Chapter 1: A New Family

The waves slowly lapped against the dark wooden hull of a large ship. It slowly moved against the tide into a far off port of snow. Upon the rigging and high beams lay a fine layer of white. A lone black flag bearing a Jolley Roger whipped slowly in the wind, a frightening skull with a stitched left side, and lagged shards of ice for bones. Upon the stern of the ship, a large plate with engraved metal letters formed to spell The Tempest, obviously her name.

A lone man stood at the forefront of the ship, his long coat whipped around him as the wind rushed past. He was a tall and foreboding figure. His eyes were a dark gray which pierced through the winter fog that lay over the ocean before him. He had short dark black hair covered with a bandanna of grayish blue tied at the back. One hand rested upon the hilt of a Masterforge Steel Cutlass. In his belt were shoved two ivory handled flintlock pistols.

The man was called Hyouga, he was the Captain of the Glacier Pirates, and The Tempest was his ship. As he ordered his small crew to have all hands on deck. Movement could be spotted on shore. Men climbed up the rigging and spurred the sails. The current Helmsmen moved the ship to the portside of the docks that lay just up ahead. The frigid cold swept in around the ship, slowly being moored by deckhands. A gangplank was leveled to the long wooden dock, and a group of the pirates walked down, joking all the way of how they would drink as much rum as their stomachs could handle.

Hyouga ordered that the ship be guarded while he was away. He recieved a hasty "Aye Aye, Cap'n" by the remaining bits of his crew who stayed on board. With a fleeting glance over toward the crews quarters and the galley, he moved a thumb in that direction.

"I'm gonna need the first mate to wake up, who wants to do that?" Hyouga asked with a hint of impatience.

Pulling herself out of bed Emma looked around, it was early morning and the boat had stopped moving. The door opened and the head of a crewman appeared

''Ma'am, captain needs you on deck right away, he's going ashore and your in charge.'' the pirate said

''Thank you, now get out.'' Emma replied

She climbed out of bed after the pirate left and dressed quickly, she then went out onto the deck where all the crewmen were busy, the ship needed to be kept in working order all the time or else. After making her way to poop deck she let her hair down and then returned her attention to the crew

''Look lively now lads! We don't have all day, if'n the cap'n gets back afore yer done then it'll be on yer 'eads and not mine, now get moven!'' she shouted

The Tempest was now her home and she wanted to keep it afloat long enough to make a fortune, even if that meant fixing it herself.

Hyouga looked back at the ship as a crew-mate called him.

"You all are staying put. I have some business to do on the island. Make any repairs to the ship if necessary, we will be heading back out with the day." He shouted back.

Hyouga left the port and started to walk into the small sea-side town. The snow crunched with each step he took, he could feel a bit of the cold seeping through his boots. He didn't mind it however, as he had lived in Frigid Heath for many years. He made his way to a couple of shops along the way, buying various trinkets that would definitely help with his navigation and map making.

As he walked further into the city, he looked around for no one in particular. However... in a way he was. His reasons for being back in Frigid Heath were for several reasons, but his main reason was to find new members to add to his small crew.

Hands in his pockets, Zein trudged through the crowded market streets. A few of the people had given him strange looks, but that wasn't much of a problem. The breeze here made him feel very content with himself. Afterall, he had just picked up his new swords and was ready to set out once again. Zein knew he couldn't stay here, he had to keep training and move himself onward.

From where he stood, he could see the vast ocean in front of him. Many ships docked along the coast and the sound of sea birds chimed throughout town. Signs of snow had revealed themselves, but it wasn't vigorous. Zein continued and walked into a local tavern. Sitting at the bar, he ordered a mug of rum and waited patiently. There was a lot on his mind and he wanted to set himself at ease.

It seemed to grow quieter in the room as he sat in wait. A few men sitting at another table were starring at him laughing. He paid no attention to it for now as the bartender returned with his drink. "This place is very different compared to back home," Zein thought to himself as he took a sip.

"Where the hell is my order?" shouted Cecil's boss. Cecil cursed in frustration. This week at his job was crazy and his boss was going quite insane. There was a sudden onrush of customers at the inn and the demand for faster orders was rising. Cecil was being overworked. His boss, a haggard looking man, walked through the door into the kitchen.

