The barrow mound burst open. The Draugr, blue-skinned and swollen with corruption, shambled out. It dragged a rusted axe and a sack of stolen grave-gold. Hoard-Ward. It was a creature of intense gravity, pulling the living down into the mud.
It saw the woman standing in the moonlight. She was light as a feather, wearing a single ostrich plume in her hair. Ma'at.
"You are a mistake," Ma'at said softly. "The dead should rest."
The Heavy Blow
The Draugr roared, a sound like dirt falling on a coffin. Mound-Giant's Swell. It grew larger, fueled by its own greed. It swung the massive axe, aiming to cleave the goddess in two.
Ma'at did not dodge. She raised a hand. Cosmic Equilibrium.
The axe stopped an inch from her nose. It hit an invisible wall of pure Order. The Draugr strained, its dead muscles bulging, but it could not break the law of the universe.
The Weighing
"Let us see what you are worth," Ma'at declared.
A golden scale appeared in the air. Weighing of Hearts.
She reached into the Draugr’s chest to pull out his heart. It was a black, shriveled thing, heavy with the weight of every coin he had hoarded and every life he had taken.
She placed it on the scale. On the other side, she placed her feather.
The heart slammed down. The scale didn't just tip; it shattered the floor.
"Found wanting," Ma'at pronounced.
She snapped her fingers.
The magic sustaining the Draugr vanished. The animating force of greed was severed. The blue giant collapsed instantly, crumbling into a pile of dry bones and dust. The wind blew, scattering the remains, leaving the night clean and orderly once more.