The Forgotten Rogue

Chapter 16

With dawn came the guards...They woke Emeric with a loud clang as they forcefully threw the barred gate open.  Emeric hastily blinked his eyes open, trying to rid the remaining sleep out of them.  With bleary eyes he gazed up at the guards...Irritated by the fact that they had woken him.

"Get up, Rogue." They ordered.

Emeric hesitantly did as he'd been told.  He had no desire to go to the Dome.  He never did, and he never would...

The guards bound his wrists and led him down the hall, but as they walked, Emeric realized that he wasn't the only prisoner being taken.  Almost every man in the cell hall was being escorted by guards.

They were led down many hallways, but in the opposite direction than the ones that led to the dome.  The notion flooded Emeric's mind with more tedious questions...Ones that didn't have immediate answers

They reached a set of large doors which were opened on their arrival.  The door admitted them into a large cobblestoned courtyard, much like those found in the vicinity of a palace...However, this courtyard was not decorated with beautiful gardens and water features...

No...The look that met the prisoners reminded them of a rugged, broken down terrain with burnt down structures plastered all around.  The courtyard was dull and grey and reflected a gloomy vibe.  The look seemed to rub off on the people who entered the large space...To Emeric it seemed as if all the color had been drained from that particular part of the world...

An obstacle coarse stretched out in the middle of the large rugged space.  It consisted of a series of different structures for participants to climb up and over, or crawl under.  Larger structures had ropes dangling down, for climbing purposes.  It was a daunting sight that brought up unwanted emotions within the prisoners that were lining up against the wall.

On the other side of the coarse, a shooting range claimed ground.  Archers were standing at different distances from the targets, practicing, getting better at the intricate skill.

Close by, there was an area clearly marked out for other kinds of weapon training.

All the Domers' hands were released as they stood lined up against the wall. It made Emeric uncomfortable to think  that they were all fighter's in the arena...And they all were more than capable of spilling blood...And here they all stood, free to move around as they wished.

Emeric's attention was taken away from the interior of the courtyard when a tall, well muscled man came to a halt in front of the Domers. 

He directed his gaze to the guards, "Is this the sorry lot that Calvert wants me to work with?" The tall man rhetorically questioned as his gaze swept over the inhabitants who stood lined up by the wall.  His gaze contained a definite look of disgust within it.

It lingered on Emeric for a few seconds before the bulk of a man turned away, "Pathetic..." He muttered.

"As most of you already know,  my name is Marven, I'm a professional Domer's trainer here in Scoalgeoc.  You're part of Scoalgeoc's Eliminator's group." The tall man spoke with a carrying voice.  "Congratulations...You failed to die.  Now, however, the mission isn't to have you killed anymore.  We want to keep you all alive as long as possible to see if their are potential victors among you."

There were relieved sighs all around Emeric as the other Domers grasped that they weren't wished dead anymore.  Emeric was a different case however...Everyone always wanted him dead.

"You will train every day, with me as your instructor, unless it's your scheduled day for the dome, or the more likely case...if you're dead."

'Gee, love your positivity.' Emeric critically thought as Marven started walking up and down the line of Domers.