Part 84: Daggers and Duels
Levitating above the Titans, Knights and Blackfire, was a Zodiac Knight clad in brown, black and golden armor. A rooster-shaped helmet was adorned over his head. He was identified as…
"Dagger…" Draco growled.
"It's been along time hasn't it, Draco?" Dagger sneered.
"Um Draco?" Jinx began asking, "You know this guy?"
"Of course he does," Shadowcobra interjected. "Draco was the one who defeated this bird brain."
At the words "bird brain" Rooster started yelling angrily at the Snake Knight, "Don't you dare call me bird brain you reptile!"
Shadowcobra smirked, "What's the matter chicken lips? Mad because you know you're going to get beaten like the last time."
"Why you!"
Robin pointed at Dagger, "If you want a fight, the Teen Titans are ready to serve it up!"
Cyborg started charging up his sonic cannon. "I've got the sonic if you've got the boom, Robin!"
Dagger scoffed, "Spare me! You Titans are nothing compared to a Zodiac Knight with my power!"
"So says the chicken who's about to get fried," Shadowcobra insulted. Everyone began laughing. An anime vein popped on the side of Dagger's head.
"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" he yelled, thrashing around. "I came for my revenge and no one is going to stop me, you understand me?"
Draco sighed, "All this for payback?"
Dagger pointed his finger at Draco, "I'm going to pay you back for the humiliation you gave me the last time we dueled. Now, transform so we can begin!"
Draco shrugged, "Okay." He took out his Zodiac Deck. Pluto placed a hand on his shoulder. "Pluto?"
"Be careful, Draco. I think he means business. He might be stronger than he was before. After all, this is their world," Pluto advised him.
Draco chuckled. "Relax, Plutes. I took this guy down once and I'll take him down again."
"I sure hope so."
"You can take this chicken out!" Jinx cheered
He's becoming too overconfident. This might not be good, Shadowcobra thought. Shadowcobra was looking at Draco then back to Dagger. "You know that you can come down now."
Dagger retorted, "I don't need you to tell me that!" Dagger floated down and landed in front of Draco.
Draco threw his arm forward and called forth the power to transform. "ZODIAC FORCE! DRAGON!" Flames enveloped his body and Draco now stood in his full Zodiac Knight armor.
"Zodiac Knight Draco!" Draco took a battle stance. "Let's fight!"
Dagger crossed his arms and sighed. "You think that we are to fight with fists? How barbaric."
Draco smirked under his helmet, "Scared, Dagger?"
Dagger shrugged, "You assume too much. Don't you remember that this game's called "Duel Monsters World"? There's a reason for that." Dagger pulled out a deck of cards from his back. "Look familiar?"
"Duel Monsters cards?" Draco stared.
"Of course," Dagger began shuffling his deck. "Rather than using our fists, I prefer to use cards. Any objections, volcano breath?"
Draco stood there in a short moment.
Beast Boy stared at the deck in Dagger's hand. "Dudes. That ain't a Zodiac Deck!"
"No shit, genius!" Jinx told him. "Those are Duel Monster Cards and I think I know what he is planning."
"So this evil Knight wishes to duel with Draco with the rules of Duel Monsters?" Starfire inquired.
Dagger looked at Starfire and answered, "You are correct, Tamaranian. And Jinx, thank you for explaining this all. Now I know why Draco chose you to be his Bitch!"
"WHAT!" Jinx's eyes glowed.
"Dagger! You've gone too far! Nobody insults Jinx and gets away with it!" Draco yelled angrily, forming a fireball in his hand.
"Save it for the duel, dragon! You can defend your little girlfriend's honor later!" a Duel Disk appeared and attached itself to Dagger's left forearm. He inserted his deck into the large card slot and the reader's screen sot up to 8000 LP. "Ready?"
Draco's dragon gauntlet roared, literally, opening its mouth to reveal Draco's duel monster's deck. The gauntlet morphed into a Duel Disk as well. The Life Point meter shot up to 8000 LP. "Ready. And when you lose you'll pay for calling my Enchantress a Bitch!"
Dagger retorted. "Talk all you want but words aren't going to end this duel. Only our cards will. And you know what'll happen if you lose, right?" Draco nodded. "Alrighty then…"
"DUEL!" both Zodiac Knights yelled, forming the barrier around them. They each started drawing five cards and held them in their respective hands.
Dagger: 8000LP
Draco: 8000 LP
The Titans watched as Draco started dueling.
"Do you think he will win?" Starfire asked Robin, worried for her friend.
"I dunno, Star," Robin answered. "I'm not used to this kind of fighting."
"But I am. And I know Draco can pull through. Trust me," Pluto told them confidently.
