The flickering figure behind Silhouette stepped forward. It deactivated its obscura bracer; and shrugged off a heavy rough spun black robe, leaving it on the ground behind him.

Kotuk was three meters tall, and completely covered in thick glistening green-gold scales. His face was a maw filled with two rows of pointed serrated teeth and two of the three fingers on his had long curved wicked hooks that seemed made for slashing flesh. On his forehead there was a curved and thick metal capped tusk. Kotuk roared down at Grux as he approached. His gleaming reptilian eyes narrowed to slits, taking in every detail of Grux’s approach, as he sank into a fighter's crouch, waiting to lunge in a state of absolute still; tensing with a palpable and terribly pointed intensity.

Grux did not seem as confident or as confrontational as he waddled up on the dais. His ponderous bulk still exceeded that of his opponent; but now if one were to compare the two side by side; it seemed like there was a massive disparity.

Kotuk seemed like he was built to kill from the genes up, with viciousness instilled into every physical aspect. Standing before one another the flabby bulk of Grux seemed inferior in every way; and worse for him; he was also drawing these same conclusions.

“This just got a lot more interesting. Krasus said. “I’d say that Grux chap knows his time is up, that lizard critter is going to tear him limb from limb. And I’ll put twenty ducats on it.”

“It certainly looks that way, but I think Grux could put up a good fight. I’ll take that bet.” Moloch responded quietly back.

“Either way; I’ll get to make new acquaintances, oh how I love meeting new spirits. I have a feeling there will be scores of howling and confused souls for me to break in. Oh, how lucky I am.” Nassim said.

“Aren’t you afraid that one might bully you on the other side?”

“Who, the big scaly fella? He might be scary in your plane, but over here, no one will be keeping him strong with offerings and their deepest most heartfelt affection. Looking at you Krasus.” Nassim said with a seedy wink.

“Over there, I’m the fella who reddens the bottoms of the naughty spirits that would get fresh with me.”

He said putting his fist on either side of his cheeks and staring up at Krasus with a cherubic smile.

“Are you still hanging around? Don’t you have something to do in the inner worlds?”

“Well sure I do, there are endless things to do. But I’ve got all the time in the world.” Nassim said, as he vanished. His disembodied voice continued, “I’ll go look around now, and make sure there won’t be any nasty surprises when we give them our nasty surprise.”

“Moloch, do you think I can get an amulet from the temple of the light, that would keep Nassim away from me?”

“I heard that Centurion!” Nassim’s disembodied voice said with a laugh.

A scream from the center dais drew their attention back down to the hybrids. Kotuk had Grux’s arm in his jaws; as he had just torn it from his body. He flung the dismembered appendage into the crowd of hybrids in a shower of blood. They screeched their pleasure at the gory display. Grux made a last-ditch effort to live by flinging himself onto Kotuk, lunging with surprising speed, and latching his large hippo jaws into the lizard’s chest and torso, ripping away scales, and tearing through muscle and bone, then with a heavy plop, he crashed down hard on top of Kotuk, maintaining his death bite.

“Down he goes! Time to pay up brother!” Moloch said, totally caught up in the fight between the two hybrids, as if they were ringside at some gladiatorial event on surface city.

“Hold on, do you reckon Grux crushed him when he slammed him?”

“I don’t quite know, but it was quite the slam, look at the size of him.”

As if in answer to Krasus’ question Grux gasped a long and mournful wail, and then lay still, as all the tension held in his body relaxed. A clawed hand shot out from under Grux. Kotuk, heaved himself out from under the massive hippo hybrid. The reptile hybrid's metal capped tusk had impaled the Hippo right in the throat when he had flopped down on him.

There would be no getting up from that wound.

There were ruinous wounds on his abdomen and chest where Grux had clamped on, and his own arm and shoulder were only ragged strips of flesh.

Silhouette made no move to help him.

The torrent of bleeding rapidly became a trickle, as Kotuk struggled to one knee and gasped in breaths with his head down. Moloch was surprised that he was still conscious after taking such a horrible mauling.

“It has been decided!” The den master crowed in exhalation. “Silhouette’s amalgam dose has been proven supreme, it was a shame that Grux has perished, but he was found to be weak, and the den only holds a place for the strong!” His pack howled their approval, as half a dozen of the smaller hybrids dragged Grux’s body away. Moloch didn’t want to think about how they disposed of the bodies of their fallen comrades.

The Den Master took two hops’ steps forward and lifted up Kotuk’s other arm in a sign of victory.

“This amalgamation is strong, and our den will rise up to take over Zerzura just as the very first hybrids did at the fallen settled estate of Daar Nokport!

There was a thunderous cacophony as the members of the den screeched their agreement.

“The rebellion at Daar Nokport?” Moloch said. “Didn’t that happen over four hundred cycles ago?”

“Four hundred and twenty cycles ago.” Krasus said. “It was a dark stain on the history of the settled estates when those serfs rebelled against their sworn lord and lady and sacked it. They were the first Anoekians to ever hybridize in recorded history.”

“I had no idea you knew so much about it.”

“My families’ settled estate was nearby, and we have never forgotten such a travesty.” Krasus said.

“What do you know of Daar Nokport, that you so carelessly invoke its memory?!” A deep voice called from below the Den Master and amid the crowd.

A tall lean tawny figure with a thick golden mane strode into their midst. He was flanked by two other large lion-like hybrids. Where the creatures that comprised this den were of a clumsy and crude biological design, this Hybrid struck a sleek angular form that effortlessly retained all the nobility and predatory grace of a lion, and exuded a wisdom and pointed intelligence that came from never losing the humanity of his Anoekian roots.