Chapter 41: Arc 1: Chapter 38: Last Night in Oakland Pt. 2

Merlin was not the kind of person to do good for free.

But he also wasn't the kind of person to take something from a young boy no older than 13.

He tried to decline Erik's 'payment' but the kid didn't give him the chance to do so, Merlin could only follow behind.

Erik had grown up in this neighborhood, so he knows the terrain here very well. He led Merlin across alleyways to a nearly-abandoned parking lot. Erik stops beside a black pickup car and looks around cautiously before reaching under the car and grabbing a key.

He smiles at Merlin, then he opens the car door and takes a black handbag from the passenger seat.

He sits on the seat, hands the bag to Merlin, and looks at him with hopeful eyes.

"This is what my father left me after his disappearance, he cherished these things and he put many similar-looking metal canisters in the house. But after the fire was extinguished, I went back home and they were all gone."

Erik tells Merlin:

"All that's left are in that bag."

"It's hard for me to help you find your father and uncle, Erik."

Merlin did not look at the insides of the bag, he returns the bag to Erik and tells him:

"I was indeed hiding on the same floor as your house when the explosion occurred, I also heard strangers talking with your father. They said they were going to bring your father back to Wakanda...your homeland."

Merlin looks at the young boy in front of him and said:

"You know where that is, right?"

"I do!"

Erik's still wounded face lets out an expression of happiness upon hearing news about his father. He was scared that his father may be dead, but Merlin's words gave him hope.

He takes the bag Merlin hands over and says:

"My father has always told me stories about Wakanda, I know it's in Africa, but dad said the Wakanda on the World Map was just a camouflage; that people who weren't acknowledged could never find the real Wakanda."

"Then you should be good."

Merlin leans against the car and talks with this matured child and says:

"Aren't you out-and-out Wakandan? Do you need me to buy you a plane ticket to send you home to your father?"

"Uhh, I'm not fully Wakandan ."

Erik was troubled, he tells Merlin:

"My dad is Wakandan, but my mom wasn't. My mom was from Oakland, she was dragged into a street shootout and left us a few years back. And my dad never brought me to Wakanda before; he always said he would bring me back when I get older. So I've never been there."

"Oh, is that so?"

Merlin has a bad premonition from Erik's explanation.

He's seen Wakanda's female warrior, and he knows how crazy they can get for the King's orders."

This meant that although Wakanda was technologically advanced, it may still be ruled through feudalism.

As everyone knows, the biggest characteristic of any stable feudal system is that they advocate Hereditarianism.

Although Erik's father N'Jobu was a prince of Wakanda, Erik's mother was not Wakandan; so to some hereditary idiots, this meant that the child's bloodline was impure.

Which was the most probable reason why Erik's father didn't bring him back...

Hmm, the situation this kid was in is similar to young Arthur. And it's impossible for those Wakandan warriors to not know that N'Jobu had a son, and yet they brought N'Jobu with them but not his son, which confirms Merlin's assumption.

It would seem that the mysterious Wakanda that has both advanced technology and the ability to make use of precious Vibranium weapons was a closed country.

But Merlin did not point that out.

Firstly, the boy may not understand.

Secondly, this isn't his business and it was someone else's family business he shouldn't be meddling with.

Merlin looked at the time and told Erik:

"Safeguard the 'treasure' your dad left you, maybe you should listen to your dad and go look for Wakanda when you grow up. Oh, by the way, were the people just now really friends of your dad's?"

"No!"

Erik answered with disdain:

"My dad never makes friends with the gangsters in the neighborhood. They're just here to extort me, my dad and uncle are missing and I can't find anyone who can help me."

"Mmm...do you have a place to stay right now?"

Merlin looks at Erik, the boy looked as though he hadn't showered for days. To his question, Erik pats on the aged car and says:

"I've been living in here these past few days, my dad left some money in the car that's enough for me to at."

"Do you not have other family relatives?"

Merlin frowns, and to his question, Erik shakes his head:

"My dad's Wakandan, so he doesn't have any relatives here. My mom had a brother, but he was put into prison a few years back for robbery; they want me to go to an orphanage, but I don't wanna."

Erik raises his head and says stubbornly:

"My dad isn't dead, he's just...back home. I'm not an orphan!"

A few seconds later, the boy raises his head again and looks at Merlin hopefully:

"Boss, why don't I follow you, you're such a good fighter, you must be great! The kids in this neighborhood all wish to find a good boss when they grow up, so they can earn money and live the good life."

"Enough with the boss!"

Merlin didn't like the gang temperament that Erik showed off every now and then, it would seem like this kid has been living in a bad neighborhood with poor law and order for so long he's beginning to be affected by their bad thinking.

Merlin frowns and tells Erik:

"Kids should go to school! Then find a decent job after graduating, be a decent person. I'm not a boss, I'm...yeah, a government employee, got it? Public official! A good person!"

"But nobody here likes public officials."

Little Erik retorts:

"Those officers only bully normal folk, I even saw some of them have a drink with the local gang leaders."

"That's them, not me!"

Merlin extends his finger and roughly knocks on Erik's head; he thinks about it and tells Erik:

"You saved my life, so I can't just leave you in this damn hell. So, pack your stuff, and follow me; I'll bring you to New York and find a foster family for you there. Go to school, and I'll take you to Wakanda when you grow up, how's that?"

"Don't hit my head."

Erik holds his head and dodges Merlin's finger knock; he curls up on the seat and says:

"What if my dad can't find me when I'm gone? I don't wanna leave this place, even if it's more shabby and dangerous, this is still my home."

