13021/The Black Sky

The Black Sky
Date of Scene:	23 October 2022
Location:	Josie's Bar
Synopsis:	The HAND declares war on the Defenders. The opening shots are fired with their greatest weapon - Black Sky. He comes close to killing them all; but in the end the Defenders.. won? did they though? it's hard to say in the moment whether this was a victory or not.
Cast of Characters:	Colleen Wing, Jessica Jones, Matthew Murdock, Elektra Natchios, Jan de Wit, Robbie Reyes, Veira Lazarescu

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Colleen Wing has posed:
Josies bar. The headquarters of the Defenders. They have the place to themselves thanks to Josie letting them have the run of the place for their meeting. Colleen has some whisky in hand and has been sipping at it slowly. On the table she has photos of the known heads of the Hand.

There are fewer unknowns now - Bakuto they've known for a while; Gao they've been fighting for a year; mysterious man who flies in to New York from South Africa; another mystery that operates within New York often; and finally Murakami which they now have a photo and name for. Bit by bit the mystery of the Hand is being unravelled.

Colleen is probably not the first to notice but the traffic outside has slowed. Then, unexpectedly, there is a man in the door way. A ninja. Unarmed, wearing the black ninja getup. He has a scroll in his hands. He bows, and holds the scroll out. This is not the usual kind of ninja greeting the Defenders get.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica isn't in costume, does she even have one? For all most Defenders know, she's just a regular P.I. though some may have a clue she's a little beyond just that. Especially those who were in the Battle of New York years ago against Loki's invasion.

Josie's is where she is most comfortable, but her P.I. nature and attention to details, always make her rather alert despite what she may seem. Her head turn to look at the ninja at the door holding a scroll, glass of whiskey in hand, as she calls out to Colleen, "is that one of yours?"

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Daredevil is sitting at a table, foregoing any alcohol. He had a bit too much white wine at dinner the night before. Though 'too much' is a relative amount. It was perfect for the night, but the hangover the next day wasn't the most pleasant thing to deal with.

"Well, I think we should probably-" he starts to say in his typical clipped timbre, before he cuts his words off. The sound of the door opening wasn't the disturbing part, but that the one in the doorway's footsteps were quiet enough that they didn't draw Daredevil's attention before the portal's opening.

Daredevil stands slowly, a hand moving nearer to his batons, though not drawing them yet. He motions towards the doorway to draw the attention that way of anyone who hasn't noticed him yet. Though Matt's other senses are focused on everywhere else, listening for anyone who might be using the one in the doorway as a distraction.

He walks over to him slowly, senses alert for any kind of ambush as he reaches out to take the scroll with a gloved hand.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
The choice of place raised some eyebrows from Elektra. But it's not as if she will contest it. It's not as if she a de-facto member of the Defenders after all! So sure, they want to meet at Josie's and enable JJ. Fine with Elektra. Yet she does come with her costume tonight. Black on red, some touches of sleek armor visible here and there and leather bracers on her forearms with a few deadly tools of her trade there. As for her Sais? They are tucked on the large sash around her waist, on her back. Face is covered with a ninja mask as well.

"We never got to find out where Nobu went." She tells Colleen, "After the attack on the yacht. But whatever they are doing here is--"

Stop.

Someone at the door. Familiar? A touch even if they are garbed in black clothing. And while Daredevil is walking over like the polite man that he is to get the nice scroll from the gentleman Elektra is already reaching behind her to draw a Sai.

It might get thrown soon.

Jan de Wit has posed:
Jan /does/ have a costume. It'd be difficult to explain as a performance dancer why he was out and about acting the part of a hero! His dark blue and purple kevlar suit has him looking a bit out of place in just hanging at a bar, but it's better than dropping in while in plain-clothes. He's got two batons on his back, forming a X across.

As the door is opened and a messenger ninja is there... he does rise to his feet. This does not bode well. They were /just/ talking about the Hand, and then this happens. The fact that everyone was not immediately stabbing the guy, has Dancer waiting to see the outcome of the offered scroll.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
'Costume' is debateable, as far as what Reyes is wearing. Officially, he isn't a Ghost Rider. But it's a loosely-kept secret that isn't really a secret at all depending on who you are. Leather's the name of the game, matte black with reinforced carbon fibre where he needs additional armour.

