Prologue

A young troll stands in the brooding caverns. Today is the day she turns 6 sweeps old. It is also the day she gets a very important job. She picks up her bat, studying it in her hand for a moment, fiddling methodically with it. Then, she lifts it over her shoulders and brings it down hard on a large fuschia colored egg.

Fuschia blood pools around it, darkening her white bat. She does it again to another fuschia egg, and another, and another. Until the brooding caverns are empty of all fuschia eggs. In time, however, there will be more. And she will be brought back here to cull them.

She feels a twinge of remorse, but shakes it off. This is her duty, like her ancestor, and her ancestor before. Eggsecutioner.

She is now 6.5 sweeps old, and has been brought back to the brooding caverns. The empress gives her a gentle pat on the shoulder, before leaving her to do her duty. She begins smashing fuschia eggs. However, something clicks in her, and she begins to feel even more remorse. She can't shake it. The caverns start spinning, and she blacks out.

When she awakes, she notices her bat is covered in not only fuschia blood, but violet, cerulean, indigo, and purple blood. She sees shattered egg shells everywhere, surrounded by blood. She knows she is in trouble. She runs. She's afraid. Her lusus will worry, but she knows that if she stays she will surely die.