"What is taking you so long?" the man asked, yelling into Cecil's ear.

"I can only cook so many things at once!" Cecil answered, anger showing. "I don't think you understand. Cooking takes time!"

His boss began to start a long speech about him being lazy, though he was being quite a hypocrite by doing it. Cecil worked as hard as he could, but it was impossible to meet this man's needs! Cecil couldn't take it anymore. This ends now! he thought furiously to himself. Cecil grabbed his frying pan and whipped around, smacking his boss right in the face, knocking him out.

"I quit," he said, taking his apron off and dropping it on the man's face. "I'm getting the hell off of this rock."

Cecil grabbed his belongings from his room in the inn (which included his weapons, a few cooking supplies, and his chef hat) and walked out into the streets. He felt free at last. Free from the chain that kept him locked away. He had no clue what he was going to do now, but he knew that anything would be better than staying at that job! Cecil sighed. He was likely never going to be allowed in that place again, but then again, he didn't plan to return.

Of course one could find many a pirate within the local taverns. As he approached one, called [u]The Frozen Eel, Hyouga laughed a bit to himself at the name. It always picked him as odd and funny. He swung the doors open to the bar and walked into the bar. At once, he noticed all of the different peoples looks that they gave him when he entered.

Any person in the bar who wasn't blind could tell he was a pirate. Those who had lived in Frigid Heath all their lives nodded and smiled politely, as Hyouga did in return. Those who didn't know him and were foreign to the island either gave him a cold stare or some look of hidden fear. At a table nearby, he found a couple of pirates from his own crew sitting. When they looked up and saw him, smiled plastered themselves onto their faces.[/i]

"Wecum to da frozin eel Cap'n... wern't drunk en du'tee, no we arnt!" One pirate said standing up, knocking over his chair, and then saluting after his slurred speech.

"You aren't on duty yet, but make sure your damn well sober when you are!" Hyouga replied with a hearty laugh.

A couple of natives to the island laughed and beckoned Hyouga over to the bar. As he sat at the stood, he noticed a couple down that a foreign man with three different swords sat quietly and drank his own beverage. Hyouga wondered just who he was, he looked more or less seasoned when it came to sea-life, just by looking at the man. He decided to continue on with his business and looked to the bartender.

"Jack, just give me the usual, that nice mix of rum!" Hyouga said with a smirk.

The bartender laughed and faced toward the many bottles in the back, pouring a mad combo of rum, gin, and other various boozes. He poured the contents into a frothy mug and slid it over to Hyouga.

"So, Hyouga.. how's the pirate business going along for ye?" Jack the Bartender asked cheerfully.

"Actually, I am back here for a day or two looking for new recruits." Hyouga said. "None of those bilge rat dogs though, I need some skilled deck hands."

"Ahhh, I'm sure ye can find em' round these parts, Cap'n." The Bartender replied as he grabbed a cloth and started to dry a wet mug.

The tavern had become much more boisterous upon the entrance of another man. Hyouga I believe they said. He was off on the other side of the bar stools talking with the bartender. Between his guns and his outfit, you could tell he was a pirate of sorts. With the last sip of rum, Zein placed the mug on the counter and took out some coins from his pocket.

"Ey, you. You don't look like you're from 'round here." Zein kept his vision to the counter, now placing the coins in front of the mug. Without a word, he slowly walked towards the exit. The man had pulled a pistol from his coat pocket. It was one of the pirates that was sitting at the table. "Now did I say you could leave? How rude, I'm talkin' to you!"

Everything became quiet again, all eyes were on the swordsman standing in the middle of the room. Still Zein refused to look in their direction. To him, these pirates were uninteresting. They must've been drunk or something, but that didn't matter. "Put your gun down. There's no reason to call a fight."

"Sure there is. You're on our turf mate. I'll be takin' what money you have on'ya and those precious swords ya got."

Hyouga had been listening to what was going on around the tavern. He heard when it became completely quiet as the swordsmen stood in the center of the room as he was being harassed by a couple of ragtag bandits who thought that they were actual pirates. Hyouga turned in his chair to look at the scene that was playing out. A pirate stood from a table, flintlock in hand and casually pointed toward the swordsmen, the swordsmen faced away and was quiet.

