Chapter 32: First Light
The morning mist clung to the ruins of the European Dead Zone as Adam's jumpship descended toward the old church. Blake, Yang, and Weiss checked their weapons one final time as they prepared for transmat. After two weeks of Crucible training, this would be their first real patrol.
"Remember," Adam's voice carried over their comms, "this isn't the Crucible. No resurrections if things go wrong. Stay alert, stay together."
"We know," Yang replied, checking Escape Velocity's action. "You've only reminded us about fifty times since we left the Tower."
"Fifty-three," Blake corrected dryly, Nightfang's blade gleaming in the dim light of the ship's hold. "But who's counting?"
"Clearly you are," Weiss said, adjusting Randy's Throwing Knife's sights. Her tone grew more serious. "He's right though. We need to be careful."
The ship slowed to a hover over their landing zone. "Fallen activity detected in the area," Blush reported, her crimson eye scanning the terrain. "Multiple signatures around the church."
"Perfect," Adam said. "Time to put your training to use. Preparing for transmat."
Light enveloped them as they materialized on the ground, weapons ready. The old church loomed before them, its walls scarred by centuries of conflict. Fallen banners hung from broken windows, marking their territory.
"Yang, take point," Adam commanded, Rose already in his hand. "Blake, watch our flanks. Weiss, maintain overwatch with that scout rifle."
They moved forward in practiced formation, muscle memory from countless Crucible matches guiding their positioning. The morning fog provided natural cover as they approached the church's outer walls.
A Fallen skiff roared overhead, but they held position, letting it pass. "Patrol ship," Adam noted. "They're getting bolder, pushing closer to the Firebase."
"Speaking of bold," Yang whispered, gesturing toward movement ahead. A group of Dregs was gathering supplies near a makeshift barricade, their backs turned.
Adam nodded. "Show me what you've learned."
Blake vanished into shadow as Yang readied Escape Velocity. Weiss found her position, Randy's Throwing Knife steady in her hands. They moved like a well-oiled machine, each knowing their role.
The first Dreg fell to Weiss's precise shot, the crack of her scout rifle sending the others scrambling for cover. Yang pushed forward, Escape Velocity's rounds keeping them pinned while Blake emerged from void-shadow behind them. Nightfang's blade sang through the morning air, ending two more before they could raise their weapons.
"Contact right!" Yang called out, already shifting to face new threats. A Vandal captain and its escort had emerged from the church, shock rifles charging.
"I see them," Weiss confirmed, her scout rifle cracking twice more. The Vandal's shields flared but held as it dove for cover.
Blake moved like liquid shadow, her void abilities letting her flank unseen. The Captain raised its rifle just as Yang's Solar Light erupted, the explosion forcing it off balance. Blake's blade found its mark in the moment of vulnerability.
"Efficient," Adam noted, Rose still ready but unfired. "But watch your spacing. Yang, you're still pushing too far ahead."
"Old habits," Yang admitted, falling back to a more tactical position. "At least I didn't try to punch everything this time."
"Progress," Adam said dryly. "Now, let's clear the church. Remember your roles, watch your corners, and—"
"Stay together," they finished in unison.
"I think," Blake said as they moved toward the church entrance, "that makes fifty-four."
The church interior was a maze of fallen debris and Fallen fortifications. Sunlight filtered through broken stained glass, casting colored shadows across their path. They moved carefully, clearing each section with practiced precision.
"Multiple contacts ahead," Weiss reported, her Ghost highlighting signatures on their HUDs. "Looks like they've set up some kind of command post in the bell tower."
"Then we clear it," Adam said simply. "Just like we practiced. Blake, find us a path."
Blake's void-enhanced senses mapped the shadows, finding the gaps in the Fallen patrols. "There's a route up through the eastern stairs. Less defended."
"Good." Adam checked Rose's cylinder. "Yang, you know what to do."
Yang's grin was fierce as Solar Light began gathering around her fists. "Make a lot of noise and look pretty doing it?"
"While we flank," Blake confirmed, sharing a knowing look with Weiss.