"You sure about that, Pluto?" Shadowcobra asked. "Draco has gotten a little bit arrogant over the years since he defeated Dagger. Who knows how this will turn out"
"Don't you believe in Draco?" Raven asked.
"I do," Shadowcobra answered, "But we won't know the outcome of this duel until one of them looses, and I've got the feeling this won't be easy for Draco."
"Let's just hope that isn't true," Raven said.
Terra looked at the Duel barrier and then at Beast Boy. "Who do you have your money on?" Terra whispered.
"Draco," Beast Boy answered back. "You?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Draco," she flashed him a smile.
Back to the Duel.
Dagger drew a card. "I'll start first by summoning Sage Keiron in attack mode!" Dagger's monster was revealed to be an armored centaur armed with a scepter, which held a large glowing red orb. (ATK:1800/DEF: 1000) "I'll also place two cards face down." Two more cards from Dagger's hand were inserted into the Magic/Trap slots and reappeared on the field, floating like flying carpets. "Your turn."
Draco drew a card. "I'll summon Vorse Raider in attack mode! (ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200)" Draco's monster was a grinning warrior armed with large sword. "I'll also play my magic card, Heavy Storm, destroying all of your facedown cards on the field!" as he revealed his magic card, an immense hurricane whipped through the field.
"I'll counter with this!" Dagger yelled as one of his facedown cards flipped up. "Curse of Magic Sealing! By discarding one magic card from my hand, I can cancel out your Heavy Storm!" Dagger purposely discarded a card into the Graveyard, destroying Draco's magic card in the process. Draco frowned under his helmet. "Also, you can't use the magic card or any copies of the card that was destroyed by my trap. How do you like that?"
Draco shrugged. "Don't really care. Vorse Raider! Destroy his Sage Keiron! Attack!"
"Activate trap card, Magic Cylinder!" Dagger's facedown card revealed itself. A pair of barrels appeared in front of him.
"What?"
"You heard me! Now your monster's attack goes straight back at you!" And just as Dagger said, Vorse Raider entered through one of the cylinders and exited the other, going straight for Draco. Vorse Raider slashed at Draco, taking down a chunk of LP. Draco staggered back from the strike.
"Ugh!"
Draco: 6100 LP
Dagger: 8000 LP
"I place one card facedown and end my turn," Draco said.
"Very well," Dagger drew his card. "Now I activate Sage Keiron's special ability." Dagger placed the card in his hand into the graveyard "By discarding one Magic card into the graveyard, I can activate my monster's special ability, which allows it to destroy your facedown card." Draco's facedown card shattered.
"So what? Your Sage is still weaker than my Vorse Raider," Draco told him.
"I'm well aware of that. That's why I sacrifice it for this!" Sage Keiron faded away and was replaced by a new creature. "My Summoned Skull in attack mode! (ATK: 2500/DEF: 1200) Attack!"
The skeletal demon roared and let loose bolts of lightning which destroyed Draco's monster.
"And you lose more of your Life Points. Not such a good start, is it?" Dagger insulted.
Draco: 5500 LP
Dagger: 8000 LP
"It's not over!" Draco said.
"Keep telling yourself that!" Dagger shot back, snidely.
"This is bad guys," Pluto stated. "Dagger already took out 2500 of Draco's Life Points while Draco hasn't scratched him yet."
"Will he lose?" Jinx asked, worried.
"It's too early to tell. However, let's hope not, or else he'll lose more than he realizes," Shadowcobra said.
"Man, we can't just stand here!" Cyborg said.
"Too bad, Cyborg, but there isn't a thing we can do until one of them wins," Shadowcobra told him. "We have to trust him."
"My move!" Draco drew a new card and smiled at it. "I activate the Magic Card, Premature Burial, allowing me to summon my Vorse Raider back to the field with a cost of 800 Life Points!"
Draco: 4700 LP
Vorse Raider reappeared on the field.
"So? My monster is stronger than yours. You can't win," Dagger sneered.
"Really? How about if I sacrifice my Vorse Raider for Jinzo?"
"What?"
Vorse Raider faded away and was replaced by a tall humanoid android wearing green futuristic armor. At this, Dagger smirked.
"So what? It's still weaker than my Summoned Skull," Dagger said.
"Really? Then I'll activate the Magic Card Shrink and cut down your monster's attack points by half!" One of Draco's cards flipped over to reveal itself. Dagger watched helplessly as his Summoned Skull shrank down and lost half of its power.
Summoned Skull (Atk:1250)
Draco pointed at the puny demon. "Now Jinzo! Destroy Summoned Skull! Cyber Energy Shock!"
Jinzo formed a crackling black ball of energy and hurled it at the Summoned Skull. The monster was eradicated.
Dagger: 6850 LP
Draco: 4700 LP
"How do you like them apples?" Draco jeered. Dagger leered at Draco and drew a new card.
