The Adventures of Don Quixote and His Companions

Here you go, sir. A nice, hot cup of tea. And here's yours, Master.

Oh, thank you, Sancho.

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They say chamomile is supposed to help you relax. I hope you like it.

Hmm, hmm... Ahh, that's good.

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It's a beautiful day. I'm sure if we were to do our laundry today, it would dry in no time.

Hm? What was that!?

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Oh my, how majestic.

Phew... It's so peaceful here, isn't it, Sancho?

Indeed, sir. It really makes you want to relax.

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...Yes. You're right, Master.

Indeed. Let's take stock of our situation.

We've Rayshifted here today to repair a minute Singularity.

This Singularity is, in fact, centered on this very ship.

You and Sir handily defeated its ghost pirates, but just when you were about to make your triumphant return...

...we received word from Chaldea that they were unable to Rayshift us back. We haven't been able to reach them since.

So now, we're enjoying a cup of tea, since there's nothing else we can do.

Of course, I'm certain Chaldea is aware of the situation. They should contact us soon.

You heard her, Master. So why don't we take this opportunity to relax?

I'll go get something to help with that right now. One moment, please.

Here we go. A tarp to lay out on the deck, a blanket for a quick cat nap, and a light meal to go with your tea.

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Hehehe, oh, it was nothing.

Good question. It should only have taken them five minutes or so to reestablish communications.

But it's been two hours and we still haven't heard from them. All we can do is wait and remain vigilant.

Hmm, and since we're out in the middle of the sea, there's nothing for us to do for fun.

I suspect the unusual nature of this Singularity may have something to do with it.

Sir. Master.

Perhaps we should go over what happened after we Rayshifted?

That may give us some sort of clue.

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We ran into the ghost pirates almost immediately after Rayshifting here.

Indeed. I believe it went something like...

I'm seeing a ton of hostile ghosts near your position. It looks like you're on a ghost ship.

Ti... Ti...

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Don't pay too much attention to what the dead have to say. They sometimes try to lure you to join them.

Sancho is right.

If they were harmless, we might be able to resolve this peacefully...

...but since they're already attacking, you have to defend yourselves.

Prepare for battle!

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Begone, wicked ghosts!

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Indeed. Well done, both of you.

Hahaha, it was nothing!

Great job, team! As soon as we know the Singularity is repaired, we'll get you on your way home.

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Yes, that's how I remember it going, too. I also found it odd that the ghost pirates put up so little fight.

I agree. They were much too weak even to qualify as enemies. Thinking on it now, it does seem odd.

A few weak ghosts coming together shouldn't be enough to create a Singularity, even a minute one.

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Good idea.

The ghosts should all be gone, but there could still be something else going on here.

I agree. Let's get started right away.

This must be the captain's quarters. Hmm, I see. Very fancy.

How dare the captain take advantage of their position to live in such luxury at the crew's expense!

We should tear the whole thing down this instant!

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Master is right, sir. There may be clues here.

Let's just make sure there's nothing of value in here first. Then we can tear the whole thing down.

Fine!

All right, let's see what sort of clues we can find...

This seems to be a bottle of...spirits. Excellent quality, at that. Let's hang on to this.

Do we really need that?

Who knows? Maybe we can use it for a pick-me-up later.

Well, I suppose that's all right. I'm certainly of drinking age... Hm? What about this painting?

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Looks that way. This is probably the owner of this ship. And look, there's a signature on the back.

"Miguel Hernández de Soto, Captain of the Fuente de Esperanza."

And written just there, it says, "With his beloved family."

There you have it.

So, were these our ghosts?

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True. What do you think, Sancho?

Hmm... Weak as they were, there is no denying their aggressiveness.

And some of them certainly looked as though they used to be pirates.

Indeed. I know I can get confused sometimes, but I can still tell pirates from sailors.

...I just thought of something.

Just like that!?

You inspired me, sir. Just seeing you standing upright is a striking sight.

That's...not actually much of a compliment, is it?

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The ship's log.

Captain Miguel here seems like an earnest sort, so I'd bet he was diligent about keeping a log.

And if he did, he probably kept it somewhere in his desk... Aha, found it.

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Good, I can read the language he wrote in. And it does seem Captain Miguel was indeed the one to keep the log.

...Although, it also seems as though he wrote it quite some time ago.

Two hundred years before we Rayshifted here, in fact.

