The group gathered at the edge of the Keycatrich Trench, a jagged scar in the earth now crawling with Imperial activity.
The air hummed with the low-frequency thrum of a Magitek Field Generator, a massive pylon that projected a shimmering red dome over the ruins.
"That field is a problem,"
Ignis noted, peering through his binoculars.
"It'll drain Noct's magic the moment he tries to warp. We'll be sitting ducks."
"That's where we come in,"
Theodore said, checking the seal on his mana-infused gloves he brought from the vendor.
"2B and I will slip in and take down the generator. 9S, you stay here with the Prince and provide overwatch. Once the dome drops, that's your cue to go loud."
9S nodded, his Pod unfolding a long-range antenna.
"I'll loop their comms. If they try to call for reinforcements, they'll just hear static and 'Goldfish' by the Chocobo band."
Theodore and 2B moved with practiced silence, sliding down the sandstone cliffs into the trench.
Theodore activated Wind Walk, but instead of using it for a speed-blitz, he used the lack of air resistance to move without making a sound, even over the crunching gravel.
Two Magitek Troopers stood guard near a drainage pipe. 2B moved first.
She didn't use her blade; she used a high-tensile wire, snapping it around their neck joints and pulling.
The mechanical heads popped off with a muffled hiss of hydraulic fluid. Theodore caught the bodies, lowering them silently into the shadows.
They bypassed the main courtyard, using the verticality of the ruins. Theodore's STR 10 allowed him to haul himself up ledges with a single hand, while 2B leaped with inhuman grace.
They reached the heart of the base: the Magitek Field Generator.
"There it is,"
Theodore whispered. The pylon was guarded by a MA-Veles, a small, bipedal mech with a heavy machine gun.
"I will neutralize the pilot unit,"
2B whispered back.
"You focus on the core."
Theodore waited for 2B to move. She dropped from the ceiling, her blade driving through the cockpit of the Veles mech before it could even swivel its turret.
[Skill Activated: Giant Strength]
Theodore didn't waste a second. He lunged at the generator's cooling vent.
He didn't just punch it; he funneled his mana into a concentrated burst.
His palm struck the core, and with the 50% strength boost, he felt the internal gears shatter.
KRAK-BOOM.
The red dome above them flickered once, twice, and then shattered like glass.
The oppressive weight on the air vanished instantly.
"The field is down! Noct, move in!"
Theodore yelled into his comms.
With the field gone, the "Four Brothers" didn't hold back. Noctis warped into the center of the base, his sword trailing blue light as he tore through the disorganized troopers.
Gladiolus followed like a wrecking ball, and Prompto began picking off targets from the ridge.
Theodore and 2B met them in the middle of the courtyard, forming a lethal circle.
"Theodore! Watch your six!"
Prompto shouted, firing a flare to distract a heavy trooper.
Theodore spun, using the tail-end of his Giant Strength to catch the trooper's swinging bayonet.
He twisted the weapon out of the machine's hands and drove it through its own chest plate.
"Thanks for the assist, Prompto!"
The battle was short and decisive. Without their field generator, the Magitek units were just mindless puppets.
The group pushed into the deepest part of the trench, finding the entrance to the Tomb of the Conqueror.
Inside, the air was cold and smelled of ancient stone.
Noctis stepped forward, the Halberd of the King manifesting in the air.
As he absorbed it, Theodore saw the Prince's stance shift—he was becoming heavier, more grounded. The power of the Kings was taking root.
Cor Leonis stepped out from the shadows of the tomb, nodding in approval.
"You move faster than I anticipated. The Empire is already scrambling. They've designated your vehicles as 'High Value Targets.'"
Theodore looked at 2B and 9S.
"Looks like our road trip just got a lot more interesting."
9S checked his tablet.
"Theodore... I'm picking up a massive signature approaching from the East. It's not a dropship. It's bigger. It's moving the very earth itself."
Theodore's eyes widened.
"The Titan. The Archaean is calling."