Chapter 3: Elastor the Elf

Early in the morning, Zed was preparing to open the store. Eva had just woken up, she went downstairs and said:

"You woke up so early."

"Yes, a best friend of mine is coming to buy food."

"A best friend?"

At the city gate, there was a man in a cloak who was carrying a small wine keg. He sped past the soldiers guarding the gate and merged with everyone in the market and headed towards the Dream workshop. At the shop, Eva and Zed were talking to each other. Eva said:

"Does someone who is always in debt and drunk like you have friends?"

"He doesn't live in the city, so he relies on me to buy food. Twice a week."

"Do you need me to hide, is he trustworthy?"

"Don't worry he can be trusted, he's coming."

The stranger had come, he opened the door and said:

"Zed, I'm here."

Zed replied:

"Hello, Elastor."

Elastor closed the shop and put the wine keg on the table. Zed said excitedly:

"Is the wine good today?"

"I still cook like I always do."

Zed took a large mug and said:

"Let me try."

Zed filled the mug with wine, the wine flowed out as bright as gold, and Zed drank it slowly. Elastor took off his cloak, revealing his Elf's bright blond hair and ears. He looked coldly like Zed. Eva was surprised, she said:

"Are you an Elf?"

Elastor looked at Eva, he replied:

"Who are you?"

"I'm Eva Gloria, shop employee."

"Eva Gloria? Sounds familiar."

"You know my name?"

"The name of a wine?"

Eva thought to herself:

"He's as stupid as Zed, no wonder you two are best friends."

Elastor took Eva's hand and kissed her hand, he said:

"Nice to meet you, Eva."

Eva blushed from embarrassment. Elastor said to Zed:

"Hey, when I got here, I found this."

Elastor showed Eva's wanted poster to Zed and said:

"1000 gold coins, do you want to find her?"

"Oh, she's next to you."

Elastor looked over at Eva, who was now shivering. Elastor looked at the wanted poster and then at Eva, he said:

"Can I catch you?"

Eva shouted:

"No, please!"

"I'm joking, but who are you really wanted?"

"I'm Princess Eva Gloria, my cousin Urizen Gloria has taken the throne and is looking for me."

"This kingdom has a king and a princess?"

Eva thought to herself:

"How stupid are these two?"

Zed finished drinking the mug of wine, he put the mug down, there was still foam on his lips and he said:

"The Elf wine is delicious. Here's your stuff."

Zed handed Elastor an item bag. He also opened it to check. Inside the bag were: a bag of flour, ink and pen, a roll of wool and a glass jar. Elastor said:

"Enough, thank you."

Eva said:

"What kind of wine is this?"

Elastor replied:

"Elf wine, I don't have money to pay for things, so I pay with alcohol."

Zed said:

"This is expensive on the black market, but I'll drink more."

"He'll drink it all."

Elastor put on his cloak. Eva said:

"Zed said you don't live in the city, where do you live?"

"I have a house in the Northern woods. You can ask him, but I don't want many people to come to my house."

Elastor walked to the door, he said:

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you."

Elastor smiled and left the shop. Eva seems to have liked Elastor very much, she said:

"He's stupid, but he's better than you."

"What? I'm still drinking."

"How did you meet him?"

"During one time I went hunting in the forest. I accidentally found Elastor's house while he was cooking wine. I tried to "borrow" some wine kegs but Elastor found out. We fought and eventually became best friends. I'll give him what he needs in the city and I'll get Elf wine."

Eva thought in her mind:

"Really simple. Haha"

Outside, there were shouts of soldiers as if chasing someone:

"Stop that guy, he entered the city illegally."

Zed and Eva looked out the window to see Elastor being chased by soldiers. Elastor was running very fast, he said:

"Why are the soldiers so fast today?"

Elastor didn't know that Urizen's soldiers had been rigorously trained and that they were faster and stronger than ordinary people. Zed and Eva gasped, he said:

"Why are they so fast?"

"Urizen's soldiers defeated my father's soldiers."

"Damn it, I have to help him. You stay here."

Zed grabbed his coat from the table and rushed out to chase after Elastor. Zed ran past the soldiers and ran beside Elastor, he said:

"How do they know you?"

"I don't know but maybe these guys are smarter than the old ones."

"Ready, split."

Zed and Elastor ran out to either side into two different paths. The soldiers also split up to chase them. Zed ran fast, there was a truck carrying oranges passing, he ran to kick the wheel, causing the oranges to fall out. The soldiers slipped and fell to the ground. Some are still chasing, Zed said:

"I am not done yet."

Zed ran into the center of the market, where there was a circular fountain. Zed and the soldiers ran around the fountain a few times. One of the guys blocking his way swung his sword at Zed. He slid down between the enemy's legs. Then Zed kicked the soldier in the back causing him to fall into the fountain. The rest of the soldiers were so tired and dizzy that they fainted on the ground. Zed smiled happily and left. Suddenly a knight in heavy armor rammed Zed straight into a tavern, surprising everyone inside. Zed banged his head on a table and laid on the floor, he said:

"What the hell?"

The knight entered the tavern and said:

"You are mine."

Zed replied:

"Really?"

