Ozymandias

Roman waited around a corner out of sight as his band gathered up all of the remaining villagers. Waiting for his cue. It wasn't hard and wouldn't be long now. They were beaten, demoralized and crushed. The hard part had been rounding them all up after their loss because quite a few had tried to flee. But they didn't get far. Darlene and her bunch were too skilled to be given the slip easily... and a lot of them simply hadn't had the strength left to run.

He tightened his hands around his cane. Things in the village were even worse than they'd first appeared. The place had been divided into a few leaders up top who'd held almost everything, the fighters or brute squad that had some and then everyone else bellow at the bottom. Those at the bottom had been treated poorly. Barely housed or fed. Most of their things and characters taken away from them by ****. Infact their characters were mostly used to enforce their misery. Either being sized and held captive... or taken, used and abused infront of their owners for the slightest of infractions and for those in powers despotic pleasure.

It was sick and turned Roman's stomach a little. Emotional ****. Crushing people's spirits. It was sometimes necessary with a individual hardcase but as a general rule widespread mass oppression wasn't just completely unnecessary but counter productive and wasteful both.

Anyway he'd have to do something about that. There was no point in breaking most of these folks any further. The majority were already at that point. He'd have to adjust his usual pitch slightly and-

"On your knees! Time for you all to meet the man who holds your fates in the palm of his hand!" Burt shouted as the villagers were **** to kneel and then whistled...

...and there was his cue from Burt and the others. Showtime.

"Well... well... well! What do we have here?" Roman asked stepping out of the shadows and into the fire light, dramatically tapping his cane to punctuate his performance. He whistled as he stopped, gave his cane a little twirl and used it to push up the brim of his hat a little. "Y'all pissing your pants yet?" He asked with a grin.

Looking out over the crowd he saw Burt had done as he'd been instructed. They'd been separated slightly so the former 'leaders' were up front, followed by those who had followed and enforced their rule behind them and then all the rest of the villagers were in the back. His men and women had them all surrounded. All separated completely from their characters. Burt grinned his axe in his hands, loosely held but at the ready. "All present for you, Roman."

"Good work, Burtie boy! You know how much I love a captive audience!" Roman grinned and Burt and the others laughed darkly.

"Look... It's Roman, right?" One of the former leaders upfront started to speak up. "We can make a deal- urngh!"

Roman had given Darlene a look and she'd immediately kicked the speaker in the crotch then pointed her bow in their face. "Give me an excuse! I dare you!"

"Thank you, Dee!" Roman shook his head. "Let that be a lesson for all you about mistaken intentions! This is not a negotiation! There is no bargain to be made here! I'm the one who's going to tell you what is what and how it is! Next person to speak out of turn and I will shut that shit down myself!" He said leveling his cane and slowly sweeping it around to point at all of them with a menacing smile. "Any takers?"

There was near complete silence except for the moaning. He paused dramatically to let the moment sink in before continuing. "Good! We're already reaching an understanding. Now... where was I?"

None of the captives dared make a sound as he paused for effect with a grin. A few of his men chuckled darkly. "Captive Audience," Burt said smirking knowingly and playing along.

"That's right! Thank you," Roman said smacking his own forehead. "Boy I tell you these tense situations get me all wound up! I just want to bash some heads in to relieve the tension! Hahaaa... Captive... Audience... Audience. A group of people within hearing; specifically, a large gathering of people listening to or watching a performance, speech, etcetera... And captive... well, I suppose I don't have to explain that to all of you. You're all captives right now... but it might be useful to understand why you find yourselves in this situation. Basically it's quite simple. Your leaders ordered and carried out an attack on some of my people and that required an appropriate response." He wasn't smiling anymore. "We can't have that. I can't have that, shit. We've got a reputation we're building. You can see how I had ****... and so... here we are now."

He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "Now some of you are doubtlessly asking yourself "why?". I know. We came here, made a bit of a mess, fought and kicked some ass... so you're asking yourselves "why am I still here?" Am I right?..." he stared them all down. Of course no one took the bait daring to speak up. He chuckled looking around. "Ooooo... Silence is golden and can sometimes be taken as affirmation but I want to hear someone say it! Haha! This is exciting! Hmmm," he said looking them over. "Oh, it's just so hard to pick!" He swept his cane back and forth leveled at the crowd as he looked from face to face. He paused in front of the front row, the former leaders, and the person who'd spoken up before, before shaking his head. "Nah. Not you. You were too mouthy before. Can't have that. This here stage we've set is barely big enough for one as it is! Especially with me on it, am I right?" His men chuckled at his performance as the audience stayed quiet. He scanned over the next rows and towards the back, then picked out the biggest one with their head down, pointing with his cane. "You."

The man looked at the tip of the cane leveled at him before lifting his eyes towards Roman and audibly gulping. "M-M-Me, S-Sir?"

Roman chuckled. "Well I don't mean the guy behind you! Yes, you!" He was dirty and unshaven. Obviously he'd been a big man before but he, like many of the other Primes in the village, hadn't eaten well in sometime judging by the way his clothes hung. "What's your name?"

"My name?" The man asjed confused.

