Chapter 42: Setting up a supply chain

 Darius was before the rune shop. Andiel was home, seeing to a patient who had a severe cold, or something similar. The elf hadn't let his son near the office, saying it was too dangerous.

 Now, Darius had the important task of peddling the fifty S ranked titanium armor runes to Alek, the shop owner. 

Many factors were working against the boy. For one, he was just six. Or, so he thought. He wasn't quite certain. Alek could refuse to do business with him because of that.

For another, he didn't have a license to make the runes, and couldn't guarantee for their safety. Still, Darius was not going to give up. He was going to go, and do his best to convince Alek that they had to do business together for the next two-hundred years. Or in Alek's case, the next couple of months. 

The bell chimed, when Darius entered the brightly lit shop. There were no customers in there, and Alek was staring out into space. Darius approached the front, and placed one of his S ranked runes on the counter. 

"I made this," the boy said, and the man looked down. He took the paper in his hands, and looked it from all corners. 

"Something is off about the magic," Alek mused out loud. "Doesn't look like it is something dangerous." 

"And it is not. The rune will turn into a tattoo. See?" Darius pulled back his hair, to show off the water breathing rune. He hadn't gotten the cream rune on himself, so he could show potential customers what his runes were capable of. 

"Interesting," Alek said, and poked the rune. "For how long will it work?"

"I had it for two weeks already, and it regenerates its mana supply from my own. So, I take it as long as I am alive," Darius said proudly. Alek's eyebrows rose. He had never heard about a rune that could use the mana of the host to regenerate its own supply. Usually, a rune had some mana inside of it, exhausted it, and then it was done for. 

"If this is a breakthrough, I will nominate you for a practitioner," Alek said, and pressed the paper to his arm. After that, he took a knife, which he usually used for cutting letters open, and tried to cut his arm. The blade broke, and Darius grinned at him. 

"Can you get me my license by this autumn?" The boy asked cheekily. 

"I can get it by next month," Alek spoke, amazed. "How did you even make this?"

"That is a secret," Darius said with an even wider smile. He didn't want for people to figure out his golden goose, until he made a fortune out of it. 

"How many runes do you have for sale? And how much do you want for the rune I already used?" Alek asked, not being angry in the least that the boy didn't want to give up his secret. He understood that most things had to be patented first, before they become common knowledge. For the creator's sake. 

"The armor rune you used costs your help with a patent for my original runes," Darius said, almost as if reading Alek's thoughts. "I have 49 runes now. Ten of which are something I call the cream rune. A rune that hides tattoos, so bounty hunters won't be given away by the markings on their skin." 

"How much for a cream rune, then?" Alek asked, and Darius eyed him up and down. The boy remembered that a traditional preservation rune, a rune that was A in rank, costed one gold coin. What Darius had to offer was an S ranked rune in the traditional sense, but was much better. 

"It is a three-piece rune," Darius began to haggle. Alek smiled, glad that this was not going to be easy. 

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"Is that so? I guess that people will feel like they have cream on their faces the entire day?" Alek asked, faking disinterest. 

"Yes, my soulmate has the rune on himself. He says he feels like his entire body has cream on it," Darius said, not noticing the trap. 

"You do know that will make the grip on weapons slippery for your average bounty hunter, right? My boy, you should have thought this through," Alek tutted, and Darius's eyes twinkled. 

"Yes, well, the cream also hydrates the skin of the person it is applied on," Darius began, not letting Alek open his mouth to make a remark. "In desert realms, that is great. The skin will be protected from the heat. And in cold realms, that will be great too. Since the cream will prevent tears on the hands." 

"I suppose," Alek tilted his head to the side, and played with the end of the now empty rune paper. "How fast can you make a rune for?" 

"That is also a secret," Darius said, his tail gave a little twitch, but he stopped it from wagging. That didn't escape Alek's notice, and the man chuckled. 

"Ok, kid, this has been fun, but I am not in the market of making children bleed for coppers. How about this: 10 gold coins for your S ranked runes, and a coin less for the ranks below that?" Alek asked, and Darius couldn't help it anymore. His tail began to wag, the wind blowing up his hair in waves. 

"Really?" Darius asked, and Alek nodded. 

"Yes, really. I suppose you will also want a contract so you can sell to me in the future?" Alek asked, and the boy ran around the counter and hugged the Fey's legs. 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Darius began to chant, as Alek chuckled. 

"Well, don't thank me yet. I am of the mind to work you ragged," Alek told him with a chuckle, and Darius tightened the hug. 

"I will have to sell the bounty hunters some of the runes, they really need them," Darius said, and Alek got a mischievous look in his eyes.  

"Body parts, or something else?" Alek asked, almost as an afterthought. 

 "B... Hey!" Darius exclaimed, and the Fey chuckled. 

"I had to try, kiddo. Don't hold it against me," Alek then patted the boy on the back. "Come back tomorrow with your father. Everything will have to be in his name. He will also need to make you a trust fund with the bank. Until then, tell me what runes sold the most with the bounty hunters."

And Darius did, after which he received a list with orders, and the first payment from the runes he already sold. With a wide grin, he went back home to tell Andiel the happy news.