The sky had an orange tint as the sun had just begun to set in the Island of Tortuga. The rays of the sun bounced off of shiny debris that had washed up onto the grey sandy beach. Calico’s day was just like any other day. His eyes carefully inspected every piece of metal on the sand as he slowly walked along the shore, bouncing his gaze from piece to piece, looking for the right slab. He was doing his daily search for scrap metal at Iron Beach to finish building his ship. The wheelbarrow that he had made was on its last hinges as he lugged the 90 pounds of metal parts and stacked them onto the pile as he wheeleed it through the heavy sand.
“This last batch should do it.” Calico exhaled as he grabbed a few long, skinny pieces, “I’ve waited two long years for this… my ship… I can finally finish it!” Running his hand through his hair, he let out a big sigh of relief.
Calico lived in the city of Tortuga, a pirate hub on a caribbean island. Growing up was rough, it was eat or be eaten in that city. He stood at 5 feet and 10 inches tall with a slim-athletic build. His skin had a light tinge of bronze, a result from being outdoors almost every day. His messy brown hair dropped over the sides of his head reaching his ears, hiding the buzz cut he had on the sides of his head. A few scars could be seen on his face if examined up close. He had a scar about half an inch long cutting down on the end his eyebrow and a few scars on his forearms that he got from fights with local kids.
The sun beamed down on Calico as sweat dripped down from his forehead drenching his shirt. Determined to finish his ship, he pulled the wheelbarrow through the city 3 miles over to his house on the other side of the beach. The sand slowly turned to stone as he got closer to the city square.
Tortuga was the capital of Perla, the name of the island continent itself. Perla was made up of 1 large island and about 30 small ones scattered all around. The buildings in Tortuga that Calico was passing buzzed with people walking in and out of them, being lively, and singing music. Merchants crowded the main street as Calico had to bump through the crowd to make his way through. Music could be heard from the central square and rowdy yelling and cursing could be heard coming from inside of the many taverns that lined the main street. The buildings seemed rather rustic in appearance, as the most abundant material used for the walls was Black Wood. It was named for its dense, dark brown wood that was found in the jungle near Aida, south of Tortuga. The roads were made of old, small rectangular cobblestone.
From where Calico was walking, he could see the golden spiked roof of the King’s Palace. That was one of the few buildings made from reinforced metal, to ensure that it wouldn't be torn apart that easily from storms and hurricanes.
As Calico made the last turn before his house, he passed by the blacksmiths shop while making a racket with all the metal he was pulling. A big husky man with a red hot sword in his hand and a face full of black soot walked out from a black cloud of smoke when his stern look slowly cracked into a smile.
“Well, if it ain’t Calico. You going around scavengin’ again?” he said, trying to balance his cigar in his mouth while he spoke.
“It’s the last day of this hell Vin, I’ve been lugging metal for two years and I’m finally done” Calico raised one hand to block out the sun while having to readjust his other hand on the handle.
“Hopefully all that hard work ain’t for nothin. I do respect your fighting spirit ya know,” Vin seemed to be biting his lip as if he were holding back laughter. “ But there's no damn way in hell you could get me to jump on that rust bucket with ya ! Bahahaha”
“Shut up Vin, you’ll be begging to ride on my ship when I pass the Trial de Sangre. And I’ll remember all the times you called my ship a piece of junk”
“Whoa whoa , eeeeeasy. I'm just poking fun at ya. After all, we’re pirates right, well.. At least I am...right? Bahaha!”, As Vin swung back around, his Pirate Emblem necklace caught a quick glimmer of the sun. He raised up his hand and walked back into his forge, “See ya later kid”.
‘What kind of pirate works in a damn blacksmith shop instead of sailing the open seas’ Calico thought to himself.
Calico gave the back of Vin’s head an angry look and faced back towards the direction of the road. Vin wasn’t wrong. It is tradition that in order to become an honorary Pirate of Tortuga, one must prove himself in the Trial de Sangre. This was a rite of passage designed as a competition to see which challengers could overcome above all the rest. Pirates were known as the strongest members of society and were highly respected among all of Perla. Contestants from all reaches of the continent would come to Tortuga once a year for this event.
The Trial consists of 3 challenges. The first is the Endurance Trial, a trial where all challengers have to run into the ocean and swim to a designated island. Once on the island, they climb the highest mountain to retrieve a specific token. With the token in their possession, they have to cliff dive back into the oceanside and swim aboard the ship waiting nearby. The second is the Combat Trial where contestants will be eliminated in unspecified combat tests. The last test is the Sailing Trial which is the most dangerous trial of them all. Challengers have to sail a small ship through the rough rapids of the Cadera Isles. The rapids never follow the same pattern and were the cause of many past contestants’ premature deaths. Upon reaching the finish line at the end of the rapids, the remaining individuals would become honorary Pirates of Tortuga.
