A Black Market LitRPG

Alvin was never one for fighting. Hell, he hated the thought of getting his nose broken or even having his fingernail cracked. Even wooden splinters from the wheelbarrows or sparks from the arctech wagons frightened him, despite being nearly twenty-five years old.

So why was he in the midst of a brutal gang fight in the smog-filled alleys lined with pulsating pipes that churned green?

Before he could answer that question himself, a straight punch cracked his nose from tip to base, causing blood to spurt and bone to fragment as he staggered backwards, tumbling over broken wooden boxes filled with grimy, gooey trash. He didn’t even know why the two gangs were fighting, only that he was ordered to come here to help.

Alvin could barely register his surroundings after the first hit, stumbling about coated in filth and pus from the trash heap. He tried to support himself against the wall that was layered with never-ending pipes, wooden barricaded windows and metal doors. His head spun, unable to determine where he was walking to.

Unknowingly, he began to cross over towards the rival gang, oblivious to the shouts of his friends as he tried to swipe the goo off his face.

“Who the fuck is this blind idiot?” One of the rival gang members laughed at the stumbling Alvin. He ran his hand over an engraved metal pipe, causing the runes to glow bright yellow before he smashed it right down onto Alvin’s head with a loud thud.

The runes seemed to imbue additional properties into the metal pipe, the additional force and strength cracking his skull through the dirty auburn hair that became stained with blood and bits of meat. His body plopped onto the ground without a word, dead on the spot. “Fucking hell, Riker killed him!”

Alvin’s allied gang members grimaced but did not care too much about Alvin dying, all of them too preoccupied with keeping themselves alive as they struggled against their opponents. He was just cannon fodder, after all. A weak boy sold off by his parents to the gang as repayment for their loan.

“One down, nine to go, boys!” Riker announced loudly, boosting the morale of the rival gang.

Alvin’s corpse was kicked to the side, slumping against the wall beside a dead, decaying rat and abandoned gears and parts. Shouting, yelling, and sounds of metal echoed through the alley as bright runes and blood decorated the walls with brilliant flashes and streaks.

“Shit, they got way more enchanted gear than we do, retreat! Leave Alvin’s body behind!” Alvin’s gang beat a hasty retreat, leaving only the rival gang members in the alley, all of them cheering and heckling the fleeing enemy.

“You two, check that idiot’s pockets for anything good. Rest of you, head back with me. The boss will be pleased to hear this. The Seven Snakes are such pushovers, pah.” Riker ordered.

Two rival gang members remained behind, alone in the alleyway, putting on grim faces as they began to scavenge through Alvin’s clothes. They, too, were practically cannon fodder, albeit not as weak as Alvin had been. Such was life in the underbelly of Raktor.

One of the gang members looked out for anyone else who might come across the bloodied scene. He spotted two patrolling local enforcers about to cross the entrance to the alleyway, but instead of backing off or trying to flee, he smirked at the two of them, locking eyes with them.

“Having a good day, sir? Hopefully, nothing to see here?” The gang member had a wide grin on his face as his hand rested on a metal pipe on his belt.

The law enforcers glanced at the gang member, recognising his outfit and equipment before slightly bowing with a bit of apprehension and fear. “Of course, nothing to see at all. You have a good day too.”

“That’s good. Better keep on walking.” The gang member chuckled as the enforcers picked up the walking pace. He walked back to the other gang member, who was still checking the body for anything good.

“Seems like there’s nothing here….”

Suddenly, the body jerked violently, thrashing in place and scaring the two gang members. “What the hell? Did the fumes get to him or something? Is he a deviant?”

The body eventually stopped thrashing, coming to a complete still. The two gang members glanced at each other, hesitant about what the next few steps were. Nothing particular came to mind, but in such an environment, violence was the best solution.

“Fuck if I know, but better hit him a few more times!”

The two gang members retrieved their bent pipes, with one taking the lead and swinging down on Alvin. In a blink, Alvin’s eyes flew wide open, grabbing the attacker’s wrist with one hand while his legs kicked out hard against the attacker’s shins, causing him to yell in pain.

As the lead attacker fell, Alvin dodged another hit from the second attacker, flipping his body and recovering into a standing position while still gripping the wrist of the lead attacker, twisting it slightly, making the man wince in pain.

