The voices of Wolf Lord Bloodhowl and Zeke were so loud that everyone present heard his plan to kill Abaddon.
This time, the long-range hologram of the Dark Angel did not offer a cynical remark.
"Wolf Lord, this is a joke, right?" Creed asked.
"Of course not," Bloodhowl shook his head like a rattle. "To be honest, I already had this intention before I even arrived."
Lord Castellan Creed was momentarily speechless. "But we don't have to take such a risk. No one knows what is inside the Blackstone Fortress. The risk is too great."
Zeke remembered that in the original lore, Bloodhowl's raid was actually half-successful, causing Abaddon a great deal of trouble.
"I support Bloodhowl's plan," Zeke spoke up. "Even if we can't kill Abaddon, the Bloodfist's Fang can disrupt the progress of the Blackstone Fortress."
"Can't kill Abaddon? Kid, those are some unpleasant words. But I agree with the second half. Lord Castellan Creed, you can't keep hiding in your shell on Cadia forever."
Bloodhowl's words hit Creed where it hurt.
It was true. Even if he chose to defend blindly, he could at most save a single Kasr. But what about the other Kasr's on Cadia?
After a long silence, Creed finally managed a sentence: "I support you."
"That's the spirit, Lord Castellan," Bloodhowl grinned.
"The Adeptus Mechanicus can also provide some Skitarii aircraft to assist you. They understand the internal structure of the fortress better than ordinary men," Magos Klein announced.
"I can ask my brothers, if they are willing," the Raven Guard Arshal added.
"The Cadian 13th Regiment. This is the greatest help I can offer you. May the Emperor protect you." Creed waved his hand, declaring the meeting over.
"Then I'll rest here for a few more days. Once the troops are assembled, I'll find a way to give Abaddon a real blast."
Before leaving, Wolf Lord Bloodhowl said to Zeke:
"Kid, if you want to come, you'll recognize the reddest and most dazzling ship at a glance. Remember to bring your iron heaps along; I have a feeling they'll be of great use on the Blackstone Fortress."
Zeke asked a question: "How do I return?"
He didn't think for a second that Bloodhowl's plan included a safe return trip.
"You'll have to figure that out yourself. After all, this is a one-way trip, and we're only going that way as a detour."
Bloodhowl laughed heartily and swaggered out of the hall.
"You're going with him?" Creed expressed his disapproval.
"Lord Castellan," Zeke didn't answer directly, "I need a lot of gold. Do you have any?"
He also needed various types of andesite, granite, and massive amounts of iron—all essential materials for developing his Minecraft abilities.
"I will do my best to collect them for you," Creed said, still trying to persuade him to stay.
Too slow. And while I wait for you, I might as well go there. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
"Don't worry. Before I leave, I will help you create enough Iron Golems to launch Project Titanfall."
"Then how will you get back?" Creed asked again.
Zeke smiled. "I want to ask you to find something. Consider it a down payment for the Iron Golems."
"What is it?"
"A Stasis Field."
–
Zeke watched as Lord Castellan Creed spoke with the Black Templars. Creed had to pay a significant price to convince them.
"Since it is the Lord Castellan's request..."
Amalrich stood up, and Zeke followed him out to a Tauros Venator.
The storage hatch at the rear of the vehicle slid open, revealing an internally sophisticated device.
"This Stasis Field was originally intended for storing precious artifacts," Amalrich explained.
The device's interior lit up. In the space about half a meter above the device, light began to bend toward a central point, forming a transparent spherical region.
The image inside the sphere became blurred; time was being stretched thin there.
Zeke pulled an Ender Pearl from his backpack.
He took a few steps back, stood firm, aimed at the spherical area enveloped by the Stasis Field, and threw the Ender Pearl.
The pearl traced an arc through the air. Before entering the range of the Stasis Field, it followed the laws of gravity like any ordinary projectile.
But once it entered the Stasis Field, the Ender Pearl's flight slowed more and more until it eventually hung silently, suspended in the center of the field.
The Ender Pearl had been paused.
This was Zeke's insurance policy.
Once the Stasis Field was deactivated, the frozen Ender Pearl would continue its unfinished motion, flying forward to strike an object and triggering the teleportation.
No matter where Zeke was, he would be instantly teleported back to Cadia.
Zeke turned to Creed with an air of entrustment: "Lord Castellan, I need you to promise me one thing."
"Speak," Creed said, realizing the gravity of the matter.
"This Stasis Field." Zeke pointed at the suspended Ender Pearl. "Five days. If I haven't returned from Solar Mariatus in five days, shut down this Stasis Field."
"I promise you, Zeke. I hope you won't need it," Creed replied.
Zeke returned to his camp through the tunnels. The first thing he did was find Cow and, feeling a bit guilty, squeezed out several large buckets of beast milk.
Next, he asked Bela for a large amount of mushroom stew while expanding a plot of land specifically for growing pumpkins.
Using some of the iron ingots Creed had managed to scrape together, he created a large number of Iron Golems. Some were stationed at various points around the Kasr Kraf.
The rest began training alongside soldiers hand-picked by Kell who met the requirements for Project Titanfall.
Two days flashed by.
On the morning of the third day, at the largest spaceport boarding platform of the Kasr Kraf...
A mixed force had already assembled.
Led by the Space Wolves, the force was peppered with personnel from the Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii and the Cadian Regiment.
Zeke arrived as scheduled. Three Iron Golems followed behind him, and his backpack was stocked with all the materials needed to create an entire army of Iron Golems.
Five minutes later, Lord Castellan Creed gave a brief departure speech.
Two hours later, boarding was complete. Ground crews began clearing the platform and escorting non-essential personnel away.
As night fell, the engines ignited one by one, their searing exhaust plumes creating turquoise afterburner rings.
Shortly after, the Battle Barge plunged headlong toward the Eye of Terror, vanishing over the horizon.
Zeke watched the surface of Cadia grow smaller. He saw his camp shrinking.
He saw that stone pillar—the "Pillar of Hope" he had built with stone and torches to gather his people.
Then, he could see nothing but a massive, earthy-yellow planet appearing before him. That was Cadia.
--
Powerstones Goal = 150 Powerstones.