Chp. 20: The Keepers of Arrowfell

Atlas Academy

Headmaster's Office

A couple hours had passed as Keaton, Cassandra, Alex, Bulldog, Missionary, Ice Pick, and Steel were gathered and stood in front of General Ironwood who was sitting behind his desk.

"I'm glad you all could come. I'm relieved you were able to overcome whatever trap had been set for you," Ironwood said.

"It caught us off guard, but we managed to overcome it alongside with the aid of the Happy Huntresses," Keaton said.

"Atlas does strive to protect our own, but it's rare we must account for such a breach of faith. I'm pleased you are all safe," Ironwood said. "Now it appears you have reached the same conclusion. That caravan was meant to be a trap by none other than Olive Harper," Ironwood asked.

"So where is she?" Alex asked.

"The Lieutenant has escaped... but detaining her is not our highest priority now," Ironwood answered.

"Why is that?" Steel asked.

"That's because the real threat here isn't Harper," Bulldog answered.

"Correct. The Ace-Ops pieced together that this whole plan was secretly orchestrated by Thornmane. Amoncio Glass, who was provided the blueprints of Arrowfell technology from him, produced and distributed the tech for personal profit. The most dangerous tech, the orbs, were smuggled to Fifestone, who we believe worked under a serious threat. Only his unique semblance could power the orbs. The Lieutenant had been spying on the Atlas military from the inside. Each time our intelligence was close to a lead, she would forsake an ally in the operation to misdirect us from the truth," Ironwood explained.

"Then it was likely that she was the one who stole our weapons. And tried to frame you for the theft," Ice Pick said.

"As well as stole the copies of Penny's blueprints and gave it to our military commanders and made it out that you gave it to them," Missionary added

"Yes, the Ace-Ops have confirmed that she has done all of that too. Meanwhile, Thornmane has grown powerful enough to amass armies of Grimm with an experimental military-grade defense. What we don't know is what exactly he's targeting. However, a foe with Arrowfell access should have us on the highest alert."

"Arrowfell? The suspended military operation?" Cassandra asked.

"Right. My predecessors were the ones who put an end to the project for this very reason. The technology was deemed too dangerous and high risk in the wrong hands. The Keepers of Arrowfell were the only ones who should have had legitimate access, but their identities were taken to the grave by my predecessors. It's been a mystery and a potential hole in our security that keeps the Atlas Council up at night, but I don't believe anyone suspected it could be this dire," Ironwood explained.

"Wait, you said 'Keepers of Arrowfell?'" Keaton asked. "General, the Keepers of Arrowfell are Team BRIR!"

"Yeah. During our encounter with them, they mentioned that they were the Keepers of Arrowfell," Alex said.

"Then it's true. The unknown group of mercenaries that the Ace-Ops were looking into truly are involved... I see. I believe you all already understand what to do next. You will need to find a way into Fort Arrowfell to halt Thornmane's plans, whatever they may be. The orbs are just the beginning. Since Thornmane has infiltrated Fort Arrowfell, there are countless weapons at his disposal. I'll call the Ace-Ops in to assist where possible, but the first line of securing Fort Arrowfell and taking down Thornmane is on you," Ironwood said.

"After all the shit he's done, we're then willing to put him down," Keaton said.

"And before you all go, I would like to apologize for the accusations of stealing our blueprints for Penny that we had made against you,"Ironwood said.

"The same goes for us as well since we had accused you of stealing our weapons. We had looked into seeing if we could get the blueprints back for you, but unfortunately it was seized by the US government and we're now unable to get it back for you. For all of that, we're sorry," Keaton said.

"What's done is done. All we can do now is rectify the damage that Thornmane and Harper have caused," Ironwood said.

"Damn straight," Alex said.

"Whatever the reason for Thornmane's actions, he's not walking away free from this," Bulldog said.

"We'll be going now. And give a good ass kicking to Thornmane," Keaton said.

The Americans turned around and proceeded to leave the General's office to get ready to leave for Arrowfell.

Fort Arrowfell

An hour had passed as Keaton, Alex, Cassandra, Bulldog, Ice Pick, Missionary, and Steel, along with a platoon of American soldiers arrived at the entrance to Fort Arrowfell. It was a large, thick metallic gate and next to it saw a small control panel on the base of a mountain. Surrounding the gate were the Ace-Ops, Penny, and several Atlesian soldiers. They approached to confront the Ace-Ops and Penny.

