This book contains mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all readers. It includes:

Graphic Violence & Gore – Intense combat, assassinations, and brutal fight sequences.

Explicit Sexual Content – Contains sexual scenes with themes of power dynamics and manipulation.

Strong Language – Frequent profanity and cyberpunk-specific slang.

Themes of Betrayal & Psychological Manipulation – Includes toxic relationships and coercion.

Substance Use – Alcohol and drug use present in various scenes.

Body Horror & Cybernetic Augmentations – Includes descriptions of cybernetic implants, body modifications, and the effects of experimental technology.

Death & Murder – Assassinations, executions, and morally ambiguous choices regarding life and death.

Corrupt Power Structures – Exploration of corporate greed, underworld dealings, and a dystopian society.

Reader discretion is advised.

Onyx City slang guide

Flux – Sometimes used instead of "shit" or "trouble." 

Klep – Slang for stealing or acquiring something illegally. 

Gridders – People who live off the city's grid, making them untraceable.

Slugged – A term for getting scammed or betrayed. 

Patchwork – Something barely held together, often used for people or tech. 

Running dark – Going off the grid, no digital trace. 

Pull the plug – To cut ties or abandon a job. 

Neon rat – Someone who snitches or double-crosses for a corporate deal.

Jacker – A hacker who specialises in breaking security systems. 

Low-burner – An outsider or someone new to the game. 

Red-light job – A contract that's more dangerous than advertised. 

The Gangs of Onyx City

Onyx City's underbelly is ruled by vicious factions, each controlling their own piece of the neon-lit sprawl. Alliances are fragile, betrayals are inevitable, and everyone's got a price.

The Haelstrom Syndicate – Ruthless enforcers who operate out of the industrial sector, specialising in cybernetic enhancements and underground fight rings. If you owe them, you either pay in credits or body parts.

Red Knives – A gang of thrill-seeking street racers and saboteurs who control the highways. They fund their operations by running high-speed heists and weapon smuggling.

The Iron Vultures – A nomadic crew of scavengers and mercenaries who ride modified bikes and harvest black-market cyberware from corpses. They trade with corrupt corporate executives who want experimental tech off the books.

The Smog Kings – Chemical manufacturers and dealers who run the underground drug trade from the toxic wastelands surrounding the city. Their supply chain runs all the way up to corporate boardrooms.

The Hollow Sun – A secretive cult that believes in fusing human consciousness with machines. They operate out of abandoned skyscrapers, recruiting desperate individuals looking for salvation in the digital ether.

The Corporations

The real power in Onyx City lies in the hands of the megacorporations, each engaged in backstabbing, espionage, and secret partnerships with the criminal elite.

NovaCorp – The leading name in medical cybernetics and experimental body modifications. Linus Petrovski's empire.

Zenith Industries – The most powerful private military contractor, hired to crush dissent and secure high-value targets. They work with the government to suppress uprisings and protect corporate assets.

Nyx Robotics – Developers of AI-driven security drones and cybernetic warfare systems. They fund underground research in AI consciousness transfer, often at the cost of human test subjects.

Hyperion Data Systems – The largest data-mining corporation in Onyx City. They sell personal information, manipulate election outcomes, and blackmail officials.

Oblivion Networks – A black-market communications provider that helps criminals and rebels stay off-grid. Their services come at a price, and those who can't pay disappear.

Government Corruption

The Onyx City government is a puppet show, with every politician controlled by a corporate leash. The mayor, council members, and law enforcement officials are all entangled in power plays, bribery, and clandestine dealings.

Mayor Elias Voss – More of a figurehead than a leader, Voss is a former corporate executive placed in office to maintain stability between the megacorps. He plays neutral but has enough skeletons in his closet to make him easy to manipulate.

The OCA (Onyx City Authority) – The government's enforcement agency, tasked with maintaining order in the city. In reality, they serve as the muscle for corporate interests.

The Black Sun Task Force – An elite division of cybernetic officers designed to crush rebellion and keep corporations in power. Unofficially, they operate as hit squads for high-profile contracts.

Judge Haven Locke – A corrupt official overseeing Onyx City's legal system. She ensures that corporate crimes are buried and gang-related arrests are leveraged for corporate gain.

In Onyx City, everyone's got dirt on someone else, and no one stays at the top for long. If you're not blackmailing, you're being blackmailed. And if you think you can trust anyone, you're already dead.