He's wearing a pair of sunglasses, which obscure his eyes, but probably aren't fooling many people when it comes to his identity. Beer in one gloved hand, he's about to take a sip when the ninja walks in carrying a scroll. He pauses to watch what transpires next with Daredevil, but doesn't move out of his lazy slouch at the bar.

Veira Lazarescu has posed:
Lazarus is in the usual all black, but today the hood is gone and all that black hair that she has is pulled back into a sleek ponytail. The mask is still in place though for the time being and that one good eye scans to where someone comes to the door. Then she watches DD go to see what the scroll holding ninja might want. She was about to make a joke about a surrender, but that might be in bad taste.

When Jan stands there is a bit of a moment taken to look him over and then he stands, "Did you see something?" she asks him. Because she was definitely going to ask the pre-cog if he had any idea if they were about to get more company.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Daredevil can sense it outside. The quiet. The small patter of padded feet and the slow heart beats of dozens upon dozens of ninjas. The place is suddenly surrounded.

Colleen, dressed in usual lazy civilian clothes - loose fit pants and a Chikara Dojo t-shirt, snaps her head to Jess. "Funny," though her tone indicates it's anything but funny right now. When Daredevil takes the scroll, the messenger immediately retreats back outside. Unfolded, the scroll is revealed to all.

At its center is a symbol those who are intimidate with the hand will immediately recognise. It's a black hand. There are no words needed - this is a formal declaration of war and a statement of their execution. Hanging from the scroll are five ribbons. Four of them black, one of them red. Only one of the fingers of the hand voted against their execution.

Colleen turns around quickly to take in the room. "The hand are coming for us," she states for their members who aren't as familiar with the hand.

Suddenly the lights go out. Colleen is the lucky first target and she is moving even as through the darkness white eyes appear and sharp short blades. She dives toward the table she left her stuff on - jacket, backpack.. most importantly sword. The blades slice through the air and one connects against her thigh digging in. Just as quickly as he appeared, he has disappeared.

For Matt, Elektra, Jessica, and Colleen; they have met this assassin before. He was brought to this world by Matt's doppelganger. The Black Sky. Last time they fought him they were saved by the doppelgangers hubris in calling off his killer.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Get one or two more people in leather jackets, and Jess and Robbie could claim to be a bike gang unrelating to the Defenders, wasted opportunity for perfect cover.

"So what does the scroll say? I take it that's not a medical bill for the ninjas we put in the hospital, huh?" Jess asks, looking from Colleen to Elektra to Daredevil. "Figured...so, just a fancy way to say they choose violence today?"

"Oh fuck," Jessica grumbles as the lights go out, her bravado a surefire way to cover how much afraid she is at this very moment.

In a spark of genius, Jessica calls out, "listen up dudes, I'm just a customer having a drink, can we spare with the stabbing please?"

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Daredevil tosses the scroll aside, his batons coming out as Colleen helpfully tells them what's on it. "Outside, we're surrounded," he says a moment before the lights go out. He hasn't explained it to those who don't know his identity, but the other members know he often has some kind of extra sensory perception thing going on from the way he seems to just share things like that.

"Colleen!" Daredevil tries to warn as another presence is suddenly there in the room to Matt's radar sense, stepping forward to attack. He barely has time to throw a baton that way but their adversary is gone. Daredevil pulls the baton back to him by the attached cord.

He takes a ready stance, focused on his senses for the next attack. "Always with the wrong place, wrong time, J?" he kids though there's no levity in his stance.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
A glance to the mark and Elektra knows what it's about. She's been on the other side of the fence after all, serving those contracts to those the Hand wanted to kill. And she could surely bet which of the fingers voted against their killing. But right now? Time to survive...

"It's a mark of death. They have sent their best." She is already jumping up onto a crouch on the counter.

There's the sound of a whiskey bottle clattering to the ground (Sorry JJ).

A whistle flies past, real close to Matt as a Sai soars to the figure that teleports in but then out the moment later. She curses. That's a lot more than the usual ninja fare she expects out of the Hand. Where did they get this guy...? Oh, she remembers now. But they have no doppelganger to call him out anymore.

"We need to get out of this place-" The teleporting ninja appears in front of Elektra. A vicious kick and she is thrown back against the bar, the sound of *more* bottles heard smashing to the ground. Along with an assassin now behind the counter and on the ground.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie allows a small smirk at the comment from Jessica about medical bills. His beer's set aside with a little moue of disappointment, and he climbs to his feet just as the lights go out. "And I forgot to bring a glowstick--"

The second the words are out of his mouth, he gets a knife in the chest. Right between the interlocking grooves of his armour, and straight through his heart. No time to let the demon take over, and his human form is nowhere near as immune to lethal damage.