"What is the situation here?" Keaton asked.

"Salutations! We are at a secret place!" Penny greeted.

"We were able to track Olive Harper's movements to somewhere in this proximity. The exact location of the confidential Fort Arrowfell has been an uncertainty for many years, however, we believe this may be the entrance," Clover explained.

"All right, we can definitely see it. People don't usually come from poking around out here in the frozen tundra, after all," Cassandra said.

"That and the fact that there's a big ass door here on the side of a mountain," Steel added.

"This gate has the most powerful magnetic field I have ever sensed," Penny said.

"But it won't open," Harriet said.

"One problem after another," Marrow groaned.

"Thankfully, I had suspected Arrowfell might be involved from the moment we discovered those orbs. Call it Ace-Ops intuition. As a result, Atlas military intelligence has been gathering data on the matter ever since, and I suspect there is a way inside," Clover explained.

"And I helped!" Penny exclaimed.

"Penny managed to locate the gates that we believed lead to an underground location known as the Crystal Nexus," Elm said.

"These Nexus Gates are hidden entrances to an underground network throughout Solitas. These allow the Keepers of Arrowfell to sneak about various areas," Vine said.

"And this allows them to go around undetected," Keaton said. "I knew those gates Penny found were connected somehow."

"Right. General Ironwood has informed us there's a belief that Team BRIR may be acting as the Keepers of Arrowfell. Well, I can say without their cooperation on this matter, our options became very limited. It is imperative that you guys try to convince them to assist in this gambit," Clover said.

"Now, even if Penny can hack the Nexus Gates open, the Fort Arrowfell gate here is not quite the same," Harriet said.

"We believe four unique Nexus keys are required to enter Fort Arrowfell. Find the Keepers of Arrowfell, and retrieve the four Nexus keys," Clover said.

"Penny can open those Nexus Gates?" Cassandra asked.

"I can open the Nexus Gates! I eventually figured out that I can rapidly transmit electromagnetic interrogation pulses over a few seconds. This requires that I match the frequency first, allowing me to get those signals in! One of the signals is bound to be a correct match. And then it opens! The Fort Arrowfell gate is much more sophisticated however," Penny explained.

"Each member of Team BRIR likely uses their own secret Nexus Gate to reach the Crystal Nexus. You'll need to retrace your steps throughout Solitas carefully to find them," Clover said.

"We still remember where they are located. One in Dormir, another in Crossed, another at the Tumak Ruins, and the fourth in Mantle," Alex said.

"We'll have to split up into four teams. It will be faster to find all of Team BRIR this way. Cassandra and Missionary will take Mantle. Alex and Ice Pick will head to the Tumak Ruins. Bulldog and Steel will take Crossed. I will take Dormir," Keaton instructed.

"I shall head out to open the gates for you guys. Good luck when you get to the gates!" Penny said before she blasts off into the sky and flies away.

"I guess we should head out now," Keaton said as he, Cassandra, Alex, Bulldog, Ice Pick, Missionary, and Steel turned around and were about to leave.

"Captain Gordon," Harriet called out to him as Keaton turned back around to face her. "Listen, about our little fight back in General Ironwood's office, I'm sorry for bringing up your brother in a bad light."

"And should also say sorry for bringing up Tortuga and calling you a cunt," Keaton said.

"It's fine. I deserved it anyway. Tortuga wouldn't have approved of my actions anyway," Harriet said.

"We better get going. The longer we wait, the more planning Thornmane will do with all the tech inside Arrowfell," Cassandra said.

"Right," Keaton replied.

Keaton and his team, and Bulldog and his team all turned around and walked away towards a Blackhawk helicopter.

Dormir, Atlas

An hour had passed as Keaton was walking into the cave where Penny found one of the Nexus Gates. He didn't wander far into the cave when he spotted a large metal door with lights all over it. Standing in front of the door was Penny waiting for him.

"Yay, you're here! I just wanted to say how excited I am to be on another adventure! I shall assist you and your men in your mission today!" Penny said.

"Thanks for the assist, Penny," Keaton said. "Now how do we get inside?"

"Now that I know the way, it's actually quite straight-forward. Allow me to demonstrate. Matching the frequency of the gate," Penny said as she turned around to face the gate before raising her hand at it for a moment. "Got it!"

"What did you do?" Keaton asked.

"Now I will begin transmitting a series of electromagnetic interrogation pulses at a rate of fourteen thousand per second! When a match is found, the gate will respond. Let us begin," Penny explained.