That makes this ship quite the antique!

...Hm? Hold on. For a two hundred-year-old ship, it seems awfully...

Yes, sir. Everything here is clearly much newer than that.

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Well, for now, let's see what the ship's log has to say.

"Oct. 11, Clear skies, light breeze. The voyage has been smooth as silk so far."

"Oct. 13, Rain, strong wind. We'll store the rainwater in barrels to bolster our drinking water supplies."

"Oct. 21, Cloudy, no wind. The deal was a success. We now begin our voyage home."

"I can't wait to see my wife and child again. I wonder how much he's grown this past year."

It looks like the voyage continued without incident for a while. Let me skip ahead.

Here we go. His handwriting is much messier here, and he stopped logging the date and weather.

"We've been boarded by pirates. They killed my crew in the raid. Soon, they'll come for me."

"But I won't go quietly. This is my ship. If anyone tries to steal it..."

"...I'll use my secret spell to cast a great curse that will keep the ship out of anyone else's hands, even if I must pay for it with my life."

"This ship is mine. It will always be mine."

The entry is followed by a diagram drawn in blood.

A diagram? Let me see... Hmm, what could this be?

That's our Master.

Well, I have none. Would you tell me what it is, Sancho?

Oh, I know what it is. I am no expert, but still.

Go on then, Sancho. What does this diagram mean?

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This is a magecraft spell.

Captain Miguel may not have been a mage, but it seems he had some knowledge of magecraft all the same.

And he used what he knew to complete this spell, at the cost of his own life.

Unfortunately, the logbook contains no detail as to the spell's purpose or function.

While I lack the knowledge to be certain, I can make an educated guess.

I believe Captain Miguel transformed this entire ship into a massive curse.

I think we can at least be certain the ghosts we fought were the pirates.

That would mean the pirates who tried to take this ship for themselves fell under the captain's curse...

...and were doomed to wander across the sea ever since, even after their deaths.

And now I suspect that same curse is on us as well.

Which means we'll be forced to stay here until we dieno, even beyond that.

Oh gosh, oh gosh... Forgive me, Master. I'm afraid I'm not very good at dealing with these sorts of things.

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Quite the horrific turn of events. However, we do know what we must do to put a stop to this.

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Exactly.

Very well! Now that we know our goal, all that remains is to charge headlong toward it!

This ship isn't terribly big. It shouldn't take us long to find the diagram in the log.

You're wrong there, Sancho.

Huh?

Something tells me that we have a fierce battle ahead of us, just like we did with Frestón the magician!

Now, come, Sancho! Come, Master! May the light shine upon our way of chivalry!

It's not heeere!

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How odd. We've turned over every corner of this ship.

That diagram should have turned up by now.

All we found was this somewhat wistful-looking doll that seems vaguely cursed in its own right.

...Want it?

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Then I'll hold on to it.

There's something about it I'd like to look into later.

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Thank you. Now, where else could we look?

Hmmm. I wonder if... Aha! I've got it!

Got what, sir?

If it's not inside the ship, then it must be outside the ship, on its hull!

That doesn't seem at all likely...but I suppose we could take a look.

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Hmm. Hmm. Hmmm.

Please be careful, sir. I won't be able to rescue you if you fall overboard.

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Indeed. And when you think about it, a diagram like that on the ship's hull would draw attention from any observer.

Which leads me to believe it's almost certainly not there.

Hmm. So then, it really isn't anywhere on this ship...?

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Exactly. The ship was under siege, and the captain had no choice but to hole up in his quarters.

He couldn't have had anywhere to go, or else he would have just run away.

All right, I've looked everywhere, and still no luck.

We've searched the whole ship and not found a hint of the spell anywhere.

Where in the world could it be...

I suppose that just leaves the ship's hull, as you suggested, sir.

If it's not there, then we can be sure it's nowhere on this ship!

I think you're right, sir. That's the only explanation that makes sense.

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Oh, it's that whale we saw earlier.

Ah!

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Wh-what is it, Sancho!?

The whale.

Huh?

The diagram is inscribed on the whale! That whale is the linchpin of this whole curse!

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Now that we know what to look for, you can see the whale's been circling this ship the whole time.

It never goes away, or comes any closer. It has maintained a constant distance.

The captain's spell must have bound it to the ship.

So as long as that whale is around, this ship will remain perfectly intact...

