with us to Goron City."
"So, you need weapons," Robbie said. "Well, you came to the right place. I have been studying the ancient Sheikah technology for decades. I've built weapons the like of which you will find nowhere else in Hyrule."
"That's good," Link said.
"Now," Robbie said, taking Link to a storeroom, "what kind of weapons are you looking for?"
"The Ancient Bowcaster can be used by anyone competent with a crossbow," Robbie explained as he held up what looked like a crossbow. "Observe."
Instead of a crossbow bolt, the Bowcaster fired a beam of light that exploded when it hit the ruined Guardian Robbie had used as a target.
"That's not a crossbow, it's an artillery piece!" Raphael said, amazed.
Petra shrugged. "It is loud. Not good for hunting."
"It could come in handy," Link admitted. "What else do you have?"
"Ancient Flails!" Robbie presented.
"They look impressive," Link said carefully, "but I don't know how to use them."
"Ancient Armor!" Robbie presented Annette in a suit of armor with a heavy Guardian motif, especially the conical helmet which looked like a Guardian's body. "With a targeting rangefinder in the helmet!"
Annette removed the helmet. "I can't see in this thing."
Robbie sighed.
"Ancient Bladesaw!" Robbie presented. Annette used the Bladesaw to cut through a tree trunk.
"I like it," Annette said.
Robbie's weapons only started to get more and more complex and difficult to use. "What do you have that's basic?" Link asked.
"Well, if you want to live the boring life, there's the Ancient Shortsword," Robbie suggested. "I've got an Ancient Claymore, an Ancient War Axe, and a couple of Ancient Bows."
"We'll take them," Link said.
Robbie handed over the items. "Don't leave just yet. I've got something really special I've been working on."
Link followed Robbie back into the lab, where Jerrin was standing by a strange-looking machine. "How much time left?" Robbie asked.
"Two minutes and sixteen seconds," Jerrin informed him.
"Come on, Cherry, you can do it," Robbie said.
"Ahem?" Jerrin gave him an angry look.
"Sorry. Old habits," Robbie said sheepishly.
Jerrin sighed. "I suppose I can forgive it this once, considering what we're doing."
"Warning! Warning! Power overload! Shutting down!" the machine said as it began to emit smoke.
"Damn!" Robbie shouted. He opened the machine and pulled out what was probably intended to be some kind of Ancient Tech arrow, but instead of glowing like ancient tech, it was sparking and smoking. "Another failure."
"We'll get it right eventually," Jerrin assured him.
"I'm sorry, Link. I can't give you an ultimate weapon after all," Robbie said sadly.
"It's okay," Link assured him.
"You said you needed to go to the Labyrinth, right?" Robbie said. "Well, you won't need your full party. You should leave someone here to learn how to maintain the Ancient Weapons."
"Are they hard to maintain?" Link asked.
"Oh yes, very hard," Robbie confirmed. "You'll need someone with a strong work ethic to ensure the weapons are cleaned and maintained."
After a few seconds, Annette raised her hand. "I'll do it!"
"Very well, then," Robbie said. "I suppose you'll want me to put some of your friends up for the night while you go maze-running?"
"If you can," Link said.
"Sure. Fine," Robbie agreed.
Link turned to his companions. "So. Who wants to see the ruins?"