On a pile of straw in a corner of a shack, an outline of a large boy could be seen through thin sheets. The quality of the sheets was as poor as could be, as they were as rough as sandpaper, and so thin they could be mistaken as cheese wire.
Under the sheets, a boy with dark brown hair and a defined face slept, curled up in a ball to stay warm. He would occasionally shiver, as the rundown shack did nothing to protect him from the harsh winter winds outside.
The boy started to wake, stretching his arms and legs, which left the "protection" of his sheets. Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling above him, covered in grim and held loosely together with twine.
"Is it already morning?", the boy thought as he looked through the gaps in the walls, seeing dim light peek through.
Knowing his boss expected him to be present to mine the iron ore his town was known for, he started to pry himself off of the hay, and practically dragged himself over to his clothes. They were piled in the corner opposite of his "bed", and were filthy and smelly as he had no way of washing them or obtaining more clothes. He obtained them from his parents, who had later been killed in an accident in the mines he now worked in. They were still in better shape than he sheets though, and were certainly warmer.
Putting his clothes on, he made his way over to a crate, which he used to act as a door. Shoving the crate to the side, he made his way through the doorway and stopes to look at the sun. It was high into the sky, almost directly above him. "That's not good", he thought as sweat began to moisten his previously dry hands.
Sprinting as fast as he could, he made his way down the hill, across a stream, and through a section of forrest. The reason for his hast was that miners that were late to work would be punished based on their tardiness, and considering the height of the sun it he was very late. He finally after a a few minutes of running neared the town. The name of his town was Steelverg, based on the product they produced. It was a small town, with the center being a steel marketplace, where new adventurers would come and buy a basic weapon to assist them in their battles.
As he past the guards, they glanced over and recognized the large boy sprinting past them. They grimaced as they saw him, and one yelled to the child, "Dew! Scully and the rest are already at the mines". Looking back, Dew replied "Thanks", as he sped through town. Racing through the market and out of the other side of town, he began to gasp for air as he continued to the mine.
Finally nearing the entrance, he began to fast walk, over to the table in the front where the miners were required to check in. Behind the desk, there sat a short and round man who looked up as Dew neared. When Dew was directly in front of him, he sneered, and piped "The boss wants to see you Dew. You're four hours late".
Dew gulped, as his eyes started to water, thinking of the consequence of being tardy. Although the miners aren't paid well, they are expected to be the cream of the crop because the high demand for job opening from the uneducated and unskilled rural population of Steelverg. There aren't any other jobs for this class of people, so they're at the mercy of their employers.
Knowing this, he dragged himself to the entrance of the mine, where he looked down to see his employer, Scully, looking up at him with an evil glint in his bronze eyes.