A Golden War!

Chapter 3: Rouge Warfare

Emerald puts his hands up calmly, dropping his Gem pistol. "I understand this looks weird, but I promise you no harm. I'm rouge. I help Metals." Steel looks at Silver and Ebony nodding "Emeralds good, I swear. Me mums dead grave be destroyed if I lie." Silver slowly lowers his bow, but Ebony was hesitant to lower his weapon. "Proof?" But before Emerald could reply, Gold points around the courtyard at the gems on the ground. "Do we need much more proof? He came here with the intent to help us, and he did. Let's give him some trust. If he turns out to be bad, we out number them and are honestly better equipped." He says, sighing. "Honestly, why do we keep you around? At least Silver has some intelligence..." Gold mutters, sighing before looking back to Emerald. "Now how do you plan to get us out? We can't just walk out or take the gem trucks." Emerald nods then looks to Steel, who was currently pulling out a gem out of his pocket. He tosses it to Emerald, who grabs it casually. It is an emerald pulsing with energy. He presses a side of the emerald and it starts to pulse faster, expanding and morphing into something else. A portal device! Emerald taps a few runes around the outside the rim of the portal. "I know the general area of your base, but it's not exact." Emerald says, the portal opening to a swirling green wall of energy. Gold nods. But Ebony, still skeptical, eyes the portal. "I don't trust it. What if it's a trap?"

"Again, Ebony, it's fine! But if your so worried, I'll head through with a stasis field ready in the case it is. OK?" Ebony nods while Gold unclips something from the back of his belt, a small disk. Emerald nods. "That's right, you are inventor as well as a magic user. Rare for a metal to use magic, rarer to be able to work machines while knowing magic. You are a puzzle, Gold." Emerald mutters, stepping aside. "Go on through."

Entering the portal, Gold felt his atoms disassemble and reassemble, his body liquefy and solidify, before being dumped out into a clearing. No traps evident, so he uses a quick spell to survey the area. No Gems, a few random critters, nothing out of place. It was clear. Stepping back through, he relayed the findings. Silver looked to Ebony, who lowered his weapon slowly, morphing it to a MSG, a Metal-Slinger-Gamma. A light, Sub-Machine Gun type weapon, that fired Metal bits of the users choice. "Fine. I won't shoot you. But, if one Gem trap springs, I'm putting a chunk into your forehead first." Ebony walked through, clearly wanting to be ready in case of an unexpected trap. The others walked through slowly, cautiously, knowing how well thought out traps can be.

Entering the clearing, nothing jumped out, no bolts of energy fired. Emerald and Steel walked through after, the portal closing. "See? Told ya, my mate not a Shiner." Silver looks at Steel in confusion. "A Shiner?" Steel nods. "Shiners infiltrate rebel cells to 'Shine' them up. Brain wash um to serve the Empire of Crystals." Steel sighs. "Bloody pathetic and weak, what it is. Should fight um like men." Ebony nods. "Yeah. Like to see them slip it by Gold."

Gold, by mention, turns to look at them. "Sure, sure. But, anyway, get ready. We're coming up on the guardian line." Ebony nods, eyes flashing red. Emerald looks at him, nervous. "Guardian line?"

"Its a magic line the alerts us and some other in the base to intruders on the premise. I added you, temporarily." Gold shoots a glance at Emerald. "In case this is a lie, you know." Emerald shrugs. "Fine, fine. I understand. Sure." Steel, at this looks around. "What other kinds of things you got around to call for the use of guardians?"

"Wondering Stones, Nothingling hordes, Gems. Anything. A guardian is helpful for a lot. " Silver smiles, stretching. " Of course, Gold only did it cause his giiiirllll- OW!" At the mention of this girl, Gold hit Silver over the head with a rod that had magically appeared in his hand, disappearing just as quickly. "Just kidding Gold, slow your roll!" he dashes away quickly, laughing idiotically. "Just forget I said anything then." Gold lets out a short 'hmph' and turns his back to the four, continuing on at a brisk pace. The exchange made Emerald look on the leader of the rebel cell he had seeked out with a strange perceptive. He understood being protective of friends and family, especially being a rebel cell, but hitting a fellow teammate over the mention of a girl? Even if he's dating the lady, mentioning that he has a girlfriend would be no threat. Unless...

"You think I'm a mind reader, don't you? A Mind Seer. No no, I assure you I'm not."

Gold stops, suddenly, and his body seems to be shuddering. Emerald, not realizing what was going on, grew a small bit of concern, but he soon realized that Gold wasn't crying, or sick. He was chuckling. Laughing.

"You, you think I... oh boy, no no, I know your not a Mind Seer. Mind Seers are always a blue gem. No matter what. But the reason I hit Silver is because the girl back at our base is not my girlfriend. He knows this, but he loves to spread rumors and pick. so, I've taken to hitting him with a balsa wood rod. Doesn't hurt him, just shakes him a bit."

Emerald looks at Gold, and finds himself smirking, then coming to a small chuckle.

"So... Silver is a immature man with nothing better to do but resort to simple children games?"

Silver nods, smirking. "Yup. Gold's easy to mess with.Ebony is to dense to get it most the time though."

Ebony glances over at Silver, growling. "Just cause your fast doesn't mean you can out run a bullet. And I have a gun now."

Silver sticks his tongue out at Ebony, then suddenly appears on the other side of Emerald, placing him between Silver and Ebony. "You wouldn't shoot our guest, would you?"

Gold snaps his fingers.

"Shut it. Guardians passing by."

The two, Silver and Ebony, silence themselves. Emerald and Steel follow suit, moving slowly. Gold shakes his head at them, standing as still as stone. They both do so, and then they hear it. 

The flapping of giant wings.

The pounding of gargantuan legs.

Then the dragon appeared in front of them.