A hatch opened up in the darkness. Slowly, a pair of eyes peeked out and darted back and forth. Silently, it hurried out of the hatch, making a beckoning motion toward it. More figures like the first hurried out. The last one slammed it shut, making a rather loud noise.
"Shhhh!" the first hissed. "Do you want to wake…you-know-who?"
"Sorry," the other replied. "Er, with all due respect, Captain Kaller, do you really think he's asleep? I mean he's probably out patrolling the grounds as we speak."
The shark captain grinned, revealing his many sharp teeth. "Well," he said. "That's just a chance we'll 'ave to take, eh?"
The dysfunctional motley crew made their way up the narrow steps. Captain Kaller wuickly brushed away the snow to reveal a secret entrance. A few more minutes of brushing and he had broken an opening big enough for them to crawl in. Captain Kaller looked at his fins. They were normally a straight blue, but their color had faded to pale blue, and the cold stifled his circulation. However, without any more hesitation, he stepped in, his crew of sixteen following close behind. Some whispers, "oohs", and "ahhs" were heard as they traversed the icy cavern that was Proarctica. All preesent, including the Captain, were used to tropical weather, so this was a new, wonderful, and for some, a scary experience.
Soon, however, much of the excitement had died away, leaving curiosity and impatience. One of the sharks at the front of the group asked finally,
"Captain Kaller, what are we looking for?"
"I'll let you know when we find it." The leader snapped.
Suddenly, there was a slight sound, like wind whistling through branches. They were very far into the caves now, so the band of pirates was a little suspicious. They exchanged confused glances with a hint of worry. One of the meeker pirates rushed up behind the Captain.
"Sir, don't you think we should move a little faster?" he asked.
Rapidly, their leader spun around and hoisted the minion up by his collar. "Look, Ankhlos." Even as a whisper, the captain's voice was intimidating. "I don't want ta hear any more 'a your blubberin' You will not make a single sound until we are back on the ship, aye?" Ankhlos nodded, terrified. Captain Kaller threw him along the floor, adding "That goes for all of you, too." Ankhlos slid along the icy floor before crashing into an ice sculpture of an intimidating figure cloaked in a robe. The ice was so expertly crafted, it looked as if the cloak was blowing in the wind. Underneath the hood of the figure, two round eyes seemed to glow eerily. The dazed pirate hurried over to the others quickly, but was too petrified to tell any of them what he saw. Soon, they turned into an extremely cold and dark room. Not a single thing could be seen, and as a result, the seventeen pirates stopped in their tracks.
"Now, listen closely!" the captain's booming voice was heard. "Now, all of you keep walking, and follow my voice!" Murmurs from his crew, but began walking again anyway. "You-know-who cannot hear us in here! I will lead you to a place where an artifact of great power can be found!" The captain's voice moved to the right. "It will bring us one step closer to our goal. Legions of the greatest warriors have fought for it. We will be the first to wield it!" The captains voice led down. "Now…follow my voice exactly to the letter. Straight forward!" Eventually, the sharks could see a faint gleaming light. Murmurs of awe struck them. As they approached closer, they could see the light turn green, and it was coming from a golden staff hung suspended in mid-air. It was shaped like a crescent moon with a huge emerald set between the points.
"This," said the Captain proudly, "is the Essence Emerald. I will need all your help to dislodge it from it's magical resting place."
With all their strength, they pulled. The staff budged. Another pull. More movement.
"One more. All together!" Captain Kaller shouted.
A last burst of strength dislodged the staff, and it fell into Captain Kaller's hands.
"Quickly! We must escape, now!" the Captain shouted.
On these words, Proarctica began shaking. Entire tunnels were collapsing, and everyone was hoping theirs wouldn't be next. The Captain, with one wave of his wand, flooded the entire area in brilliant green light. The crew spred up a ramp, through the twisting tunnels, following the captain wherever he went. Some of the pirates slipped on the icy floor and hurried to catch up, fearing for their life. At last, they came to a dead end. A boulder blocked the path. Someone looked up and noticed another one. On his scream, everyone instinctively looked up. Captain Kaller looked just in time, to jam his new weapon into the rock, crumbling it into smaller pieces.
"Everyone, grab hold of one!" Captain Kaller commanded. Instinctively, all the pirates grabbed a piece of the now-shattered boulder. With another wave of the magical instrument, the rocks began to levitate, and move up through the opening to the cavern. Some were riding them from above. Others hanging on from below. But their leader managed to guide them all back onto the ship. A piece of Proarctica exploded in the distance. After a moment of catching their breath, the pirates saw their leader, a bold smile on his face, brandishing the Essence Emerald.