"I place a monster facedown in defense mode and place a card facedown on the field. It's your turn," Dagger said.
Draco drew a card and ordered his monster to attack. The defense monster was only a Mystical Elf (ATK: 800/DEF: 2000) He then placed a card facedown and ended his turn.
Dagger drew a new card and smiled under his helmet. He chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Draco asked
"Your worse nightmare!" Dagger announced. "I remove two monsters in my graveyard from the game and I choose my Summoned Skull and my Mystical Elf!"
Shadowcobra and Pluto's eyes widened. "Oh no!" Shadowcobra said.
"What?" Jinx asked.
Pluto answered. "Dagger is attempting a special summon a creature by removing a Dark (Summoned Skull) and a Light (Mystical Elf) monster from his graveyard. Only a few monsters can be summoned that way and two are really strong. One is the Chaos Emperor Dragon that belongs to Draco and the other is…"
"I summon The Black Luster Soldier, Envoy of the Beginning!" Dagger announced (ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500). His creature was a warrior in dark armor trimmed in gold armed with a large saber and shield.
Draco's eyes widened at the fully armor clad warrior. "Crap!"
"Now my monster! Destroy his Jinzo!" Dagger's Black Luster Soldier ran forward and slashed Jinzo in half. Draco felt the lost of life points.
Draco: 4100 LP
Dagger: 6850 LP
"And you know that if the Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of Beginning successfully destroys a monster, it can attack again, right?" Dagger said.
"What?" Draco said.
"Attack!" Dagger ordered, sending his monster at Draco.
"I activate the trap card, Negate Attack!" And with that trap card activated, the monster's attack was absorbed by a portal.
"You're only delaying the inevitable," Dagger said. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
Draco was panicking. He never expected Dagger to have that card and there was nothing in his hand that could help him. He drew a card and smiled. He placed a monster facedown in Defense mode and placed another card facedown.
"I end my turn," Draco said.
Dagger shrugged, "Giving up so soon? Oh, well! Black Luster Soldier! Attack!"
The Black Luster Soldier rushed forward and sliced Draco's monster in half. It then prepared to attack again but then…
"I activate my Ring of Destruction Trap Card!" Draco's facedown card flipped up and released a ring with bombs attached to it. The ring attached itself to the Black Luster Soldier. "Say goodbye."
"No!" Dagger protested.
The bombs detonated.
BOOOOOMMMM!
Draco: 1100 LP
Dagger: 3850 LP
"Damn you, Draco!" Dagger swore.
"What? Don't like the fact that I'm whooping your butt, again?" Draco said.
"Woohoo!" Jinx cheered. "Go Draco!"
"You da man!" Cyborg chimed in.
"You kick his butt friend Draco!" Starfire added.
"It's too early to be celebrating, guys," Pluto said.
"That move may have damaged Dagger's life points, but it did damage to Draco's life points as well. Draco's down to 1100 points and Dagger still has more. The game could turn to anyone's favor," Shadowcobra explained.
"My move!" Draco said and he played a monster card. "I summon my second Vorse Raider in attack mode (ATK: 1900/DEF: 1600)!" And I equip it with my magic card, Megamorph!" Draco's monster grew in power (ATK: 3800!)
"No! Don't!" Dagger begged.
"Also, I activate Mage Power, giving him an additional 500 attack points for EVERY magic and trap card I have on the field! Vorse Raider (ATK: 4800)! Attack Dagger directly!" Draco's monster flew forward and slashed Dagger across the chest. Even Dagger's facedown card (Skull Dice) couldn't save him.
Draco: 1100 LP
Dagger: 0 LP
WINNER: ZODIAC KNIGHT DRACO!
The Titans watched as Dagger slumped down to his knees. "I lost," he mumbled.
The Titans ran at Draco as soon as the barrier dropped. They picked him up and carried him.
"WOOHOO!" Cyborg cheered.
"THE CHAMP!" Beast Boy added.
"YOU DA MAN!" Pluto finished.
"You were great!" Jinx said.
"I had my money on you the whole time," Terra said.
"You were absolutely, magnificent!" Starfire said.
"Geez, thanks guys," Draco said, blushing under his helmet.
Dagger squawked at the Titans and then disappeared while screaming, "I'LL BE BACK AND I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"
Meanwhile…
"Dagger lost to the dragon again," Toros said. "Oh well, it's his own fault anyway." Toros shrugged.
"Did anyone besides me saw that coming?" Vermin added. "We're better off without that chicken/coward anyway!"
"Now is not the time to complain but rather plan the next attack," Astra said.
Suddenly, Dagger reformed and appeared before his three fellow Gamemasters. The other three stared and sighed.
"You failed," Toros said.
"I know. You don't have to remind me," Dagger answered.
"Now, where were we?" Astra said.
To be continued…