One month ago, Maro of Medusa had cornered a man named Rush, and sliced off his left hand with a butcher knife. After coming to, Rush found himself strapped to an operating table with Maro standing over him. She commented that the left hand is considered the feminine hand, and found it amusing that Rush had never used his left hand when he abused children. Fortunately for him, the Ashoth needed a man like him to join with. Together, Rush and the Ashoth would be able to indulge in their grimmest fantasies. She produced a strange, tentacled hook from an ornate box, and thrust it into the stump of Rush's wrist. A transformation began that made him all monster, and no man.