They split into their practiced formation - Yang pushing up the main approach while Blake and Weiss moved to supporting positions. Adam watched with quiet approval as they executed their plan with smooth efficiency.
Yang's advance drew exactly the response they'd expected. Fallen poured from their positions to meet the aggressive Titan, shock rifles filling the air with crackling energy. But they'd learned from two weeks of dying to Penny's aerial superiority. Yang kept to cover, using controlled bursts of Escape Velocity to maintain pressure without exposing herself.
Blake struck first, emerging from shadow above the Fallen position. Nightfang carved through a Vandal before it could raise the alarm. On the opposite side, Weiss's scout rifle picked off targets with surgical precision, each shot placed to disrupt their attempts to coordinate.
The Captain commanding the post bellowed orders, trying to rally its forces. But they'd practiced this too many times in the Crucible. Yang pushed at exactly the right moment, her Solar Light erupting as Blake and Weiss collapsed the trap. The Captain never saw the blade that ended it.
"Clear," Blake called out, Nightfang's edge still humming with void energy.
"Confirmed," Weiss added, scanning the area through her rifle's scope. "No more hostile signatures in range."
Adam finally stepped forward, examining their handiwork. The entire assault had taken less than two minutes. "Better," he acknowledged. "Much better."
"Thanks to your training," Blake said quietly.
"No," Adam corrected, holstering Rose. "Thanks to your willingness to learn from it. Now, secure the area. We'll use this as a forward operating base for the rest of the patrol."
As they moved to their tasks, Adam allowed himself a small smile. They were ready. Not just for patrols, but for what waited on the Dreadnaught. Ruby had chosen well, bringing them back as Guardians.
Now they just had to survive what came next.
"Hey Adam," Yang called out, her voice carrying a hint of mischief. "Since we did so well, does this mean you'll stop reminding us to stay together?"
"No," he replied immediately. Then, after a pause: "But I might remind you less often."
"Fifty-five," Blake muttered, but there was affection in her tone.
The morning sun climbed higher, burning away the mist as they secured their position. The church would serve as their base for the next few days, a staging point for clearing the surrounding area. But more importantly, it had proved something crucial - they weren't just survivors anymore.
They were Guardians, ready to face whatever darkness awaited them.
The afternoon sun cast long shadows through the church's broken windows as Blush's warning broke their quiet patrol. "Multiple Fallen skiffs incoming," the Ghost reported, her crimson eye tracking the ships' approach. "Energy signatures suggest they're carrying mining equipment."
Adam was already moving. "Glimmer drill," he said tersely. "They're setting up for a major extraction operation."
"Glimmer?" Yang asked, Escape Velocity already in her hands. "That's the programmable matter stuff, right?"
"Raw potential in material form," Weiss confirmed, adjusting Randy's Throwing Knife's scope to track the descending skiffs. "The Fallen use it for everything from weapons to technology."
"And they'll defend their mining operations aggressively," Blake added, Nightfang's blade gleaming as she checked its edge.
"Exactly," Adam nodded. "This is a priority target. We can't let them extract that much Glimmer from the area." His hand cannon, Rose, seemed to hum with anticipation. "Time to put your training to a real test."
The first skiff dropped its cargo with a thunderous impact - a massive drill assembly that immediately began boring into the earth. Fallen troops rappelled down on shock lines, taking up defensive positions around the site.
"Three waves," Adam explained quickly as they observed from cover. "They'll bring in reinforcements as the drill works. We need to disable it before they can complete the extraction."
"Just like the simulations," Yang grinned, Solar Light already flickering around her fists.
"Except this time the Fallen won't politely wait for us to resurrect," Blake reminded her partner. "We do this smart."
"Weiss, take high ground in the bell tower," Adam commanded. "Blake, work the flanks. Yang - draw their attention, but this time—"
"Stay in cover, maintain tactical positioning, and don't try to punch the Captain," Yang finished. "I know, I know. Fifty-six."
The drill's whine grew louder as it chewed through layers of earth, Glimmer deposits already beginning to crystallize around its base. The Fallen Captain overseeing the operation barked orders in its harsh language, directing its troops to fortify their position.