He drops like a sack of dirt, knocking over a barstool and a few glasses as he crashes to the floor.

Jan de Wit has posed:
Dark. That's... less than optimal for Dancer. Still, there's not going to be a man laying down on the job when there's someone hurting his team-mates! The batons are snapped into his hands, with Dancer taking up a position nearer the middle of the room. "Lazarus, can you see any better?" He asks, hearing Colleen suffer a hit. Then the crashing bottles and Elektra being knocked back. Then Robbie is down. This is not going well.

"Get some lights on!" Just as he shouts that, there's a kick towards his face - Jan ducking back just enough. Thank goodness for precog! That said, he's not fast enough to react to the teleportation of the Black Sky - a slice of the blade crosses over the small of his back. It's forceful enough to push through the armor and draw blood.

Veira Lazarescu has posed:
"Well, that told me how fucked we were." The Romanian states as she reaches out to try to see where Jan is. Then the lights go out and she makes a sound of frustration. That's right before she feels that painful sting that comes along with being sliced open. She did this regularly with her magic, so having someone else doing it was not a feeling she liked.

She clamps a hand over the wound in her side without thinking about it and draws it back to reveal a lot of blood. This was fine! That hand starts to glow an eerie white before she focuses her energy into trying to hit the teleporting death ninja. "I can try to get them back on." she calls back to Jan. Did she look like a mystical engineer?!

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen feels the burn in her leg. Her mind is sent back to training with Bakuto. The psychopath that he was had all the students out in the rain holding weights as he cut their legs until they could no longer stand, the whole while telling them if they drop they're dead. Colleen was the last one standing.

She can feel the warmth of the blood clinging to her loose pants as she grabs and draws her sword. The blade shining in what little light is left in the bar. The Black Sky - they faced him before and she remembers his tactics well. Last time he was there to prove a point - this time he's fully off the leash.

Colleen hasn't even seen Robbie drop yet, not in the fever of the moment. She spins expecting him to teleport to her side where she's exposed herself and as he does, she scoops up his arm in to a bar and strikes the wrist with the butt of her sword. He clearly doesn't like this as one of his dark blades drops and he teleports himself - and her. Colleen crashes in to the ceiling and wall on the far side of the bar and then drops to the ground with a groan as the Black Sky disappears on her again. One blade down, one to go.

Between the precog and Daredevil, they can sense that this was just the first volley as a dozen of the ninjas from outside draw their blades and quietly charge in to the bar.

Jessica Jones has posed:
"They are absolute morons...like, wouldn't ninjas kill us in our sleep?" Jessica gives the enemy ideas she probably shouldn't, but hey, sometimes people take offense when you insult them, and they may err in their fighting.

"Goddamnit!" Jessica yells at the sound of a bottle shattering, "Josie has short supply, be careful you bananas in pjamas!" Then Elektra moves as fast as she does, and Jess groans, all upset, "do all of you fuckers not need light at all? What's the point of brining down the light then?" But before she can offer any more tips and complaints, she feels a hand around her neck, leading her to give the mother of all elbows to a guy who winds up flying into the wall of the bar. Unfortunately, this isn't a one on one show, the Hand mean business and threee more accosted Jessica, her cries filling the room as she gets stabbed and smacked, and she's not entirely sure from what direction, as she flails in a panic, and throws a bar stool, unfortunately towards Colleen rather than Hand ninjas, though maybe those after Colleen get hit instead.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Now Elektra is getting mad. And not just because she's drenched in whiskey and whatever else cheap liquor Josie keeps on those shelves. But that guy is just too good. And she can hear the rest of them hurting under it's attacks.

She gets up. Slowly. The lights from outside giving -some- light and notion of movement within. More ninjas coming to enter. Well, maybe she can't directly face this one but at least she can delay some of the others. Gloved hand brings a few metal pieces out of those leather bracers she carries and she throws them to the entrance. They split, clatter. Caltrops that might at least delay some of that onslaught. At least the sounds of some of those ninjas getting hurt is heard even if she doesn't have the luck of getting Black Sky out.

