Dan LP: 4000
Jad LP: 4000
"I'll take the first move, if you don't mind." Dan called.
"Not at all, young man." Jad answered. "Go ahead, take the first turn."
Dan nodded. "I draw. Hmm... I think I'll start it simple. I set one monster, and one Spell or Trap Card. Your move." His two face-down cards appeared, one above the other.
"Then I draw," Jad examined his hand. "I shall also set a monster. But in addition, I'll activate the Spell Card, Epignosai Send." The face-down monster materialized, and the Spell appeared behind it. "With this, I can banish any Epignosai card from my Deck. In this case, the Trap Card, Epignosai Veil." He took the card from his Deck and held it up for all to see, then banished it.
Leah frowned. "Another one of those Epignosai Traps... this isn't good. Jad's trying to set up a lockdown like he did against me."
"Well, you got around it just fine," Matt pointed out.
"Yeah, but only because I had my Goddess of Borealis, which could navigate around his Traps. Dan doesn't have anything like that." Leah replied.
"Will you two just shut up!" James snapped at them. "I'm trying to listen here!" Both kids turned to look at him, startled and annoyed by his outburst but not surprised – this was his second one today.
"I'll finish by placing one card face-down." Jad said, placing his mystery Spell/Trap Card where his previous Spell Card had been earlier. "It's your move."
"Alrighty, I draw. I Normal Summon Polaris Dragon Sapphia!" The monster that appeared was a simple dragon, with two hind legs and two fore legs, wings, and a tail. It was a soft blue and white colour.
Polaris Dragon Sapphia: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 1500
"Battle! Sapphia, attack the face-down monster!" With surprising viciousness, the dragon swooped forward and smashed its tail down onto Jad's face-down monster. The card shattered, and the monster appeared above it. It was clearly a machine, but in a vaguely human shape. Its mouth was lined with jagged pieces of black metal, and the faint outlines of the dark hinges could be seen. It was carrying a large cog on its back like a backpack, and black sparks were flashing out of it. Black tar was seeping thickly out of its joints like oil.
Epignosai Teth: Machine-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 500/DEF 500
The monster wasn't strong enough. Quick as a flash, the dragon whipped around and clamped its jaws down on the machine, which exploded in an instant.
"I activate Epignosai Teth's effect." Jad declared. "When it's destroyed by battle, I can add any Epignosai card from my Deck to my hand, and then banish another Epignosai card from my Deck." He pulled two cards from his Deck: one he kept and the other he banished. "I'll add Epignosai Lamedh to my hand and banish Epignosai Counter."
"Hmph, more of those things..." Dan muttered. "Oh well, I have effects of my own. Polaris Dragon Sapphia's effect activates." Sapphia's scales lit up a pure white. "When Sapphia destroys a monster by battle, I can Special Summon a Level three or lower Polaris monster from my Deck. So c'mon out, Polaris Dragon Islingh!" A pure white, very thin dragon appeared. This dragon was very spindly, almost bordering on skeletal, and had two horns, similar to goat horns on top of its head.
Polaris Dragon Islingh: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 300
"Polaris Dragon Islingh, direct attack!" The skeletal dragon lumbered forward and struck Jad with the base of its skull. He covered his face and staggered back a few steps.
Jad LP: 4000 → 3000
"I'll set one more card and end my turn." Dan's second face-down card appeared.
"Then it's my turn again. I draw." Jad sifted through his hand for a good few seconds before deciding on a move. "I Normal Summon Epignosai Lamedh." The monster that appeared was a leopard with pitch-black fur, no eyes, and a gaping mouth filled with teeth. Black tar dripped from its body, saturating its fur.
Epignosai Lamedh: Beast-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800
"Then I'll use Lamedh's effect. When it's Normal Summo-"
"I think I'll cut in there!" Dan interrupted. "I chain the Trap Card, Polaris' Blizzard!" The Trap Card activated and let off a cruel blast of icy wind. "With this card, each time you Summon a monster while I control a Polaris monster, your Summoned monster gains a number of Polaris Counters equal to its Level." Four orbs of ice congealed on the leopards fur.
Epignosai Lamedh: 0 → 4 Polaris Counters
Jad seemed pretty unperturbed. "Regardless, I can still resolve the effect of Lamedh, an effect which lets me banish any Epignosai card from my Deck. I choose to banish the Monster Card, Epignosai Sin." He displayed the card for all to see, then banished it. "Next I'll activate another copy of Epignosai Send, with which I'll banish Epignosai Pit from my Deck."
"Not another one..." Dan groaned, as Jad placed Epignosai Pit in his banished zone.
"I'm afraid so my boy," Jad replied, smiling cheerfully. "Next I activate another Spell Card, Epignosai Callback. With this card, I can bring one of my banished Epignosai monsters back to the field. I choose Epignosai Sin!" The monster Jad had banished only moments ago reappeared. It was a grotesque, pure white zombified human, with chunks of its flesh missing – but there was no blood. Instead, a luminous white tar seemed to leak from the wounds, pooling around the monster's feet.
