A Black Market LitRPG

“For playing a significant role in stopping the escalating violence in the West Sector, we hereby award you with the White Heart Medal.”

A thunderous roar of applause erupted from the audience gathered while journalists filmed the scene with light-throwers, getting every angle they could as Kitana bowed to the Bishop, letting the old man hang a sparkling white crystal.

“This medal goes to those who exemplify hard work, steadfastness, and most of all, dedication to the Sanctum of Yual and its precepts. As the only enforcer and inquisitor to receive this medal, I hope that you will serve as a guiding light for all those who adhere.”

“Yes, Bishop.” Kitana bowed once again, smiling genially as she recovered and looked right at the lightcapturer.

[It is an achievement like no other,] A journalist spoke quickly towards the light-thrower, the scene of the award ceremony behind here as thousands chanted Kitana’s name. [Just three months after she had been posted to the West Sector, she has become a legend for many who live in the city.]

“INQUISITOR KITANA, WE LOVE YOU!” A particularly ferocious fan club screamed, waving a large banner with clear enthusiasm. Kitana merely smiled and waved at them for a brief moment, but that moment was enough to excite them.

[In particular, she has achieved a record number of executions, arrests as well as civilians saved. So far, her high intuition and instincts have enabled her to both kill and capture both low-level and high-level members on either side.]

[The Veiled Angels and Violet Demons have now lost their former strength, with Kitana leading the charge and clawing back districts from them. For the first time in a long period, we can finally begin to see districts free from gang control outside of the Central District.]

The award ceremony was over now, with other enforcers also being presented with medals signifying heroic bravery and achievements. Most of the awards went towards Kitana’s enforcers, who were now ardent followers of hers, willing to stamp out the rampant gang violence plaguing the West Sector.

“She must be an angel – a vengeful angel who knows what the fuck is up. Instead of arresting these violent punks, they deserved to be put into the ground!”

“I fight for the day gangs no longer rule Raktor. And Inquisitor Kitana has my full support. The law exists for a reason: these gangs are exploiting the locals for their own greed. Well, no more! We’re putting our foot down!”

Kitana’s influence on Raktor was becoming widespread now. Originally feared as the Mad Dog, she was now viewed as a force for good, thanks to her heavy-handed role in suppressing the two major gangs of the West Sector.

As she left the award ceremony, the crowd clamoured after her, pushing and jostling to try to get in a word while her followers guarded her, holding back the crowd.

“Inquisitor Kitana, Inquisitor Kitana, a word if you may! You have liberated multiple districts from gang control – are you planning to liberate the entire Sector?” A reporter held up an arctech radio, trying desperately to get a quip.

“Yes. I fight for the ability to rest without worrying about your children being caught in a gang war. I fight for safety when walking in the streets. I fight for owners, free from the threat of racketeering. The law shall be upheld, according to the Sanctum of Yual.”

Kitana did not take any more questions, stepping into a prepared arctech wagon where the Bishop of the Central District was already sat in as well.

The procession moved off, with the followers moving in wagons that guarded them as well, scanning the streets and high-rise buildings, their eyes peering into each and every window or balcony they could find.

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“Brilliant work, Kitana. It is good to see how far you have grown since arriving. I still remember the day you arrived fresh from Tryas.” The bishop smiled gently.

“Thank you for your kind words, Bishop.” Kitana bowed.

“No need for the ceremony – we are alone here. I wanted to talk to you about a potential promotion if you are willing.”

“A promotion?”

“Your arrival is unlike that of any other inquisitor that has come before you. Usually, the Veiled Demons and Violet Demons are particularly unreceptive to any form of enforcer intervention.”

Kitana recalled the inquisitors that had been assigned to the West Sector at the same time as here. All dead.

“You have been able to reclaim control of more than five districts, which is a crowning achievement in itself in the face of adversity. Clearly, you have both the skill and talent to control the major gangs and reduce the violence in the Sector. Baron Weston has specifically requested for the current Bishop to be replaced by you.”

“I do not wish to overthrow nor replace my superior.”

“We do not treat those who had served us well badly, Kitana. The Bishop will be posted back to Tryas or one of the smaller towns and cities across the Yual Dominion. He has done enough for us.”

“I still find myself lacking.”

“Far from it. Your reputation has already preceded you.”

Kitana paused for a moment, before nodding her head. “I am flattered by the proposal, but I will need time to consider it properly.”

“Of course. Perhaps you will be better suited to working the streets rather than locked away behind a fancy office. It has provided results, after all. Speaking of which, I do have a mission for you.”

The bishop handed over a rolled-up message tube, where Kitana pulled out a map of the entire county of Raktor and pieces of paper with shipment timings. Clearly marked routes and red circles were marked all over the map, with numbers written in them.

“What’s this?”

“The military supply convoys have been getting hijacked recently. This was captured from one of the attempted ambushes. It documents the layout from soldiers of the Bolsh Legion.”

“I’m not privy to the major gang of the North Sector.”