Roman blinked. "Do you all hear an echo?" He asked drawing a few more chuckles from his band. "Yes, your name. I want it, big guy... Now."

"Y-Yessir!" The man said stammering his voice cracking. "It's G-Ga-Gary, S-Sir!"

There was some more chuckling... but Roman didn't and shook his head, holding up his hand. "Don't laugh. Gary's doing fine." The laughter stopped immediately. "Gary... come join me up here."

Gary swallowed loudly again. "D-... do I h-have to?"

"Yes. You do," Roman intoned evenly with grave seriousness. "Right now, Gary."

Gary slowly, nervously rose to his feet and shuffled his way upfront to join Roman. He stood awkwardly as far away from the dangerous man as possible until Roman snapped his fingers and beckoned him closer. His slow inching closer was comical as he sidled up to stand where Roman pointed with great ****... but nobody was laughing following Roman's order. Everyone was watching with baited breath.

"R-right here?" Gary asked standing next to Roman, nervously glancing at his cane in striking distance.

"Right there," Roman said adding. "Perfect. Now, Gary..."

" ... y-yes?" Gary squeaked his voice cracking.

"Now... Ask me," Roman told him while stretching with his cane as if warming up to take some swings with it. "Don't mind me."

Gray blinked... then visibly paled as he tried to recall what Roman had said earlier... and dreading what would happen. "W-w-why...are w-we- *Gulp* ... h-here...?" He asked his gaze riveted on Roman's cane, sure of his impending doom.

But-

"That is a great question, Gary!" Roman said happily resting his cane on his shoulder and putting his arm around the big man companionably. "You know I am so glad you asked that because it's really interesting! And I don't just mean in a philosophical existential way! Hahah! That's a joke, Gary. You can laugh if you want to."

"I can...?" Gary asked visibly confused and nervous and when Roman nodded he nervously fake laughed. "... h-ha...ha...?"

Roman grinned and patted him on the back. "There you go! You are here, you all are here, for a very important reason! See normally what happens is we have to make a few 'examples' out of a few folks to convince the others while we make our little spiel to convince folks into seeing things our way." He bounced his cane on his shoulder. "Bash a few heads and what not... I don't got to tell you but just between us," he said in a loud conspiratorial stage whisper so everyone could definitely hear, "... it can get messy! Especially for the folks in the front few rows!" He said giving a wink. "And then there's all the crying and carrying on! 'Oh my god! Boo hoo!', 'How could you? Wah!' And 'You monster! Whomp-whomp!' Hahah! Good times though!" Roman shook his head. "But we got ourselves a bit of a problem see? What are we?" He paused for a beat then said. 'Do me a favor and answer that if you can?"

He saw Gary giving him a blank look and hyperventilating and sighed patting his back again. "That's alright, Gary. You've been a trooper. You take a second and just breathe, OK? Can we get a hand for, Gary?" He said leading him to the side a little bit as people nervously golf clapped. "Oh-kay! Let's pick out another volunteer!" He pointed his cane, covered his eyes, "I'm not even gonna look! Well maybe a little! Hahah!" He said peeking before pointing towards a slender fellow this time. "You! Yes, you! Come on up here! Don't be shy or I'll have to send someone to get you! Come on up and introduce yourself!"

The gangly, slender fellow approached slowly and timidly and looked like he was contemplating running... but couldn't find a way out and reluctantly made his way up front. "Uhmmm... H-Hello. I'm Malcolm b-but, uh... everyone calls me... Mal ...?" He said. Where Gary's voice had been a bit high and cracking with youth Ray's was somehow nasaly and yet still low giving it unique sound. He finished his introduction shying away as if expecting to be about to be hit.

"Hiya, Mal! I'm Roman. Good to meet you!" Roman said grasping his hand and shaking it as if it was a perfectly normal and congenial first meeting. "Glad you could make it!" He winked. "For a minute there I thought you were going to get lost on the way up here! Crazy, am I right? Hahaha!"

"Haha... ha," Malcolm nervously laughed. "Yeah... crazy... heh."

Roman nodded. "Now, Mal... you seem like a smart guy. Can you tell me what we are?"

"Uhhh... Pirates? Or brigands? Bandits? Sorry, I'm not sure about the exact nomenclature," he said awkwardly.

But Roman nodded. "No, no. That's good, Mal. Any of those would certainly fit and more. Robbers, raiders, etcetera... Folks who rob other folks, am I right?"

"Eh heh heh... you tell me?" Malcolm asked nervously.

"Hah! I like you, guys!" Roman said punching Malcolm's shoulder. "You and Gary both! Yeah. We take from other folks. Do me a favor. Both of you actually!" He said placing Malcolm so he stood next to Gary. "Turn out your pockets."

"Huh?" Gary said.

"What?" Malcolm asked. "I dunno-"

"I'm robbing you," Roman said completely seriously now. "No joking around. Turn out your pockets and give me everything you have... now."

They both hurriedly complied and searched themselves to give Roman something... anything! They literally turned their pockets inside out... and nervously came up with... nothing. Not even pocket lint.

"Nothing, huh?" Roman asked tapping his cane.

"Suh-Sorry, S-S-Sir," Gary stammered.