"On my mark," Adam said quietly. He waited until the Fallen's attention was focused on the drill, then: "Now."
Weiss's scout rifle sang out first, her precise shots dropping two Vandals before they could react. Yang pushed forward aggressively, but with purpose, Escape Velocity's sustained fire forcing the Fallen into cover. Blake simply vanished, Nightfang's void-wrapped edge finding targets in their moments of vulnerability.
The Captain roared a challenge, its shock blades crackling with Arc energy as it charged Yang's position. But they'd trained for this. Yang dropped back, maintaining pressure while Blake emerged from shadow behind the Captain. The void blade struck true, shattering shields and sending the massive Fallen staggering.
"Skiff incoming!" Weiss called from her perch. "Second wave!"
"Focus the drill!" Adam commanded, Rose barking out precise shots that dropped Dregs attempting to flank Blake. "Damage it between waves!"
They converged on the massive machine, weapons blazing. Yang's Solar Light erupted against its armor plating while Blake's blade carved through power conduits. Weiss's scout rifle found vulnerable joints with surgical precision.
The drill's whine grew erratic just as the second skiff arrived, disgorging a fresh wave of Fallen including a heavily shielded Servitor. Its purple eye pulsed as it began channeling void energy to repair the drill.
"Priority target!" Adam called out, already moving to a better firing position. "Blake, Yang - keep the troops off Weiss while she lines up the shot!"
The coordinated assault that followed would have made Shaxx proud. Yang pushed forward with controlled aggression, Escape Velocity forcing the Fallen to keep their heads down. Blake's shadow-step let her maintain constant pressure on their flanks, Nightfang's edge ending any who tried to rush Weiss's position.
From her perch, Weiss tracked the Servitor through her scope, waiting for the perfect moment. The massive machine's shields were strong, but they had a pattern - a rhythm she'd learned to recognize in the Crucible. When they cycled to recharge...
Randy's Throwing Knife cracked three times in rapid succession. The Servitor's eye shattered, its form collapsing in on itself as void energy dispersed.
"Final wave incoming!" Blush warned. "Major signatures detected!"
"Here we go," Yang grinned, reloading Escape Velocity. "Ready to end this?"
Blake appeared beside her, Nightfang still humming with lethal intent. "Try to keep up."
The last skiff deployed its cargo - another Captain, this one wearing the colors of a House Baron, accompanied by a pair of heavily armed Servitors. The drill's whine had reached a fever pitch as it neared the main Glimmer deposit.
"Together," Adam commanded. No other instructions were needed. Two weeks of constant training had forged them into a single unit, each knowing their role perfectly.
They moved like a storm given form - Yang's Solar Light creating space, Blake's void abilities letting her strike from impossible angles, Weiss's precision fire eliminating priority targets. Adam's Rose sang counterpoint, its rounds finding any target that slipped through their coverage.
The Baron fought with desperate fury as its forces fell, but it had never faced a team this coordinated. Blake's blade took its shields, Yang's Light staggered it, and Weiss's shot ended it. The remaining Fallen scattered as their leader fell, abandoning the drill to flee in their skiffs.
"Well," Yang said as the dust settled, "that was fun. Think we passed the test?"
Adam surveyed the battlefield - eliminated targets, minimal collateral damage, and most importantly, all three of them still standing. "Adequate," he said finally, though there was approval in his tone.
"High praise," Blake noted dryly, cleaning Fallen ether from Nightfang's edge.
"We should collect samples," Weiss suggested, already examining the partially extracted Glimmer deposits. "The Cryptarchs would be interested in the crystalline formation patterns."
"Fifty-seven," Yang muttered, but she was smiling as she helped secure the area.
The mist thickened as they moved through the region locals called the Sludge. Twisted trees and murky water created a maze of natural obstacles, the late afternoon light casting strange shadows through the canopy above.
"Something's wrong," Blake said suddenly, her ears flattening beneath her hood. "The birds... they've gone silent."