“Look carefully. Multiple routes pass through the West Sector first before reaching the North. And some of the routes stop in the West Sector as well.”

“Meaning they are stealing from the Yual military directly.”

“The war presents a big opportunity: with less oversight and enforcement, the major gangs are becoming bolder.”

“I haven’t seen any military gear been used openly yet.”

“Not since the fall of the Ilysian Punks, no. The black market does not have any of these weapons as well. This all points to something very dangerous, Kitana.”

Stealing weapons from the military and stockpiling them instead of selling them for cash… “They are planning a counteroffensive.”

“Indeed. With how hard you have been pushing the major gangs in the West Sector, it would egregious to suggest that they simply take it lying down. I will need you to –“

The Bishop’s words were interrupted by the activation of the point defence system around their armoured wagon, firing green bolts towards the windows and rooftops of the surrounding buildings.

“Get down!” Kitana grabbed the Bishop’s head and covered him, as the point defence system was quickly overwhelmed by the fragmentation pellets, allowing other projectiles to slam the armored wagon.

A mortar strike hit the driver’s cabin accurately, blowing up the front of the wagon while it flipped on its head, crashing and skidding along the paved stone road. The entire convoy descended into a frenzy as dozens of armoured gang members rushed out onto the street, engaging in a fierce firefight.

The gang members deployed metal barriers to serve as chest-high covers, firing back at the enforcers and lobbing grenades. Civilians nearby screamed as they tried to flee the crossfire, some of them being gunned down in the open.

Here?! In the middle of the Central District?! Kitana recovered quickly from the toppling of her wagon, but the Bishop was badly injured, blood leaking from a wound on his head. She reached down to her belt and tapped her arctech radio, only earning static. Jamming too; they are going all out.

The glamorous and upper-class neighbourhood was now transformed into a warzone, with pellets shattering glasses of upscale fashion stores, tearing through silk and fabric and killing those who failed to hide.

“Protect the Bishop and Inquisitor Kitana!” Enforcers swarmed the wagon, creating a defensive position around the toppled wagon while Kitana crawled outside, leaving the Bishop in the armoured wagon. Better in there than out here.

She grabbed onto a nearby enforcer who tugged her out and handed her a repeater rifle made by the Seven Snakes. “How many?”

“I don’t know. Dozens – maybe even a hundred!”

Perfect. Kitana internally grinned, taking up position behind a makeshift cover and firing back.

Eyes of Truth!

Corners and objects turned into lines and geometry, her recent class upgrade allowing her to see through with varying degrees of dissection. Each and every gang member was now visible to her, even as they cowered underneath a windowsill or a concrete wall.

A hundred and twenty – they are really going all out, huh? Surrounded on all sides by high flanking buildings, the firefight was slowly becoming one-sided, with more and more enforcers taking on injuries.

Zealot Dominion!

Kitana channelled a motivational aura, boosting the enforcers’ morale to sky-high levels as they fought back with fervor.

Most of the gunfire immediately began to focus on her, as though the gang members were already aware of this phenomenon in the past. Kitana swivelled her rifle, firing rapidly and killing any gang members that popped their heads out or that were hiding behind flimsy covers that could not block the shot.

Every major gang is here?! Kitana was flattered, but not in a good sense. As she began to turn the fight singlehandedly, racking up her kill count, the gang members, too, became more aggressive, firing with impunity and no longer holding back.

Machine guns, mortars and shoulder-mounted grenade launchers were all used in the firefight, blowing out the pavement, arctech light posts and chunks of concrete. Bodies soon filled the streets as both enforcers and gang members fell under a torrent of gunfire, their point defence systems unable to withstand the sheer number of projectiles aimed at them.

Kitana gritted her teeth, rushing out towards the nearest squad of gang members and shooting them point blank with the rifle and grabbing their grenade launcher. She fired all of them in a frenzy, lobbing them and blasting the gang members out of their cover.

Her bravery and prowess awed the enforcers even more, standing up to the incoming aggression. Kitana grabbed onto one of the gang members, noticing that he was a high-ranking soldiers of the Violet Demons. She slammed him into the floor behind cover as the pellets whizzed over their heads. “Trying to assassinate me, huh?”

“Far from it. But you wouldn’t know either way.” The Violet Demon’s soldier grinned as his armour began to glow red hot, before exploding in a severe shockwave, sending Kitana flying and crashing into a nearby wall of the building.

Even she was not invulnerable to hits like that, causing her to cough out blood as she could feel all her bones aching and muscles screaming from the sudden shock. She quickly rolled out of the way as pellets aimed at her lodged themselves into the wall while she scrambled back to cover and drank a health potion.

As Kitana was still trying to recover, a series of deafening explosions could be heard around the city of Raktor, with swelling clouds of ash and soot soaring from the various sectors. The sights of the attacks, along with the previous discussion with the Bishop on the smuggling of military gear, led Kitana to an epiphany.

This isn’t just an isolated assassination or attack on me – they are trying to overthrow the whole of Raktor!