What she gets is the 'luck' of a blade going through her shoulder, making her cry out. But then the ninja disappears.

"He's playing with us." one arm down, but she still has her other Sai and the will to stay alive. A barstool flies past close to her head. Sounds like JJ.

Jan de Wit has posed:
A hand goes to his bloodied back. Well... that's going to be a bastard to mend up. Still, Dancer's on his feet. "It's not a game I am enjoying." He calls back to Elektra. One of the batons is hurled at the more standard Hand Ninjas, driving into their solar-plexus. Wind gone on that poor fellow! More are engaged - it is a savage dance. They are professionals at their art, as is Jan. He dances and evades, blocking and parrying blows from the ninjas with his remaining baton.

"Break the windows?" Street filtered light would be good, right?! Even so, the Black Sky ports in and lands a solid kick to Dancer's chest, sending him crashing back into a table.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The sound of the padded feet heading for the door draws Daredevil's attention. "More coming inside," he says, moving over towards the door hoping to block them. He leans back, avoiding Elektra's caltrops as they fly past to land around the doorway. Daredevil jumps up, grabbing the top of the doorjamb and swinging forward to kick a ninja soundly in the face before he can enter.

Another slides past beneath the suspended hero, making no noise as the caltrops dig into his thigh and behind. But he's hurting. He takes a swipe at Daredevil with a sword, the hero just managing to avoid him by pulling his body and legs up, feet on the doorjamb and then pushing off to do a back flip and land back further inside the bar.

There's a momentary bit of heat at one of the seams of his suit between the armor plates. Matt reaches down to it, feeling blood where a punch dagger was forced into the gap just as he landed.

Veira Lazarescu has posed:
Veira focuses her energy on breaking out one of the windows, since she was already cut open she may as well lend her energy towards her blood magic and that sends that cold blast of energy into the pane of glass. "I'll pay for that!" she calls out. She was guessing that Luke was going to murder them all, if this Ninja didn't do it first!

Also, being a magic user probably draws attention. Always get rid of the mage before they get going. Or was that what they did in D&D? It wasn't important. It was important that as soon as she did move to start breaking windows with her powers she got stabbed through the shoulder and that was simply uncomfortable with trying to move her arm. Not to mention that meant more blood flowing down her arm.

Colleen Wing has posed:
Colleen barks a strained laugh at Jess's quip about them killing us in our sleep. They may go there if they fail here tonight. But this: this is about making a statement. A big statement to 'heroes', cops, the FBI, to New York, to anyone who would stand in their way. Don't mess with the Hand.

Colleen rises up as two of the remaining ninjas jump over tables toward her with swords out. But also a barstool has been thrown her way. Hard. She spin catches it and scoops up the ninjas thrusts in to the chair legs and twists. "Thanks Jackie..." she remarks to spirit of Jackie Chan and his amazing movies.

Her blade is quick and efficient and given the stakes right now she's not the least bit worried about the consequences of killing. Not when these Hand jerks keep coming back from the dead somehow.

Colleen remembers there's a torch under the bar. She starts to move, sliding over a table and tumbling over the floor as Black Sky returns for her. Teleporting above her, it is pure luck she was down low. She misses a perfect opportunity to thrust up in to his belly.

As Colleen rises up, Black Sky lands and his hand seems to eat the darkness. He punches the ground and there is a blast that knocks Colleen (and several tables/chairs) back the rest of the way to the bar. May be freeing up one of his hands from a blade wasn't the best strategy after all.

With a thud she hits the bar and coughs out a wheezing, "Hey Elektra." It's not the first time she's been knocked back by a blast like that thanks to Danny sometimes losing his cool during training. Her eyes spy Robbie, not moving, on the ground, "Robbie!"

The windows shatter and street lights poor in upon the Black Sky. A young asian man with cloudy eyes like he's in a trance. He shudders in place as he tries to teleport but cannot escape the light upon him. He's stuck - for now.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
As the windows shatter, there's a loud FWOOOMP of something rapidly igniting, and a sudden gout of flame. A barstool goes flying into the wall with a *crack*, and the dark-clothed figure that climbs to its feet fluidily is very much not dead. The Ghost Rider's leaking copious amounts of black blood-smoke, but he doesn't spare so much as a glance for the wound already closing over as he advances on Black Sky.

Hey, at least they'll be able to see now?