Hyouga had always despised those who thought they could rule over everyone else. With a cold voice, deep and piercing, Hyouga spoke to the group of pirates.

"Why don't you leave the man alone?"

The room was completely quiet now, most people knew what was going to happen at this point, but were genuinely surprised when Hyouga of all people spoke out. His cold gray eyes peered at the enemy pirates. His own pirates who sat at another table looked up from their drinks. Their hands automatically reached for cutlass and pistol. Hyouga put his hand up to his comrades and glared back at the bandit pirates.

"Who do you think your talkin' too, eh mate!?" The pirate said, grasping the hilt of a small knife in his belt. The rest of the pirates at that table did the same.

"I know everyone around these parts, and I sure as hell don't know you. Now, how about you scram off this island before I lose my temper." Hyouga said in the same cold tone.

The pirates seemed taken aback by the threat but otherwise didn't move. With their knives came out flintlocks soon.

"I dun take that kinda talk from no wannabee pirate! Git' em' boys!" The leader of the pirates screamed as he aimed his pistol at Hyouga.

It seemed as if it took less than a second, in fact it might have to some. But the room suddenly was blasted with freezing air, and the pirates were pinned to the wall by large serrated shards of ice formed like spears. From outside the tavern, one could see the end of the ice spear poking out. The leader of the pirates got one through the chest and was outside the bar on the ground in a growing pool of blood. Jack looked to Hyouga and then the pirates pinned to the wall, and then to the dead pirate outside.

Hyouga sighed and then stood up from the stool. The entire bar was quiet. He slapped a couple of Beli down on the table and then smirked at Jack.

"Sorry about the mess, I'll pay for the damages later."

Sidd was hoping to join in on the brawl, but it was over before it even started. No way those fools could have stood up to a guy like that, Sidd thought to himself, but I didn't think he'd be through so quickly. Would've had fun cutting them up. Ho hum. But...

Sidd drew two knives from his shoulders,and drew two more with his left hand, holding each one between two fingers.

"That was quite a display of force, there," he said to the man, placing one knife between his teeth, "but how can you fare against a real fighter?"

Zein was mentally blown away about what had just happened. There was a large hole in the side of the tavern and icicles were pierced into the wall. This pirate was nothing ordinary to be able to do that. However he had done something very kind for him. There was no need for anymore violence.

"That's enough." He grasped the hilt of one of his swords calmly. Turning his gaze to the knifeman, Zein was well prepared to repay this pirate for his deed. "Don't be a fool. Afterall, it's not just him you'll be fighting." The look in his eyes remained unchanged as he starred at the new adversary.

Some of the people had fled the tavern. The rest remained motionless as the intensity of adrenaline struck hard. Hyouga didn't seem to be paying attention, although I'm sure he was listening closely to the man that had challenged him. Zein remained stanced and motionless, his left hand on the hilt of the katana on his left hip.

Sidd looked at the swordsman. He looked as formidable as this pirate. This ought to be fun, he thought.

"The more the merrier!" He yelled, casting the knife in his teeth at the swordsman with a jerk of his head, then raising a leg to kick the pirate in the head.

Cecil stormed down the streets. He needed a drink. The thought of his boss made him angry. He was glad he was off the leash now, but it still made him furious. He stopped when he saw a man lying on the ground in front of The Frozen Eel Tavern. Must have been a drunk they threw out, Cecil thought to himself. Then he saw a giant hole in the wall where the man had been smashed through. Cecil scratched his chin at the sight. They were very angry, apparently.

Cecil walked up to the door and opened it. He didn't care what was going on. He just wanted a drink. When he entered, a deadly brawl seemed to be going on. Interesting, Cecil thought to himself. Does this stuff happen all the time? Someone should intervene. Suddenly a thought came to his head. This could be the moment for him to be a hero. Granted, there were three guys, but he didn't really care.

Cecil took out his pistol, aimed it upwards, and shot it, causing everyone to pause briefly.

"I would advise the lot of ya to break it up or you can deal with me," he said to them with his hand on his sword.

The Glacier Pirates stood up at the sudden threats from two others. The room got quiet. Hyouga stood by the bar with a silent grin, he looked to both of the men who walked into the bar.