With a stomp, the arm of the lead attacker was broken cleanly, allowing Alvin to retrieve the pipe and fend off the second guy. A single parry was all that was needed to catch him off guard before Alvin performed a frontal stab with the metal pipe, knocking the man back onto the ground.

In a fluid motion, Alvin lunged at the second attacker before he hit the ground, grabbing his face and slamming it down into the hard concrete, knocking him out cold.

The lead attacker watched in horror as Alvin began to turn around and walked back slowly towards him before kneeling down on his broken arm. Alvin rested the tip of the pipe on the lead attacker’s thigh while the man whimpered and struggled to get out, pain wracking his nerves as Alvin pressed harder on the broken arm with his knees.

“Where’s Xanius? Where’s my exosuit? Who kidnapped me?” Alvin asked with a stern expression. “Who hired you to attack me? Which star system is this? Who owns this planet? Where’s the nearest hyperlane?”

“Wha…what the hell are you talk- ARGGGGGGGHHH!” The enchanted metal pipe slammed down hard onto the thigh of the lead attacker, causing him to scream out loud in pain before Alvin used the pipe and smacked his cheek, ripping off a bit of skin.

“Answer the questions.”

“I…I don’t know who the fuck Xanius is! What the fuck is an exosuit?” The lead attacker yelled back as he thrashed on the spot, a reflex from the incredible amount of pain that arced through his entire body.

Alvin looked carefully at the lead attacker’s eyes and expression for a good twenty seconds before finally releasing him. The lead attacker let out a sigh of relief, watching Alvin walk back to the unconscious second attacker.

Without another word, Alvin stomped on the neck of the second attacker, crushing the windpipe completely.

“What…?” The purple box that appeared in front of Alvin’s face was jarring, and he tried to swipe it out of the way. What was a hologram doing here? He had not recalled installing any invasive interface systems into his nerval jack.

The lead attacker did not wait around, already attempting to crawl away, hoping to get out of the alleyway and somewhere more populated so that someone could save him.

He grunted as he tried to use his good arm to drag himself away. He couldn’t stand either; his shin fractured by the kick from Alvin. How had he suddenly become so strong?

Before he could move any further, a strong grip lifted him from his collar, tossing him back against the wall with a loud thud.

Alvin knelt next to the lead attacker, his amber-yellow eyes staring deep into the frightened attacker’s soul. “You and I are going to have a nice long chat about this place.”

“Shit, shouldn’t have left those two idiots to it,” Riker grunted as he stomped back to the alleyway where they had just fought. “Fucking fodder can’t even handle a simple task. Pah, I got better things to do than babysit some kids.”

He reached the entrance of the alleyway, noticing there was no one there at all. He also noted that Alvin’s body was missing, too, though there seemed to be clear signs of a second fight. Blood that was much fresher and more recent.

That detail put him on guard, holding his pipe at the ready. “I don’t care who the fuck you are, don’t think you can just mess around on the Red Lion’s turf!” Riker shouted in bravado.

“Looks like there’s no shortage of second-rate thugs in this ‘city’.” A voice wafted in from above in a taunting fashion. Riker quickly glanced upwards, only to see a looming shadow dropping towards him, a knee brutally colliding into him and cracking his collarbone into fragments.

He could not even scream, the air being knocked out of him as he collapsed onto the ground, but he bore the brunt of the pain and recovered into a fighting stance. The sight shocked him, however. “You? The idiot?”

An eyebrow twitched on Alvin’s face, but he didn’t show any other expression, merely lunging forward with his right arm swinging his metal pipe downwards in a predictable slash.

Riker smirked and blocked the obvious incoming attack, but it was a feint, with Alvin instead punching out with his left arm and nailing him in the guts. Riker doubled over and fell onto his ass, grimacing as he tried to regain his stance, but it was far too late.

Alvin was already on top of him, swinging the metal pipe down with the utmost precision, targeting all the major limbs and joints. Riker screamed as he suffered a rapid barrage of strikes, unable to move any of his severely bruised and broken limbs. “You, who the fuck are you? Don’t you know who I am? The Red Lion will never let you Seven Snakes off, you cocksucker!”

A swift kick to the jaw caused a snapping sound, rendering Riker unable to talk. Alvin leaned in with a stern expression, glaring at Riker with bloodshot eyes. “My name is Kyle Hawthorn, Dominator of the Kablsk Spice Routes, Ruler of the Neadrsa Flow and Crime Lord of the Melsura Star Sector. And you? You are the first step to my new empire."