Guardian Ariko

Chapter Thirty-Two

Ariko was charged into the shrine's console, staring at the night sky quietly. It'd been hard for the party to start up again, but once it did, Ariko had settled for simply sitting where it was and accepting the odd proposal of gratitude. The concept of a 'mood' was an unusual one to Ariko, but it suspected that its own mood was... not at its best.

"Guardian? Are you awake?"

Ariko's turret swiveled to watch Impa as she hobbled towards him, her gait a little slower than usual. Her hesitation was obvious.

It waited until she was closer to speak. "Y-Yes. W-What is it?"

She paused in front of him, placing her hands on the top of her walking stick. Standing for a moment, she got her thoughts together. Ariko patiently waited.

"Ariko..." The Guardian's eye widened slightly in surprise. Impa tended to avoid using its name, often employing its more formal title. Whatever it was that she was about to talk about, it was likely going to be an important topic.

Finally, she quietly began, "Do you recall what I told you when you hid Kupa?"

Ariko briefly examined its memory. It only took a moment before it found the memory, and it returned its attention to Impa. "Y-Yes. That some of the villagers here knew my race to be that of..." It made a curious chime as it remembered the exact phrase. "Senseless v-violence, correct?"

She winced but nodded in uncomfortable agreement. "Yes, that is what I said. Although I was somewhat frustrated at the time, it remains a true statement."

Ariko's eye narrowed. "R-Remains?"

Impa swallowed. This was clearly a difficult topic. "Ariko... other Guardians still roam Hyrule."

The Guardian almost literally jumped to its feet, its claw jerking out of the console. Impa stumbled backward in surprise, nearly falling over. Ariko made no move to help her. "W-What?"

Impa's walking stick fell over as she landed on the ground, wincing in clear pain. "They do not think like you, Ariko! They do not have... will."

If Ariko had been curious before, it was now furious. "You insult my creators."

There was no stammer in its speech at the moment, although it was a few seconds before Ariko realized it had spoken in its original language. Impa seemed to be familiar enough that it didn't bother her. Getting back to her feet, she raised one hand defensively towards its eye. "Your creators are my ancestors, Ariko! I have nothing but the greatest respect for the Sheikah! But the Guardians traversing the areas around Hyrule have been corrupted by Malice! They cannot be reaso-"

Ariko slammed a claw on the ground, and stones bounced from the impact. "Guardians were created to defend!"

Impa rolled backward with startling agility and ended on her feet, throwing one hand wide and stabilizing herself with her walking stick. "Ariko, I promise that-"

Ariko had been angry on only two occasions. This one was more severe than either of them. Without another word, Ariko pushed past her and headed for the battle-scarred pass out of Kakariko Village. Impa followed it, raising a hand. "Ariko, wait!"

The Guardian paused out of sheer habit, and she continued. "If you are going to leave... head for Hateno. There is a laboratory there. Ask for Purah when you get there. She knows more about Guardians than any others I know."

Ariko memorized the instructions but was still furious enough that it didn't want to stay any longer. It strode towards the pass and carefully jumped into the narrow passage.

It didn't miss Impa's quiet whisper.

"Good luck, Ariko. And be careful."