Swordsmoke: The Black Manor

An Underworld Original

Shepard and Daryl arrive on Mercenary Island and are brought to a manor inside the Island Walls. There they meet Ezekial Simon, commander of military operations and leader of Mercenary's final Hunter Unit. The Hunters are fading, replaced by more efficient forces, but Ezekial still oversees what remains. Living with him is Morgan, his daughter, who Mercenary experimented on from childhood. She has been training to soon command an outpost of her own. Daryl is thrown into a cell beneath the manor while Shepard is offered a chance at redemption after Wraith’s collapse. For days Shepard trains soldiers alongside Ezekial until they are alerted that a group of rebels breached the Island Walls. One prisoner was captured, but four escaped deeper into Mercenary territory. The higher-ups are uninterested because the captured prisoner is considered a high-value target, but another division has demanded the remaining intruders be found. Ezekial orders Shepard to lead the operation. Shepard tracks the rebels to a hidden camp. There he finds only one man: Nick Cain. Shepard questions him, but Nick insists the others died in the wilderness. Shepard accepts the story and arrests him. What Shepard doesn't know is that Nick wears a tracker built by Mitch. Nick is transported to the prison compound. Inside, he finally reunites with his brother, Mark Cain. Mark confirms that a prisoner matching Marc's description was brought through, but transferred to a much higher-security facility. Meanwhile, outside the manor, Clint, Tobey, and Mitch watch from hiding. Mitch heads toward the prison while Clint and Tobey move onto the manor roof. Tobey prepares to descend into the manor on a rope to go in and see if he can find anything on the creator of Mercenary. Then Clint hears a voice behind him. "Stop." Startled, he lets go. Tobey falls into the manor. Clint spins around and finds himself face-to-face with Morgan, standing silently on the roof. She smiles. "Looks like we've met again".

Story added by underworld_stories on June 4, 2026