Epignosai Sin: Zombie-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 300/DEF 300
"Care to interject this time?" Jad asked politely.
"Of course," Dan replied. "Obviously I'm using the effect of Polaris' Blizzard to place some Polaris Counters on it, but I'm also going to activate another card." He raised his hand, and his remaining face-down activated in response. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Demise of the Land! When you Special Summon a monster, this card lets me activate any Field Spell Card from my Deck. I choose Polaris Adventitia, the Mythic Citadel!" He extracted the card from his duel disk and placed it straight onto his duel disk. A blazing white light and the sound of howling wind obscured what happened next, but when the light faded, the seven of them were in a totally different place. They were now standing in a colossal ice cavern, carved out the side of a mountain or glacier. It was open at both ends, held up by natural ice columns, and big enough to fit several skyscrapers inside. Along the main wall were fixed a series of platforms and plateaus, all interconnected and very sturdy. The seven humans were now standing on one of these platforms. Many small caves were dotted into the wall itself, and glowing red eyes watched them from within many of them.
"Very visually impressive, young man," Jad said, looking around with detached interest. "But does it actually do anything noteworthy?"
"A few things, actually," Dan replied. "Firstly, it raises the ATK and DEF of all Dragon-type monsters on the field by 200."
Polaris Dragon Sapphia: ATK 1700 → 1900/DEF 1500 → 1700
Polaris Dragon Islingh: ATK 1000 → 1200/DEF 300 → 500
"The other effects I'll explain later," Dan assured him. "But for now, I still have to resolve the current chain, so let's resolve Polaris' Blizzard, which places four Polaris Counters on Sin." A flurry of snow surrounded the zombified creature, plastering four icy spheres to its body. The white tar ran in rivets around them.
Epignosai Sin: 0 → 4 Polaris Counters
"All that effort, all completely pointless..." Jad sighed. "Oh well, looks like you'll be learning the hard way. Level four Epignosai Sin and Epignosai Lamedh, Overlay." The two monsters changed into yellow and purple masses of light respectively and shot upwards, away from the red circular portal that opened beneath them. The eight Polaris Counters fell to the ground and dissipated. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The monsters soared into the portal, which erupted with light. "Arise, Epignosai Aleph!" Out of the portal rose a large incubator with four metallic legs. The legs and the lining to the test tube were a brilliant white colour. Inside the incubator was a swirling mass of both white and black tar, and suspended within the tar were the two Xyz Material Monsters that had been used to Summon it. Two yellow Overlay Units orbited the monster.
Epignosai Aleph: Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 2300 – 2 OLU
"And of course, due to Aleph's effect, it gains the Types of any Overlay Units attached to it."
Epignosai Aleph: Machine-Type → Machine-Type/Beast-Type/Zombie-Type
"Damnit all," Dan cursed, eyeing the Xyz Monster. "Eight perfectly good Polaris Counters, wasted completely."
Jad clapped his hands enthusiastically. "Well then, it looks like things are going better than expected. So let's keep up the flow. I activate the effect of Epignosai Aleph. By detaching and banishing both of its Overlay Units, I can destroy one card you control." Both Overlay Units were absorbed into the top of the incubator, one after the other. Then there was a flash of light, and the Overlay Units, now a dull grey colour, were thrown off of the monster and through a portal into the banished zone. The two monsters suspended in the test tube seemed to melt away, becoming one with the swirling tar.
Epignosai Aleph: 2 → 0 OLU
Epignosai Aleph: Machine-Type/Beast-Type/Zombie-Type → Machine-Type
"With this effect, I target your stronger monster, Polaris Dragon Sapphia." Aleph charged a ball of white electricity just above it, and from that sphere it fired a bolt of white lightning. It hit Dan's dragon with a colossal bang. The Deltas all covered their ears as the dragon howled in pain and dissipated.
"Dan, look out, here it comes!" Leah shouted. Dan nodded, still completely zoned in.
"Battle! Epignosai Aleph, attack Polaris Dragon Islingh!" The tar inside Aleph's pod began to spin and whirl faster than ever, like a miniature vortex. All of a sudden, the pod opened down its centre and the tar came gushing out like a tidal wave. But in the midst of it all, Jad's voice could be heard again. "During the Damage Step, I activate the effect of my banished Epignosai Sin! By returning it to the Graveyard, I can increase the ATK of an Epignosai monster I control by 1000!" A cloud of white smoke enveloped Aleph, mixing with the tar.
Epignosai Aleph: ATK 2300 → 3300
The wave of tar washed down over Dan's field, pouring over the edge of the platform they were now standing on. Islingh was simply washed away, and Dan covered his face as the tide of tar pushed against him, trying to send him over the edge. When the flow ceased and the tar began to drain away, Dan staggered forward slightly, exhausted but still on his feet.
Dan LP: 4000 → 1900
"So, what do you have to say to that, young man?" Jad asked.
"What do I have to say?" Dan repeated. He considered the question for a moment. "Um... I'm going to go with 'ouchies'."