She raises both her hands at the gate and after a minute had passed, Penny gave out an ecstatic smile.

"Ah! That is it! I will now deactivate the magnetic seal and open the gate," Penny said.

She kept her hands raised at the gate as the lights on it flashed brightly for a moment and the gate slid open down into the ground. Penny turns around to face Keaton.

"You may enter," she said.

"Thank you, Penny. Go on ahead and open the other gates for my team," Keaton said.

"I shall follow this task!" Penny replied.

Penny then walks past Keaton and makes her way out of the cave. Keaton enters through the gate and into the tunnel leading him to the Crystal Nexus.

Keaton had been walking through an icy cave with light reflecting off a few places, creating a beautiful scenery all around the marine. He could help but admire his surroundings. As he did, he then spotted Bianca standing in front of a large ice column looking back at him.

"I see you've come to the Crystal Nexus with a purpose, I presume," Bianca said.

"Yes, ma'am. I am not here looking for a fight," Keaton replied.

"I've been observing you closely since the moment you first reached Essen, and I now believe you do not wish to disrupt what we defend. If you have resorted to drastic measures to simply reach us, then I understand this is a dire situation," Bianca said.

"It is. I came here because we need your aid. We need access to Fort Arrowfell," Keaton said.

"I see... As a fellow team leader, I understand the weight you carry on behalf of your team. It took bravery to approach us here in the Crystal Nexus, and I do not take that lightly. As it so happens, the four of us have just come to understand we've been deceived by the very individual who hired us as mercenary Huntresses," Bianca said.

"Bram Thornmane," Keaton said.

"Correct. With knowledge of the oath we once took as Keepers of Arrowfell, he swindled us into becoming cogs in his machine. I owe you an apology for doubting you. We fight with the same ambition of defending the innocent population of Solitas, if not all of Remnant itself," Bianca said.

"Yes, we do," Keaton said.

"I bestow this upon you. A passing of the baton, if you will, from where the Keepers of Arrowfell have failed," Bianca said as she reached into her pocket and pulled something out.

It was a keycard with a cyan snowflake emblem on it. She then hands it over to Keaton.

"If you've not yet, you'll need to reach my teammates by your own means. They may not be easily swayed. Know, however, that we all see the truth now," Bianca said.

"Thank you, Bianca," Keaton said.

"I believe in you Americans," Bianca said.

Crossed, Atlas

Crystal Nexus

Meanwhile at the ruins of Crossed, Bulldog and Steel Had just entered inside the Crystal Nexus after Penny opened the gate for them. They wander through the icy caverns searching for one of the members of Team BRIR.

"One of the Keepers has got to be here somewhere," Steel said.

After walking around a corner they spotted Ivy leaning against a rock wall. She looked up at the two soldiers as they approached.

"Breaking into the Crystal Nexus... Don't think I trust you guys for a second!" Ivy said as she pulled out Pins and Needles.

"Relax, lady! Let us explain ourselves first before you start attacking," Bulldog said.

"I've had my eye on you ever since the moment you entered through the Nexus Gate... and that's why I believe you are not here to cause any harm," Ivy said as she put away her whip.

"Thanks, Ivy. We came here to ask for assistance. We need-" Ivy cuts off Steel and speaks.

"Hey, what did I say earlier? Don't go thinking we're friends and asking for favors now! How can I trust you, after what Thornmane did?"

"That's exactly it, Ivy. That asshole tricked us too. He tricked everybody around him, and now we need to put a stop to him and his plans," Bulldog answered. "With full access to Fort Arrowfell, who knows what he could be up to?"

"Don't remind me... we've blatantly failed in our duty as the Keepers of Arrowfell," Ivy said.

"Not yet! There's still a chance to set in motion a redemption. We need your Nexus key to enter the compound and drag Thormane's ass straight down to Hell!" Steel said.

"Hmph. Alright. I've got nothing to lose at this point," Ivy said as she pulled out her Nexus key that has an emblem of a blue fish and handed it to Bulldog. "Go on and put an end to Thornmane. But just know, that Nexus key is no good on its own. Make sure you've talked to the rest of my teammates and explain the situation. Our four Nexus keys united is what grants access to Fort Arrowfell."

"Thanks," Steel said.

"Don't get all sappy about it. And get going, all right? You've got a complete madman to whip!" Ivy said.