As an honorary Pirate, they would be put on a one year training period under a Captain of their choice where they would have to learn all of the new rules and responsibilities of being a Pirate. Only after that year is completed will they become official Pirates. Being very much respected in the city and having freedom to own their own pirate ship and sail freely were some of the rewards of completing these steps. Freedom to sail anywhere within the confines of the oceanic border that surrounded Perla that is.
Dreams of being a pirate like his father ever since he first took him on his ship across the waters of the Calabaza Islands pushed Calico. The freedom that came with being able to sail the open seas had been his number one driving factor.
Calico had finally turned the corner and the outline of his house was beginning to come into view from all of the sut of the blacksmith next door. He walked along the uneven cobblestone ground and pulled a lever down on the front gate of his house. The two gates raised were raised vertically with a complex system of pulleys and metal wire and he walked straight to the backyard towards his ship. His backyard was full of sand since it was so close to the ocean. Just 50 meters away was a steep sand dune that went all the way down to the beach down below.
“This should be the last of it that I need. All I gotta do is close this hole on the left side of the hull and I’m set”. Calico said as he unloaded the metal from the wheelbarrow into the ship.
The ship itself was fit for 1 to 3 people max. Its hull was made of a lightweight metal most Pirates used for their ships that lets them be as light and durable as possible. The whole ship was a light grey color since all of the parts that Calico welded together to make the body were old and beat up pieces he found washed up on the beach. He welded them and reinforced them with pieces of newer metal to strengthen the hull. The figurehead was a head of a deer with wide antlers made entirely out of metal. It reminded him of a similar Deer figurehead that was on the ship his Dad sailed on. Calico’s ship had 2 green masts, one main mast and another one going the whole length of the ship that would help with sharp turns. At the back of the ship was a polished helm wheel made of solid dark wood attached to a rudder of the same material down below the ship. At last, after two years of hard work, learning how to weld, learning the anatomy of a ship, how to sail, and gathering enough materials, Calico had finished his ship.
“I’ll call you.....Green Horn.”
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The smell of fried plantains and grilled chicken breast filled the dining room as Calico entered with his hand on his stomach and eyes on the table.
“Hey Auntie, it smells crazy good ! What's all this for?”, Calico asked as he sat down with a smile on his face paying more attention to the food on the table than his Aunt.
Diyana was a pale woman, which was unusual for a citizen of Tortuga where most all were tanned from their outdoor lifestyles. The wavy short brown hair that was always pulled behind her ears was filled with sand from being outside all day. The abundance of stains of various colors on her apron showed how much she liked to use different ingredients to cook with.
“Well…. Since today is a special occasion, I decided to make your favorite dish, fried plantains with my special recipe grilled chicken” Diyana replied with a soft smile as she poured water into 2 cups and rum into 1. “Your Uncle should be coming home soon too, so don't eat yet”.
“Oh Uncle Talio is coming home early today?” he raised one of his eyebrows.
“ Yea, I told him you would finish your ship today and that we should celebrate with a big dinner”
“ Auntie I already told you that it wasn't that big of a deal…..besides...the REAL feast will happen in 1 month when I pass the Trial de Sangre! Plus, you didn't have to tell Uncle...he's always busy at this time of the year anyways.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Not a second later of Calico saying that, the front door burst open with a fierce kick and it slammed against the side of the wall making the kitchen plates tremble.
“HEYOOO CALICOOOO ! You really think I’d miss such a special occasion??? Hahaha!!” Talio yelled as he closed the door behind him and wiped the water off of his coat. “Look here I brought some catfish from work today. We had a massive haul, thats why im off so early”, Tailo exclaimed as he walked towards the freezer with 10 fish tied on a string sprawled across his massive back.
Tailo was a fisherman who worked from dawn to dusk on one of the fisherman wharfs up by the north shore; about a 2 hour walk, but he usually ran to stay in shape. He stood at around 6 feet 4 inches and had a muscular stocky build. The size of his arms reflected all of the years he worked as a fisherman tugging on nets and battling the ocean. His face, however, was soft for a mans face, and he had his hair tied up into a short ponytail.
The three sat at the table and began to eat.
“ So I hear you’re trying your skills in the Trial de Sangre” he sank his teeth into a chicken leg, “ I remember when I was a young bull too, has your Aunt told you what happened the day I took the Trial? That was the day we first met! Bahaha, I cry every time I think of that night” he said jokingly while reaching for a mug.