Zed stood up and slowly backed down while the knight approached him. Zed touched his back against the counter and said:

"Hmm, can we negotiate?"

The knight charged at Zed. He quickly dodged, causing him to hit his head on the beer rack. Zed quickly grabbed the bottles of beer and smashed them on the knight's head but to no avail, he said:

"Why? Oh yes."

Zed opened the knight's helmet and smashed the bottle over his head. Zed laughed, but he angered him. Zed immediately ran but was caught by the knight. He slapped Zed in the face but Zed slapped him back. They slapped each other repeatedly in the face until both had nosebleeds and were stunned. Zed quickly knocked down the enemy. He grabbed the bottle of beer to drink but it broke. Zed said:

"Excellent."

Zed ran out to find Elastor. Returning to Elastor, he looked at the approaching soldiers behind him and thought to himself:

"I can keep running, but I can't keep it that long."

Elastor jumps onto a shop sign and jumps onto the brick roof. He ran through every roof. The soldiers also chased after him but they were not used to moving on the roof. Several soldiers shot arrows at Elastor from the front, who immediately summoned his weapon, the great black sword Volt(it was a greatsword with a thunderbolt spreading across the two meter blade, it had short point and the sword was heavy but Elastor easily held it with one hand). Elastor swung his sword to blow each arrow away and then jumped over the soldiers in front of him. Elastor ran quickly towards the wall, when he got close to the wall he threw the great sword in the wall and jumped high, kicking the hilt of it as a thrust to push him higher than the wall. Suddenly Elastor realized that he couldn't get through the wall. Elastor said:

"Damn it, I just flew up in a straight line but didn't have the force to get over the wall."

Zed found Elastor from distance, he said:

"Looks like I have to use you."

Zed summoned his sword, the Devil sword Dante(It was a sword with a sharp black blade, a pointed back guard and a wolf-tailed hilt guard). Elastor fell and he kicked the hilt below again to jump higher. Zed said:

"I don't know if I got hit but flew away."

Zed threw his sword hard at Elastor. The sword flew quickly towards Elastor and flew past him. Elastor quickly grabbed the hilt of the sword and flew with it over the wall. When flying far enough away from the wall, the Dante sword disappears, causing Elastor to fall to the trees below. Elastor landed and lay on a branch, his whole body aching and tired he said:

"It was good back then."

Elastor climbed down the tree and went home. His greatsword Volt disappeared, leaving only a small crack. Zed smiled and walked back to the shop, thinking as he walked:

"Did I forget someone?"

Returning to Eva, she stayed at the Dream Workshop, but as Zed left, a group of hunters came in to buy weapons. Scared Eva had no choice but to cover her face with a scarf and let them choose what they needed. The leader picked up a sword and said:

"Very good sword, how much for this sword?"

Eva replied:

"Sorry I don't know the price, I'm just a new employee here, when the boss comes back he will tell the price."

Suddenly the leader wiped the sword revealing the silver coating on the outside and rusty inside. The leadef shouted angrily:

"What is this? Scam!"

Eva gasped, she thought to herself:

"That's right, Zed painted it silver to hide the rust."

The group of hunters approached Eva, the leader raised his sword and said:

"Are you trying to scam us? Selling these lousy weapons. Tell the truth and why are you covering your face?"

Eva stood frozen in fear and said nothing. The leader reached out his hand to take off the scarf and Eva's identity would be revealed. Out of nowhere, Zed rushed out to stop the leader's hand and said in a gentle voice:

"I'm the shop owner, how can I help you?"

Eva breathed a sigh of relief. The leader said angrily:

"This sword is painted silver for fraudulent sales, please explain."

Zed touched the sword and replied:

"The sword can still do serious damage."

"But it's already this bad."

"It does rust, but sir, my sword is forged by the finest blacksmiths in the kingdom. It will forever mortally wound no matter how cracked or rusted."

"I've seen an even better sword than this."

"Then let me show you."

Zed grabbed the blade and cut a wound on his left hand, blood flowing down. Zed smiled and said:

"See? I'm still bleeding and injured."

The leader thought for a moment and said:

"Fine I'll let it go, but I'll only pay half the price of this sword and the weapons of our choice."

"Thank you very much."

The group of hunters paid and they left the shop. Eva took off her scarf and said:

"Fortunately, you came back in time or I would have been identified."

Zed stood still and did not answer. Eva said:

"Zed, what's wrong with you?"

Zed turned around with a bloody left hand. He shivered and said:

"I'm so scared, maybe I have an infection."

Eva shouted:

"I have to save you now!"

Eva poured wine over Zed's left hand to wash it off and then covered it with a clean cloth. Eva said:

"Hey, why did you hurt your own hand?"

"I don't know? Probably a drunkard's instant thoughts."

"Don't hurt yourself anymore, I'm worried about you."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it, but thanks for taking care of me."

"Hey, what did you mean when you said your silver paint trick wouldn't be exposed?"

"I don't think anyone will clean a sword."

"And how is the actual quality of those weapons?"

"I do not know."

The group of hunters was hunting a wild boar, when suddenly Zed's weapon, which had only been cut once, was completely cracked.