"Uhh... Shoes! You want shoes?" Malcolm asked offering what he had. Whatever he had. Anything! "Clothes, maybe? Here take them!"

Roman quickly held up his hand to forwstall any stripping. "No-no. That's alright. I don't want your shoes or clothes. And I apologize. No, you heard that right. I'm sorry for putting you both on the spot. Honestly. Thank you both for playing along." He looked out into the crowd. "It's no laughing matter but you see how ridiculous this is, don't you? It's why successful robbers go after the rich... you just can't rob those who have nothing. And that's not to shame Gary or Malcolm here or any of you like them! No, not at all. That's a shame that belongs to your leaders! A failure of leadership! That's the real shame! Because that's where we found just about everything of worth when we took this place!" He said coldly looking at the so called leaders in the front row. "They abused you and your Characters! Negligently wasted your talents by not investing in your wellbeing! Lead you down the path to ruin to where you all kneel today! Battered," he thumped his cane on the ground. "Beaten!" *Thump* "Broken!" *Thump*

He turned to face Gary and Burt. "I'm not going to take from you. Not from either of you or anyone like you. There's no sense in it. No profit. No..." he held his cane up and out to them. "No. I'm going to do the opposite. I'm going to give to you. I'm going to give you and everyone like you here a chance. To take back what was taken from you. Anyone of you who wants to will get a stake. After we take our share of your bosses wealth and prosperity I'll redistribute what's left. Fairly. Evenly. It's not much. Certainly not fair for all that you've suffered. But it's the best I can do. I offer you, all of you in the same boat, a chance... if you're willing to take it."

Gary gulped and Malcolm nudged him and nodded. Gary hesitantly reached out and slowly took Roman's cane in hand. It was light but it felt oddly denser too. Like there was an unyielding solidity to it. An immeasurable strength... and it was still flecked with blood on its dark surface.

He met Roman's eyes. There was no mocking there. It was a serious moment. A serious offer. A serious chance. He clutched the cane tightly and asked, "What do I have to do?"

Roman nodded to him and then turned and looked at the former leaders who'd started this whole mess and abused their own people. "I think you know."

Gary nodded and so did Malcolm... and so did Roman and Burt and Darlene and the rest of his band as they moved away from separating the crowd from their former oppressors. Oppressors who looked upon them with fear now. Saw the hate every cruel torment had earned them... and now the bill had come due. "Thank you," Gary and Malcolm said as they stepped past Roman to reclaim their dignity and freedom with their own hands.

"My pleasure," Roman said smiling grimly taking a seat for the show. He was their audience now. "I'll be right here when you all are done. Then the real work can begin... after you're done taking out the trash."

Darlene frowned as she and Burt joined him. "You know you don't gotta watch, right? It ain't on you. You didn't cause their troubles... and you ain't responsible for them others getting their just desserts."

"No," Roman said watching everything happening. He thought he could hear a slight buzz... or perhaps he was simply imagining it. A whiring of servos and motors. The smaller recording and broadcasting drones hardly made any detectable noise at all. Silent. Invisible... but a huge mass of them together? Perhaps he was only imagining the sound... but he felt certain tgey were there. No doubt this was good for ratings. And the bigger ones, the recovery drones, were on their way swooping in as the villagers took their **** on their tormentors... which made the spectacle wilder! They'd been not only hurt but humiliated and that had been doubtlessly been broadcast too into untold numbers of homes, workplaces and more. They wanted their ****. They wanted the world to see them get their pride back... and one thing you could say about Primes was they had a lot of pride. It would doubtless make the highlight reels for Survival Island. People would be talking about it and he could practically hear the tapping of the keyboards and commentators online going wild.

"No. This is on me, one way or another," he said trying not to blink. Searing it into his memory the spectacle of the violent mob execution before him. "This is my spectacle... this is my island, now. It's important to not miss all that I have wrought here today."

“Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair."

That actually caused Roman to blink and turn briefly looking away as did Darlene and they stared at Burt too who had said it and shrugged, "I heard it somewhere before."

Roman turned back towards the carnival of chaos. "It's a line from Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem “Ozymandias”. An inscription by an old emperor to any that might come across it and know that their empire lay before them... however it's a boastful command from a ruined statue of an ancient king in an empty desert, directed at any powerful emperors who may come across it. It dares them to look upon the vast empire the king built and abandon any hope of surpassing it. However, the empire and power had vanished over time, leaving only the shattered statue and its pedestal. All things are only temporary. Very insightful, Burt."

Burt scratched his head bashfully. "Heheh... Balls... Actually I just thought it was some cold villainous shit to say," he admitted with a wry chuckle.

Darlene snorted a laugh and Roman smiled but shrugged still watching. "Still a good point, though. Thanks. I think we should all keep it mind... look on my works, ye mighty, and despair," he repeated with a smirk... after all... it definitely would make a good soundbite for the show!

[Roman Stark - Knives Chau - Saya Takagi - Risty - Kim Pine and Jinx featuring extra guest appearances by Subaru Konoe - Felix Argyle and Meiko Shiraki

Will Return In

Settling Accounts and Divvying the Spoils

Coming Soon]