Adam immediately raised his hand, signaling them to halt. His pale blue eyes narrowed as he scanned their surroundings. The natural sounds of the forest had indeed vanished, replaced by an unnatural stillness that made their Light prickle with warning.
"Temperature's dropping," Weiss reported, Randy's Throwing Knife tracking movement that wasn't quite there. "And these readings..." She glanced at her Ghost's scan data. "I've never seen energy patterns like this."
The air itself seemed to twist, reality bending in ways that made their eyes hurt. A sphere of pure darkness manifested above the murky water, its surface rippling like oil but somehow darker than the absence of light.
"Taken," Adam's voice carried centuries of grim experience. "Weapons free. This is what all that training was for."
"What are—" Yang's question died in her throat as figures emerged from the writhing sphere. They looked almost like Fallen, but wrong. Their forms flickered and jerked unnaturally, trailing darkness like smoke. Where their faces should have been, only a single point of white light burned.
"By the Light," Weiss breathed, her scholarly composure cracking slightly. "What happened to them?"
"They're not them anymore," Adam replied, Rose steady in his hands. "The Dark carved out everything they were and filled the space with... something else. Now focus. They're coming."
The Taken moved with impossible speed, teleporting in stuttering jumps that defied normal space. Yang's Escape Velocity roared, but the creatures seemed to phase through some of her rounds, their forms distorting around the impacts.
"Standard bullets aren't as effective," Adam called out. "Use your Light!"
Blake's void abilities let her match their unnatural movement, Nightfang's blade wreathed in darkness of her own making. She carved through two Taken Vandals, their forms dissolving into nothingness. But more emerged from the sphere, accompanied by larger entities that split into copies of themselves.
"The Blight!" Adam commanded, indicating the hovering sphere. "That's their anchor to our reality. Destroy it!"
Weiss's scout rifle cracked repeatedly, each shot infused with Arc energy. The Blight's surface rippled violently, but held. A massive Taken Captain emerged, its form trailing ribbons of darkness as it unleashed waves of negative energy.
"Yang, clear us a path!" Blake called out, recognizing the pattern from their Crucible training. "Weiss, get ready!"
Yang's Solar Light exploded outward, creating a corridor of fire through the Taken ranks. Weiss blinked through the space Yang had cleared, channeling Arc energy through Randy's Throwing Knife. The combined assault of Solar and Arc finally breached the Blight's surface.
The sphere imploded with a sound that existed somewhere between a scream and silence. The remaining Taken jerked and shuddered before dissolving into nothing, leaving only whispers of darkness that quickly faded.
"Everyone alright?" Adam asked, checking Rose's cylinder.
"Define 'alright'," Yang replied, her voice unusually subdued. "What... what were those things? Really?"
Adam was quiet for a moment, considering his words carefully. "They're what waits for us on the Dreadnaught," he said finally. "Oryx's legacy. His power to Take living things and remake them into... that."
"But Oryx is dead," Blake pointed out, though her ears remained flat against her head. "Pyrrha and Penny killed him."
"His power lives on," Adam replied grimly. "And now Savathûn seeks to claim it, along with whatever she hopes to find in the spaces between realities."
Weiss knelt to examine a patch of ground where the Taken had manifested, her Ghost scanning frantically. "The dimensional distortions they created... they're similar to what Oscar described. The paths between realities."
"It's all connected," Adam nodded. "The Taken, the Ascendant Plane, the pathways Oscar found... and somewhere in the middle of it all..."
"Jaune," Yang finished quietly.
They stood in silence for a moment, processing what they'd just encountered. The forest's natural sounds gradually returned, birds cautiously resuming their songs. But something had changed. They'd glimpsed the true nature of what awaited them on the Dreadnaught, and none of them would sleep easier for it.
"We should report this," Blake said finally. "If the Taken are appearing in the EDZ..."
"Already done," Blush confirmed, her crimson eye still scanning for lingering energy signatures. "The Vanguard will want to increase patrols in the area."
"Keep moving," Adam commanded, though his voice had softened slightly. "There's still daylight, and we need to sweep the rest of the sector." He paused, then added: "Stay close. Where there's one Blight..."
"There are usually more," Weiss finished. "We understand."
