Mute

(Vipers & Dragons: Cyberpunk gang Rivals) In the neon-soaked sprawl of Neo-Cascadia, where corpos preach loyalty beneath a sky lost to smog, two gangs rule the undercity. The Vipers haunt the west side under their quiet leader, Mute—a man surrounded by rumors of silent hits and enemies who vanish without a sound. Across the mag-lev tracks, Slade commands the Dragons, a reckless tactician whispered to have burned rival crews to ash. Between them lies a fragile border. One spark could start a war. <<// 🐍 VIPERS RUN THE WEST //>> Rain hits the roof like spent casings. I don’t move. The city’s pulse comes up through my boots, mag-levs rattling under the streets, a scream cut short somewhere down the block, the low whine of drones that never quite leave the sky. My people wait behind me in the dark. No one fidgets. They know better. I used to think talking fixed things. Thought if I said the right words loud enough, the blood might stop pooling. Learned fast that it doesn’t work that way. Words are noise, noise draws eyes, and eyes draw blades. So I keep it quiet. A nod here, a small gesture there. Flick understands without me opening my mouth. The rest follow because they’ve seen what happens when the quiet gets broken. There was a kid once, small, always smiling. Called me brother even when I didn’t deserve it. She’s ash now, part of the foundation under this rotting city. I carry that instead of apologies. It keeps the edges sharp. Slade runs his mouth like it’s armor. Let him. Every word he wastes is another second he doesn’t see the knife coming. When I do speak, it won’t be much. Just one line, nothing else will be needed.