Aegis Eater

Poppi Power!

The factory was absolutely massive. Tirkin guards armed with spears or battle horns and tired, disheveled Nopon workers shuffled around the main floor below. Massive blast doors sat on one side of the factory, there were multiple strange doors with blue and red lights, and grated staircases everywhere, leading up to the catwalk where they watched everything down below.

"This definitely look like right place..." Tora whispered.

"What are those?" Nia asked, pointing down to a manufacturing line, where robotic frames where being produced. "Some kind of robots?"

"If Lila come here, then they likely Artifical Blades beings mass produced." Tora said. "Probably have lots of shortcuts taken in manufacturing process! This place insult to all great Artifical Blade makers, like Tora and Dadapon Tatazo!"

"We better look around then. If Lila's here, then Tatazo should be too. And if our hunch was right, Bana will be here somewhere too." Rex said.

"There is a rather large vent over there." Dromarch said, looking at a large vent cover. "I reckon it's the main system."

"Let's start by getting in there." Nia said. "A few guards around though... shouldn't be too much of an issue though."

"We should be careful nonetheless." Gramps said. "If we cause too much of a ruckus, the entire factory will know we're here."

"So keep it quiet. No problem." Rex said. "Let's split up, take them from different angles."

...

Rex used the hilt of his sword to hit a guard Tirkin on the back of the head, catching it before it fell and made a loud noise against the grate floor. He lowered the limp Tirkin to the floor before he waved to Nia and Dromarch who took out another one. Tora and Poppi took the main vent cover off the wall as they all hopped in. Tora pulled the cover back in place behind them as they shuffled through the main ventilation system of the factory.

"This is an unnecessarily spacious vent..." Dromarch regarded as he raised his head. The large tiger didn't have to duck down or anything to make his way through as he led them through the vent. They reached a part where it spread out around a grate in the floor of the vent.

They slowly cracked open the grate and looked down to see a Tirkin watching an old Nopon tinkering with a control panel, tools scattered around where the Nopon was working. The Tirkin began getting impatient and poked the Nopon with its spear. "Old ball too slow! Work faster!"

The Nopon threw a wrench at the Tirkin's head as he turned to face it, aggravated. "Stupid bird brain have shred of patience, and Tatazo would have told idiot that it was finished! Bana lucky he have Tatazo or his ridiculous money making scheme not work at all! Why not go tell your crooked boss that it's done?" Tatazo said as he turned his back to pack up his tools.

"So Bana is our guy." Nia whispered.

"Supposedly. But we don't know for 100% certain, so we still shouldn't quite jump to conclusions just yet." Gramps answered.

"Either way, this proves that this factory is his." Rex said. "So we at least know he's connected to all this."

"Dadapon..." Tora said as he jumped down.

"No! Tora!" Rex whispered.

"See? That not so ha-" The Tirkin got knocked out by Tora's shield bonking it on the back of the head as he landed on the floor. Tatazo turned in shock.

"W-who..." Tatazo began with a start before realization flashed across his beady eyes.

"Are you... Tatazo?" Tora asked.