Chapter 17: Arc 1: Chapter 16: League of Runaways

"This Freight belongs to Stark Industries, they're very rich, so although the ship looks shabby, there are custom refrigerators with lots of good stuff in the captain's and crew's quarters."

As they walk through the darkness, Merlin whispers to Bruce:

"I know a few night owls who're playing cards in the dining area around this time, so their room should be clear. I'll stand watch here, you go in and slip some stuff out, alright? No snacks, just some food and drinks."

"Alright."

Merlin's new buddy, Bruce, wasn't the talkative type, he was a quiet young man.

Despite the natural wealthiness he exhibits, he was no leg-puller when it matters.

Under Merlin's urges, Bruce climbs up the railing and heads to a crew's cabin Merlin had instructed him to enter with a bag in his hands.

Merlin, on the other hand, gets onto the railing as well. He examines his surroundings warily, as the on the deck not far from here, were patrolling crewmates and lights.

The reason why he usually sticks around in the kitchen and not the crew's quarters was that there were too many people here, one wrong move could get him caught. But now with the help of Bruce, Merlin could finally start having decent meals through their cooperation.

For Bruce, who was born in a wealthy family, it was his first time doing such a thing. He took Merlin's food because he had no choice, but now he had to get them of his own free will, what he was currently doing was theft and it had conflicted with Bruce's nature.

Due to some things in his past, he had hated all crime-related instances, but now he had to do so to live.

With his conflicting mind, he successfully slips into the crew's quarters.

The quarters were in an absolute mess, the sailors that live on the sea for long periods don't exactly have the best living habits. Bruce opens the small fridge in the corner under the nauseating smell and finds an abundance of items: some apples, some bacon, a bag of chocolates, a few instant foods, as well as a large number of soft drinks.

This food which he usually wouldn't even bat an eye on had made this child's mouth water.

Ever since he got on the boat 2 days ago, he had not eaten his fill beside the few chicken meat he took from Merlin.

In the urge of his natural eating instinct, he picks up an apple and takes a bite, the juiciness of the apple compelled him to take another.

Moments later, he had completely eaten the apple.

Still, Bruce did not forget Merlin's words and began putting what was in the fridge into his bag with the apple core in his mouth. But as he wanted to take more, a hand suddenly appears and grabs his wrist, frightening him.

He immediately returns a punch.

"Don't be greedy, rookie!"

Merlin dodges his fist as he exits the shadow. He glares at Bruce and looks at the messy fridge, he tells him:

"The crewmates aren't stupid, messing this here will only put them on extra alert. You have to consider the future and not just the present."

As he speaks, he takes Bruce's bag and places some food back into the fridge, and puts them in order. He holds a piece of chocolate and shows it to Bruce before putting it into his pocket:

"Chocolate gives high energy, and they're easy to carry, so take more of them."

Merlin puts some apples back into the fridge:

"Apples can't be preserved well, so one a time is fine."

Merlin looks back at the apple core in Bruce's hand.

He shakes his head and puts another apple into the fridge before closing it.

"Come, let's move on."

With Merlin's expertise, in less than 20 minutes, Bruce's bag had been filled to the brink with all kinds of stuff, not just food, but also towels, brand new toothbrushes and combs, as well as essentials like large cups that can be used as lunchboxes when necessary.

Compared to the 'prepared' Merlin, the hot-headed Bruce who had decided to take the nearest boat and run away from home had almost nothing prepared.

Merlin had to teach Bruce by hand how to survive an unfamiliar environment.

The final stop of their 'ravaging', was the captain's quarters.

A captain held the highest authority on a ship, like a king in a small kingdom, so they had the best reward.

But captains were usually those with experience, so unless necessary, Merlin will not sneak into the captain's room, as one wrong move could cause a thorough search for 'stowaways'.

The cost was more than the gains.

"The captain should be having supper around this time, so we have around 5-10 minutes."

Merlin looks at his watch and tells Bruce, who was looking around.

"This time, I'll go in and you stand guard, if you see anyone, knock thrice, got it?"

"Got it."

Bruce nods quietly, Merlin hands the bag to Bruce and begins working on the lock to the captain's quarters.

He takes out a few thin iron sticks and prepares to open the door through technical means, but he sees Bruce staring at him with widened eyes.

This made Merlin slightly uncomfortable, he was not used to doing this with someone watching, so he tells Bruce:

"Turn around will ya? Kids aren't supposed to see this!"

"Maybe we shouldn't do this..."

Bruce was hesitating.

"We have enough to eat, maybe we should head back."

"We still not gotten the most important thing."

Merlin's fingers worked as he said:

"Our encounter today must've been because of fate, I have to hold a 'welcoming party' for my little bro, and you can't do that without wine. Feel content, Bruce, as no one did this for me when I left home. Not to mention, our captain isn't the most frugal person, as he throws away what he didn't use when the ship reaches shore...you get what I mean?"

"Kack"

With a light noise, the hatch opens.

Merlin flashes into it and slowly closes the hatch.

Bruce holds his bag under the cold wind, his attention focused, any bit of noise would alert him.

He wants this to end so badly, so he doesn't have to worry so much.

But the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen.

5 minutes later, Bruce hears the sound of a few men, he raises his head and sees the fat captain along with some crewmates, walk out of the dining area and head towards the captain's quarters.