"I'm going to enjoy taking you apart bit by bit," snarls the voice that isn't Robbie's. Like metal ripping, tearing apart. He kicks another stool out of his way as he closes in on the trapped ninja, barely aware of the others and their injuries at this point.

Jessica Jones has posed:
While before a stool flew from Jessica's direction, her struggles with the three or so ninjas accosting her soon turns into a few flying ninjas being thrown wildly towards Colleen, Elektra, and some just crash at the bar. Jessica is wildly trying to stay alive as more blades pierce her, from odd directions, but there's only so many ninjas she can get her hands on before she simply collapses to her knees, and biting her lips, hisses, "just fucking end it already!"

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Right now Elektra is just hoping there's some limit to that teleporting. "The Hand never plays fair games." She replies back to Jan even as she finds support against the counter, blood sipping down her shoulder, she feeling it's warmth down her arm. This is not good, the blood loss will begin hindering her reflexes soon enough.

And then there's that weakness she was looking for. The windows being broken by Veira means there's light. They can see *something* again. But better than that there's no more teleporting. So she slides over the counter like a lioness ready to pounce. "Hey..." she says back to Colleen. Eyes are wider now. Ready.

And hold up. That's Ghost Rider. Somehow Elektra hadn't been aware of that. Did she think he was a biker thug? Well...

The scream out of JJ gets her back to the moment and she stares. And then jumps over to go help out the other Defender, a Sai stabbing through a ninja assailing the down-on-her-knees JJ before she kicks another away!

Jan de Wit has posed:
Thankfully, the crash landing for Jan has him near enough to axe kick one of the Hand surrounding Jessica. He does look over to Veira, nodding to her. "Don't over... you know." He motions to the bloodied arm. Then he's starting to swing with his baton, the sound of bones breaking on impact of the Hand surrounding Jessica.

"If you could end it... as she says, it'd be appreciated!" He shouts back towards the demon. Then Elektra is there helping clear the ninja around Jessica. The tide is turning, right?!

Matthew Murdock has posed:
There is no time for Daredevil to deal with the wound as more of the Hand ninjas enter through the door way. His batons are out, meeting the blows of swords, the metal on metal sparking in the dimmer light.

Daredevil dodges back, two ninjas pursuing wide spaced to try to allow one to attack from his side or back. Instead Daredevil ducks beneath a slash, moving between them and sweeping out the leg of one of the ninjas. As he crashes onto his back, a baton takes him in the head and downs him for the rest of the fight.

Matt is already spinning back to his feet, having to parry a sword thrust. The ninja charges, their bodies crashing together and driving Matt back to ram his lower back into the poker table. A pool cue left on the table is hanging over the edge and Daredevil slams a hand down on it, causing the other end to fly up and bash the ninja in the face.

Colleen Wing has posed:
As the next wave of ninjas charge in to the battle field, Daredevil is there to meet them. Of course, a random ninja is tossed the way of Colleen thanks to Jess and she sucker punches the pajama warrior in the throat. Rising back up, she can feel the pain in her chest. Broken ribs. It's always broken ribs. A bleeding thigh and broken ribs. Her eyes are blurring a little - focus Colleen.

Elektra has the right idea. Colleen twirls her sword and brings it in to two hands and starts to pick up the pace as she charges at Black Sky. Elektra deviates to protect Jessica so Colleen goes in to combat with their foe. It is clear all her training with Danny has paid off as his sickly black glowing hands thrust out to punch her with a force that would kill her; she slides right past him and her sword cuts down at his calf. He stumbles a moment and manages to shoulder barge Colleen right in the broken ribs out of the way in time to turn to face the ghost rider.

The dragon soul, twisted and corrupted by the Hand over generations, roars inside of him. He drops the blade, lifts up both dark fists; the heat and light from ghost rider licking through the air and disappearing in to his hands like mini black holes. He smirks just a little, clearly eager to face off against this burning monster.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
One of the vanilla ninjas (yes, it's a thing) leaps off the edge of a broken window to try to tackle Ghost Rider to the floor. The guy can't compete with his enhanced reflexes, however, and winds up being swatted out of the air and sent flying through a wall. He'll have to square the bill later with Josie.

Two more ninjas come scurrying toward him, intent on disabling the leather-clad demon with the head like a torch, prowling toward their master as if he's got all the time in the world. One even manages to take three of his fingers off with his blade, before his head breaks up with his shoulders, flaming kama style. The other simply gets his skull crushed with a chained fist through his face.