“Wait.. Uncle you entered the Trial?! Auntie how come you never told me this?!”
Diyana covered her mouth with her closed fist as she chuckled, “Well you only just recently told me that you are doing the Trial. Anyway... Your Uncle was just as determined as you to become a pirate back when he was your age too. He built his own ship and everything! He trained for years in order to be strong enough to withstand through that whole night. On the night of the trial, he passed the 1st and 2nd challenges fairly convincingly, however the 3rd trial was the one that gave him the most trouble. He started the Sailing Trial off on a good foot, but the Cadera Isles is no place for a kid to be in. He lost control of his ship and was overwhelmed by the rapids, and as a result, they smashed his ship into a boulder in the stream. Next thing you know he was slammed right into the solid rock and was dragged underwater by the rapids. He somehow maintained his consciousness and by sheer will he swam to the top of the water and grabbed the ledge on one of the rocks. Some friends and I happened to be there to watch the trials when I saw him gripping his hands on the ledge.We saved him from drowning that day and I nursed his broken foot back to new. That basically marked the beginning of our relationship.” smiling, she turned towards Talio.
Talio had his eyes closed and was sipping his rum with a smile on his face, as if he was reliving that day as he heard his wife tell the story. Talio’s eyes opened after a few moments of silence and raised his chin to look up at the ceiling.
“The trials are no place for a kid, Calico. I know that you’ve already turned 17, but your old man was 20 when he passed his Trial, ya know. It's also gonna be the 100th Anniversary of the Trials. Word on the water is that this year is supposed to be the hardest its been in a while since people from all around Perla are coming down for this one. Don't treat it like a game, it's really life or death out there. Everyone wants to win you know. Onv average, around 3 pass per year, sometimes none.”
"Uncle, Auntie, I never really thanked you for all that you did for me. You guys have looked after me since Dad's died..... I couldn't be more happy to have you guys as parents. You've raised me and made me into the man I am today. Dad waited to take the Trial, but 17 is the minimum age for a reason, it's possible. I'll pass this damn test and prove to you, Dad, and everyone that I have what it takes to become a Pirate. And after that, I'm going to travel the open seas and see the whole world."
“Haha alright alright Calico, easy there buddy, you can’t go off and leave the Oceanic Boundaries of Perla that easily. You need permission from the King and a damn good reason to leave. It's the law, everyone knows that.” Talio took another swig from his mug.
“ I never understood that stupid rule. Being a Pirate means to be free and to be able to do whatever you want. Pirates shouldn't have to answer to anyone...not even someone who calls himself a king.” Calio said turning his eyes to the corner of the room.
BOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!. Talio slammed his hand on the table, cracking the wood where his palm had landed.
“CALICO………. ” the smile on his face was gone.” Being a Pirate of Tortuga comes with its rules and regulations that you must follow. If you can't do something that easy, then you shouldn’t take the Trial at all” he said sternly, looking directly into Calio’s eyes.
Silence filled the room. Calico had never seen his Uncle act so adamant about anything before.
“......, I know, I’m sorry. I know that we can't leave sail beyond those boundaries. I was just wondering why we have to blindly follow that rule. They don't even gives us a real explanation”
Talio broke the eye contact and looked down at the hole he had just made.
“Pshh… how the hell would I know, I’m just a Fisherman”, he seemed to return to his normal state as he took another swing of his mug, realizing it had drank it all.
“Honey, don't be such a brute, you really don't know anything you could tell Calico?” Diyana’s voice of reason seemed to soothe Talio as he took 3 more swigs of his newly filled mug.
“AHHH, this is some good rum, … BURP…..” Talio cleared his throat. “Look Calico…….I’ll tell you this…”
Calico’s ears perked up and he leaned in to hear what his uncle was about to say.
“If you take the Trial, pass all three tests, and eventually become a Pirate, then you can you get the answers to all of your questions. Rojack, the Pirate Chief Commander, will be your new boss. Ask him anything you want to know, Pirate to Pirate.” As his eyes were half open, he took one last swig of rum, “Welp, i'm off to bed, Diyana talk some sense into this boy.” Talio stood up and walked towards the stairs.
“No problem dear, i'll join you soon as I clear the table”
“Uncle... thanks for the advice. It's just that….sometimes it feels like there are so many things that I don't know yet: Perla’s Oceanic Borderline rules, the birthmark on my back, my dad……..my mom…” Calico was looking down at the floor.
Talio turned looked back over his shoulder for a few seconds at the mention of Calico’s mother and turned back towards the dark hallway.