"I suppose we could fight, but I do have better things to do. Let's take it outta the bar though, I don't wanna rack up my bill any higher than it is. My limit right now is 100 Beli." Hyouga said.

His grin showed all his excitement. Anyone who knew Hyouga knew that he was never one to back down from a fight, which was probably the reason why he was seen as such a successful pirate in the North Blue. They soon stood outside in the cold. His coat whipped behind him and his eyes showed his anticipation. His own crew mates who were in the bar before moved outside and stood a ways back. They knew never to get into one of his fights.

"Want us to wait for ye back at The Tempest, Cap'n?" One member asked.

"Why not, I'll be back before long." Hyouga said as he cracked his knuckles.

He faced toward his foes and motioned toward his sword and pistols.

"How about we make this interesting, eh? How about now firearms or bladed weapons? Just a good ole' fashioned hand to hand?" Hyouga asked them.

"Let's have a traditional hand to hand battle," Cecil replied. He didn't know what he was getting into right now, but he wanted to have a fight to blow off some steam. He had no clue who these people were, but he felt that this would be interesting.

"Fist-fighting is the ultimate form of expression." Cecil said. "It shows the integrity and the endurance of a man."

Emma turned her gaze to Crow, here eyes burned with anger, hence the nickname 'Ellfire

''An ye 'old yer tongue next time bucko cause I don't 'ave the time fore this nonsense, now back to yer stations and stop yer gawking ya fools!'' she shouted

The crew returned to their chores disappointed that there was no fight. After about an hour a crewman came running onto the boat panting

''Cap'n is a fight'n in... the Frozen... Eel.'' he stammered

All eyes turned towards the general direction of the inn, some stood up and began to walk towards the gangplank but none made it that far before Emma was shouting

''Did I say you lot could go over and watch? Ah think not, now back to your chores, all of ye!'' her words hit them a like a whip and they turned back not wanting to anger the First Mate ''Bosun! Work 'em extra hard, I don't want to see any slackers today, I'm paying a visit to the good Captain, now off with ye, the ship is under your command till I or the Cap'n return.''

Grabbing her belt from her cabin she strode off to the tavern, her trek there was short and she passed some of the crew on the way, they all backed off after getting a glare. As she continued she could here them muttering behind her

''… Cap'n won't be happy, she's all fired up about something...''

Emma arrived outside the tavern to see a fight about to start, approaching Hyouga she gave him one of her glares

''Cap'n, a word with ya if'n ye don't mind.''

Sidd was dropping his many knives.

"Look, lady, we're working on some important business here," he chuckled, "stand back and let us have our fun." He turned to his opponents, "I like the way you guys talk, let's see how you fight!" he said, wringing his hands and hopping a bit to prepare himself.

Seeing all of this going on started to really become confusing. This had turned into a free-for-all, but it seemed like it might be coming up short. One of the pirate's crew members had approached him, but both the knifeman and the other man stood ready for the fist fight. Zein hadn't been in a fist fight in awhile, but he was pretty confident that he'd do alright.

"You have quite the sharp tongue, knifeman." Releasing the tension in his shoulders, he kept his hands away from his weapons but refused to take them off. "But if that is what you wish, I won't hold back."

Hyouga was surprised when Emma arrived on the spot. He shifted an eye to her and gave her an innocent smirk.

"I am in the middle of something, but I suppose we can take a little time out." Hyouga said as he faced toward her. "What?"

Hyouga's crew-mates who sat near by made sure that his opponents didn't attack him while his back was turned. A rather big deck hand stood with a loaded blunderbuss in his hands, while the others had a various assortment of lethal goodies; from cutlasses and katanas, to bows, crossbows, and flintlocks of all kinds. Most higher ranked deck hands had at least four different weapons on them at all times along with other necessities.

Emma glared at him again

''First off,'' she said ''This is for you.''

As she said that she slapped him in the face

''I was under the impression that we were here to get more crew members, not get into a fight in every tavern we come across,'' she continued ''I thought you would have learned by now but I guess not,'' lowering her voice to a whisper she said ''Now don't take that personally, I thought it would make a good show, now run along.''

She shoved him back towards the others but not before giving him a kiss on the cheek she slapped, Emma then backed up smiling to herself.