Mantle, Atlas

Crystal Nexus

Meanwhile in the city of Mantle, Cassandra and Missionary had just entered inside the Crystal Nexus after Penny gave them access to it. After a few minutes of wandering through the ice caverns, they soon spotted Ruda who was messing around with Wear and Tear. She looks up as she hears Cassandra and Missionary approaching.

"Wh-who's there?!" Ruda demanded as she got into a stance.

"Relax, it's just us," Cassandra answered as Ruda readied her drills.

"Jeez, she said relax! We're not looking for a fight here!" Missionary said.

"What are you doing here?" Ruda asked.

"We came to seek a favor from you... from one team betrayed by Thornmane, to another," Cassandra answered.

"Alright... When you word it that way, I'm listening," Ruda said as she lowered her drills.

"We want to borrow your Nexus key," Missionary said.

"Why?" Ruda asked.

"Because if we had that, we could gain access to Fort Arrowfell and take the bastard Thornmane down," Cassandra answered.

"It's not really useful by itself you know," Ruda said.

"We are aware of that. The rest of my teammates are spread out seeing if they can get one from each of you," Cassandra said.

"Well, I guess if everyone else is okay with it too..." Ruda said as she then reaches into her pocket and pulls out her Nexus key as it has an emblem of a red vase with a white diagonal stripe, and hands it to Cassandra. "Take the Nexus key! I want to see Thornmane stopped! His plan is egomaniacal, and will put people in danger for senseless reasons! Not only that, but that jerk duped us. And it's one thing if you want to trick me... but the rest of Team BRIR? They're like my sisters, okay? We've trained so together; our semblances are perfectly in sync! You saw how we struck that Megoliath? That's because of the faith we all share in each other! A team like ours... you don't see it every day. So, I have to protect them, just like they would protect me. Thornmane took advantage of us all. I can't let it happen."

Ruda paused for a moment to catch her breath from her rant before continuing.

"Whew. It felt good to get that off my chest. I don't usually talk so much."

"You do have a cause to fight for, Ruda. Your team," Missionary said.

"And in a way the same goes for me too. So from ours to yours, we're gonna take whatever his plans are, andshove 'em down his dickhole," Cassandra said.

"I'll be rooting for you guys!" Ruda said with a confident smile.

Tumak Ruins

Crystal Nexus

Meanwhile in the Tumak Ruins, Alex and Ice Pick had just entered through the gate leading to the Crystal Nexus thanks to Penny giving them access. As they wandered through the caverns, they heard something click nearby. Alex and Ice Pick turned to see Roane pointing Drop and Roll at them.

"Halt! I won't let you take another step into the Crystal Nexus!" Roane declared. "Seriously, don't try it! You'll be burnt to a crisp in a fraction of a second!"

"Whoa! Take it easy there, woman! We're not here looking for a fight here. We just want to talk!" Alex said.

"And why exactly should I do something like that?" Roane asked.

"Because we share a common enemy. And that enemy's name is Bram Thornmane," Ice Pick answered.

"I still can't believe he bamboozled us like that," Roane said with a sigh, lowering her flamethrower.

"We know how you gals feel. We too were tricked by him. But now's not the time to feel bad about it. We're here because we'd like to ask for your Nexus key. We believe with that key, we can enter Fort Arrowfell and Bring Thornmane in," Alex said.

"I can't just give you the Nexus key! It's what makes me a Keeper of Arrowfell. Besides, it's useless on its own, you know that right?" Roane asked.

"That's why our teammates are spread out and are hoping to speak to each of you and gather the keys," Ice Pick said.

"You did kind of break into our hideout... but I've got to admit, your ambition is infectious. All right," Roane said as she pulled a Nexus key with an emblem of a dark olive green cog on it from her pocket, and handed it over to Alex.

"We can't thank you enough for this, Roane," Ice Pick said.

"If giving you that Nexus key is all it takes to see Thornmane get served, I'm ready. Get into Fort Arrowfell and burn it all down!" Roane said, giving Alex and Ice Pick a thumbs up. "There's no room in Solitas for double-crossers like Thornmane who endanger innocents."

"Thank you for your duty, Roane. You are now and always a Keeper of Arrowfell. We're just going to carry the torch for a bit, alright?" Alex asked.

"You guys aren't so bad. Let's all have a barbeque after this is done, what do you say?" Roane asked.

"Sounds like a plan. You got my mouth watering now," Ice Pick said with a chuckle.

Author's Note: Today is a Leap day. So I decided to release a chapter early for today.