Jad laughed. "Very amusing. I end my turn there."
Dan didn't draw quite yet, but rather engaged Jad in conversation. "Hey Jad, I have a question for you. Comparatively speaking, why is Kodoku so open to you? I mean, is he like this with all teachers?"
"Why do you ask?" Jad replied.
Dan stroked his chin. "I'm not sure/ I think it's because it's pretty unusual for a kid to develop such a close bond with their teacher, especially extending to hanging around with them outside school. I know I never did that."
"Me neither." Leah added, and the other Deltas all murmured their agreement.
Jad looked fondly at Kodoku. "You have a good point. Unfortunately, Kodoku is quite a lonely soul. He's quite shy, and has very few friends at school. But he has developed a strong bond with me, partly stemming from our mutual love of dueling."
"And because you're awesome, sir," Kodoku added cheerfully, and Jad smiled at him.
"But what about the age difference?" Leah asked from the side-lines. "Age must play a factor in your friendship – older people don't tend to hang around with kids. Apparently it makes them look uncool."
"How old to you think I am?" Jad asked indignantly.
"JAMBALAYA!" James shouted, making all of them jump. Six sets of eyes turned around to give him bemused looks. James looked back at them uncomfortably. "What, does no-one else get it?"
Katie sighed and put a hand to her forehead. Jad looked at James for a moment longer, then cleared his throat. "Ahem... anyway... the age gap between us is not as much as you may think. I am only twenty years old. Regardless, I'm a little short on time, so maybe you should continue your move, young man."
"I agree," Dan said. "My turn, draw."
Author-made cards:
Polaris Dragon Sapphia
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1700/DEF 1500
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 Level 3 or lower "Polaris" monster from your Deck.
Epignosai Teth (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 500/DEF 500
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Add 1 "Epignosai" card from your Deck to your hand, then banish 1 "Epignosai" card from your Deck.
Polaris Dragon Islingh
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 300
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by removing 3 Polaris Counters from the field. If this card is in the Graveyard, when a face-up WATER Dragon-Type monster (except "Polaris Dragon Islingh") you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.
Epignosai Lamedh (credit to Superjad)
Beast-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800
When this card is Normal Summoned: Banish 1 "Epignosai" card from your Deck.
Epignosai Sin (credit to Superjad)
Zombie-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 300/DEF 300
During either player's turn, if this card is currently banished: You can return this card to the Graveyard, then target 1 face-up "Epignosai" monster you control; that target gains 1000 ATK.
Epignosai Aleph (credit to Superjad)
Machine-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 2300
2 Level 4 "Epignosai" monsters
This card gains the original Types of all Overlay Units attached to it. Once per turn: You can detach and banish 2 Overlay Units from this card, then target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target.
Epignosai Send (credit to Superjad)
Spell Card
Banish 1 "Epignosai" card from your Deck.
Epignosai Callback (credit to Superjad)
Spell Card
Target 1 of your banished "Epignosai" monsters; Special Summon it.
Polaris Adventitia, the Mythic Citadel
Field Spell Card
Face-up Dragon-Type monsters gain 200 ATK and DEF. During each Standby Phase: Place 1 Polaris Counter on each face-up monster. Once per turn: You can discard 1 card, then target 1 face-up monster; place Polaris Counters on it equal to its Level. If this card would be destroyed by a card effect, you can remove 2 Polaris Counters from the field instead.
Epignosai Veil (credit to Superjad)
Trap Card
Cannot be banished (except by the effect of an "Epignosai" card). You can return this banished card to the Graveyard, then target 1 face-up Effect Monster your opponent controls; negate that target's effects until the End Phase.
Epignosai Counter (credit to Superjad)
Counter Trap Card
Cannot be banished (except by the effect of an "Epignosai" card). When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card, if this card is currently banished: You can return this card to the Graveyard; negate that activation, and if you do, destroy it.
Polaris' Blizzard
Continuous Trap Card
When your opponent Summons a monster(s): Place Polaris Counters on each of those Summoned monsters, equal to their respective Levels. You must control a face-up "Polaris" monster to activate and resolve this effect.
Epignosai Pit (credit to Superjad)
Trap Card
Cannot be banished (except by the effect of an "Epignosai" card). When your opponent Summons a monster, if this card is currently banished: You can return this card to the Graveyard; banish the Summoned monster.
Fun Fact #13: Oh my lord, look at all that credit we're giving Superjad. Remember that comment we made a while back about how Superjad's cards seem to be taking over the fanfic? Yeah... that is definitely becoming a reality...
Fun Fact #14: James' jambalaya quote is actually from the comedy show 'Scrubs'. If you got that quote, then you're awesome. If you didn't, then you should go and watch some Scrubs to bring your awesomeness up to the required level.
Fun Fact #15: Now, I know I have a reputation for being completely unimaginative with the names of my Polaris cards... and today, my friends, is no different! The word 'Adventitia' is taken directly from the medical term 'tunica adventitia', which refers to the outermost layer of connective tissue in any given bodily structure. Riveting, I know.