Swordsmoke: Power Break

An Underworld Original

Marc and Strider sit in a dim house, silence broken by footsteps outside. Strider warns there’s no way out—Ren’s men surround them. Marc tries Norman on his comms but nothing connects. Strider urges staying low, but waiting means death. The door blasts open. Eugene Shepard enters, rifle raised: Ren is ready to settle things. Marc growls there’s no room for Ren’s Agency—he’ll kill them before he bows. Shepard aims, but Ellie stops him, saying Ren wants Marc alive. Marc pleads with her, but Ellie spits venom—she’d rather die than follow him. At camp, Norman checks Marc’s tracker. With recruits Erik Reign and Bunny White, he sets out through Hermes Island’s wilds. They fight beasts, slip past guards, but Erik and Bunny are captured. Norman battles until Sgt. Rain intercepts. Norman fights his hardest but Rain dismantles him and knocks him out. Soon Marc, Strider, Norman, Erik, and Bunny kneel in Ren’s stronghold. Shepard declares punishment: three must die. Rain shoots Bunny. Shepard slashes Erik. Ellie raises her pistol at Marc—until Marc asks where Jack Grayson is. “Behind you,” Jack mutters, staggering in blood-soaked. “Ren is dead.” Shepard protests, claiming command. Chaos erupts—Marc strikes Ellie aside, Strider and Norman clash with Shepard and Rain. Jack only watches. Marc and Norman escape. Strider stabs Rain, sending him crashing through glass. Ellie dives after him. When Jack and Shepard move to finish Strider, he’s already gone.

Story added by underworld_stories on September 12, 2025