The Tale of a Great Fixer Who Once Reached for The Dream, part 10 (after battle)
As we created La Manchaland, Father told us that numerous rules would only shackle us. He gave us freedom to enjoy it in any way we wanted.
However, there was a singular rule he would never forgive us for breaking.
That we mustn't hurt humans.
Hemobars can sate our hunger.
We can coexist with humans.
So stay strong through this period of hardship.
We shan't give up. We cannot give up.
No Syndicate shall ever dare invade thy village again after my demonstration of might. Haven't I declared it upon mine arrival that no task is beyond us?
And you weren't kidding! Thank you so much, Don Quixote and Sancho.
But, um... how could we repay you...? We don't have much money...
Your running shoes look like they could fetch a nice price...
Fie on thee! A Fixer doth not dole out justice based on promise of capital.
Still, if thou truly wishest to help, then... wouldst thou behold this flyer? Prithee, spread the word, invite thy fellows and families to this place.
My most loyal squire, Sancho, shall present thee a better explanation.
…….
Ahem, khm...
…….
Don't just stand there, Sancho. Say something.
You are supposed to be... my loyal assistant of sorts here.
I... refuse to speak in that manner.
It's ridiculously juvenile.
It is that very ridiculous juvenility that adds color to life, Sancho.
Besides, how else will humans truly see us as just and valorous Fixers otherwise?
It still eludes me how this embarrassing manner of speech has anything to do with being a Fixer.
Right, right. Let us try this again. Yes?
Hearken to me, Sancho! My loyal squire!
... Haaaah...
Hark, San -
V-verily!
Thou mustn't relent, no... matter the hardship.
Slow not thy running pace until thou arrivest at thy destination; though hidden it may seem, perseverence shall see thee through.
Through to t-the L-la... La Manchaland of... uh, dr-dreams... and... hopes...
However... O venerated ancestor, the First Kindred, our Father Don Quixote...
I'm sorry. We couldn't possibly live up to those knights in your tales... haha... ha... ha...!
Nicolina, the Barber...
When Father's eyes lingered on us, he wasn't really looking at us. He gazed beyond where we stood, to the faraway lands...
So... so... we told him to go on an adventure he so wished to embark on.
We're supposed to love him. More so than anyone.
I know! I loved him, too! I looked up to him, I praised him, I spoke of his greatness between my every breath!
Do you think you're his only Child? I am too! We are! We all are of his noble bloodline!
What you've done... is filial impiety.
We smelled the carnage upon our return to La Manchaland once our adventure was over.
Yes... Burning with wrath, he descended upon La Manchaland amidst its festival to deliver swift retribution for our transgressions.
Haha... haha...! But it was so much fun. That sense of satisfaction, that fullness...
Father did not find it within himself to forgive us. But we were prepared for that! That was exactly why we told him of the Relic's whereabouts after all.
Behold, Sancho.
The legendary Relic, Helmet of Mambrino we had so fervently sought is before us. We have the Barber, the Priest, and Dulcinea to thank for telling us of its whereabouts.
But why...
What is it?
... It's nothing.
What is with that expression, Sancho? Is the ending of our adventure so truly disheartening?
I must wonder how... our Family at La Manchaland fares.
They must be faring quite well. They are kinder, gentler souls than most.
Let us hurry back. Bari must be waiting for our arrival. She has always been a step ahead of us.
Ah, Sancho... you would have understood had you been here with us.
The blissful, nearly ecstatic taste of human blood after such a long drought. Its flavor was madness.
No, that was a horrible sight.
How odd, though.
That you, who was our Father's most loyal Child... was the first to flee.
…….
I did not flee.
He forced Rocinante on my feet, and...
... Do you understand? You must continue the adventure in my stead.
N-no...
Let me fight with you. I will fight by your side, even if -
Follow Bari. She will lead you away from here.
Rocinante, stop! Stop walking, NO!!!
I don't want to leave, I don't! Why do you refuse to obey me...?
Please, please! I don't want an adventure, stop! Please!
Please, Rocinante...
Don't take me away from here...
Ha ha... so that's what happened! That is why our Father was so weakened, why we could not see even a trace of you anywhere within La Manchaland when the dust settled.
Always stuck to him like glue, glaring at us with that haughty, condescending look whenever we approached...
I... never thought to condescend you.
Lies! You never wore the clothes I'd made for you...
......
What... why are you looking at me like that?
It's disgusting, isn't it? We've become so hideous, haven't we?
The masks sewn onto every Bloodfiend's face here...
Was it your doing?
Hahahaha! Of course it was!
Who else among us could manage such intricate needlework?
I sewed the masks onto their faces, needle by needle! So they can be happier! So they can be more flamboyant!
So they will never... have to take them off again...
What I want to know...
... is what happened here at La Manchaland during my two hundred years of absence.
What we found at the end of our adventure was no Relic of legends... it was a cursed Relic.
That must have been your plan all along.
Because defying our Father is so... terrifying and so unnatural to us...
You needed him to be gone for a while. To suppress that natural revulsion.
Was that the only way you could scrounge up the courage to rebel against him?
How long...
... did you seriously think La Manchaland had left?
Rebellion...? Defiance...? It wasn't something so simple.
While you were daydreaming, prancing around with that Knight of the White Moon...
...we were dying a slow, painful, unbearable death.
'Oh no, a Bloodfiend doesn't die so easily,' he would say.
No, we don't. But that existence was no different from death!
There is no meaning to life without human blood! Nothing!
No tomorrow to look forward to, nothing to spark our happiness.
Still, we had to laugh! Because we were bound to love our Father!
For two hundred years we laughed and laughed!!!
When all... when... when all I ever wanted was to live as a Bloodfiend should!
... Enough.
She won't ever understand us.
Besides, our Father has finally woken up from his delusions and came to his senses.
…….
Clearly, from that look on your face...
Your adventure wasn't very fulfilling, was it?
I almost prefer that naive look from earlier.
I still hated your eyes, twinkling or not, but...
At least they were bearable to look at.
What do you mean... our Father woke up from his delusions?
When you embarked on your long-awaited journey of dreams, astride Rocinante...
... we remained trapped in here with Father.
Of course, he was furious with us, who failed to see as he did...
... Thus he sealed La Manchaland away.
And nothing but two-hundred years of darkness remained.
Even as we used the powers of the Relic to pervert our natural law, to suppress our taboo...
... you will never understand our pain of having to stake our own Father's chest.
Do you remember? The Priest, that fool, tried to kill himself! Hahaha!
Tears streaming down his face, bawling... you have no idea how funny that was!
A punishment we deserved.
We have not only gone against our Father's wishes, but also committed the capital sin of bringing him harm.
Were we... really that wrong?
For two hundred years, sealed within La Manchaland... we had nothing...
Bloodfiends resorted to digging through dirt for rotting beast carcasses...
I was trapped in here with nothing but their anguished cries, seeking death over this torturous existence...
From cries, to mad laughter, to despondent wailing... hahahahahaha!
Get out of my way.
I must talk to him myself.
You? You, who abandoned us and fled with Rocinante? Now you wish to talk to him?