"Then leave your friends a message; if your dad comes back, he'll find you following the trails. Didn't you say your father was smart?"

"Mmm, alright."

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Erik thinks for a few minutes and then nods.

He jumps off the car and hands the car keys to Merlin, saying:

"Let's go then, I'll bring you to see my few best friends. Oh, right, boss, you keep this."

As Merlin sits onto the driver's seat, Erik picks up the bag on the side of the seat; he leans over the seat from behind, and like showing his favorite toy, takes the item from the bag and shows it to Merlin:

"Look! It's pretty, it even glows in the dark."

"Hmm?"

Merlin takes a glance behind him and sees an odd-looking metal canister next to Erik's feet.

In the center of the canister was a cylinder made of glass, in it was something similar to liquid, it also looked semisolid; it gave out little bits of fluorescent light in the darkness that made it exceedingly pretty-looking.

"What is this?"

Merlin reaches out and grabs it. It was slightly heavy, weighing about 2000 grams.

He had never seen it before, it looked very high-tech; he leans against the driver's seat and spreads out his dark senses to approach the odd-looking canister, but then something strange happened.

It was like something was obstructing Merlin's observation, his senses could not penetrate the canister, as if it had met an obstruction.

Merlin abruptly squints his eyes, he knows what this is now.

That night, Merlin had eavesdropped on Wakanda's Black Panther King and N'Jobu's conversation; Black Panther said that their country was attacked, someone had stolen a quarter tonne of Vibranium, and that N'Jobu conspired with the attackers...

Merlin had also attempted to sense the female Wakandan warrior in her armor, he knows that a metal like Vibranium was fully capable of resisting his dark senses.

Which meant what he had in his hand was most likely some of the Vibranium N'Jobu had stolen from Wakanda with the attackers.

The lady mercenary had once told him that Vibranium was highly sought after in the black market, for someone as strong as she was brass neck enough to steal the Vibranium tip of the spear showed how precious this thing was.

Merlin felt like he was holding a gold vault in his hands.

"Keep it well!"

Merlin hands the liquid Vibranium back to Erik and warned:

"Don't tell anyone else that you have it..."

"It's very precious, maybe one day when you grow up, you'll have to rely on it to return to Wakanda."

"If it's that precious, you should keep it for me, boss."

Erik smiled, his age meant that he could not fully grasp the true worth of Vibranium; the things he saw in the neighborhood he grew up in taught him to rely on the strong, Merlin was a strong person in his eyes.

Merlin glared at him and said:

"Don't call me boss, call me Merlin. And, this is yours to keep, if you wish to return to home with it; the people who know about this have already left, so as long as you don't say anything, you won't get in danger."

"Alright, Merlin."

Erik shrugs. He got news of his father as well as a new protector, this made him very happy; he leans against his seat and hums a song while playing a game console he pulled from beneath his seat.

"Wait here, I have to go buy something."

As they passed by a convenience store, Merlin stopped the car and informed Erik. He then opens the car door and enters the convenience store; he buys some supplies, and while paying at the cashier, he asks the owner:

"Can I borrow your telephone?"

"Give me 2 more dollars then!"

The owner was an elderly lady with glasses with quite the temperament.

Merlin pays the money and walks to the side, he picks up the phone, and while spreading his dark senses around, dials a number.

A few ringing sounds later, the call is picked up and a gentle voice resounds:

"Hello, this is Wayne Manor, I'm Alfred, the butler of the Wayne family..."

"Hello, Alfred."

Merlin spoke lightly.

"Thanks to your help, I survived."

The voice on the other side pauses for a while, and elderly Alfred's voice continues:

"You're Merlin, right? Glad to hear that you're still safe, if you truly are Master Bruce's friend, then this is what I should do. Then, Merlin, could you tell me where the young master has gone? A lot of people are worried about him."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot."

Merlin says:

"I promised Bruce to not divulge his whereabouts. But I can tell you that he's safe, and is planning his new adventure in a new place...he will return to Gotham, he told me he would return home once he finds what he's been looking for. So, Alfred, have patience."

"Sigh, the young master has always been so stubborn..."

Alfred on the other side sighs, and continues with a sorrowful tone:

"Ever since Master and Madam died of a disease when he was 9, he's been..."

"Alright, Alfred."

Merlin laughed and replied:

"Stop testing me, Bruce has told me everything about his childhood. It was when he was 8, in Crime Alley, his parents were killed by a robber named Chill...the play on that day was <Zoro>, and when the incident occurred, you were in the parking lot not far from them, yet you weren't able to save them."

"Fine, it would seem that you truly are Young Master Bruce's friend, he wouldn't have told you these if you weren't his real friend."

Alfred was truly relieved, he pleasantly tells Merlin:

"Anyhow, thank you for the news, I can finally sleep a good sleep tonight."

"Also, if you have the need, you can call this number and give me an address, I'll send some things over to you. Don't use street phones...it can be easily traced, I wouldn't want to hear slander about the Wayna family on the news one day."

Merlin smiles and answers:

"It may take me a few more days to settle down, so I'll contact you then. Also, thanks again, Alfred."

"If you really want to thank me, you should tell me where the Young Master has gone."

The elderly Alfred complains:

"He should be staying home, and like the other youngsters, play around with the girls and have fun, best leave a bloodline for the Wayne family. Instead of starving in some corner of the world, maybe even encounter danger."

"Don't worry, Alfred, Bruce is strong."

Merlin looks at the night sky through the window and gently whispers:

"He's stronger, stronger than you think...besides, misfortune has already left him."

 

 

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