And then the Ghost Rider lurches toward Black Sky, trying to get his chain around his throat as his hellfire is sucked into the event horizon of his fists. Surely he can sense the power building in his foe; but at the moment, he has one goal: "Look at me. Show me your soul, if you have one."

And for a moment, he gets what he wanted. Black Sky can't help but to meet the demon's eyes-- and pays for it with a horrific howl of pain. Before the Ghost Rider can do much more though, a fist comes out of nowhere and slams into him full force, sending the flame-headed punk careening back a few feet and into the bar.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Another ninja just makes the doorway when Matt hurls a baton right into his face, nailing him in the forehead before the enemy has a chance to see it coming. The cable that can connect the batons is extended and Daredevil quickly pulls the baton back by it, but leaves the cable extended.

Looking up, Daredevil spots the Black Sky moving away from the closing Vengeance demon, moving towards Elektra's exposed back. A fist glows black as he draws back, focusing on delivering a blow that will rupture her vital organs when it hits!

Daredevil grabs the batons, twisting them so there's a loop in the high-strength wire that connects them. He swings both batons like he were double casting fishing poles, sending that loop of cable soaring towards the glowing fist. It drops in right around Black Sky's hand and Daredevil pulls back with all his might, stopping the hand in mid-punch just inches short of the Greek assassin!

Jan de Wit has posed:
Jessica may be down, but she's not in danger - the ninjas around her had been dispatched. Dancer stood between any other onrushing baddies and their downed friend. There's a bit of a sway to him - brief, the man reeling for just a second. Eyes then snap from the Black Sky to Elektra. "Don't get near him." He warns, moving to stand between the two.

As Daredevil traps the incoming fist, Dancer repeatedly slams his baton down on that extended arm in an attempt to break it.

Veira Lazarescu has posed:
Veira's been cut open a lot and she's bleeding A LOT. One of those hits that she took from Black Sky had hit a vital area. But that is pushed to the back of her mind. People were getting their asses handed to them and some other shit was going down so she was going into Avatar mode for the moment. Morana's frosty link comes into her magic and she focuses on the man with the clouded eyes. Reading him with the magic that she's mastered.

That was...odd. Veira digs into the wound in her shoulder, forcing more blood out to power the magic that was needed to to separate a soul from a body...or in this case a soul that should not be there. The dragon fights her, but given her knowledge of dragons and things there is a moment that she can dislodge it, but at a price.

There's a cold flash of bright white light that fills the room for a few seconds, but is gone before it is an issue. "I think...I got it..." Veira states as she drifts forward a few steps and then her eye flutters closed before she falls backwards with a very heavy thud. There's no motion from her body, just the slow trickle of blood from wounds.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
Elektra had been busy trying to protect Jessica from the onslaught so she isn't particularly attentive to what's going on behind her...

Yet when she hears that familiar sound of the wire-baton out of Matt it has her twist around. Just in time to see Robbie being thrown out. And Jan attacking the Black Sky. She sees Veira fall to the ground by the corner of her eye but she can't do anything about that right now.

Black Sky must die.

So as they focus on stopping him from advancing she flips her Sai on her hand, holding the tip. Arm goes back and then she throws it in a swift, accurate gesture. And when you can't teleport and are being bound down by the Defenders? It means there's no defense to the Sai that buries itself on the man's chest. She knew it was a mercy though. The man was crazy beyond any reason already. Both from ZZGU world and from whatever the Hand had done to him now...

Colleen Wing has posed:
Murakami, watching through the eyes of his weapon. He's kneeling in seiza surrounded by candles, meditating, when the burning demon connects with him via Black Sky. He is hit with the penancing gaze and hundreds of years flash back through his mind of all the people he has wronged and killed. It is a lot all at once and he gasps - it lasts for barely a moment before Black Sky has punched the ghost rider away... but still, the manipulator behind the scenes feels the sweat drip down over his forehead. And is that a tear? he is rattled.

Colleen turns back to the fight while gripping at her chest. She's wheezing for breath as she rises her sword up and stabs. Her sword pierced right through his leg and in to the floor, pinning him in place. No teleporting. No moving at all.

Black Sky's eyes clear and he is seeing with his own eyes now. He seems incapable of, or perhaps unwilling to scream out in pain from the wounds he's received, though the pained expression on his face is thinly veiled with anger at this inconvenience from the creatures he's meant to destroy. Snap, his trapped arm breaks to the blows of Jan.

