Continued from last issue...

With Jessica Drew bringing the cursed Muramasa Blade -- coveted by the Cult of the Black Blade -- to a bar in Madripoor's Lowtown and into a trap, Logan (in his guise of Patch) and Lindsay McCabe (Jessica's actress friend) head to the bar to wait for Jessica's arrival. The bar is a rough place but Patch is most impressed when Lindsay conducts herself well even though he has to warn off the locals that she is with him. She impresses him further when she takes the same drink as him even thought it literally knocks her off her feet.

Patch leaves her behind while he goes upstairs to meet with the "contact", left to her own devices Lindsay becomes uncomfortable to the attention she is getting and takes up Belle the bartenders offer to work behind the bar while Patch is busy. As Logan goes upstairs he recounts the course of events that led him here[1]. Entering the room where Jessica Drew was supposed to meet her contact, Patch finds that everyone in the room has been slaughtered. As he enters the room, he is suddenly attacked by the Silver Samurai who has also come looking for the sword and will not allow Logan to interfere in his plans. The two begin to spar when suddenly their are interrupted by Jessica Drew, who steps out of the shadows revealing that she is under the influence of the Muramasa Sword.

Their fight spills into the bar below where the bewildered Lindsay watches as the Silver Samurai threatens to kill Jessica in order to get the sword. Before the fight can continue further some of the roughnecks in the bar attempt to gun down Jessica, Patch and the Samurai until they are all slaughtered by Jessica and the Samurai. As the fight continues on, Logan decides to use a more drastic measure to stop the fight. When nobody is looking he uses his claws to cut through one of the foundation walls of the bar, sending the roof collapsing on them all. Jessica manages to get free first and escapes into the night. Patch rescues Lindsay from the rubble and goes after Drew.

Lindsay goes to the Silver Samurai and considers slaying him with his own sword but decides to rescue him from the rubble instead. When Lindsay almost falls through the floor the Samurai returns the favor. Before the Silver Samurai can continue his hunt for the blade, Lindsay manages to talk him into letting her accompany him.

Meanwhile, Patch has caught up and cornered Jessica Drew, who under the swords influence attacks him. Although the battle is brutal, Logan's healing factor compensates for the cuts made from the black blade. He manages to grab the sword out of her hand and before he can land a killing blow the sword -- finding him a more suitable host -- takes possession of Logan instead. The Silver Samurai and Lindsay arrive just as the possession is complete and the sword announces to them that it has found the perfect host and that once it sacrifices Jessica's life their bond will become permanent.

This story is continued next issue...

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