Dungeon Miner Slave

The kid who called himself Runt suddenly held out his hand.

“What’s that for?” Flinx smiled.

“You said you’ll hire me for a gold coin! Let me have it then!” Runt said loudly.

“We’ll have to talk terms first. Like what your duties are and how long your service is going to be.”

“We’ll talk about that, but I need to buy food first. My friend Kid and I are very hungry. We haven’t eaten since last night.”

“Then call your friend, and you both lead me to a tavern where we can eat.”

Runt brought his hand down and looked hesitatingly at Flinx.

“What’s the problem?”

“My friend and I are too dirty. No restaurant or tavern will let us in.”

Flinx tried hard not to show his pity for the kid. He knew how proudful these street rats were. If he showed an iota of pity, there’s a chance that the kid would run.  

“Since I really need help navigating this city, let me hire you and your friend. Lead me somewhere a little private, and I’ll give you and your friends clean clothes and clean you as well using a spell.”

“Are you going to give us a gold coin each?” Runt asked, and Flinx just said, “Sure!”

Runt looked hesitant again.

“What’s the problem?” Flinx asked.

“Aside from Kid, there’s also Dirt and Flea. The four of us are very close. Like brothers. We are the same age, so when we all turned 10, we all had to leave the orphanage.”

“Are they the friends that you’re staying with in an abandoned building in the slums?” Flinx asked, and Runt nodded.

“Okay, fine. I’ll pay each of you a gold coin if you all become my guide for two months. Is that acceptable?” Flinx asked Runt.

“You’re not a perv, right?” The kid asked, looking at Flinx suspiciously again.

“Is that thing very common here?”

“Yes. But we can defend ourselves. We can also run very fast if we have to escape,” Runt said proudly.

“Well, I’m not a perv. I, too, am an orphan. Thankfully, I have the gift of magic, so I became a magic caster.”

“Okay. I’ll trust you this time, but if you’re a perv and try anything pervy, I’ll just shank you, and we’ll run. You’ll never see us again,” Runt threatened, and Flinx nodded seriously to convey to the kid that he was treating Runt with respect as an individual.

Deep down, Flinx was a little sad that kids like Runt and his friends had to learn how to defend themselves in their young age. Runt then led him to a nearby alley and told him to wait there. While he was waiting, Flinx bought a pack of four beige colored t-shirts for children ages eight and above for 20 dollars. He also purchased four brown leather shoes for kids for 20 dollars each and brown cargo pants for kids for 20 dollars each as well. He spent another 20 dollars on four pairs of underwear and four socks. All in all, he spent a total of 200 dollars to clothe the four kids. Flinx had to admit that he felt good about buying the things since it felt like charity to him.

After a few minutes of waiting, Runt returned together with three other kids. The kid introduced his friends to Flinx one by one. The last one was the smallest, but Runt insisted that Flea was the same age as everyone else. Flinx had an inkling that “Flea” was a girl. He understood their need to hide the kid’s gender. If boys were being subjected as objects of sexual desire by perverts, then more than likely, girls would have it much worse.

“I told them that you’ll pay each one of us a gold coin if we guide you inside the city for two months,” Runt told Flinx.

“I’ll pay you, but for the four of you to become effective guides, you all need to look presentable. Here are the clothes and shoes that I conjured. Remove your filthy clothes, and I’ll clean you four with a spell. After you’re presentable, lead me to a tavern so we can eat.”

Runt volunteered to be first. The kid removed all of his clothes, and Flinx immediately cast three Prestidigitation spells on Runt. Once the kid was immaculate, Flinx taught Runt how to wear the clothes that he bought from his System Shopping Site.

“Wow! I look like a noble brat!” Runt said while admiring himself.

The other three kids looked at Flinx in awe and admired Runt’s new look. Then they all removed their clothes and waited for Flinx to clean them. When he saw Flea’s body, he was correct that the kid was a girl. Thankfully, due to their young age, they were not body-conscious yet. Flinx was a little relieved at that because that meant that the kids had not experienced something terrible so far.

Flinx hastily cleaned the kids using his Prestidigitation spell, and Runt helped them in wearing their new clothes. After that, the four kids admired themselves and their new clothes.

“Your cleaning magic is awesome! You don’t have to take a bath and do laundry!” Runt exclaimed.

“I know. When I shit, I don’t even have to clean my bum. I just cast my spell and voila! My ass is clean!” Flinx joked, and the four kids laughed.

Runt then led everyone to a nearby place where they could eat. Flinx shook his head when the kid chose a somewhat high-end establishment. The boy and his friends all strutted inside, proudly showing off their new clothes and shoes.

One of the staff led them to a private booth. The staff was respectful since Flinx followed Camryn and Oliman’s advice and displayed his gold rank adventurer token by wearing it as a medallion outside his shirt. When the four kids saw how respectful the wait staff was to Flinx, they looked at Flinx in awe, then they lifted their chests. It was as if by being associated with him, they too deserved respect. The four kids looked turned red when the other wait staff treated them like children of nobles.

Flinx knew that the people in the restaurant did not want to offend a gold rank adventurer. According to Camryn and Oliman, when an adventurer reached the gold rank, they would start to be treated as minor nobles. It was understandable since once an adventurer reached the gold rank status, it would indicate that the adventurer could fight a group of men by himself, and if the gold rank adventurer is a magic caster, the respect would almost certainly double.

Flinx ordered food for everyone from the menu because, based on how Runt held the menu, the kids couldn’t read.

While they were waiting for their order, Flinx was grateful that the restaurant was clean, and the awful smell that he had been smelling ever since he entered the city lessened considerably. He also started talking to the kids.

Runt told him that a single gold coin would be able to last them for five months. Flinx knew the kid was exaggerating since he learned a lot from the merchants in the caravan, and an ordinary person would only be able to last for at most a month on a single gold coin if the only thing that person needed to spend on was food.

The kid named Dirt accidentally exposed the fact while they were talking about how if Flinx had given the gold coins to them, there was a good chance that the coins would be stolen by the other gang children in the slum when they returned to their place in the slum.