...and anyone who sets foot on it will become forever bound to it as a ghost.

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I expect it is. That is the cry of a creature being forced to endure terrible suffering.

The poor thing.

All this time, that whale has been forced to swim in circles in this same spot.

The whole vastness of the ocean awaits, yet there is nowhere it can go...

I think that whale must want to be freed just as much as we want to escape this curse. Especially if it's been tied to this ship for over two hundred years.

Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save that whale! Char

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Don't try to stop me, Master! I would gladly go through anything to help you, come hell or high water!

Be that as it may, sir, fighting a whale in high water would still leave us at a serious disadvantage.

Well, can't we just...you know, make up for that with love, courage, and whatnot?

Love and courage both dissolve the moment they hit water, sir. Which is why, you twohere.

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Yes. It's the doll we found earlier.

I've been looking it over, and it appears to be a kind of Mystic Code.

I believe the captain must have used it when he died, because it appears to let you move and breathe underwater.

Indeed. He must have kept it safe for a long time so that he could use his magecraft when it most counted.

I can't imagine he could have made it all the way to the whale without something like this.

I'm afraid it's not that simple, Master.

I don't know how long the Mystic Code's effects last, but this far out in the ocean, I can't imagine it would be long enough for Captain Miguel to have reached land.

And even if it had, he would have starved to death before he could.

So I suspect its effects only lasted long enough for him to reach the whale.

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At any rate, I believe our course is clear now.

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Not quite, Master. We're not going to kill it. We're going to destroy the spell.

Once that's done, both we and the whale should be free of the curse.

And while I'm sure it goes without saying, Sir and I will be accompanying you.

I never thought I would one day fight a cursed whale in the middle of the sea! I only hope my lance can end its curse!

Let us sally forth!

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Thank you for waiting.

I figured out how to activate the Mystic Code. As I thought, it should let us breathe underwater.

I'll keep the doll activated, but I'm afraid its effects don't extend very far.

So please make sure you both stay close to me.

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...Hehe. Yes, good point. This should be just like any other battle.

I knew we could count on you, Master. All right, time for us to share another adventure!

Activating Mystic Code.

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It looks like it's noticed us. Please prepare for battle.

Nonsense! The two of us are hardened warriors, worth a thousand men apiece!

Together, I, Don Quixote, chivalrous knight, and you, my loyal Sancho, shall bring salvation to this cursed whale!

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Yes, Master!

Raaaaaah! Yaaaaaah!

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The whale's spell has been completely destroyed.

...And the whale is disappearing along with it. The poor thing must have endured all it could.

O whale, ensnared by the deeds of menfarewell! May you rest in peace!

Oh, there you are! Are you guys okaWait. Are you in the ocean!? How are you breathing!?

Never mind that right now. The Singularity's repaired, so we're bringing you back immediately!

Oh, there you are! Are you guys okaWait. Are you in the ocean!? How are you breathing!?

Never mind that right now. The Singularity's repaired, so we're bringing you back immediately!

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And so, we vanquished the wicked mage, rescued the whale, and sent it back to the sea from whence it came!

We're so glad the whale was okay!

And you all lived happily ever after!

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(We thought it for the best to make the ending a touch more child-friendly.)

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid that's all we have for now.

However, the day will soon come when I have another thrilling tale of the adventures of Don Quixote for you!

I feel bad about lying to them but I couldn't stomach the thought of the disappointed looks on their faces if I told them the truth.

I wonder if I did the right thing...

I think you did, sir.

That's a relief.

...Still, when you get right down to it, you could say my whole life story is one big lie.

So maybe throwing another one on top won't make any difference at this point.

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You think so, too? Maybe I should have just told them the truth...

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Master is right, sir.

Who cares if your story wasn't completely true? It's not as though it hurt anyone.

Even when reality is painful, I would hope the lies we call stories can at least be kind ones.

At least, that's what I think.

Hmm... Yes, I think you're right, Sancho.

Then I'll keep doing it. I'll keep spinning my yarns. There's no other way an ordinary old man like me could stand before the true heroes here!

I'll keep aiming for happy endings and convenient plot twists, even if that means lying now and then!

Yes, sir!

And as your maid, princess, and attendant, I'll be there with you every step of the way!

Now, come, Master! It's time we began our next great adventure!

For as long as we're here in Chaldea, there will surely be no end of opportunities!

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