The mines had changed him, cold, calculative, chiseled. Cold because emotion was weakness and weakness, was

  any miner's bane. Yet he was not to the extent to be completely emotionless. For then he would lose his

  conscience and his cheer and become just like them, the slave drivers, the chainers, our masters or as the ignorant

  called them - miner helpers. Everyday was a struggle to get food and water yet one got used to it in 10

  years. Iyre his parents had named him, at least that's what the slave drivers said. His parents had left him at the foot

  of the icy mountain where he now mined as an orphan, so he would not really know. He would work

  doggedly in the mines every day, not because he wanted to but because he had greater ambitions. They said that he

  would be able to leave in 10 years, provided he worked hard in the mines. Until then he was given

  meager rations and frequent whippings as was the quota for all the men and women in the mines. he worked shirtless

  in the chilling frost while the chainers looked at them haughtily. At least my parents left me furs, he joked.

  Tomorrow was the day when, as they had promised him, he would be able to leave. Yet he was not na?ve, as in the

  mines he had swiftly become accustomed to reality. Promises were not worth a penny. He knew that

  there was always the chance that he would still not be able to leave. So he decided that if that was the case, then he

  would have to escape. So he woke up early morning and marched to the lead chainer - Bryan. I have

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  completed 10 years here and and so will leave this place, Iyre said. He walked calmy towards the opening at the

  bottom of the mountain as if he had just told the weather predictions. The incredulous eyes of the chainers

  followed him. Gareth, one of Bryan's cronies, grabbed his shoulder and dragged him back - You will do no such thing

  you gutsy fool. He threw Iyre towards the wall, or at least tried to. Iyre was no longer the little slip of boy

  they were used to. Now he was 18, strenuous mining had left him muscled and strong. He punched Gareth in the face

  and took of toward the opening in the middle of the mountain once again. Bryan and his followers tried

  to block his path but were pushed aside like rag dolls. However if the chainers were the problem he would have

  escaped long ago, the problem were the 3 enforcers of the mine who stood at the exit with modern 25th

  century Blackbrooks's and sheathed Scrims. They watched him barreling towards them calmy and slowly unlocked

  the safety catch on the Blackbrooks's. Enforcer 1 was the 'quickest' and fired at his general figure, not

  even bothering to aim properly. One energy orb hit his abdomen, but he was used to the pain and kept on barreling

  forward. The enforcers panicked and began shooting bullets haphazardly. Iyre ducked behind a rock

  and let them waste their ammo. He came out again and then quickly ducked when they once more began their

  shooting spree, however in doing so Enforcer 1 emptied all his Blackbrook's ammo . He then suddenly

  threw a rock on which the other 2 enforcers emptied their ammo. As they fumbled for their Scrims. Iyre used the

  window of relative safety to barrel forward towards the enforcers with a sharp rock in his hand. He was

  used to brutality and smashed the rock on enforcer 3's head while he choked enforcer 2 with his left arm rendering

  them unconscious or dead. However since Enforcer 1 had already unsheathed his Scrim he was able

  to land 2 orbs on Iyre's exposed face before his head too was bashed open with brutal force.

  Iyre walked out of the cave, near death yet reveling in his freedom and then there was darkness