Finally, as the room flashes white from Veira's magic, he lets out a howling yowl of pain. It hits him all at once. Including the Sai right in to his heart that ends the cries. He stares with wild eyes but whether he really sees Elektra or not it's unclear. Matt can hear his heart shudder and stop.

The dragon within, however, is uncoiled - dislodged by Veira, by its hosts death. It pours out of the wounds like a black cloud and there is only one here who is worthy of its attentions. The smoke coils like a dragon in the air and shoots in to Elektra, through her eyes, mouth, her wounds, it dives deep within her and settles, coiling tightly about her heart.

And then it is quiet in the room. There are no more ninjas. Black Sky is dead. They kinda won? right?

Colleen is struggling for breath and she sees Veira on the ground. She lifts a hand toward her before she slumps to the ground in a kneel. Her efforts focused on staying conscious. In the distance the wails of police cars can be heard approaching - a small army of ninjas attacking a bar does not go unnoticed in New York City.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt Murdock sees from two dozen feet away as Elektra turns towards the Black Sky and pulls out her sai. His eyes widen as he knows the look in her eyes as she rears back with the sai to prepare to hurl it.

"No! Don't-" he shouts but any further words die in his throat as he's too late. To Daredevil that sai seems to spin in slow motion through the air as it crosses the gap between the Greek assassin and the cloudy-eyed man, before nearly disappearing into his chest it goes so deep.

Dardevil sags, letting up on the wire wrapped around the Black Sky's wrist as he hears the last attempts of his heart to beat before falling silent. Is it a victory? If asked right now he doesn't know that he'd call it that.

What happens next is horrific to see for the devout Catholic, for the man who once loved the woman that the black soul disappears into. "Elektra," he whispers, mouth hanging open after.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Sirens wail in the distance, and a hunk of splintering glass crashes to the floor along with the drip, drip, drip of spilled alcohol. They've really trashed the place; Josie's gonna be pissed.

The Ghost Rider, perfectly aware that the body that housed Black Sky is now.. just an empty shell, turns away from him even as he pulls his last breath. The demon's glowing eyes focus on Elektra instead, and he starts to take a step closer-- before Robbie manages to wrestle control away at last.

The flames go out, and his flesh begins the process of rapidly repairing itself, and he's still staring at the Greek ninja while his mind churns through the calculus of the situation.

Finally he turns and stalks out, before he does something he'll regret.

Elektra Natchios has posed:
It was done. The Black Sky was no more. A triumph. It also meant most of the remaining ninjas are fleeing. She starts approaching to go retrieve her Sai and ....

That shouldn't be happening.

The impact hits her like she had been ran over by a car, a gasp as that black entity enters her, leaving her helpless for the few couple of seconds that it lasts. She is looking dumbfounded at it all, eyes hazy. "What just ..."

Confusion as she sees the large flaming skull of Ghost Rider turning her way. But she doesn't finish that sentence because the moment after she falls back on the floor, unconscious.

Jan de Wit has posed:
No matter the understanding Jan has of Veira's gifts, it is no less heart-breaking to watch his fiancee die. Especially when he couldn't stop what he foresaw - the transfer of that sinister force from the now dead man, to Elektra. He moves quickly, dropping his remaining baton to scoop up and cradle Lazarus. "I need... to get her home."

There is no hiding the pain in his voice - physical and emotional. Tears are freely flowing from under his mask. A look from Daredevil to the unconcious form of Elektra. "She's become the monster we faced." He whispers.

Veira Lazarescu has posed:
Veira is...dead. Given a multitude of things adding up at the wrong time. Atilla appears at her side as Jan scoops her up. The black dragon giving a look around the room and then to Jan, "Home would be best." he states to the man. They've gone through her dying before and it's no surprise that the dragon is here to help out the man again. Veira of course doesn't put up a fight in any of this.

Colleen Wing has posed:
The HAND have declared War on the Defenders. The first salvos have been fired and though Black Sky did not kill them, they have been wounded. A bite was taken out of them and truths were revealed. Splattered with blood, the scroll that declared this war sits next to photos of their enemies. The five fingers of the Hand, three of which are known, two of which are unknown.

The Hand will not stop here, not when they've got their prey limping.

Not when there is a new Black Sky to capture and tame.