Flame from Betrayed By God by Tristis WardSUMMARY: This is Flame's introduction rather than a story. She is an Amaat, which means judge/executioner. The Bastet Amaat are philosophically conservative, but Flame is otherwise quite sweet.The monster just does not belong here. For one thing, this is a modern city, and the troll is dressed in what must be an uncured goat's hide. Second, it has obviously never seen a highway overpass before. It is pacing back and forth on the incline under the far span, intermittently swinging a piece of fender at traffic and stomping up into the shadows before its next explosion of rage.
Flame has been trying to reserve judgment. It is not her job to manage the troll population of any place, and maybe it has a point in being put out, given its stressful circumstances. On the other hand, it is a near mindless subsentient with a temper problem that can, and likely will, eventually kill unsuspecting motorists who commit no crime worse than crossing under or over its newly staked territory.
As she swings her way across the multilane on the thin grapple cables she convinced herself were important only moments before, she contemplates the likelihood that she would wake under the same overpass as a troll in the middle of nowhere important without kin or other Amaat to bounce the idea of intervention off of.
How often has she ever worked alone? Even as a Bastet Amaat, who are supposed to be solitary fighters delivering justice across vast distances of space, she has managed to never be alone at it. There was always Carol. Carol would say "shut up, Flame, and kill the troll."
Her sister Silver would beg her to show it mercy. She would list its ancestors and describe its horrible childhood - which is her reason for saving everybody. She might even resort to stepping in between them to keep him from being harmed. At that point the troll would likely throw the fender at the wizard and end the conflict, but the thought of measuring something beyond his inherent danger would have been successfully introduced and maybe she would hesitate the length of time needed for another solution to present itself.
Carol would kill the troll. That is what would happen next. Carol would kill the troll, turn to her and tell her she was stupid to listen to the wizard and is lucky she is not dead for it.
She lands with a puff of dust in front of the troll, as oblivious to the screech of tires as she was to the slowed cars and surprised faces of the people who watched her leather-clad form swoop over their heads in the shadow of the overpass. The troll has thrown its only weapon - missing, of course.
"I am Amaat," she says to it. Then she draws her sword. "I come bring balance, death of you."
The troll does not speak trader. If it knows any language, it does nothing to prove so in the shrieks and growls it makes while charging her. Its large gnarly hands claw menacingly at the air, leaving no doubt about its intentions on her body.
She smiles. Done is done, then. She lowers herself into the proper stance, brings her blade up in a tight arc that lets her slice through the thick neck with expert precision.
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