Bruce curls his fingers and knocks on the hatch three times, then quickly hides in the corner of the shadow, silently praying that he would not be discovered.

The fear of being caught red-handed while doing something bad enshrouds Bruce, causing him to panic, and as the captain moves closer, his heart begins to race, and so too does his breathing.

Still no movement from Merlin.

As the captain moves within 20 meters to the captain's quarters, and as Bruce's panic reaches the limit, a hand suddenly pats on his shoulders, and Merlin's voice resounds behind him:

"Take this! Don't be scared, don't scream! Don't move!"

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As he finishes, a box is stuffed into Bruce's hand, and a cold gust of wind blows onto him, his vision blurs as if he was pulled into a layer of darkness.

Bruce and Merlin stuck close to each other, right on the edge of the captain's quarters.

Logically speaking, the captain should've seen them by now if he weren't drunk. But to Bruce's surprise, the captain, as if he didn't see them at all, opens the hatch and enters his quarters.

"Bang"

As the hatch closes, Bruce calms down.

"Come on, let's go."

Merlin takes the front and shakes the bottle of wine in front of Bruce, and in his lead, they avert everyone from another direction and head back to his 'room'.

"Clack"

Merlin turns on an emergency light and lays it on the ground, the dim light lights up the 'house' made up of boxes.

Merlin and Bruce sit on the floor, in front of them was a box that was used as a dining table, and on it, were fruits, meat, bread, steak, and bacon, laid onto the dining cloth, this normal food seemed attractive under the lights.

"Bom"

Merlin opens the wine bottle and takes out two glasses, pouring into the glasses, he looks at the brandmark and says:

"Look, 2o-years whiskey, our captain sure knows how to enjoy himself, a shame we have no ice cubes tho."

Bruce says nothing, and raises the wine towards Merlin, then drinks it. Then, Bruce frowns, he puts down the wine glass, then takes a piece of bread with bacon, and bites it, he then tells Merlin:

"This whiskey isn't 20-years, it's 5-years at best, the captain's been lied to."

"Yo, an expert."

Merlin takes a bite of the fruit and examines Bruce head to toe:

"I knew you were special. Unlike me, I can't distinct between 20 and 5-years of wine."

"There's no difference."

Bruce lowers his head and hides his expression from Merlin, he continues:

"It all tastes the same...by the way, how did you do it?"

"What?"

Merlin tries to feign ignorance until Bruce looks straight at him, which causes him to look away.

"The captain should've seen us, but he disregarded us, or maybe...you made us invisible somehow. Some kind of tech? Or...magic?"

"Magic? You're drunk, Bruce, there is no magic."

Merlin laughs and hides his expression through drinking, the senses of this young man in front of him were sharp, even noticing his abnormalities in that kind of situation.

"There are!"

Bruce fills his belly with another piece of bread, he starts working his brain:

"In a place like Gotham, I may not have seen it, but I've heard of it."

"You may not know this, but my ancestors were the first puritans to arrive in America, and in their handbooks, there were records of Indiana sorcery. Not to mention, my butler Alfred, had also seen voodoo magic on the battlefield, there is magic in this world. Plus, your name is Merlin...kinda hard for me not to think of something special."

"Alright, it would seem that you know the business."

Merlin reaches out and takes off the glasses he had always been wearing. Those irregular eyes made Bruce's back straighten, he looks at them with surprise and says:

"So you are a magician?"

"I'm not!"

Merlin replies:

"I'm just a poor bastard surrounded by misfortune, it's best you don't ask me too much on this, for your wellbeing. But, I am interested in those notes your ancestors left behind, do they tell you where to find these magic-wielding magicians?"

Craving flashes in Merlin's eyes, this was frankly his first encounter with someone who knows about supernatural powers, he had been disappointed for too long and desperately needs some useful information.

Bruce closes his eyes and begins to recall, moments later, he stuffs the remaining bread into his mouth and says unsurely:

"My ancestor's records about those odd occurrences had stopped during the American Civil War. But I remember a story my great grandfather wrote about, it was about some experiences he had during his travels in the West. It was the ending point of the Western Era, near the deserts of Texas, he had seen burning knights riding on horses."

Bruce tells Merlin:

"My great grandfather said that it was divine retribution, he had even bought a charm said to have some supernatural abilities from the locals. That was the truest supernatural event my family has recorded over the past few hundred years."

"Texas, huh?"

Merlin nods, he couldn't be sure of the validity of what Bruce had just said, he could take a trip to Western Lands if he gets the chance. 

He looks at Bruce who's quietly eating in front of him, this young man who's a few years younger than himself seemed to hold quite a few secrets.

He asks:

"Let's talk about you, Bruce. What made a wealthy son like you abandon everything, and become a vagrant like me?"

This question makes Bruce pause, then shake his head:

"No, I don't want to talk about it just yet."

"Alright."

Merlin didn't push, as he noticed that asking private questions about a stranger so straightforwardly was improper.

Merlin then raises his glass to Bruce and says:

"Anyways, welcome to my 'League of Runaways', Bruce, we'll have to start helping each other out for the time being. Take a good rest after you're full, and I'll show you around the ship."

"To live here for long periods, you need to know where the showers and toilets are, as well as how to play hide n seek with the crewmates...alright, I'll go back now."

"Take a good rest, Bruce, calm your mind. At least, tomorrow's another day full of hopes."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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