"Fifty-eight," Yang muttered, but the joke fell flat. The encounter had shaken them all, though none would admit it.
The Tower's garden was quiet in the evening hours, the Traveler's light casting a gentle glow over the small gathering. Blake sat cross-legged on a low wall, her ears twitching occasionally as she processed what they'd encountered. Yang paced restlessly nearby while Weiss stood at the railing, her Warlock's mind still trying to categorize what they'd seen.
"They reminded me of Grimm," Blake said finally, breaking the contemplative silence. "Not just their darkness, but... the wrongness of them. The way they moved."
Oscar looked up from the tome he'd been studying, his expression growing serious. "The similarity isn't coincidental. Both the Taken and the Grimm are manifestations of paracausal darkness - though in very different ways."
"Paracausal?" Yang asked, pausing her pacing.
"Forces that exist outside normal cause and effect," Weiss explained. "Like our Light."
"Exactly," Oscar nodded. "But where Light creates and empowers, Dark..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Dark takes. Corrupts. Transforms. The Grimm were darkness given form, purpose-built for destruction. But the Taken?" His eyes grew distant with old memories. "They're something worse."
"Worse how?" Blake pressed, her ears flattening slightly.
"The Taken were once something else," Oscar explained. "Living beings - Fallen, Vex, Cabal, Hive - caught by Oryx's power and... changed. He would reach into other realities, pull out versions of his victims that had given in to the Dark, and overlay them on our reality. Each Taken is a perfect corruption of what it once was, its own nature turned against it."
"Like a shadow of its worst self," Blake murmured, understanding dawning in her golden eyes.
"More than that," Oscar continued. "When Oryx Takes something, he doesn't just corrupt it - he gives it a twisted version of what it most desires. A Fallen who craves ether becomes a being of pure consumption. A Cabal who seeks conquest becomes an engine of endless destruction. It's a perversion of free will - the ultimate expression of the Dark's sword logic."
"But Oryx is dead," Yang pointed out. "We killed him. Well, Penny and Pyrrha did."
"His power lives on," Oscar replied grimly. "The ability to Take... it's older than Oryx. He learned it from something ancient, something that taught the Hive how to carve their own reality from the Darkness. And now Savathûn seeks that same power."
"Which is why we encountered Taken in the EDZ," Weiss concluded. "She's testing her control over them."
"Yes." Oscar's hand unconsciously touched the tome at his belt. "But there's something else. The Taken don't just exist in our reality - they slip between dimensions, like oil through water. Their very nature lets them navigate the paths I was researching. If Savathûn masters both..."
"She could reach wherever Jaune is trapped," Blake finished quietly.
"And countless other realities," Oscar confirmed. "Imagine armies of Taken, each one a corrupted reflection of its former self, pouring through gaps in space-time. No world would be safe."
Yang's fists clenched, small flames dancing between her fingers. "Then we stop her. Find Jaune first, seal whatever paths we have to."
"It won't be easy," Oscar warned. "The Dreadnaught... it's where Oryx perfected the power to Take. His essence may be gone, but the echoes of his power remain. The paths there are... treacherous."
"We've faced darkness before," Blake said, standing from her perch. "On Remnant, we fought creatures of pure darkness for years."
"This is different," Oscar cautioned. "The Grimm were dangerous, but simple. The Taken are... insidious. They remember who they were, in some twisted way. And they'll use that memory against you."
"Then we'll remember who we are," Weiss said firmly. "Guardians now, but also who we were before. Our Light against their Dark."
Oscar studied them for a long moment, seeing not just the Guardians they'd become but echoes of the huntresses they'd once been. "You'll need that resolve," he said finally. "The Dreadnaught has broken stronger minds than ours. When we go there..."
"We go together," Yang finished. "Just like always."
The Traveler's light seemed to pulse slightly brighter as they spoke, as if acknowledging their determination. They had faced darkness before, fought it across two lives now. But this would be different. This time, they weren't just fighting to protect a world.
They were fighting to save one of their own from a fate worse than death. And somehow, that made it both easier and infinitely harder.