“.......Goodnight kid” he mumbled as he stumbled off into his room. A loud thud was heard, as his body surrendered to his bed.
Diyana walked over to the kitchen and put both her hands on the counter, “You know, your Uncle really just wants the best for you. He’s always telling me that he never understands why you want to be a Pirate. All he wants is for you to become a fisherman and join his fishing ship to work alongside him.” Diyana said softly, looking down as she picked up a plate.
“ I know. He doesn't have to say it for me to know it either. Its just… I feel like I was born to be a Pirate. My dad was one and I feel like I need to be one to. Its like hes trying to tell me something , but the only way I can get that message is if I too become a Pirate. I remember the last time he took me on a ride aboard his ship, he pointed far off into the horizon and say,
‘Cali, your Dad has been all the way to the ends of the earth in that direction, and back that way too, one day you’ll sail with me and I’ll show you places people have only dreamed of.’”
“I need to see those places my Dad was talking about, and that begins with passing this Trial de Sangre.”
Diyana had stopped what she was doing for a while as she blankly gazed at the running water from the faucet, as if she was lost in thought.
She quickly turned around out of guilt and faced Calico, “ Calico…..Your Dad...when you Dad died… we never threw out his things. His belongings, weapons, armor, everything, we kept it all and we didn't know when to tell you about it. To be quite honest, it's been so long , that Talio probably even forgot about it. We didn't want to open an old would… I...I think you should have them, It might help you for your Trial.”
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Calico found himself in his backyard standing alone in the rain with keys in hand as droplets of water slowly dampened his hair. He was standing in front of the shack which he had been working out of for the past 2 years. The shack was made of old wood and a metal roof. Weeds were growing into the wood and could be seen from the inside. Upon entering the shack, he flipped the light switch but the moonlight entering from the window was enough to illuminate the whole room, so he flipped it back off. He calmly scanned the equipment that he had used every day: welder, saw, hammer, levy's, pulleys jacks. He scooted everything from the middle of the floor to the sides of the shack to clear up space. His fingers gripped the edge of the thick rug that he had been standing on top of all this time and ripped it away from the floor. There it was. A small hatch in the ground with a lock keeping it shut. The key that he had fit perfectly into the lock, and made a soft click upon turning it.
Inside the vault was a satchel, a leather vest, a pair of customized boots, two rusted daggers, and some gold coins. Calico laid them all out in front of him in as he scanned each item from left to right. The sound of rain got a little stronger but Calico didn’t divert his gaze. Tears began to softly roll down his cheeks as he grabbed the items and held them up to his forehead. Images of his Father wearing all of these garments while aboard his pirate ship began to fill his mind. As he set them back down, he wiped his face with his forearm and started to inspect each item one at a time.
The gold coins seemed to be current tenure and were 58 in total. The daggers had white decorated handles and were rusty but he could take them to Vin’s forge to have them restored. The black leather vest had some slashes and battle scars but was salvageable. To his surprise, the boots were a perfect fit. The satchel was made of dark brown leather with a darker leather strap. He swung it around his neck and opened it to put everything inside of it when something caught his eye.
Inside of the empty satchel was a small tear at the bottom of the bag. He reached in and grabbed the string that was hanging by itself and pulled on it little to see if it was repairable.
ZZZIIPPP!!
“Damn, I ripped it even more” he mumbled to himself , seemingly annoyed since he didn't know how to sew.
As he was putting the gold coins into the bag, goosebumps shot up Calio’s arms when he noticed that there appeared to be an edge of a paper inside of the lining of the satchel showing from the tear he made.
“What the hell is this?” Calico wondered as he tore the lining of the bag even more.
Calico pinched the end and pulled out a stiff folded piece of paper from behind the ripped lining. Carefully, he examined it for a quick second, then began to open the folds one after another, until he was stretching it across from hand to hand.
“This is no ordinary piece of paper…” Calico mumbled to himself as his eyes slowly widened, “ This is a Map!”
This was no usual map. Every map in the City of Tortuga was a different variation of the same map, a map with the only continent Perla placed in the middle and the city of Tortuga in the upper right part of Perla.
This map had Perla on the bottom right and it was smaller. In the center of the map, it had 3 other unnamed continents continents that no map in all Perla had shown to exist. On those continents, the words Rankast, Vega and Old Kingdom were scribbled with arrows pointing to spots all over the 3 land masses. A lot of other scribbles and illegible writing littered the map.
Confusion and excitement filled Calico’s eyes as they frantically scanned every inch of the map. A slow smile spready across his face as he gripped the map harder. What he was holding in his hands, was his father’s very own World Map.