Appearing in "Deathstalk: A Test of Mettle"
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Synopsis for "Deathstalk: A Test of Mettle"
Continued from last issue...
Logan is speeding on his motorcycle, Honor Sword drawn, as he approaches his old foe Bloodscream who has transformed into a horrific monstrous form, ready to land a killing strike....
Flashback to four weeks earlier... Wolverine is travelling by foot in the Alberta wilderness. Realizing that it's going to get cold soon he kills a wolf so that he can use it's fur to keep himself warm as he travels through the snow covered mountains of the Rockies. As he begins his work he picks up a familiar scent and realizes he's being followed. Not far behind in the town of Hatch Junction, Bloodscream and Cylla are still on the trail of Wolverine, bent on getting revenge against him. They come across an old man who Logan has left his motorcycle in the care of. Confirming that Logan went up into the mountains, Bloodscream slays the old man to feast on his blood and they continue following Logan.
Some time later, Logan is travelling through the frozen wilderness, knowing that his enemies are following him, but he plods on, continuing to lead them deeper and deeper into the forest. Cylla and Bloodscream continue their trek even though Cylla's power levels are getting low and she is getting hungry. Bloodscream offers her to feast on some of the old man, whose corpse he's been carrying to supply him with sustenance, however the cyborg refuses to participate in cannibalism. They continue to trek onward as a blizzard hits the region, as Wolverine soldiers on he recalls the story of the creation of the Honor Blade that was told to him by Mariko. How it was made hundreds of years ago by Yashida Hoken and the legendary Masumune from metal ore collected from a meteorite.
As Cylla and Bloodscream press on, Bloodscream shares with his travelling companion his origins: He explains that hundreds of years ago he was a Naval Surgeon for legendary pirate Francis Drake. During a raid on Drake's ship, the man who would become Bloodscream would take a bullet in the gut. Instead of dying a painful death, Drake would hand over the injured man to a necromancer named Dagoo. Dagoo cast a spell that transformed him into the vampire creature he is to this very day, and his first order of business upon transformation was to feast upon Dagoo, however not before Dagoo would impart some important information: That he can end his hunger when he feeds upon the blood of an immortal man, and that the only thing that can truly kill him is a blade made out of metal from another world. Bloodscream then spent the following centuries trying to find just such a man to break the curse. He believed he found it when he fought for the Nazi's during World War II and he happened upon Logan during his time with the Canadian military. He would recognize Logan much later when he was operating out of Madripoor as Patch and renew his obsession with trying to feast on Logan's blood.
As the days turn into weeks, Logan presses on, and feeling sorry for his enemies would leave food behind for them after leaving them nothing to eat for days. When Cylla and Bloodscream happen upon a dead wolfs corpse Cylla attempts to eat it, however Bloodscream stops her saying that Logan is mocking them and urges them to press forward as there is a town not far from where they are.
Wolverine happens to be in this town, interestingly named Logan, chowing down at a diner. He is about to place a call Heath Junction to have his motorcycle transported to Logan but learns that the man who operated the shipping station was murdered four weeks earlier and that someone delivered his motorcycle here because it was labelled "Logan", the shippers hoping that the owner would claim it there. Going outside, Logan finds himself confronted by both Cylla and Bloodscream, the two very much weakened by their trek through the wilderness. Bloodscream then betrays Cylla, explaining he kept her along only as a source of food and drains her of all her blood. With his energy rejuvenated Bloodscream transforms into his monstrous form to attack Logan.
As Logan starts up his motorcycle he pulls the Honor Sword from it's sheath and slices Bloodscream in the face, seemingly killing him. With his enemies vanquished, Wolverine speeds off to continue his journey on the road.